THEY'RE the caring advice givers supporting expectant mothers when needed most.
Midwives have what's often described as a 'privileged' role to assist women as they prepare for the delivery of new life.
And now it's easier to have a baby in the bush, with the expansion of the midwifery unit at Roma Hospital.
Midwifery unit manager Anne Bousfield said the Maranoa Midwifery Group Practice was launched 18 months ago to provide women with a dedicated midwife to take them through their pregnancy, birth and post-natal care.
"Continuity of care improves the outcome for women, from quicker labours with fewer complications to boosting breastfeeding rates and reducing post-natal depression," she said.
"Initially we were not able to offer the service to everyone, but now through steady growth, we are increasing our ability to offer our continuity of care to all mothers birthing in Roma.''
Born in Mitchell, Anne has spent most of her working life in major hospitals in Melbourne, Brisbane and Toowoomba.
"Conflicting advice is one of the biggest problems faced in all those hospitals, so our new model is designed to reduce that risk for all our mothers,'' she said.
Roma resident Petra Thomas has just had her second child at the Roma Hospital.
"It's been great both times. Why would you travel when you have good care where you are?" she asked.
"You are assigned a midwife so you know who you are talking to and you're not seeing 10 different people during the pregnancy. My dedicated midwives Fiona and Carolyn were great, you couldn't ask for better."
Midwife Fiona McDermott and midwifery student Carolyn Fardon were assigned to Petra.
Ms McDermott has been a midwife at Roma Hospital for 23 years and just loves the new process of being assigned to a specific mother.
"You get to know your families so well and, because we live in a small town, you are always running into your mums and babies down the street, which is lovely," she said. "Some of my babies are having babies now. It can make you feel a little bit old," she laughed.
Meanwhile, student Carolyn Fardon is a prototype for the Roma Hospital. She is the first rural Bachelor of Midwifery student in Queensland.
While working at the Roma Hospital she has been completing her three-year degree in midwifery through Griffith University.
Ms Fardon said the process had been challenging but worthwhile.
"The degree is very consuming and you have to be committed. But by the end of this year I will have a qualification that is recognised worldwide and a career I enjoy in the town where I want to live," she said.
Anne said it was part of the midwifery unit's strategy to grow Roma's own midwifery workforce.
"We want to train local women through Griffith University because it will give us qualified midwives who want to live and work here,'' she said.
"Midwives are a very scarce resource and if we don't grow our own batch who want to stay here, then we will eventually have a critical shortage of midwifery in the region."
