International Day of the Midwife 2023

A message from our Director of Professional Standards - Midwifery, Dawn Johnston, in celebration of International Day of the Midwife

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our registered midwives and student midwives a very happy International Day of the Midwife.

Each year, 5 May allows us to acknowledge and recognise the important role of midwives both in Ireland and around the world. It is also a day for us to reflect on the achievements and challenges midwives have faced over the past year.   

As we emerged from the pandemic, you continue to work in partnership with women to provide them with the support, care and advice they need during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period.

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has selected ‘Together Again: From Evidence to Reality’ as the theme for this year’s celebration. This is an important theme, and one that is highlighted in NMBI’s Practice Standards for Midwives (2nd edition) which was launched on International Day of the Midwife last year. Our practice standards state: 

‘The scope of practice of the individual midwife is influenced by a number of factors including: 

- the practice setting;

- local guidelines, policies and evidence base’.

The needs of women and their families accessing maternity services is changing particularly as the National Maternity Strategy 2016 continues to be rolled out. Now, more than ever, it is important that we midwives use an evidence-based approach to promote change for our profession. By being equipped with knowledge, we will enable women and their families to make fully informed choices. 

As the regulator, NMBI’s role is to promote high standards of professional education, training and practice. The Practice Standards for Midwives I mentioned earlier are specifically for midwifery. They set out the standards of midwifery care which would be expected from someone who practises as a registered midwife in Ireland. Our aim is to support our midwives to provide safe, effective and evidence-based care to women, their babies, and their families in a holistic and compassionate manner. 

Last week, we published our Statement of Strategy 2023-2025 which sets out a clear roadmap for achieving our objectives for the next three years. As part of our new strategy, we will publish more guidance for all registrants working across healthcare settings. We will also focus on attracting new midwifery students by reviewing the access pathways to our Register. I would encourage you to read our strategy as our objectives are aimed to support all our registrants.   

Midwives work with women at a significant time in their lives. Please don’t forget that the birth of a child is a cherished and a long-lasting memory. As midwives, you are always remembered for the significant impact you make to that experience. 

Today allows us all the opportunity to shine a light on the amazing work you and your colleagues do and for the passion, commitment and compassion you show in delivering care to women, their families and their babies.

I hope that wherever you are today, you take the time to celebrate with your colleagues, friends and family. Happy International Day of the Midwife.