Sally Belfield

Sally Belfield is a mother, grandmother, and midwife who works as a local Child and Family Health Nurse at Coffs Harbour Health Campus supporting new parents in the early years of this lifechanging journey called parenthood. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this month we thought it was a good time to chat about the ups and downs of being a mum and what wisdom she has learnt from her personal and professional experiences with motherhood.

Hi Sally. When did you first start working in midwifery/child and family health, and what inspired you to go into this field?

I was incredibly lucky to have great birth experiences with my own babies back in the eighties with a wonderful midwife. Her skill and experience made me feel safe and supported, but at the same time she was a very quiet presence. She taught me that our role is really to enable the birthing person to own the experience in a safe space. I don’t think I gave any other profession a second thought after that. I trained as a Childbirth Educator while attending home births with her, then did my RN and Midwifery training once my children were both at school. Can you tell us a bit about what you do in your role as a Child and Family Health Nurse.

At one point I was working as a Community Midwife for the Aboriginal Maternal Infant Health Service and realised that my knowledge base didn’t extend very far beyond those first few postpartum weeks. Child and Family Health Nursing was the logical next step and I haven’t looked back. Our role is to connect with new families, usually in the first week or so after the birth. We offer a home visit which involves spending around an hour doing a postnatal check for mother and baby. It’s an opportunity to provide information, answer questions and make referrals to other services when and if they’re needed. After that the family is free to use our service as little or as often as they like. You’re meeting women at a very special time in their life, what do you find most rewarding about supporting them at that time? Well it’s such a special time in the lives of our clients, so being allowed to play a role, however small, is an honour and a privilege. Families come in all shapes and sizes and I really believe that the most valuable thing we can do is support our clients in the choices they make. It’s less about telling them how things should be done and more about meeting them where they’re at. Becoming a parent is not easy, none of us get it right all of the time but when I see parents and children delighting in each other, then I know they’re doing well.

What are some of the most common challenges you find women face in the early days of motherhood?

Definitely sleep deprivation and isolation. Gone are the days when most people lived in extended family groups where there was always another pair of hands to cook a meal or just hold the baby. Sometimes ten minutes in a hot shower, without having to have one ear listening out for a crying baby is a luxury only a new mother can appreciate. However, living in a regional area I see more families choosing to live on multi-generational properties and rediscovering the value of having that support close by.

From your own experience as a mother and grandmother, and your years of working closely with mothers and babies, what are some of the most valuable things you have learnt about motherhood?

Definitely that old adage that “good enough is good enough”. Children who are loved generally think the sun shines out of their parents so we don’t need to sweat the small stuff. When they grow up they won’t care if the apples weren’t organic but they’ll definitely remember that their mum made the best apple pie ever. As a mother I recall many moments I would have liked to do better but I can report that the two beautiful humans I raised seem to be doing just fine as adults.

Being in your role in a regional area like this you must form a pretty nice bond with families in the community, what’s it like for you bumping into ‘your’ babies around town?

It’s such a special community connection and I love bumping into ‘my' babies.

I’ve also now had the pleasure of seeing a baby of one of ‘my’ babies which made me feel a bit old as well as warm and fuzzy. What has been some of the nicest feedback you’ve received over the years in your job?

The newborn bubble can seem like such a big moment in time when you’re in the middle of it and I know the value of having a safe space to ask for advice, or simply hear that you’re doing a good job. Seeing women grow in confidence as mothers is all the reward I need, and the feedback we often receive is just how valuable this service is for new parents.

Thanks Sally.