The people of Calvary John James Hospital Maternity – Celebrating 30 years
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Despite living thousands of kilometres away, Central Queensland Police Officer Donna Davis will always be the start of the maternity story at Calvary John James Hospital in Canberra.
On 6 September, 1994, Donna was the first baby born at the newly opened maternity unit.
“It is a part of my identity in a way. I moved to Queensland when I was about six years old, so being the first baby born in the maternity unit at John James Hospital has been a foothold for me in Canberra. It is always my claim to fame and my personal fun fact,” Ms Davis said.
A few years ago, Donna, and her parents Marianne and Gerard visited Calvary John James Hospital. To their surprise, the same midwives who helped birth her were still working in the maternity unit.
“I was gobsmacked that after all these years they were still working at John James Hospital. It wasn’t a planned visit, so it was really special that they happened to be there on the same day we were visiting,” Ms Davis said.
Mum Marianne, recalls the visit fondly.
“Our delightful midwife, Cheryl Guthrie, has always been part of our wonderful memories of our 30 years association of John James Hospital. We were incredibly lucky to be greeted by Cheryl on a visit a few years ago when we were taking Donna back to where it all began. It was such a delight for Donna to meet her.”
For Calvary John James Registered Midwife, Ms Guthrie, Donna’s arrival into the world is an occasion she will never forget.
“We got the call that mum Marianne was on her way in. I was straight on the phone to Dr Graham Bates to let him know to start making his way to the hospital quickly,” Ms Guthrie said.
“Marianne was in good labor and had already had six boys, so we knew it was going to be quick. I think Dr Bates arrived just as Donna was being born. It was a perfect birth.”
Ms Guthrie remains a midwife at Calvary John James and her long career means she is a recognisable face for many in Canberra.
“People often stop me in the supermarket and ask ‘do you remember me?’ and they will have their six-month-old or two-year-old with them. Recently I ran into a woman at the shops who gave me a big hug. She had her 18-year-old son with her, who I helped birth. He was getting ready to go off to university,” Ms Guthrie said.
Cheryl is one of the many staff members that makes the maternity unit at Calvary John James Hospital what it is today.
“We feel very fortunate in the leaders we have. Calvary John James Hospital as a whole is a community and everybody helps one another out,” Ms Guthrie said.
Reflecting on the maternity unit’s 30-year anniversary, Calvary John James Hospital’s General Manager, Daniel Wood, said the maternity unit was part of the hospital’s fabric.
“The Calvary John James Hospital maternity unit is synonymous with the ACT community,” Mr Wood said.
“The fact people return to have their second, third or fourth baby here is a reflection of the care we provide. We are incredibly privileged to provide a service that is central to when a couple becomes a family.”
Calvary John James Hospital is the only private maternity unit in Canberra, providing care for high risk pregnancies from 32 weeks. The unit is made up of 24 postnatal beds, four birth suites and a ten-bed special care nursery.
Our people
A need for more midwives across regional Australia prompted Sarah Black to upskill and retrain herself. As the Director of Clinical Services at Calvary John James Hospital, the knowledge and skills she gained through that experience have been invaluable.
“I was travelling around Australia as a nurse and noticed in many remote communities that we really needed more midwives and I knew I could help,” Ms Black said.
“Being a midwife has been an incredibly rewarding experience and it has given me a really good viewpoint in my role as the Director of Clinical Services.”
“I understand the complexities the midwives are dealing with and the challenges they face because I have been in their shoes. It also helps the midwives relate to me.”
Ms Black is responsible for the hospital’s operations including the delivery, management and running of the clinical services, and she still assists as a midwife when needed.
“I still really love being able to support mothers. For instance, recently I helped a woman in intensive care needing a hand expressing breast milk. Our midwives were busy in the birthing suites so I assisted, and I know the staff value that,” Ms Black said.
The maternity services at Calvary John James Hospital celebrate 30 years on 21 September and Ms Black said the extended care the midwives, nurses, doctors and other staff provides made the unit special.
“Calvary John James provides choice for the Canberra community. We have a lot of professional women having babies later in life, and we’re able to provide the support they desire and need,” Ms Black said.
“Some of our mothers haven’t had a lot of contact with babies so we really focus on spending a lot of time mother craft training and preparing them for the rest of their lives parenting.”
