Third-generation healthcare worker named midwife of the year

Lisa White has been recognised for her exceptional contribution to the midwifery profession through dedication, compassion and excellence in care for women, babies and families.

A third-generation healthcare worker – her mother worked as a nurse and midwife into her 80s, and her ‘Nana’ was a Salvation Army nurse – Lisa never considered another career.  

“Growing up, I was inspired by the passion my mum had for her work. She spoke openly about birth and breastfeeding as normal and important aspects of family life, which helped foster my appreciation for the profession and its impact on families,” Lisa said

The stories of Lisa’s mother and grandmother inspired her to want to achieve positive outcomes for mothers and babies. Lisa began her career at Westmead Hospital where she worked for nearly two decades before moving to Blacktown Hospital 13 years ago.  

The District’s Director of Nursing & Midwifery, Maria Lingam, said Lisa’s contributions have included driving policy changes and quality improvement initiatives, significantly strengthening the breastfeeding support and care for families across the District.

"Her collaborative approach and commitment to evidence-based care have had a lasting impact on both patient experience and staff development," Maria said.

Having worked across all areas of midwifery, Lisa now specialises as a Clinical Midwifery Consultant in infant feeding and hosts antenatal classes about breastfeeding and baby behaviour to help prepare expectant parents for the first few months of life.

“Adjusting to life as a new mum and learning about their baby, baby behaviour and breastfeeding is huge. We need to work on giving information around these topics to women at the right time in the pregnancy,” Lisa said.  

Despite decades in the profession, Lisa said that changes in the community and the women she meets has meant a need to continually adapt her practice.

“About 20 per cent of women have gestational diabetes which changes the way antenatal care is given, and more than 60 per cent of women we meet at Blacktown are born overseas. Being able to understand and meet their needs is really important,” Lisa said.  

A passionate advocate, Lisa says the benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond the baby, and there is still much to improve on to support new mothers.  

“There's good evidence that mums need support by partners, family, support people and in the community when they leave the hospital. That support makes a big difference. And breastfeeding can help improve the health in the longer term for our population. So, the more we can support mums to breastfeed, the better the health outcomes in the future,” Lisa said.  

“There's also a lot of good research that recommends women have a known midwife during their antenatal care, labour and birth and postnatal care – and that is something we can work towards for more women,” Lisa said.  

Blacktown Hospital offers a well-established caseload midwifery program, providing eligible women with the opportunity to be paired with the same midwife throughout their pregnancy, birth and postnatal period. This model of care promotes continuity, allowing women to build a trusting relationship with their midwife while receiving personalised care throughout their maternity journey. 

Find out more about Blacktown’s maternity service.