Incentives and opportunities for nurses and midwives

DAYNA Leatham has gone from having babies at Gippsland Southern Health Service to helping deliver them.

Ms Leatham is joint associate midwifery nurse unit manager in Leongatha alongside Carly Boulter and is constantly inspired by the impact she can make in her role.

“I’m proud to say that I had my babies at Leongatha hospital, experiencing excellent care from both our midwives and GP obstetricians.

"I’m now in a position to work towards leading change in the unit, to listen to what the community wants and work towards delivering those needs,” Ms Leatham said.

Ms Leatham started nursing in 2010, studied to become a midwife in 2014-15 and started working in the field in 2016. She was appointed associate nurse unit manager this year and had two of her three children at GSHS.

She says her work is always rewarding.

“You often forget the impact you can have on the families you meet,” she said.

“Women come up to you in the community and proudly tell you that you were there at their birth or some part of their journey and how grateful they were or share a small memory that made a lasting impression. 

“It’s those moments that catch you off guard and remind you of the impact you have in peoples’ lives.”

Ms Leatham has experienced many standout moments as a midwife, including being able to accommodate surrogate pregnancy and embracing both women’s individual journeys. 

She has also worked with women to provide maternal assisted caesareans and guided many women and their families through their journey. 

But she also knows her place in the big scheme of things.

“It always amazes me how as a midwife you see yourself as someone there in the background to encourage, support and work with women but it is really the woman who is the hero.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the women and their families and seeing the pride their faces when they meet their baby, the amazement at what they have created and their journey to get there, and the awe at how strong and capable women’s bodies are.”

Ms Leatham says midwives are there for the community “so we can continue to guide, educate and empower women to make choices along their journey”. 

“There is something special in knowing you are a part of that journey.”

Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) is currently recruiting midwives and offers several incentives and opportunities for nurses and midwives. 

These include a student midwife program linked with Federation University, a Registered Undergraduate Student of Midwifery (RUSOM) program employing undergraduate midwives to work with midwives, and financial, travel and accommodation incentives.