This book addresses three aspects of midwives’ work: leadership,

expertise and collaboration. Individually, each is important to describing midwifery practice; collectively, they are a dynamic package that

can elevate the health of women and babies locally and across the broad

global community.

Midwives are called upon to be many things to many people. They

must be first-rate practitioners who use their knowledge, skill and

expertise to care effectively for women and babies. Some would say

that is enough and all that really counts. But it is not! Students and junior

midwives often funnel their energy into developing skills, as they

should. However, their vision should not be so narrow as to block out

other important aspects of midwifery practice. They must realise that

their practice reflects the environment in which they work and the world

in which we all live. They have the potential to influence both for the

good of mothers and babies. This requires commitment to developing

expert clinical skills, but also to broadening their expertise as collaborators and leaders.