No one day is the same in maternity at Calvary John James Hospital and, as Nurse Unit Manager, it is Claire Reardon’s job to ensure staff are prepared for anything coming their way.
“I make sure we have the right staff for the mums and babies we have coming into the unit. I’m responsible for organising the staff, arranging the equipment we need and making sure we have the right supplies on hand,” Ms Reardon said.
Ms Reardon has been a midwife for more than 23 years. She began her career at a regional hospital before moving to Canberra and beginning at Calvary John James Hospital more than 15 years ago.
“I chose to become a midwife because in Dubbo, where I worked at the time, you had to be a midwife to be able to work in the special care nursery with the premature babies. I then decided I quite liked looking after their mothers as well, but working in the nursery is really my happy place,” Ms Reardon said.
Ms Reardon said it was the people who made the maternity unit so special.
“We see a lot of mothers return to Calvary John James Hospital to have their next babies. I truly believe the staff are the reason they keep returning,” Ms Reardon said.
“They can see the physiotherapists, they’ve got lactation support, they’ve got their doctor and they’ve got the option to stay longer.
“We are here to help the mother adjust to motherhood, become a little bit familiar with breastfeeding and all of the mother crafting skills as a whole. Becoming a mother is a really beautiful experience and it can be scary, so we are there to support mothers.”
The maternity services at Calvary John James Hospital celebrated 30 years on 21 September, 2024.
Ella Ratanatray, New Graduate Midwife chose a midwifery career while studying a double-degree in nursing and midwifery in Queensland.
Her hospital placement in a maternity unit was the deciding factor to focus solely on her midwifery studies.
Ella said she hadn’t looked back since leaving the warmer climate for a cool change as a student midwife with the Calvary John James Hospital team in Canberra.
”I love the job here and what makes it extra special is when we receive notes of thanks from mums who have had their babies at Calvary John James. Sometimes it’s weeks after they have left our care, which means they remember us’,” Ella said.
Ella said she also loved her role because of the people she worked with and the support they provided.
“I love the team here. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I’m so happy in my job. I’m a graduate midwife, fresh from university, and really grateful for their experience, guidance and support – and making me feel so welcome,” Ella said.
Calvary John James’ student midwife Jessica Egan-Richards recently commenced studying for her midwifery degree.
Jessica, has now been studying midwifery for two months at Calvary John James Maternity. From a young age, Jessica always had an interest in nursing, as well as midwifery, so it’s unsurprising she ended up in the perfect job for her.
“I’m so happy to be learning from all of the experiences and skills that are here. I’ve always been interested in nursing and midwifery, and here I am,” Jessica said.
While only eight weeks in as a student midwife, Jessica absolutely loves her role and is looking forward to becoming a registered midwife.
“I’m very early in the program, but I recently started in the birthing suites and I’m really looking forward to being part of the labour journey for the women in our care. Exciting times ahead,” Jessica said.
One of the longest serving midwives at Calvary John James Hospital, Vera Meisel-Dennis, started a month or so after the then new maternity unit opened in September 1994.
Already working shifts at another hospital, Vera began as a casual to see what it was like. She stayed.
“And I’ll still be here for another few years yet,” the senior registered midwife said.
“What I like about Calvary John James Hospital is the continuity of care. I like that we follow through with our patients,” she said of the extended care provided to mothers and babies.
“I love being a part of the whole experience – from getting to know the baby, helping the mum with breastfeeding and giving the parents the support they need to look after themselves when they leave the hospital.”,
Working in the same role and the same workplace for 30 years is a long time, but for Ms Meisel-Dennis it’s the people who make Calvary John James Hospital a special place to work.
“Calvary John James Hospital is personal – we all know one another. I know most people here and can say hello to 30 people just walking up the main corridor, which is special. As well as your own team, you get to know the people in medical records, the cleaners, the wardsmen, kitchen staff. It’s a nice environment,” Ms Meisel-Dennis said
“It is a joy to work here.”
It’s hard to pick a favourite memory, Ms Meisel-Dennis said.
“Getting to know the families would be my favourite part of the job. There are some really beautiful people out there and they are really grateful for our care, which is lovely.”
The maternity services at Calvary John James Hospital celebrates 30 years on 21 September, 2024.
