Calling the midwife: a tribute from the Duchess
Royal mother-of-three sends a message of thanks to maternity workers for their ‘tireless compassion’
EVERY midwife in the country will receive a personal tribute from the Duchess of Cambridge after she shadowed health professionals during visits to new mothers at clinics and on postnatal wards.
The 37-year-old, who has three children, said she had been “continually struck” by the compassion and tireless work of midwives that had a “true impact” on all they met.
The Duchess said the time she spent with midwives at Kingston Hospital’s maternity unit last month gave her a broader insight into the importance of their work, noting that despite all the “technical mastery and the advancement of modern medicine”, it was human relationships and “simple acts of kindness” that could mean the most.
In an open letter to be sent to every midwife in the UK, she wrote: “You are there for women at their most vulnerable; you witness strength, pain and unimaginable joy on a daily basis.
“Your work often goes on behind the scenes and away from the spotlight.”
The Duchess gave birth to Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four, and 18-month-old Prince Louis at the private Lindo Wing of St Mary’s hospital in Paddington, central London.
She joined the team at Kingston to learn more about frontline maternity care as part of a broader focus on early years provision, for which she is focusing on the crucial period of childhood development from pregnancy until the age of five.
The subject has become one of the cornerstones of her public work after seeing how so many problems faced by adults she had met – mental health issues, addiction and social exclusion – stem from their childhood.
Earlier this year, she set up a task force of experts to investigate the issue with a view to announcing a series of findings and recommendations next year.
In her letter, the Duchess continued: “During my time at Kingston I accompanied community midwives on their daily rounds and was welcomed into people’s homes. I was truly touched by the trust that people placed in me, sharing their experiences and voicing their fears openly.
“I also spent time in hospital clinics and on postnatal wards. No matter the setting, I was continually struck by the compassion that those of you I spent time with showed, and the incredible work ethic you demonstrated on behalf of your entire profession – not only performing your rounds but working tirelessly through the night to support people that were at their most vulnerable.”
Next year is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and the Duchess is understood to be keen to recognise the “humbling” work they do.
She noted that the role of the midwife extended far beyond the “complicated task” of delivering babies.
“The help and reassurance you provide for parents to be and parents of newborns is just as crucial,” she said.
“It goes a long way in building parents’ confidence from the start, with lifelong impact on the future happiness of their children.
“The early years are more critical for future health and happiness than any other moment in our lifetime. Even before we are born, our mother’s emotional and physical health directly influences our development and by the age of five a child’s brain has developed to 90 per cent of its adult size. Your role at the very start of this period is therefore of fundamental importance.”
The Duchess quoted Florence Nightingale, whose 200th birth anniversary will also be marked next year, in saying: “I attribute my success to this: I never have or took an excuse.”
She added: “It is that mantra that I have seen time and time again in all of my encounters with you.
“You don’t ask for praise or for recognition but instead unwaveringly continue your amazing work bringing new life into our world.
“You continue to demonstrate that despite your technical mastery and the advancement of modern medicine, it is the human to human relationships and simple acts of kindness that sometimes mean the most.
“So as we look ahead to next year, I want to thank you for all that you do.
“It has been a real privilege learning from you so far, and I look forward to meeting and learning from even more of you in the coming years and decades.”
The letter will be sent to all midwives in the UK via the Royal College of Midwives. It will also be distributed more widely, via the World Health Organisation, to midwives across the world.
‘The early years are more critical for future health and happiness than any other’