There are 89 new cases of coronavirus in New Zealand, Director General of Health Ashley Bloomfield says. It brings the total number of cases since the pandemic began to 1039.
Opinion by Kate Hawkesby
Kate Hawkesby is the host of Early Edition on Newstalk ZB, Monday to Friday from 5am – 6am.
It's concerning the extra lengths midwives are having to go to - just to look after their new mums, or mothers-to-be.
And concerning because midwives are already a group largely ignored or seemingly invisible. They've been last in line for any PPE or support. They seem to be forgottenabout.
For midwives, the timing of all this is extra jarring. They were battling last month for extra funding, given how under-paid they are. And now, not only are they expected to carry on in less than ideal conditions, they're having to step up and do more.
I see one midwife reportedly had to go to the local shops for one new mum to buy her breast-feeding equipment, just so the new mum didn't have to leave her bubble. That's the midwife's own time and money there, being generously poured into helping someone else.
But for how long can they pour from an empty cup?
I don't understand why midwifery is not prioritised more highly, given all it involves - from the psychological support, to the exposure to body fluids, to the emotions around it, to the immense resourcing required when more women opt for home births given the current crisis.
NeedToKnow3
On top of more mums wanting to avoid hospitals, there are fewer labs which means more midwives are taking blood tests for their clients and then having to transport them to labs.
Many have said they're near breaking point, and I am not surprised.
It's a heightened stressful time as it is, and they seem bereft of any tangible support from government.
He said they want to make sure women being cared for by midwives are getting other options for support and care so it doesn't all fall on the midwife.
But what about the midwives themselves? Where's the care and support for them?
There are many health workers doing incredible things right now at the coalface of this crisis response, but it would be remiss to forget midwives in all of this.
They are literally bringing new lives into the world at a very challenging and uncertain time, they're overworked and underpaid.
