Celebrating the vital role of midwives
May 22, 2025
Midwifery is one of the world’s oldest professions. For centuries, midwives have supported women through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recover; long before the rise of modern medicine. While the tools and techniques have changed over time, the core principle of midwifery remains the same: to provide compassionate and skilled, female-centric care.
Midwifery dates back thousands of years. Texts from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome refer to women who assisted others in childbirth and in many early societies, midwifery was a highly respected role, often passed down through generations with midwives relying on traditional knowledge, herbal remedies, and practical experience. In fact, it was a Greek physician who wrote the first detailed manual on midwifery during the 1st Century, which became a reference point for hundreds of years to follow.
Today, midwives are recognised as essential to safe, high-quality maternal care and today marks International Day of the Midwife, a chance to pause, reflect and celebrate the role midwives play in our modern society.
In countries like Australia and New Zealand, midwives often lead maternity care, particularly for low-risk pregnancies. The World Health Organisation (WHO) actively supports midwife-led models of care, which are linked to better outcomes for mothers and babies.
Midwives have long been at the heart of maternal and newborn health, playing a vital and often under-recognised role in ensuring safe and supported births. Across the globe, midwives play a key role as educators, advocates, and primary contributors to the health and wellbeing of families and communities.
That said, many people associate midwives solely with childbirth. While supporting women during labour is central to their role, midwifery encompasses far more. Midwives provide care across the entire reproductive journey, including:
- Monitoring health during pregnancy, offering education on nutrition, birth planning, and emotional wellbeing.
- Offering skilled and compassionate support during birth, often leading to lower intervention rates and better outcomes.
- Supporting new mothers with recovery, feeding, and adjusting to life with a newborn.
- Advising on family planning, contraception, and sexual health
In addition, research shows that investing in midwives can drastically reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. According to the WHO, fully integrating midwives into health systems could prevent up to 83% of maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths around the globe.
From remote Australian communities to major urban centres, midwives are often the first, and sometimes only, point of care for expectant mothers. In low-resource settings, their presence can mean the difference between life and death. Here in Australia for example, midwives are crucial in indigenous communities, where culturally safe care and long-term relationships are key. Culturally matched midwifery services have been shown to improve maternal outcomes and build community trust in the wider health system.
Midwives don’t just provide clinical care, they offer emotional support, advocacy, and empowerment. Their role is deeply human: listening, calming fears, celebrating new life, and supporting families through vulnerable transitions. And by recognising the social, emotional, and cultural aspects of pregnancy and birth, midwives help women make informed choices and feel respected and safe—before, during, and after birth.
Midwives are central to maternal and infant health. They offer far more than delivery support, they are holistic caregivers, community health advocates, and agents of positive change. As we continue to strive for safer, more equitable health systems, midwives must be recognised, respected, and invested in, which are just a few of the reasons why recognising and celebrating the International Day of the Midwife is so important.
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A World Mental Health Day message from Jan Bannerman , Joint Managing Director, Talent Quarter
If you've spent a few years in Emergency, chances are you've thought about it. "Could I do remote nursing?"
When our Nurse Alex moved from Northern Ireland to Australia in November 2025 , she wanted to do two things: work as a nurse and make the most of the opportunity to explore Australia. Travel nursing has given her the chance to do both! Making the most of the time between contracts 🐋 After wrapping up a contract, Alex headed to the Gold Coast for some well-earned downtime - which happened to fall right in the middle of humpback whale migration season. “I went whale watching which was incredible. It was peak season for humpback whales migrating down the east coast. There were so many whales!” For Alex, taking a break between contracts isn’t just about travelling. It gives her a chance to properly switch off after working in demanding and sometimes unfamiliar environments. “Contracts can be both physically and mentally demanding at times, and working in unknown environments can be overwhelming. Having time off between contracts has helped me recharge to be ready for the next contract.” Work, travel and a bit more freedom One of the things Alex has enjoyed most is being able to choose contracts that suit her experience and the way she wants to spend her time in Australia. “It’s great being able to balance the work and the holiday aspects of my Working Holiday Visa. As much as I love work, I love being able to see and experience Australia in all of its beauty in my downtime.” It’s also given her the chance to broaden her nursing experience. Alex comes from an ICU background, but since starting travel nursing she’s also worked in ED and on a medical ward. And then there are the places. Instead of only visiting somewhere for a weekend, Alex gets to spend a few weeks living and working there - experiencing smaller towns and parts of Australia she might never otherwise have had the chance to call home. Next stop: Tasmania 📍 Alex has now started a new contract in Tasmania, where she’s looking forward to gaining more ED experience and, of course, exploring more of the state while she’s there. For any nurses thinking about doing something similar, Alex’s advice is pretty simple: “Do it! I was nervous to start travel nursing, but I’m so glad I did it. The team at Talent Quarter supported and guided me throughout the whole way. They are always just a phone call away.” For Alex, it’s that freedom that makes travel nursing so worthwhile. “You could work the full year straight if you want, or take months off at a time to travel. It’s up to you.” A new contract, a new part of Australia and the freedom to decide what comes next. That’s what travel nursing has looked like for Alex so far. Thinking about giving travel nursing a go? Whether you’re ready for your next contract or just curious about what opportunities are out there, we’d love to hear from you . Get in touch with our Talent Quarter team and have a chat about where travel nursing could take you next! Click here: https://www.talentquarter.com/contact-us or get in touch with our consultant, Lewis Dew!
