Midwives of the skies helping birth babies mid-air
Today is International Day of the Midwife and the team at Royal Flying Doctor Service Queensland tells what it’s like delivering babies high in the sky.
It’s a career that sees families through one of the most joyous – and sometimes painful – moments of their lives.
And it’s made more challenging by doing it in some of the state’s most remote locations – including thousands of feet in the air.
Today (May 5) is International Day of the Midwife and Royal Flying Doctor Service (Queensland Section) aeromedical nurses manager Justine Powell is celebrating nearly 25 years in the air.
It is a tough job but for London-trained Powell, it has been a lifelong dream to work with the RFDS.
“I came to Australia when I left school and did the backpacker thing,” she says.
“I went to the RFDS visitor centre and saw how they support the community and thought, ‘I really want to do that’.”
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Assisting with births high in the sky has its own challenges, Powell says.
“We try very hard not to have a baby in a plane,” she says.
“It’s not the environment; It’s noisy, it’s small and it’s vibrating. Depending on the time of day, it can also be very hot or very cold.
“The safest thing is to transfer the baby in utero, but babies come when they want to come – so we are prepared. The average is less than one birth a year on the aircraft.”
Many of the expectant mothers who need to call on the RFDS are those experiencing pre-term labour — going into labour before their due date, Powell says.
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She says early labour could come as a shock to families.
“The earliest baby we’ve had is 25 weeks,” she says.
“But often it’s simply busy women who simply get caught short.”
After 25 years and hundreds of births. Powell says the experience of assisting a woman in delivering her baby has no comparisons.
“It’s a privilege to be there for women in their time of need.
“To be able to support them like we do is an amazing experience.”
She encourages more people to consider a career in midwifery.
“Nursing and midwifery are two different professions,” she says.
“This is a great day to recognise that.”
RFDS offers scholarships to skilled Registered Nurses who need to further develop their skills and obtain a midwifery qualification.
Applications open toward the end of the year.
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