DELIVERING THE GOODS
Meet some of the unsung heroes of Darwin’s maternity wards
UNLESS you’re a mother, a midwife or a health profession al practising in obstetrics, it’s hard to comprehend the range of emotions experienced within the walls of a maternity ward.
From hearing bloodcurdling labour screams echoing through the corridors, to witnessing tears of happiness and joy when a mother first meets her baby, there is never a dull moment in the life of a midwife.
While the majority of births are hassle-free, not every birth is picture-perfect the way the movies make it out to be.
According to Darwin Private Hospital’s acting nurse manager of maternity Dee Keogh, the women who are more disadvantaged than most are the ones that make her role all the more rewarding.
“Midwifery is not all about happy endings, there is a lot more to it than that,” she says.
“I guess the ones you tend to remember are those women that are a bit more challenged — like those girls who don’t have partners, so we need to make it equally as special for them.
“Before coming to the private hospital, I also remember caring for a girl who was physically handicapped and it was amazing to see the way she coped with the whole pregnancy journey.
“They are the women that have stuck out in my mind as that’s where I see myself making a difference.”
Many people think a midwife is a person who is just trained to help women when they are giving birth.
But if you spend just several hours observing the day-today tasks of a midwife, you’ll soon understand the actual birth is just one of the many roles that they play - they’ll also be an educator, a friend or a counsellor.
Darwin Private Hospital is home to a team of highly skilled nursing staff, health professionals and accredited private specialists, including approximately 18 casual, parttime and full-time midwives who are devoted to helping women of all ages through their entire pregnancy journey.
Overseeing staff in the Jabiru Ward Ms Keogh. It’s a busy and very important role, especially considering about 600 babies are delivered in the Darwin Private Hospital every year.
The Jabiru Ward consists of several vital areas — maternity, gynaecology, the birth suite, the nursery and the paediatric unit.
And while those areas do not have patients in them all the time, Ms Keogh says that can change at any moment of the day or night when women are rushed into hospital to give birth.
“Women can come in at any time in labour, and all of a sudden you have to find staff for the birth suite — it can be quite challenging,” she says.
Although her job is stressful at times, Ms Keogh says her role is made a lot easier working with a robust team of committed staff.
“I work with a great group of midwives who are professional and caring so it makes it easy,” she says.
“Plus the women we care for are amazing — it never ceases to amaze me how strong women are and what we do for our babies. It’s so nice being able to support them through the entire journey and see the end result.”
Jemima Hart is one of the many dedicated midwives found in the maternity ward and joined the Darwin Private Hospital after working as a children’s nurse in Canberra.
Following in her grandmother’s footsteps, Ms Hart says she always knew she wanted to pursue work in nursing and midwifery.
“My nan was a nurse when she was in Denmark and I guess it’s just been a family thing,” she says.
“I went into paediatric nursing before I did my midwifery and now I love working here because I get to do both.”
The young midwife spends a lot of time in the nursery caring for premature and unwell babie. For her, one ofthe most satisfying parts of her job is helping families and their little ones in times of need.
“We had one born via a caesarean recently and we had to bring the baby back to the nursery as we weren’t expecting that baby to be unwell,” she explains.
“The dad came back to the nursery with us and just being able to reassure them throughout the whole thing is so rewarding — when they trust you and have confidence in your skills, that’s pretty cool.”
Eliza Johnstone is one of the newest midwives to join the Jabiru Ward after recently completing her Bachelor of Nursing Science and Bachelor of Midwifery at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
While Ms Johnstone has only just begun her midwifery career, she has already delivered around 30 babies and has fallen in love her new profession.
“It’s good fun and I just find it all really interesting,” she says. “It’s a job you can come to each day where you never know what you’re going to get, but you know it’s going to be new and exciting.”
On April 18, the 25-year-old helped deliver Darwin residents Melissa and Angus Smith’s first child, Thomas Smith. New mum Melissa Smith says the journey has been a bit of a “rollercoaster”, but having the assistance of midwives has made all the difference.
“We weren’t planning a csection but Eliza has been with us since yesterday (April 18) and has been a massive support,” she said just after the birth.
“It was just great having another familiar face in theatre to calm you down and go through everything step by step.”
For Darwin midwives Emma Pitt and Lyndsey Mertin, becoming mothers themselves was what inspired them to catch babies for a living.
Ms Pitt is a mother of eight children and says she knew she wanted to be a midwife after having her second baby.
“I had really great midwives with my births and after having my second, I decided it would be an awesome job,” she says. “My midwife made such a difference to me and I just wanted to do that for other women as well.”
Originally from the United Kingdom, Ms Mertin worked in the police force and in sales before she realised her true passions lay in midwifery.
“I had issues with my third child during pregnancy and spent a lot of time in hospital. After watching the midwives there, I just thought it was something I would like to do,” she explains.
“I’ve been a midwife for around five years and I just love it so much. Just to know you’ve made a difference by giving reassurance, help or advice is such a nice feeling and it’s very rewarding, even on the bad days.”
Between the two of them, Ms Pitt and Ms Mertin have delivered hundreds of babies but both say every birth is just as exciting as the first time they witnessed a baby being born.
“Each birth is different, but all of them are beautiful and special — I honestly think being a midwife is the best profession there is,” Ms Pitt says. “Most people would think it wouldn’t be any different after delivering one baby, but each individual and each couple you meet have their own story.
“In all my years of doing this, I’ve never met a couple who have the same story. They may have the same birth, but there’s always a different background about how they got pregnant — whether it was assisted conception or not planned.”
While delivering babies isn’t for everyone, Ms Mertin say there isn’t anything else she would rather be doing career-wise.
“It gets your adrenaline going and it’s such a buzz. I remember watching a child being born for the first time and how the feeling of shock went away — it was just pure, raw emotion,” she says.
“You build up such a bond with your patients because you literally see them at their worst and you see them at their best. We are quite lucky to be there for it all and share that first precious moment — we really are so privileged.”