To mark International Day of the Midwife, staff at the RVI 's maternity unit in Newcastle have reflected on the "great privilege" of their jobs - and how they see their mission as supporting new parents "from happiness to heartbreak and everything in between".
At a difficult time for the profession - with recent scandals in other parts of the country having spotlighted the need for safe maternity care - midwives in Newcastle spoke of how recognising that every expectant mum is different and providing safe, high-quality was always the top priority.
Speaking to ChronicleLive, delivery suite midwife Kayle Washburn, 31, said: "Pregnancy and birth have always fascinated me, as it's absolutely incredible what a woman's body can do. It's such a privilege to do our job. There's nothing more rewarding than bringing somebody into the world - being the first person to ever touch a baby. There are times where it's not quite so happy, but even then it's still a privilege to help those women through."
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Kayle - who lives in Wallsend - said seeing the face of someone's partner "light up" as they meet their child for the first time was an incredible experience, and added: "As you gain more experience you come to realise how every woman is so different. There's always something new to learn and a new person to look after. We also sometimes support our colleagues too.
"That's lovely, we have a lovely family here. I could come in every single day and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't love it. When I think about our job on International Day of the Midwife, I always think we support women from happiness to heartbreak and everything in between. For me, that hits the nail on the head."
Deb Buller is one of the senior midwives at the RVI - having spent 24 years there. Though she now lives an hour's commute away, she said she couldn't imagine working elsewhere.
"I've been here 24 years and obviously so much has changed," she said. "But you see the same people having their first baby, then coming back and remembering your faces as they have their second or third, it's lovely. Obviously midwifery changes but the fundamentals are always caring for women and their families. That's never changed. They're always the priority.
"I moved to Redcar but I chose to stay here because I love it so very much. We have such a wonderful family dynamic."
Associate director of midwifery at the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust Jane Anderson added: "International Day of the Midwife gives us a real opportunity each year to stop and pause, think and reflect, about the wonderful work which Midwives across the globe do each and every day.
"Caring for women, birthing people, and their families with compassion requires real dedication, which I am proud to say are true values central to the core of our midwives here at Newcastle Hospitals. The past two years has been extremely challenging for all members of our workforce, and as Maternity Services across the county face continuing challenges, our midwives continue to bring safe, high quality, personalised, midwifery care day in, day out."
She said she was "extremely proud" of the team and wanted to share her "heartfelt thanks" with both midwifery staff and the families they look after. International Day of the Midwife is May 5 each year.
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