I'm one of only six men that work as midwives in Northern Ireland

10 hours ago 1

Michael FitzpatrickBBC News NI

BBC Fraser Morton, a man with a shaved head, looks towards the camera while sitting in a maternity unit. He is wearing a blue midwife's uniform with a white trim on the collar. There is a hospital bed and an ultrasound monitor in the background.

There are only fewer than 200 men registered to work as a midwife in the UK and just six in Northern Ireland - and Fraser Morton is one of them.

Also a qualified nurse, Fraser has spent 21 years as a midwife after realising he enjoyed maternity work "far better" than nursing during a placement as part of his training.

But it's a profession where men remain very much the exception rather than the rule - there are more than 53,000 women working in midwifery around the UK compared to 194 men.

Now Fraser, as he prepares to retire, is encouraging men to enter the profession, saying the key job requirements of empathy and caring is not to do with gender but "how you are as a person" - and it's something one of his former patients has seen first hand.

'He was so kind and caring to every woman in there'

One woman who witnessed this first hand was then mum-to-be Laura Rooney.

She came to visit him on his last day as a full-time midwife and reminisced about the care he provided Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry,

"I came in early because I was showing signs of having my child a wee bit earlier, which I eventually did," she said.

Laura Rooney, a woman with long, straight blonde hair, smiles at the camera while sitting in an office. She is wearing a bright, multicoloured patterned blouse buttoned up to the neck. There is a computer in the background.

"I was in the ward for about two to three weeks and without Fraser being there it would have been such a dull time for me.

"He was always so lovely, warm, his reception when entering the room didn't go unnoticed because he was so kind and caring to every woman in there, not just myself.

"For me it doesn't have to be gender based. The fact that I had not only a male - one with a loud Scottish voice, all the craic - it was just lovely," said Rooney.

"It was something that never put me off or made me feel anxious at all."

Originally from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, Fraser started his nursing training in 1981and has spent 45 years in the health service.

He moved to Northern Ireland with his wife in 1988 after qualifying as a midwife in Scotland.

However, he said he was not able to put that training to use after the move as "there was no male midwives at that time".

He was encouraged to complete his return to practice qualification by the then Director of Nursing Joan O'Hagan in 2004.

"It gradually became more accepted, and you could see a culture," he recalled.

"I've not had any problems from colleagues or the women. I think they respond just to being human and being genuine.

"I'd encourage men, if they feel that it's a job for them, to go for it. I don't think it's anything to do with gender. I think it's to do with how you are as a person."

Why are there so few male midwives?

Men have only been fully allowed to work as midwives since 1982 and proportionally very few have taken up the opportunity.

According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, there were 144 men registered as a midwife and 50 as a nurse and midwife on 30 September 2025 across the UK.

This compares to 47,337 women midwives and 6,142 nurse and midwives.

In Northern Ireland alone, there were five men registered as a midwife and one as a nurse and midwife.

This compares to 1,318 women midwives and 342 nurse and midwives.

'Blown away' by patients' fond memories

Fraser Morton pictured chatting with three female colleagues in a staff or storage room within a hospital setting. He is wearing a blue midwife's tunic with identification badges. He is leaning against a cupboard and his hands are clasped in front of his chest. The women are all dressed in healthworker's tunics. The group are smiling as they chat.

Morton is preparing to take a step back and move to a part-time role.

"I've worked in antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care, and at one stage I was CTG (Cardiotocography) coordinator for the trust, it's been enjoyable."

His daughter Rebecca McCaffery shared the news of his partial retirement on social media.

"I had over 180 comments, I had 50 direct messages and a number of phone calls from people that I knew," she said.

"I think he's great, but to hear that so many people really thought so highly of him and stories, that obviously I would never have known, about how he went above and beyond just completely blew me away."

Midwife just means 'with women'

Laura Rooney, a woman with long, straight blonde hair, leans in to hug Fraser Morton, a man with shaved grey hair, in a hospital corridor. She is wearing a tan-coloured quilted overcoat and carrying a handbag with a gold and black chain. He is wearing a blue midwife's tunic. They are both smiling.

As he prepares to step back, Morton said he has "firmly enjoyed every minute of it" and "would feel lost" if he went from working full-time to suddenly doing nothing.

"I don't think you'd leave completely. I'm not getting any younger, but I still feel I've got a few years left in me.

"Gender has never really been an issue to me. I'm a midwife who happens to be a man, but I'm also a midwife who happens to be Scottish, as opposed to Northern Irish.

"The thing that I've always stated, and still do to the women, is midwife just means 'with women' - my obligation is to you.

"I'm here to make sure that you have the best experience that you can."

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