The Royal celebrates International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day was celebrated in style at the Royal Hospital for Women on Friday 8 March 2019 with staff, patients and their families, gathering in the Postnatal Ward for a cup of tea and sweet treat.

Maria Lohan, Acting Midwifery Unit Manager, Postnatal Services, Royal Hospital for Women, said it was important to celebrate International Women’s Day at The Royal as the hospital’s core business is caring for women and the majority of staff are women.

“We wanted to celebrate the day to create a sense of community for new mothers and staff that are involved in their care. Birth is a life-changing moment in any woman’s life and she should be applauded and recognised for her journey into motherhood,” Ms Lohan said.

“In maternity we work hard to support new mothers and their families by introducing new models of care and clinical practices that are improving outcomes for women and concurrently enhancing job satisfaction for staff.

“The Royal is providing new opportunities for nurses and midwives to step up into leadership roles too. It is easy to doubt yourself as a woman but if you don’t take a leap into something new you will never know your capabilities. This also allows for other voices to be heard which can only be a good thing for the hospital’s culture.”

Dr Sarah Clements, Staff Specialist at the Royal Hospital for Women, has seen first-hand the positive developments for women in the healthcare industry throughout her career as an Obstetrician.

When Sarah was training to be an obstetrician in London in the 1990s it was common for women to face male prejudice, fast forward 20 years and there has been a “complete feminisation of the obstetric workforce”, according to Dr Clements.

“Men would make adverse comments such as that I would have to stop training if I wanted to have a baby. At the time female obstetricians were rare whereas today more than 70 per cent of training obstetricians are women,” Dr Clements said.

“What I love about obstetrics is that it’s about being part of a team that help women give birth, and the team are predominantly women too. We’re all working together to get a great result – a healthy mother and a beautiful brand new baby. Work doesn’t get much more satisfying than that.”

The theme for International Women’s Day 2019 is Balance For Better, visit www.internationalwomensday.com for further details.