A Day in the Life of Mater Midwife Gabby Rowsell

Midwife Gabby Rowsell shares her day working in the birth suites at South Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital.

5:45 I am a big routine person, so wake up at 5:45 alarm every day. I’ve never been a ‘snoozer’ on my alarm, so once I’m awake, I’m awake.

5:50 After five minutes of mindfulness I head straight to the coffee machine for a flat white while I get ready for work and have a quick scroll on my phone.

6:00 Breakfast varies from day to day, depending on how I feel. I am partial to a smoothie or simple avo on toast. When I get a bit of extra time on the weekends I love cooking a big breakfast.

6:20 I aim to leave the house by 6:20 am. I live very close to the hospital, so I walk to work most days while listening to a podcast. I find this the best way to clear my head before a busy day. My housemate also works at the hospital so we sometimes can walk together and catch up.

6:45 Work as a midwife is varied every day. In a clinical setting, the day shift starts now. I am employed at Mater’s Birth Suite and Pregnancy Assessment Centre. We have education every morning with our fantastic clinical facilitators; they keep us up to date on changes in policies, updates in the department and training opportunities.

7:00 We all head to the handover room to find out which room we’re allocated to, and then go and meet the family we’re looking after. You really can be walking into anything at the start of the shift. A woman might be in early labour, or about to have a baby, be on her way to the operating theatre, or even be postnatal. The previous midwife will give a detailed handover about their progress and expectations, and then I start my day.

7:30 I start every shift by checking all my equipment and making a plan. Sometimes we have students working with us, so it’s important to make sure we’re on the same page and discuss their learning goals. Something that is super important for a midwife is to make a connection with the woman and family quickly. This is obviously a very emotional and heightened time for families, so I do everything I can to reassure them and make sure they feel safe and cared for. Obviously, the stage of labour impacts how much we can connect before the baby arrives.

The role of a midwife is so broad; it is far more than just delivering babies. We provide emotional and physical support to women and their support people, we respond to emergencies, communicate to doctors and other allied health professionals, document, and advocate for our patients.

Gabby cared for mum Sonja throughout her pregnancy after it was found her baby Dela was severely growth restricted at just 20 weeks.

8:00 If I’m working in the Pregnancy Assessment Centre (PAC), the day looks a little different. This department behaves like an emergency department, open 24/7 to patients with pregnancy-related emergencies. Each staff member in PAC cares for two to four patients at a time, initiating investigations such as blood tests, ultrasounds, fetal monitoring and observations. I love working here, it’s all about diagnosing, reassuring, and crisis management in a timely and stress-free manner.

If I am in my other role as a Research Midwife, I work at the Fetal Growth Clinic within the Maternal Fetal Medicine department at Mater. This is a specialised research-based clinic that was developed to monitor and protect growth-restricted babies from all over Queensland. So, if I am working in that role the next day, I get my fun coloured scrubs out ready to wear in the morning.

I work here two days a week within a team of doctors, midwives and sonographers. This role is so fulfilling in its own way — women with growth-restricted babies are often terrified of potential outcomes and just want their baby safely in their arms. I spend a lot of time talking about the ins and outs of having a little baby, as well as discussing different clinical trials these women are welcome to be a part of.

I take bloods, assess ultrasounds, make delivery plans and provide a safe space for these women to share their concerns.

8:40 Every morning we have a huddle with team leaders, midwives, doctors, administration staff and management to discuss the readiness of Birth Suite and PAC for the day, and to discuss staffing, high-risk patients, learning opportunities, recognition of staff, and hospital-wide notices.

9:00 Time for coffee number two! Another flat white from the hospital cafe (I try to keep to two coffees a day but sometimes that doesn’t work).

9:15 From here the day can vary. The birth suite is a rolling 24/7 system, so as soon as your patient has her baby, you care for her for a few hours after birth and then transfer her and her baby to the postnatal ward.

15:00 Depending on who I’m assigned to, I can potentially stay with one woman the entire day or deliver multiple babies in 12 hours! My personal record is five babies in one shift. Birth is beautiful but very unpredictable — it can take minutes or hours or days.

18:45 The majority of midwives in the birth suites do 12-hour shifts, so come 6:45 pm we’re handing over to the night staff and saying goodbye to our patients.

19:15 I’m clocking out and walking home (or trying to convince a colleague to drop me home). If I get an earlier clock-off, I’ll be at reformer Pilates or going on a long walk along the river.

19:30 Depending on the day, sometimes a debrief is required. Whether it’s calling my mum on the walk home, or a formal debrief at work, it is so important for me to wind down from the day.

20:00 Time to relax after a shower, some dinner and sometimes a glass of rosé.

21:00 I’m often in bed reading and setting my alarm for the next day.

Images: Supplied.