Dr. Kocatürk: If midwives are strong, then women will be too

The Department of Midwifery of the College of Health Sciences at Istanbul Medipol University organized an event for the World Midwives Day on May 5th. Themed “Strong Women Rising with Strong Midwives”, the event addressed the emotional effects experienced by midwives who have witnessed traumatic processes, professional resilience, the risk of burnout, and methods for coping with these challenges. Dr. Asiye Kocatürk, Head of the Department of the Midwifery, gave the opening speech at the event held at the South Campus Conference Hall. In the first session of the event, which brought together expert speakers in three separate sessions, Lecturer Dr. Nurcan Armağan discussed how the strong female identity overlaps with the midwifery profession and the transformative role of midwives in women’s health. The second session, titled “How Can We Become Stronger Against Secondary Traumas in the Delivery Room?”, featured midwives Merve Begüm Osmanlıoğlu, İpek Yıldız Üngüt, and Ebru Çolak, who work in the field, as well as Clinical Psychologist Fazilet Seyitoğlu, who shared their experiences with students. In the last session, representatives of three important civil society organizations contributing to the development of the profession, namely Anatolian Midwives Association, Midwifery Education Research and Development Association (EBEARGE), and Freelance Midwives Association, emphasized the importance of professional unity and the power that comes from acting together.