TODAY (Sunday, May 5) is International Day of the Midwife; a day to recognise the midwifery profession and their significance in healthcare, because every woman needs a midwife in their journey to parenthood, from pre-natal care and birth, through to postpartum health.
At Bass Coast Health (BCH), Midwifery Unit Manager Relle McMillin shared that the midwives and doctors at the Wonthaggi hospital work together in a non-hierarchical environment, she emphasised the value of this approach in creating a supportive workplace culture.
The theme for this year is “Sustainable Midwifery: Caring for Tomorrow’s World”. Sustainable midwifery practices prioritise the well-being of both mother and child while minimising environmental impact, ensuring a healthier future for generations to come.
In an interview with the Sentinel Times, Relle shared that Wonthaggi hospital saw a record number of births last year. “We birthed our highest number of births in 10 years,” said Relle. “Birthing 216 babies last year.”
“I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to our increase in births; we’ve got great practitioners and they have been building a reputation in the community for the care they provide.
“We do lots of partnering with our women when we’re providing care, and we’re working really hard towards an uplift in our maternal and newborn services, to provide that additional care.”
An uplift in services signifies that BCH are planning to provide care for women who may have mid risk pregnancies, and neo-natal care for newborns – allowing women to birth in a regional hospital without having to be transferred to Melbourne, or without having to separate mother and baby.
“Our local community has raised significant funds for equipment upgrades to support our special care unit, but more support is needed from government,” said Relle.
Wonthaggi hospital currently have three birth suites and four postnatal rooms, with plans for a dedicated purpose-built space for a maternity and neonatal unit.
With an increase in recruitment at the Wonthaggi hospital recently Relle shared that for the first time the BCH maternity unit have welcomed three undergrad graduates, and two postgrad students.
“What you can do in a regional hospital, you may not be able to cover in Metropolitan Melbourne. We're not a huge unit but what that means is you work across the full scope of practices as a midwife. Allowing you to build a rapport with each patient,” said Relle.
Relle started with BCH as the Midwifery Unit Manger in 2023 and said the unit has doubled their number of midwives. “We have worked really hard with the education team, and we have double degree students coming down to BCH for their six months in nursing and their six months in midwifery, and in July we’ll be at capacity, recruiting our final graduates - taking us to 30 midwives at BCH.”
Relle graduated as a midwife in 2010 and completed her master’s in advanced clinical Midwifery, she has worked at the Women’s in Sandringham, as a lecturer and researcher, and most recently as the unit manager at Eastern Health Box Hill before making the decision to travel to BCH.
As a doula by trade, Relle and BCH have taken an active role in working with Safer Care Victoria to better support women in improving their birth experience; actively finding out what it is that’s making hospital births sometimes challenging for women.
This is a proactive approach in making sure that BCH is at the forefront of quality healthcare that is respectful of women and women’s right to choose.
