STANDING IN SOLIDARITY

from the president, new zealand college of midwives, nicole pihema

Nau mai haere mai ki Aotearoa New Zealand Midwife

Kaua e rangiruatia te hoe o te waka e kore e tae ki uta

(If we are out of sync in our paddling, we are destined to circle the bay)

As we find ourselves back in Level 4 lockdown, it’s hard to imagine what our new ‘normal’ will eventually look like, or at what point we'll know we've arrived. The future of our profession feels equally uncertain, with plenty of changes afoot; College president Nicole Pihema touches on this on p.4. CEO Alison Eddy further elaborates on p.5, with an announcement about the College taking further legal action against the Ministry of Health for breach of settlement agreement.

Strike action from around the country can be seen on p.16-17 and the most recent updates to the Primary Maternity Services Notice are detailed on p.38-39, including details on which modules have been updated and how.

Traditional Māori birthing practices and the establishment of a kaupapa Māori birthing unit are explored through a Ngāi Tahu lens on p.23, and the mental health series is continued on p.18, with a focus on psychotropic medications and their implications for wāhine, pēpi and midwives.

Tips for improving sleep quality and switching off after a stressful shift or complicated birth are shared by sleep specialist Dr Alex Bartle on p.26 and a practice update on nausea and vomiting in pregnancy is provided on p.28, with clear guidance surrounding midwifery prescription of ondansetron.

Important changes to the newborn resuscitation guideline are highlighted on p.9 and messages from the Newborn Screening Unit can be found in the Bulletin on p.8.

This issue’s Breastfeeding Connection discusses supplementary feeding, whilst a successful antenatal education programme is explored in Pasifika (p.32) and the first Ngā Maia national student hui is celebrated on p.33.

In these uncertain times, we hope midwives throughout Aotearoa recognise the importance of prioritising self-care and whānau wellbeing above all. Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.

Mā te wā, Amellia Kapa, Editor/Communications Advisor Email: communications@nzcom.org.nz square Recent national health reforms have encouraged reflection at an organisational level, including the review of structure, governance, and te Tiriti obligations. This has been the reality for most institutions throughout Aotearoa and the College is no exception. It is timely, therefore, that we reassess our national board structure to ensure it is fulfilling its purpose and aligns with our values and future direction.

Historically, due to the politically challenging and ever-changing landscape within which the midwifery profession has operated, the environment has necessitated a ‘strength in numbers’ approach. However, given the rapid evolution we have experienced in more recent times as we have adapted to an unforeseen pandemic, the question of how we can work smarter, utilise technology more widely, and innovate, in order to keep costs down and productivity up, must be asked.

Close and honest inspection of whether we are meeting te Tiriti obligations is also necessary if we are to call ourselves a true te Tiriti partner, starting with review of national board representation, including consumer groups. Gone are the days of ticking boxes for ticking’s sake. Now is the time for true accountability.

Accountability, as we know, means fulfilling our obligations as a professional organisation; to our members, to the wāhine and whānau we care for, and let’s not forget, this includes accountability to each other as midwives. The human mind is expert in compartmentalisation; separating this from that in order to minimise discomfort and pain. It’s an unconscious safety mechanism we fall back on time and again in order to keep moving through our most traumatic experiences. As a profession, however, this approach can lead to our demise.

In reality, there is no division between LMC midwives and employed midwives. We are all midwives who embarked on our education with a common goal: to empower our communities through the profound experiences of hapūtanga, birth and parenthood. It was heartwarming, and encouraging, therefore, to see midwives from all employment settings unite through the recent rolling strikes.

Make no mistake: this was not an exclusive fight for employed midwives. The struggle for employed midwives to attain satisfactory pay and working conditions is the responsibility of the entire profession to ease, and the more we view each challenge through this lens, the stronger our voice will be. It was uplifting therefore, to see midwives who aren’t currently practicing, standing in solidarity with fellow practicing midwives to further bolster the movement.

It is this unity and connection that we must continue to foster within our profession, and whilst talk of te Tiriti obligations may appear separatist on the surface, the truth is that by uplifting those who have been downtrodden; by acknowledging inequities and reducing them, our entire profession is also uplifted. And the knock-on effect for wāhine, pēpi and whānau is immeasurable. square

In reality, there is no division between LMC midwives and employed midwives. We are all midwives who embarked on our education with a common goal.