15C H A P T E R
To work for the health and well-being of women and babies — that is, to be
a midwife — you must be willing to learn, to treat people with respect and
compassion, and to work together with others to meet the health needs of
the community.
Learning is lifelong
The first step on the path to becoming a midwife — or any kind of health worker
— is learning from others. And even the most experienced midwives continue to
learn and gain new skills throughout their whole lives.
Midwives learn from experience and from books and classes. Each way of
learning is important. All midwives should find a balance between study and
practice.
Books and study help midwives
understand a broad range of
information.
But practice is the only way to learn
the skills needed to care for women
and babies.
This is the
baby’s head.
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