A HOSPITAL'S only male midwife has urged other men to look into the career.

Dale Betts started as a trainee midwife at Colchester Hospital in 1996.

The East Suffolk and North Essex trust, which also runs Ipswich Hospital, employs 318 midwives but Dale is the only man.

Dale admits he was laughed at when he first started looking into midwifery.

"People see it as a woman’s job, but I can’t imagine doing anything else," he said.

"I never used to tell people I was a midwife.

“Was I a little bit embarrassed? I don’t know, I just never used to really say it, but now it doesn’t worry me.

"Gender should not stop you doing it.

"You have to be committed and really understand what the job is.

"We don’t just sit and cuddle babies and it’s not what you see on the television, it’s not like that at all, but just because you are a man, it shouldn’t put you off doing it.”

Dale is now one of the hospital’s delivery suite coordinators.

His role sees him make sure both the delivery suite and north Essex maternity services run smoothly and that they also are safe in the evening and at weekends.

There were already two male midwives at the hospital when Dale arrived and he has worked with more over the years.

Dale's story has been told as part of International Day of the Midwife which takes place today.

There are only has 106 male midwives on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in the country.

Dale said: "It’s stressful, but it’s a privilege. It’s something a woman may only do once, or two or three times, and we only have a small part in it, but you can make a difference or make it a bit better for someone.

“The sense of responsibility can be overwhelming when you actually think about it, but it’s very rewarding.”

Dale didn't always want to be a midwife.

He hoped to be a doctor, but after not getting the grades he needed to study medicine, he went through clearing and started a humanities course at Newcastle University.

That didn’t work out so he re-sat his A-levels and then worked in a primary school before deciding to go into midwifery.

He said: "The job I joined is so different to the job it is now, and what I like now is different to what I used to like about it.

“Now I can support other midwives to do their jobs, I really enjoy that part and the patient contact.

“The real positive about it is the teamwork and the work ethic. It can be really challenging, but when the chips are down that’s when you notice it. We strive to do the best.”