A Day in the Life of a Midwife
No day is the same for a Midwife. It’s certainly not boring or monotonous work. Let’s take a deep dive into a day in the life of a midwife from our ambassadors, Stacy and Carly.
The Workplace Changes Daily
Midwives don’t have a home base. They will work in a variety of settings, from in the clinic to home visits. In fact, a lot of the day is spent driving between appointments, according to Stacy:
“There is no such thing as a typical day. It's very different depending on what's going on. If I'm not assisting with a birth then it's doing a lot of driving around and doing home visits and clinic appointments. I might do a home visit in the morning. And then, if it's a clinic day, I have anywhere between 8 to 12 people that I'll see in the clinic.”
Stacy highlights the ever-changing nature of a midwife’s role. They go where they’re needed, whether it’s at a pregnant person’s home or in a clinical setting, carrying out appointments.
Carly also highlights how things can change throughout the day:
“Our typical day can look like all kinds of things. Some days it's seeing the patients in the clinic to do their prenatal care or their postpartum care, and other days it's home visits, and other days we're waiting for babies to come, waiting for moms to call in labor. Every day is a little bit different.”
Clinic Days Aren’t As Often as You Might Think
When you think of a midwife, you may see them in a hospital, moving between clients, but this isn’t typical. In fact, according to Stacy, clinic days only happen once a week. The majority of time is spent doing home visits, especially for people who have just given birth:
“We only do clinic once a week, and then it’s mainly home visits. We see anyone who’s delivered within the past week or two and will visit a couple of times within the first week postpartum.
Then, all the while, you're on call, answering the phone and answering any questions that come through. We also answer emails.”
You’re Always On Call, Even on Days Off
Because midwives help their clients physically and emotionally, they need to dedicate their time to answering questions and stepping into action when labor starts—even on their days off. They’re expected to provide call coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Stacy discusses the volatile nature of a midwife’s work/life balance below:
“Sometimes, I think it's a day off, and I'll be at home visiting family and watching TV with my kids, and then the phone rings, and I have to drop everything and run.”
Midwives are dedicated professionals, who spend their lives helping their clients, no matter the time or place. Stacy highlights this below, saying:
“No matter what your day looks like, you always have a tab open in the back of your brain that [is considering] how am I going to leave if I have to run quickly.”
Midwives Deal With Multiple Clients During the Day
The average midwife handles between 40 and 60 clients every single year, meaning that more often than not, they’re expected to juggle lots of different birthing needs during the day. This can make the shift tricky, as they have a lot on their plate - especially if they’re a solo practitioner.
Despite this, midwives work tirelessly to provide optimal care and support for each birthing individual. This is perhaps why a midwife's work-life balance can be difficult to manage.
Some Days Are Spent Waiting For Labour
As the due date approaches, midwives often spend their days waiting for a phone call. Birth is never linear—due dates are often missed, and it’s a waiting game for both the midwife and the birthing individual. No matter if a call comes in at 3 a.m. or 9 p.m., the midwife is expected to be there.
It could be that the birthing individual goes into labour early, and the midwife needs to change their schedule quickly and get to either the birthing centre or client’s home in time for delivery.
The Life of a Midwife is Incredibly Rewarding
Both Stacy and Carly love their careers as midwives because they feel they are truly making a difference in the lives of their clients, making the hectic work schedules worth it. Stacy believes that:
“People are so incredibly grateful for the work that we’re doing because it is really changing people’s lives. I truly and honestly believe that if we can help support a better pregnancy, a better birth experience, and a better postpartum that sets families up for empowerment.”
Carly also discusses how rewarding the job can be:
“Midwifery is so rewarding. It's very challenging to be on call and not know when somebody's going to call. But the rewards are worth it. Once you get woken up in the night and you realize that you get the honor of being invited into this space where somebody is giving birth, it's this amazing, wonderful, spiritual experience.”
Contact AAM For More Guidance on Midwifery Care
The career of a midwife is marked by compassion and commitment to birthing individuals during their life-changing transition. As we reflect on the dedication that midwives have to their clients, let’s celebrate the profession and reaffirm our goal: to support accessible and sustainable midwifery services in Alberta.