The invisible pressure on midwives

Midwives are the quiet backbone of maternity care. For older mums, their role is even more critical, reducing pre-term births, limiting interventions, and improving overall satisfaction. They support women at their most vulnerable, often working tirelessly to ensure thousands of births in the community each year go smoothly.

The pressure on midwives is real

Yet many older women still don’t receive the care and advice they need. Why? Because midwives are stretched to breaking point. My own son’s birth was far from the birthing pool experience I’d envisioned, a scenario that, as I’ve learned, is all too common.

Shortage of midwives and its impact

On the day of my labour, I was told there was no midwife available to cover the birthing pool. What followed was a series of interventions I hadn’t planned on, leaving me shaken and vulnerable.

“Sometimes you get so involved in trying to make people physically better that you forget about their psychological health. Mind you, you can only deal with that once you stop being scared they might die without life-saving treatment.”

A midwife’s perspective

A North East midwife reached out after reading my blog. She wishes to remain anonymous, but her reflections capture the hidden reality behind the scrubs:

Life on a 13-hour shift

Imagine three 5:30am alarms in a row, heading into a third 13-hour shift, after two previous days with barely a break. Dehydrated, borderline starving, hair scraped into a rebellious ponytail, scrubs rumpled, under-eye rings more like bus tyres, and a distinct funk under the arms. This is the human reality behind the uniform.

“I look in the mirror and think, ‘I wouldn’t trust you to look after a cactus.’ Yet there I am, in charge of a ward of 18 mums and babies, sometimes down a member of staff… sometimes two.”

Why older mums are affected

Continuity of care is not a luxury for women giving birth later in life, it’s essential. Staffing shortages force shortcuts, and the emotional and physical toll on both midwives and mums intensifies.

Campaigns such as #SaveTheMidwife are vital calls to action to ensure every birth receives the care it deserves.