On Tuesday 5 May, Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) would like you to join it in supporting and recognising the midwives that work at the Rosie Hospital as we celebrate the International Day of the Midwife 2020.
During the lockdown, midwives from the Rosie Maternity Service have delivered over 800 babies. Since the arrival of the coronavirus, they have gone above and beyond to meet this challenge, supporting one another to protect women and babies in extraordinary circumstances.
ACT has a long history of supporting maternity services, helping fund the new Rosie in 2013 with £3.5million and continuing to support it today. ACT is now shining a light on the role of these dedicated staff, the essential care they provide to mothers and their new-borns and how they have had to adapt their skills during the current coronavirus crisis.
Lead midwife for the Rosie Hospital Delivery Unit, Alberto Rodriguez-Cala, is responsible for supporting staff and services to enable the best possible care for women and their families. He said:
“The COVID-19 pandemic is making the day-to-day even more unpredictable, if I had thought that was even possible! The PPE we have to wear does impact on the communication among ourselves and the families we work with. We are also restricting visiting to minimise risk of infection, and as a result, women and their partners are understandably needing a lot more reassurance and emotional support.”
“Public support means everything to us. From an emotional perspective it gives you a sense of purpose and strength to deal with the daily challenges.
Chloe Bagnall is a Midwife and Midwifery Ambassador at the Rosie Hospital. She said:
Part of my role as a midwifery ambassador is to visit local schools to promote midwifery as a career choice for young people, but at present, this is on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My role also helps to influence the media representation of the profession and share the crucial role of midwives with the public. During COVID-19, we have been very fortunate to see the local community come together and support our NHS workers, including midwives. Sharing thanks for our midwives is the key focus of International Day of the Midwife. Using the #IThank[EnterMidwivesName] we are encouraging Cambridge, and the rest of the UK, to raise awareness of midwives and their positive impact on families lives.”
ACT provides funding to help the Rosie support mothers and babies at every stage of pregnancy and motherhood – from delivery and midwife care, to post-natal support and emergency care for vulnerable infants. Rosie Hospital services also support women through the upset and difficulty of issues affecting mental health. The charity has a track record in helping to support specialist services such as those in mental health and is supporting Maternal Mental Health Matters Awareness Week this week. This week-long campaign is dedicated to talking about mental illness while pregnant or after having a baby, as well as raising awareness of how people can seek support.
With your help, we can do even more for midwives, women, their babies and families, providing extra comforts, training, specialist services and funding life-changing research into mother and baby care. To help, please donate at www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/donate.