International Day of the Midwife 2024

International Day of the Midwife (IDM) took place on Sunday 5 May 2024. The day is celebrated annually on this date and gives us the chance to show our appreciation for all our hardworking midwives and thank them for the important work they do.

The theme for this year’s IDM was ‘Midwives: a vital climate solution’. The focus was on improving the health and status of women as well as including midwives in climate action plans. This, it was hoped, would ensure the design of resilient health systems that can withstand the worst impacts of climate change.

More about International Day of the Midwife here. 

Yarning with DDHS Midwife Kate Lolias

To mark International Day of the Midwife this year, we spoke with longstanding Danila Dilba midwife Kate Lolias to find out more about the role midwives play at DDHS. Kate has been a midwife with DDHS for the past five years—a position, she says, is a privilege to hold.

“Danila Dilba encompasses my clinical passion to improve the quality of health care within Indigenous health, as well as the continuity aspects that midwifery-led care entails.”

Kate is driven by the opportunity to build rapport and relationships over the course of pregnancy and the post-partum period. She says this prioritises the wellbeing of women and their babies.

A Day in the Life of a DDHS Midwife

An average day as a DDHS midwife includes:

• Home visits
• Antenatal and postnatal health checks (for Mum and baby)
• Liaising and working in collaboration with other clinicians and support services (within DDHS and externally)

Our midwives work between multiple clinics and sites to achieve this—for example, Kate splits her time between Malak, Humpty Doo and Palmerston, plus she visits Royal Darwin Hospital and clients’ homes as needed.

Challenges and Rewards

DDHS midwives are required to multitask, coordinate caseloads, and manage a range of complexities within care. In addition to this, they also assist with sourcing resources for women and families (e.g. food, financial support, and housing).

“It is difficult to have good health outcomes when basic fundamental needs are not being met,” Kate shared.

This extra level of care comes naturally for midwives like Kate, who seeks no other reward than seeing good outcomes from her health care delivery.

“The most rewarding aspect of the role is being able to provide much needed support to vulnerable women and their families.”

Making Referrals

Referrals to the Midwifery team are accepted from 12 weeks pregnant. Their services offer continuity of care throughout pregnancy and post birth (up to the baby being 8 weeks old). All referrals must be made by a Danila Dilba GP. 

Please call us to make an appointment at one of our clinics. 

Happy International Day of the Midwife to all our midwives. Thank you for all that you do for DDHS and our community!