When midwife Loulou Abdul-Sater went into labor, the first person she called on her trip to the hospital was her friend and fellow midwife, Terese Ashqar.
A year later, Abdul-Sater returned the favor, assisting as a midwife at the birth of Ashqar's first child.
The two were among the crowd of midwives, doctors, and health care workers who attended the May 5 conference marking the International Day of the Midwife in Lebanon.
The event aimed to bring together midwives and maternal health professionals from throughout Lebanon to share ideas for further enhancing the practice and responsibilities of midwives in Lebanon.
One of the foremost goals of the Order of Midwives, formed in June of 2014, is to raise awareness on the work of Lebanese midwives, and their importance not only in delivering babies, but also in counseling expectant mothers, providing family planning awareness, and teaching proper child care techniques post-delivery.
The Health Ministry helped facilitate the establishment of the Order of Midwives and plans to work alongside its members to develop and maintain education and practice standards, as well as strengthening the midwife's position in hospitals and health clinics in Lebanon.
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