On May 5th 2023, please join me and other midwives across the world in celebrating the International Day of the Midwife (IDM).
What is IDM?
It is a day to recognize midwifery as a profession and their contributions to maternal and newborn health. It is important to remember that there is still a shortage and lack of access to midwives across the world.
UNFPA Executive director Dr. Natalia Kanem had this to say, “If every pregnant woman had access to a well-trained, caring midwife, we would be much closer to a world where every childbirth is safe…midwives save lives.” (Kanem) UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency and a proud supporter of midwives.
BRIEF HISTORY
IDM was first celebrated on May 5, 1992 and is observed in over 50 nations across the globe. The idea of a day to recognize and honor midwives, stems from those that attended the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference (Hsia). The meeting concluded with midwives pledging to take more responsibility for maternal care services and taking a leadership role in decreasing maternal mortality especially in developing countries (Hsia).
SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The midwives and staff at Sages Femmes Rouge Valley Midwives want to thank all the midwives who remained strong and continued to work on the front lines during the pandemic. The pandemic has been rough on everyone the past the two years. We also want to remember one of our colleagues Fatima Eltayeb who passed away during the pandemic. She was a great midwife and amazing mother to 5 children.
Works Cited
Hsia, Lily. “Midwives and the Empowerment of Women.” March-April 1991. Wiley Online Library . May 2023. <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/0091-2182(91)90056-U>.
Kanem, Dr. Natalia. International Day of the Midwife. 05 May 2023. 01 May 2023. <https://www.unfpa.org/events/international-day-midwife>.
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