Whatever you do, give your best. Do it heartily, honestly, and humbly, and the mother will never forget you! – Teresa.
Knowledge is power—not a mere statement but a profound truth that shapes lives. Teresa, a midwife at Fernandez, a champion of natural birthing, embodies this through her curiosity to learn and willingness to break from traditional norms, both in life and in her profession.
Teresa, clinical lead in the Department of Midwifery at Fernandez Foundation, started her nursing career in 2003. She was among the first trainees in the foundation’s Nurse Practitioner Midwifery Educator (NPME) programme’s pilot batch. Curious about the concept and the term ‘midwife,’ Teresa was fascinated by evidence-based practices and the belief that mothers can give birth normally with few interventions.
“Learning and unlearning is an everyday process,” she says. The two-year course rigorously trained the learners in managing low-risk pregnancies and emergencies under the mentorship of professional midwives from the UK. As the programme progressed, Teresa was certain that midwifery was her calling.
A decade ago, the concept of water births was not well-known in India. Water birth is an ideal form of birthing in low-risk pregnancies facilitated by midwives, in which the mother gives birth in a birthing pool during active labour.
In 2015, Teresa visited the UK to learn about the nuances of water birth. Reminiscing about her time there, she recalls how the ideology behind water birth and the fully functional outpatient visits for midwifery was new to her.
The notion of normal birth with fewer medical interventions, natural pain-relieving methods, and respect for the mother’s choices made many mothers in the UK prefer midwives during their pregnancies. She found this concept fascinating and aims to educate her colleagues and juniors about the principles of respectful maternity care.
“I was particularly inspired by the UK midwives’ values of accountability, responsibility, trust in both themselves and the mother’s ability to give birth vaginally, and the sense of solid rapport between the mother and the midwife till the end of the pregnancy.”
Teresa shares how Fernandez’s robust training program for their in-house midwives emphasised comprehensive skill development. With the collaborative efforts of doctors and the organisation, Fernandez trained midwives now conduct workshops and train the next generation of midwives. “The concept of midwifery has spread across various parts of the country and has advanced significantly. This is a tremendous improvement and an achievement we will always cherish.”
