5 May has been recognised and celebrated as International Day of the Midwife around the world for many years. This year, for the second year in a row, we marked the day amid a global pandemic.

Midwives play a vitally important role in Irish society, providing support to women and their families at a time of profound change in their lives.

Covid-19 has brought many new challenges but colleagues around the country have risen to those challenges, working tirelessly to reach all those who need them, particularly the most vulnerable. 

Over the past year midwives have been there to support women and their families as they dealt not just with the joy and change of motherhood, but also with the anxieties and challenges brought about by this pandemic.

These have been challenging times but what is most noticeable is the ways in which midwives have adapted during the pandemic to ensure that women and their babies are safe and that they continue to get the best care. This has meant many modifications, including more care in the community and an increase in home births.

The International Day of the Midwife gives us all the opportunity to think again about our values, as noted in the Practice Standards for Midwives (NMBI, 2015).

So, although much in our lives has changed over the past year for midwives some things remain the same. Midwives continue to have ongoing respect for questions and the provision of non-judgmental answers, enabling women to make informed choices. Midwives can still work in partnership with women, they can advocate, they can ensure that all concerns, fears and worries are heard and supported, as they should be. This is more vital than ever in these challenging times.

Providing care in a pandemic is very testing for midwives, and all healthcare professionals, but midwives, collectively and individually, have an abundance of resilience and I am confident that will ensure they do not lose sight of the core values.

In the meantime, do celebrate the work of midwives, stay safe and remember the fundamental contribution midwives make to Irish society.

The HSE launched a campaign to encourage people to consider midwifery as a career, which generated media coverage. You can read more here.

To mark the International Day of the Midwife NMBI CEO, Sheila McClelland created a video message of support for nurses across Ireland. You can watch the video here.