Dux follows midwifery dream

Waimea College dux, Edie Morgan, has known since she was 11 years old that she wanted to be a midwife and her long-term goal is to work in third-world countries where having a baby is fraught with risk.

The 17-year-old loves her sciences and heads to Wellington next year to begin a four-year midwifery degree. She already has her path mapped out to gain experience in hospital midwifery, before potentially working as a lead maternity carer in the community. After she has built up skills here, she says she can then use those skills in countries that desperately need help.

“Since I was 11, I’ve wanted to be a midwife, which seems a weird thing to think about as a young kid. Then dad took me to Nepal to the One Heart Worldwide organisation where they were opening birthing clinics in rural Nepal. That definitely confirmed it for me.”

The organisation is focused on saving lives and promoting the well-being of mothers and their newborns in rural Nepal where services are few.

“Down the track I’d like to work in a low-income country where they’re trying to lower birth mortality rates. That would be a goal for me; it would be really rewarding.

“I just think we’re lucky to live in this society where we can go to the hospital and have our prenatal checks. But in those countries, if you want to give birth in a hospital, you may have to walk for days. And often they’re giving birth in very unhygienic conditions.”

Edie says it’s an issue that can be solved but needs people who are willing to be part of the solution. One Heart Worldwide also trains midwives in the community and she says she feels very motivated to take on those roles.

“I feel very fortunate and want to help others who aren’t as lucky as me.”