Local Focus: Rotorua's male midwife inspired to make mothers and fathers feel included

Glen Valentine, of Rotorua, is one of eight male midwives across the country, and the only one to be fully trained in New Zealand.

After the birth of his first child, he decided to pursue a career in midwifery.

"When my ex-partner was pregnant we had a really awesome midwife and she just made me feel included in the process," Valentine said.

"It wasn't like all the attention was focused on her and I was just an add-on. She actually made me feel included and I just thought, I want to be able to do that for other people."

He works in an industry dominated by women, but says his gender is irrelevant.

"It's not about the gender of the person, it's about the role," he said.

"The word midwife means 'with women', so it's about being with the women. It's not about who the person giving the care is, it's about being with women."

He works as an LMC midwife and shares the highs and lows of working around the clock.

"I really enjoy what I do and helping people have families. There are bad moments to the job. It's not all fluffy and nice," he said. "Sometimes there are bad things that go with it, and that's when you've got to really rely on your colleagues for support."

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