International Day of the Midwife: Sunday 5 May
On Sunday 5 May each year, midwives, women, girls, partners and supporters of midwifery globally come together to celebrate International Day of the Midwife.
Did you know the word 'midwife' derives from old English. 'Mid' meaning with, and 'wif 'meaning woman, combined to mean 'with-woman' or the person who is with the mother at childbirth. The word covers both make and female midwives.
Midwives are the key health professional for the first 300 days of an infants life - from pregnancy to newborn.
Midwives make a huge difference to families lives and making sure new parents feel supported and able to cope with their newborn and journey ahead.
International Day of the Midwife only became an official awareness day in1992, when it was launched formally by the International Confederation of Midwives.
Themes for the day have included healthy families, newborn babies, partnerships between midwives and mothers, and 'leading the way with quality care'. This year it is 'Midwives: Defenders of Women’s Rights’.