We are supporting maternity care professionals
The world is experiencing a critical shortage of qualified maternity care professionals, including midwives and lactation consultants. Expectant mothers in rural and small-town communities are hit particularly hard by this shortage as their maternity care choices are vastly reduced in an already limited pool of trained professionals. In some communities, nurses are called in to help bridge the gap, while in others, maternity care workers are putting in much longer hours in an attempt to provide women with the care they need. This shortage poses a risk to both the health of mothers-to-be and maternity care professionals themselves, both physically and mentally. For example, in December of 2021, New Zealand’s Midwives Union (MERAS) expressed their concern for the lack of available midwives – it was revealed in a report to the Southern District Health Board that there was often only one midwife available on duty at Southland Hospital (Steyl, 2021). In addition, various birthing centres were forced to close temporarily in 2020 and 2021 due to staffing shortages, compounding the significant stress on this already tightly stretched industry (Rankin, 2021).
This shortage, which affects almost all countries, means some women have to travel further afield to meet available maternity care professionals, from midwives to lactation consultants, or even have to forgo them altogether, missing out on that personal experience and build-up of trust that is vital in the antenatal and postnatal period. In addition, this reduced availability of qualified professionals can prove stressful and even risky when pregnant women require immediate or urgent assistance, particularly if they need to travel long distances or wait at home for help (in the instance of home birth).
The Haakaa Foundation’s goal is to strengthen this network of midwives, lactation consultants, and other maternity professionals by providing financial support to maternity care students looking to practice in small-town and rural communities, with the aim to increase the number of these vital workers available to those who need them.
We are supporting maternity care professionals
Currently, there is a nationwide shortage of full-time midwives in New Zealand. Expectant mothers in rural and small-town communities are hit particularly hard by this shortage as their choice of midwife is vastly reduced in an already limited pool of qualified professionals. In some communities, nurses are called in to help bridge the gap, while in others, midwives are working much longer hours in an attempt to provide women with the care they need. This shortage poses a risk to both the health of mothers-to-be and midwives themselves, both physically and mentally. In December of 2021, The Midwives Union (MERAS) expressed their concern for the lack of available midwives, which affected most shifts. At the same time, in 2021, it was revealed in a report to the Southern District Health Board that there was often only one midwife available on duty at Southland Hospital (Steyl, 2021). In addition, various birthing centres were forced to close temporarily in 2020 and 2021 due to staffing shortages, compounding the significant stress on this already tightly stretched industry (Rankin, 2021).
This nationwide shortage means some women have to travel further afield to meet available midwives or even have to forgo them altogether, missing out on that personal experience and build-up of trust that is vital in the antenatal and postnatal period. In addition, this reduced availability of qualified midwives can prove stressful and even risky when pregnant women require immediate or urgent assistance, particularly if they need to travel long distances or wait at home for help (in the instance of home birth).
The Haakaa Foundation’s goal is to strengthen this network of midwives by providing financial support to midwifery students looking to practice in small-town and rural communities, with the aim to increase the number of midwives available to women living in these places and reduce the stress of pregnancy and birth.