Di Cooke

I have worked as a Midwife for over 30 years across the midwifery scope.

I have demonstrated adaptability, reliability and longevity in my career. I always treat others with respect- both those I work for and those I work with.

I absolutely love my job and I have always loved continuity of care however have decided to have a break from being constantly on call.

As an Independent Midwifery Practitioner I feel I follow our Standards of Practice every day.

I always feel no matter whom I look after that they need support and respect. I like to treat woman and their families as I would like to be treated.

Standard One

The midwife works in partnership with the woman

I feel I offer women and their significant others

-informed choice and consent to empower them to make the necessary decisions throughout their childbirth experience

-holistic care

-privacy and confidentiality

-accountable care which incorporates normal pregnancy and childbirth care, realizing limitations and never putting the woman or baby at risk through my actions or lack of actions.

We share relevant information on her and her family’s medical, psychiatric, social and obstetric history.

We work together to ensure the woman’s cultural, social, spiritual psychological and physical needs are met and I encourage women to feel they can tell me anything with no judgment.

Standard Two

The midwife upholds each woman’s right to free and informed choice and consent throughout the childbirth experience

I try to keep up to date with literature as it is researched and provide this to the woman. I encourage woman to discuss this with their support people and explain they can make or change their mind at any time.

I always stress in our first appointment that I think good communication is vital for our relationship. I say that if I’m worried about anything I will tell them and I expect them to tell me of their concerns. We then discuss best options and bring in other health professionals as required.

Standard Three

The midwife collates and documents comprehensive assessments of the woman and/or baby's health and wellbeing

I try to collect and accurately document all relevant information from a woman and her family before and during the birth experience until the termination of my care. I use Expect software and share with the woman their portal link so they have complete access to their own records.

Standard Four

The midwife maintains purposeful, on-going, updated records and makes them available to the woman and other relevant persons.

With the nature of midwifery today I make certain I always take time to accurately document my care and am vigilant at writing in retrospect if unable to at the time. As above I use electronic note taking. I absolutely love the software as it has literately taken hours of weekly paperwork away from me as well as the ability to have all my clients’ notes, blood results, scans and relevant info on me at all times. I do explain to my clients on their first visit how to access their notes or they can’t ask me to print them out for them at completion of care.

Standard Five

Midwifery care is planned with the woman.

I always take time to offer my knowledge to the woman and her family and support them in their decision. I was flattered by the responses of my consumer feedbacks which most emphasized how informative and approachable I am- I think it is so important to earn respect and trust from families by respecting them.

Standard Six

Midwifery actions are prioritized and implemented appropriately with no midwifery action or omission placing the woman at risk.

I feel that with 30 years’ experience- with more than half of this in a tertiary birthing suite that I identify deviations from normal and act appropriately as situation arises. I feel that open communication amongst the woman, her significant others, my colleagues and medical staff to be paramount for safe practice. I always encourage people to ask me anything and feel comfortable asking anyone else their opinion. I feel I learn something new every time I work.

Some of my consumer feedback forms expressed my ability to make my ladies feel looked after and safe. A couple also explained my encouragement for help with breastfeeding and referrals to lactation consultants.

Standard Seven

The midwife is accountable to the woman, to herself, to the midwifery profession and to the wider community for her practice.

I have been ensuring I complete all necessary educational requirements and have been enjoying the opportunities that we have to learn up to date aspects of our care. I feel I have so much more to offer.

For example, doing the "K2" course has given me such a clearer understanding of the importance of cord gases and CTGs- both to prevent unnecessary intervention and ensure maternal and fetal wellbeing.

Standard Eight

The midwife evaluates her practice.

I feel we discuss our practice every day at work and feel it is a huge learning opportunity with the range of people that practice within. I am looking forward to this review process to ensure I am meeting my professional responsibilities.

Standard Nine

The midwife negotiates the completion of the midwifery partnership with the woman.

I make sure I spend plenty of time discussing aspects of the woman’s care and always debrief post birth. I was very happy with my consumer feedbacks as far as this was concerned.

Standard Ten

The midwife develops and shares midwifery knowledge and initiates and promotes research.

As I have mentioned previously I have spent a lot of time on on-going midwifery education and try to remain current with my profession. I will continue to have students every year.