Midwife Oceane Campbell shares her experiences working in a New South Wales hospital, highlighting the challenges faced by underpaid and undervalued midwives. Despite her $45 per hour salary, she performs life-saving tasks like administering medication, managing complications during birth, and providing emotional support to women in labor. Campbell questions the NSW government’s lack of appreciation for the demanding and highly skilled nature of midwifery work.
She discusses the impact of working night shifts for just an extra $6 per hour, emphasizing the physical and psychological toll it takes. Campbell recalls a harrowing experience of managing a shoulder dystocia alone in the middle of the night, underscoring the need for fair compensation and better working conditions for midwives. She argues that midwives are still operating on wages from 2007, despite facing increased responsibilities and costs in the present day.
Campbell calls on the NSW government to prioritize the well-being of midwives and the women they care for by offering fairer pay, safe staffing ratios, and improved working conditions. She urges empathy, compassion, and common sense in recognizing the crucial role midwives play in supporting safe and healthy pregnancies, births, and postnatal experiences. Campbell’s forthcoming book, “A Labour of Love: A Midwife’s Stories of Birth, Life, and Speaking Up for Women,” sheds light on the challenges and rewards of being a midwife in the modern healthcare system.
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