Priya Varghese loves being a midwife so much she has done it twice over.
Already a nurse and midwife in her native India, like many newcomers to Australia, Ms Varghese undertook study and work to requalify to practice in her adopted country.
Ironically, it was a career journey that nearly didn’t happen.
Ms Varghese is a midwife working across the birthing suite and post-natal care at Calvary John James Hospital, but she said she was pushed into nursing by her father.
“I didn’t enjoy my nursing studies at all until the end where we did midwifery for one year. It was when I attended to women in labor that I thought this was really interesting and could be my career.”
Ms Varghese first became a nurse and midwife in 2008, and has been a midwife in Australia since 2019.
The variety of her work, the continuity of care that the Calvary John James service provides, and being able to build a rapport with the women and families are among the aspects she loves most about working in the unit; along with being part of a small, tight-knit team.
“Here in the birth suite, I mainly look after women in labor. We also see pregnant women with high blood pressure, unstable blood sugars, reduced foetal movements, pain, or anything they are worried about,” Ms Varghese said
“We always try to provide women-centred care. If the women do have any issues, they call us, and we are very happy to see them. We build rapport during the pregnancy and see them again postnatally – which is a most enjoyable part.”
So too is the opportunity to follow the new mum’s journey through labor and helping them to become confident as parents in those early days.
“Seeing them become parents, that transition is amazing. Sometimes they come back for the second babies, and you see how they have transitioned from being a couple to parents, multitasking, and looking after multiple children. I like the dynamics of that,” Ms Varghese said
Maternity services at Calvary John James Hospital celebrated 30 years on 21 September 2024.
Registered Nurse Tracy Catacutan has worked at Calvary John James Hospital since 2016, and after years of providing care on the medical wards, felt it was time for a change. Fortunately she was in the perfect place to explore her options.
”I was considering what my next step might be and thinking about whether I should study again. I heard the maternity unit was looking for student midwives and thought, why not,” Ms Catacutan said.
”Ever since having my own baby I have been interested in midwifery, and when this opportunity came up, I thought to myself ‘I could do this’.”
Calvary John James Hospital was Ms Catacutan’s first job when she arrived in Australia, following a background in military nursing from her time living in the Philippines. After eight years working at the hospital, she is grateful for the opportunity to experience a new nursing pathway with Calvary, and be supported to expand her skills.
”My transition to student midwifery has been very rewarding and it’s fantastic that opportunities like this exist for people who are ready for a change. I get to look after all aspects of pregnancy and maternity in this role, prenatal, delivery and postnatal, and I am learning so much from the amazing people around me.”
Ms Catacutan is continuing her graduate program with Calvary John James Hospital, and is looking forward to caring for women and their babies.
”Supporting women through labour and the actual birthing are my favourite parts of the job and probably the most exciting aspect too. It’s a good feeling to make a difference to women and their babies at that special time.”
Cheryl Guthrie knew she wanted to be a midwife the moment she stepped into a maternity unit.
"It was love at first sight. I love working with women,and seeing how powerful they can be in birth is one of the reasons why I have continued in this role," Ms Guthrie said.
In 1979, Ms Guthrie studied midwifery and, apart from breaks to have her own children, she has been a midwife for 30 years at Calvary John James Hospital.
"I've worked most of the time in the birthing suite. My favourite part of the job is watching the birth, seeing the joy and knowing the parents' lives have changed forever," Ms Guthrie said.
After helping deliver the first baby born at John James Hospital in 1994, Ms Guthrie has gone on to be part of the birthing journey for thousands of parents in the Canberra region.
"We now have mums and dads coming through to have their own babies after being born here themselves. I always look up their birth on the registry and show them the page. The Calvary John James maternity unit is part of the fabric of the Canberra community," Ms Guthrie said.
Ms Guthrie said midwifery had seen a number of changes over her career, but it remained an incredbly rewarding roll.
"If you choose to become a midwife, you will get immense joy out of working with women. Seeing how a women can birth is a simple thing but brings so much joy," Ms Guthrie said.
"The ups and downs of midwifery can be extreme, however, the happiness and job satisfaction that it brings is immense."
The maternity services at Calvary John James Hospital celebrated 30 years on 21 September, 2024.
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