{"id":7132,"date":"2025-12-29T13:56:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T13:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/?p=7132"},"modified":"2025-12-30T14:27:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T14:27:42","slug":"call-the-male-midwife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/saint-marys\/call-the-male-midwife\/","title":{"rendered":"Call the Male Midwife! Dan celebrates a year of delivering babies at Saint Mary\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPeople tend to do a double take when I walk into the delivery suite. Most are surprised to find that their midwife is a man.\u201d<\/h3>\n

As one of less than 200 male midwives in the UK, and just 4 in Greater Manchester, Dan Minton usually gets some kind of reaction when he arrives to assist with a birth. Mostly inquisitive, generally positive but sometimes reluctant and resistant.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really does depend. Sometimes people are intrigued because male midwives are rare and it\u2019s a bit of a novelty. They want to know all about me and why I chose this career. And some don\u2019t really seem to notice and are more focussed on the task in hand!<\/p>\n

\"AWhile Dan admits he stands out from the crowd, he says his day to day as a midwife is just like any other: \u201cIt’s a lot more procedural than dramatic, but, that said, it can be intense and it takes time to develop your skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd of course there are women who don\u2019t want a male midwife, usually for cultural reasons. When this happens, their preferences are respected and I will make sure I help on the ward in other ways. There\u2019s always something to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan, 23, recently celebrated his one-year anniversary as a qualified midwife and has already safely delivered 11 babies. This is in addition to the 40 births he assisted with as a student.<\/p>\n

Having trained at John Moore\u2019s University in Liverpool, with placements at hospitals in Chester and the Wirral, Dan joined Saint Mary\u2019s<\/a> Manchester as part of a cohort of 25 newly qualified midwifes. He was the only male among them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last year I have rotated through different parts of maternity including ante-natal and post-natal-care, as well as the delivery suite. As a student midwife you\u2019re very closely supported so working more independently takes some getting used to.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ve had some amazing support, including from a more experienced male midwife in the team, and from senior midwives and doctors. It\u2019s been a rollercoaster but in a good way!\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan\u2019s first solo birth came earlier this year: \u201cMy first birth was a good one. The woman was a student midwife herself so that was pretty helpful because she was already very well-versed about what was going to happen! It was a wonderful experience and I was walking on air when I left work the next morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cPeople tend to do a double take when I walk into the delivery suite, most are surprised to find that their midwife is a man. But I work hard to find common ground and a rapport with women because we’re about to go through something really special together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get a few people saying they’re honoured to have a male midwife because it’s so rare. It makes me feel really valued that people are excited to have me. It\u2019s a real boost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan, originally from Bromborough, Wirral, and now living in Manchester, had always wanted to work in healthcare and considered training as a doctor. However, midwifery was on his radar because his sister had previously been interested in the profession and the opportunity to support women to have a positive birth experience appealed to him.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cMy favourite days are the days that I get to work closely with women and babies. I try to empower all women to help make the best decisions for them and support them to do have the most natural organic birth that they can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Bev O\u2019Connor, Head of Midwifery at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: \u201cDan has brought a fresh perspective to our service and it\u2019s been great to see the impact of his contribution. His positive energy and commitment to patient care reflect the qualities we value most in our teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a workforce that includes people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences in important and makes us better placed to understand women\u2019s needs and provide well-rounded care. Colleagues like Dan help demonstrate the value that diversity brings to our organisation and to the work we do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cPeople tend to do a double take when I walk into the delivery suite. Most are surprised to find that their midwife is a man.\u201d As one of less than 200 male midwives in the UK, and just 4 in Greater Manchester, Dan Minton usually gets some kind of reaction when he arrives to assist […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":7135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCall the Male Midwife! 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