{
  "id": 4209707,
  "title": "Labour of love needs more labour, chief midwife says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/labour-of-love-needs-more-labour-chief-midwife-says",
  "topic": null,
  "section": null,
  "published": "2026-08-28T18:15:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://perthnow.com.au/news/business/labour-of-love-needs-more-labour-chief-midwife-says-c-22793255"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An increase in the midwifery workforce in New South Wales has been welcomed by the state's chief midwife, Donna Garland, but more are needed to properly support women through pregnancy, birth and beyond. Since June 2023, there has been a 10% rise in the number of midwives employed across the state, with over 3,400 currently working. Speaking to AAP, Garland, who has been a midwife for 38 years and became chief in March, said the hiring push is necessary for a sustainable future workforce. She noted that many midwives are also expecting their own children, so supporting and training new midwives is an ongoing task. Garland emphasized the need for enough midwives to match the care that women require, as the more midwives there are, the more time they can dedicate to providing women with the necessary care. Garland, appointed in March following a state inquiry into birth trauma in 2024, plans to use her new position to advocate for women during what can be a vulnerable time in their lives. She highlighted her pride in new initiatives to improve midwifery continuity of care, ensuring that a woman meets her midwife early on, who will provide all her pregnancy care, be available for questions, and remain with her throughout labour and postnatal care. This continuity of care helps develop a trusting relationship between the midwife and the woman, eliminating the need to repeat her story and negating potential trauma.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}