Sensitive Midwifery - Issue 44 - October 2019

Elke Barnes , who describes herself as a ‘peppy surfer midwife’ tells us all about midwifery and birth in Alaska on page 18. Sensitive Midwifery’s new logo, the beautiful protea, hinted at change, because symbolically it stands for transformation. Our voice Sanele Lukhele , a vibrant midwifery lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, writes on how woman- centred care can be implemented in South Africa on page 28. Petronella Wagner , Child and Adolescent Development tutor at UNISA, freelance copywriter and passionate breastfeeding advocate, enthusiastically promotes normalising breastfeeding in public places on page 52. I would really like to open a midwife-led birthing unit in Soweto so that women in that part of the country can experience beautiful woman-centered births. If I could have my dream holiday , I would go to Paris to shop. The person who has impacted me most is Professor Fhumulani Mavis Mulaudzi of the University of Pretoria. She models integrity, professionalism and authenticity, and I wish I could clone her for the profession. I wish to end poverty so that all babies can have a better chance at life and its opportunities. If I were the Minister of Health I would prioritise collecting statistics on the number of nurses and midwives in clinical practice, academia and administrative posts in order to know the true extent of the nursing and midwifery shortage, and to plan for the future. I would describe myself as dedicated, passionate and social. My three wishes are that no child in South Africa would be without a loving family, that only honourable and competent people would be selected to govern, and that babies (especially mine) would sleep more like most adults do. The people who have impacted me most in my life are my husband, parents, grandparents and siblings; I love to spend time with my family, and in nature. I wanted to become a psychologist and change the world. I have since realised that I would make a terrible psychologist and that one can only partially change very small parts of the world — and that still means success! I would struggle to survive if I had nothing fun to look forward to. I would rather park three blocks away than parallel park right. My dream holiday would be to visit South Africa, meet all you beautiful midwives and surf Je ff reys Bay. If I were the Alaskan Minister of Health , I would eliminate private insurance companies. My grandmother impacted me the most in my life. She was a watercolour artist and a depression- era nurse. I spend my free time surfing, hiking, enjoying good wine, cooking and cleaning the house. My biggest wish would be to have a big, beautiful avocado tree that would produce fruit in Alaska. At times I fly to Kodiak , an island with a population of 6 500, famous for the Kodiak Grizzly Bear and the reality show The Deadliest Catch . There is no midwife on that island and I plan to open an informal birthing suite there. Contributors Midwife Margreet Times too are changing and to stay current we are embarking on new ventures! To embrace the new, one often has to bid some of the old adieu. It’s with a little sadness that we’re letting you know that this is the last edition of Sensitive Midwifery Magazine ; print media is dying away and so is the faithful postman. However, we are very excited to share that the same great content (and more) will be reaching you in new ways … our very own YouTube channel, podcasts, and a regular newsletter, to name just three. Read more about new developments on pages 57-59 of this, our swan-song edition. Anterior 4 eSensitive Midwifery Magazine Issue 44