By Doris Obinna
The all-important role of the midwife will be brought to the fore at the 2022 edition of BabyFest, holding in August 2022, as plans to recognize and celebrate outstanding midwives nominated by pregnant women and new mothers are in the offing.
Tagged “The Rose Awards,” those who have had outstanding experiences from midwives will nominate them to receive the award in an open process via the website of the BabyFest, www.thebabyfest.com.ng, after which a shortlisting will be done by a carefully selected panel of judges.
Explaining the importance of the recognition, the project director, Bukola Arowosafe, stated that almost everyone was birthed with the aid of a midwife at birth and, if they had not managed the processes well and dealt nicely with our mothers, some of us would not be alive today.
“Stories abound of mums who have experienced very unprofessional and treacherous midwives. As is this case with many professions, there are good and bad eggs; and nursing and midwifery is no exception. What we have set out to do, as part of activities at BabyFest, is to publicly celebrate those that both new and old mums have positive and remarkable things to say about.”
She stated further, “BabyFest is about bringing together major stakeholders in the baby, mother and childcare sector and this cannot be done without worthy mention of the role of midwives. A midwife is a trained health professional who helps healthy women in labour, delivery and after birth. It is, therefore, safe to conclude that no midwife, no labour, because they care for mums and newborns at childbirth.
“They are trained to recognize variations from normal progress of labour and they understand how to deal with deviations from the normal. They are able to intervene in high-risk situations and in instances where the baby is in a posterior position. They, therefore, deserve worthy recognition. Our initiative is a drop in the ocean but will be a regular feature at each edition of BabyFest yearly.”
According to her, shortlisted midwives will be assessed by the panel and may be interviewed to help the judges take a final decision, while winners will be announced at the fair in August.
“Other activities in the lineup to take place at BabyFest are the Baby Crawling Competition, Workshop and Masterclasses, the donation of used baby items by the public, and the Diaper Changing Competition by fathers to test the extent of involvement in caring for the child. There will also be the biggest baby shower in Lagos, where women and their baby bumps will be celebrated.
“The initiative is open to partnership from organisations that require a platform to elevate their brands,” she added.