On Friday 5 May, we are celebrating International Day of the Midwife (IDM)! This year’s IDM theme, “Together again: from evidence to reality” honours the efforts of midwives and their associations to action critical evidence towards meaningful change for our profession and the women and families they care for. In the lead-up to the day we sat down and chatted with Shelby Johnson Boe and Alicia Magner about their careers in midwifery.
Shelby is a Clinical Midwife Specialist at Casey Hospital and has been a Registered Nurse and Midwife for 5 years. She recently transitioned into full-time midwifery this year.
“I wanted to do a people-focused job that was challenging and where you get to do different things everyday.”
Alicia is the Associate Midwifery Manager, Birth Suite and an Associate Nurse Unit Manager (ANUM) at Monash Medical Centre.
“I absolutely love taking care of women in labour and doing hands-on support and delivering babies. I still really enjoy it after 8 years. It was important for me to have that balance of being in a manager role but also still being a midwife.”
Alicia trained in her homeland of Ireland after being inspired by her sister’s friend who was studying midwifery. Alicia practiced nursing and midwifery in Ireland, United Kingdom (UK) and Sydney before starting at Monash Health in 2018. She eventually became a Clinical Midwife Specialist before taking on her current role.
“It was [in the UK] where I felt birth suite was the place I was most passionate about. I love how every shift is different- you walk in, and every patient is different.”
Reflecting on their first experiences of birth, Shelby and Alicia were overwhelmed and excited.
Alicia shared, “I was a student and I was terrified. I remember the first baby I delivered. I was bawling crying. I still remember as a student, that moment of feeling emotional, overwhelmed, and happy all at the same time.”
Shelby shared that she almost fainted from the many sounds and smells at the first birth she saw as a student.
“In order to start accoucheur births, you have to see one birth. So I thought, I’m not leaving this room!”
We asked Shelby and Alicia about what they are most passionate about in their midwifery roles.
Alicia explains, “You get to support women and their families. It can be the hardest and most rewarding time of their lives, and it’s really special to be a part of.
“It’s a bit different to general nursing. The majority of your women are healthy and fit and well. And it’s an exciting time in people’s lives.”
Shelby reflects, “You get to see women meet their goals for their birth or their postnatal parenting period… And it’s wonderful to see the impact you make.
“It’s important to recognise that midwives have such a positive impact on the women and families they care for. Birth is a rite of passage for women. I’m passionate about protecting that and trying to keep birth as low risk as possible.”
At the core of their passion for midwifery, Shelby and Alicia enjoy building a trusted relationship with their patients. Shelby and Alicia try to promote continuity of care models in their working environments.
Alicia explains, “If women can see the same midwife, whether that be in the antenatal, birth, labour or postnatal period, evidence shows that women have better outcomes and an improved overall experience. They trust their midwives more, are more engaged in their care and studies have shown that they’re happier with their care.”
Shelby mentions that the continuity of care model is the ideal standard of care, but it also has its challenges.
“I like building a relationship with women. I then know what’s important to her and her baby and her family.
“We can’t have a standardized one-size-fits-all approach because it’s not what women want.
“It’s a hard model to sustain because it means midwives need to be on call.
“All midwives have the capacity to deliver woman-centred care and make positive changes within our maternity system but we need to look after ourselves and others to do that.”
Fortunately, our midwives are already proactive in working towards continuity of care practices whenever possible.
About her team, Alicia says, “I always give the midwives an opportunity when I’m allocating to ask, ‘do they know the person? Have they taken care of them before?’ The midwives are really great and always putting their hand up.”
About the incoming graduates, Shelby says, “The new graduates are coming in enthusiastic and excited to advocate for their women. And they have a lot of belief in their knowledge and skills.”
Thank you, Shelby and Alicia for sharing your stories. Keep an eye out for more stories about our Midwives for International Day of the Midwife.
Approved by Adjunct Professor Katrina Nankervis, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Executive Director, Nursing and Midwifery