Mater's one of a kind

Mater's one of a kind

Mater Mothers' midwife Terry Lack is one of a kind.

He is Mater Mothers’ only senior male midwife and one of a handful of male midwives across the Mater's maternity services.

Nurse Unit Manager Cherelle Shirlaw said the bond he creates, particularly with new dads, provides a unique aspect of care within Mater Mothers' midwifery staff. 

“He handles babies with confidence, keeps things upbeat when families are tired and is in a unique position to be able to reassure the dads,” she said.

One dad who really valued the opportunity to work with a male midwife was new dad Craig Robinson. 

Craig felt overwhelmed when he found out his partner Amanda was pregnant with twins, knowing that the initial care of the babies would sit with him immediately after her caesarean; but that all changed when he met Terry.

“Terry has a great attitude and he really reassured me,” Craig said. “I thought if he could do it, I can do it and he gave me a lot of confidence.”

Craig’s partner Amanda said she also appreciated the advice Terry provided to both of them. 

“He’s got the passion and it shows,” she said.

When Amanda gave birth to twins Jonah and Ruby two weeks ago, Craig shared tears of joy with Terry and their connection was cemented.

“We developed a bond and I can't stop telling people about him!” Craig said. “We’ve had such a positive experience at Mater Mothers.”

Terry said he was moved by how excited Craig was with being a new dad.

“It’s nice to be part of the whole journey with new families,” he said. “And being a dad to two children myself, as well as being a midwife, allows me to share my experiences with families going through this for the first time.”

However, being one of only a handful of male midwives at Mater Mothers comes with a few unusual requests.

“I often get asked to put together baby capsules in the carpark,” he laughs. “I’m a bit of a handyman!”

“More importantly, I don’t forget about families when they leave the hospital; we provide care beyond the birth and I’m glad to be part of that.”

Tags:

Mater Babies
This Year
1917
This Month
942
= six + seven

Was this information helpful?

For urgent assessment at any stage of your pregnancy, please present to your nearest emergency centre or Mater Mothers’ 24/7 Pregnancy Assessment Centre in South Brisbane.

Personal
Was this helpful?
 Security code