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The International Confederation of Midwives Congress

The International Confederation of Midwives Congress in Brisbane has been an incredible event. It wraps up this afternoon at the Brisbane Convention Centre, after four packed days of presentations on almost any topic you can think of that has relevance to midwifery. The 2,000 delegates have come from 70 countries and it was wonderful to see many in the national costumes on the opening afternoon last Sunday.

I have been staffing the Birth International stand, talking to people, selling products and catching up with old friends. Many of those who stopped by have been midwives I have met on my travels overseas, and it has been heartening to have them report back that the workshops they attended have borne fruit and they are working to implement the changes we explored together. I’ve become re-acquainted with educators I haven’t seen since their training days with me 20 years ago and they’ve told me of their current jobs and continuing passion for the work. It was a little strange to see these people on my turf when I am so used to meeting them in their countries, and I hope they have a wonderful time in Australia as many continue on to short holiday breaks around the country before heading home.

On Monday night I attended the Investiture of Fellows for the Australian College of Midwives that was held at the nearby Mater Hospital. This event, held every year, celebrates the achievements of individual midwives through their acceptance into the Fellowship of the College. I was very pleased to be present for the investiture of Lois Wattis, a midwife from Perth in WA, for whom I had provided a reference. It was lovely to see her take her place amongst the distinguished company of Fellows.

The contingent of 39 midwives from Indonesia were also guests at the ceremony. A fund raising effort by the midwives in Australia enabled the President of ACMI, Marg Phelan, to present their President with a cheque for $5,000 to be used towards tsunami relief, especially as it affected midwives in Indonesia, many of who died themselves or lost children and members of their families. It was a special moment as their President accepted the gift in her halting English, with her broad smile and gentle grace. We were all very moved by the occasion.

We’ve been having some fun on the stand as well. To create some interest and attract attention, we hired a stilt walker to hand out chocolates to everyone during the lunch break on two days. Noel, our stilt walker, was a hoot, commenting wryly from his elevated height of 9 feet that “his had been a terrible birth - a very arduous breech extraction that had affected his legs”. All good fun and something to entertain during the buffet lunch.

The energy that is palpable in these events was very evident. Midwives were forming new alliances and networks, making new friends, catching up with old ones and learning of all the new developments in their profession at the same time. I am already planning for the next event to be held in Glasgow in three years time. I am sure it will be just as wonderful and worthwhile. Perhaps I will see some of you there?

Posted by andrea at July 28, 2005 08:25 AM