In honor of International Midwives’ Day yesterday we wanted to share the story of one of our midwives…

After working in high tech for several years, Michal Barak decided to leave the world of high tech and become a midwife. She shared, “I previously worked for an aviation company in information systems. The job included training and supporting the company’s employees. I was comfortable both in terms of the financial compensation as well as the work hours. I soon realized that although this position was considered a ‘good job,’ I was not satisfied. I soon started volunteering and then starting working as care giver for a woman four times a week. The work was physically exhausting but it gave me a lot of satisfaction. It soon became clear to me that I really wanted to be a nurse and as I started exploring the field I understood that I really wanted to be a midwife.”

Michal shared, “I really like being a midwife. Midwives must be attentive, supportive, patient, tolerant and very empathetic. Midwives work as part of a team typically under pressure and in emergency situations. Midwives need to develop a relationship with the expectant couple who needs to trust the midwife, consult with her and rely on her judgement throughout the delivery. Midwifes must be up to date, professional, precise and able to function in stressful situations. Being a midwife is very challenging and there is no substitute for that moment when a new baby emerges into the world.”