I feel
like I need to pinch myself, I've just finished my first week of placement in
the birth centre at my placement hospital but I still feel like I'm dreaming!I'm bloody-actually-flipping doing it! Although the last year and a half has flown by so fast there's still a huge part of me that can't believe what I've achieved (and I'm a teensy bit proud of myself too but shhh).
My first 5 weeks at Uni were intense and nerve wracking but SO much fun. I've met some lovely ladies (there are no men on our course booo) and my cohort are a diverse bunch of confident, caring and capable women who all strike me as super passionate about women-centred care. So YAY :)
All my stressing and worrying about making friends or feeling under qualified were soon assuaged when I realised that we were all pretty much in the same boat. It was lovely to feel that from day one we were all supporting each other, even if it was just helping someone find the loos!
There is a great mix of students ranging from 18 to 50yr olds, originating from many types of academic and social backgrounds. Some, like me, have taken access courses or A'levels but there are also people with no qualifications that have some fantastic work experience under their belt. There are a lot of us (63!!) so we've had some issues with small classrooms and communication blips but all in all we are working together like one big ol' happy family and everyone is friendly, patient and kind.
Of course there are smaller cliques forming within the cohort but everyone is comfortable mixing and working together as a team which is so lovely.
Don't wanna brag but I reckon that if there was some kind of generation-game-styley-name-
memory-quiz-thang
I could remember the whole cohort....that's how friendly it is.
So yeh....I'm chuffed :D
We hit the books big style and after a couple of awkward days 'breaking the ice' and finding our feet, we were straight into lectures. I'm really enjoying learning again, especially the biosciences module which is similar to my access course but more in depth. We're also looking at midwifery from a historical and objective perspective which is fun, as my friends would tell you I love a good debate and hearing other peoples views...even when I disagree with them ;)
We also had a skills week in which we were taught how to take observations such as heart rate, respiration rate, temperature and blood pressure. We practiced urinalysis, injections and abdominal palpations... For me it was skills week when I started to feel a little bit wobbly.
Personal circumstances meant that I wasn't having a great time at home but Uni and the lovely group of girls I've become close to (thank god!) was really keeping my brain focused on other things, still...I felt drained, exhausted and was really struggling to concentrate...
Halfway through that week I really had to give myself a good talking to. This has been my goal for so long and I've already struggled though a year of college, interviews, assessments and a full time job... I pulled myself together and had a really good sort out of all my Uni notes to help me straighten out my head. The rest of the week I fully immersed myself in the skills lectures and came out feeling prepared and confident about starting placement.
We had one last week of lectures at our university hospital, also arranging some study groups so that we could do some extra revision to prepare us for clinical practice. The group of friends I've made are so supportive and without them making me laugh and feeding me cake (it doesn't matter what you do the stereotype fits. Midwives eat cake A LOT) I don't think I would have finished our theory block feeling as happy and content as I did :)
We had an evening of wine and Indian to celebrate (and commiserate our last full weekend of freedom) and wandered off towards our placements like lambs to the slaughter.... Just kidding (sort of)
So....PLACEMENT! I'm working at my local hospital on the very cushty birth centre where low risk, or manageable risk (as I have come to learn) women can come to give birth.
There are birthing pools, bean bags and fancy bubbly light thingies which make it all a very nice relaxing environment, one of the rooms is actually bigger than the flat I used to rent so yeh....it's niiiiice.
My shifts consist of three twelve and a half-hour shifts per week, either day or night hours with an hours break. A lot of people have reacted to my shift pattern with "ooooh so you get 4 days off?" But after one week in the job (which included 2 night shifts- urgh!) I can safely confirm that at least 2 of those 4 days are solely for recovering from feeling absolutely pooped! I don't mind the hours though because I really do think it's the best job ever! Hell - I'd do a 5 day week if they'd let me!
Before we can start being hands on in placement (meaning actually delivering the babies with the assistance of a registered midwife) we students have to witness 5 normal vaginal deliveries. Being at the birth centre means that as most of the women there are low risk I should rack up my 5 witnesses quite quickly! After my first week I've seen 3!
Now as this is a very public blog about very private care, I can't tell you too much about my experiences as I don't want to share any personal details about the women and families I've encountered or cared for. I won't ever name or mention any details which may compromise this anonymity but I will try to describe how I've approached care from a professional view and what I've learned from my experiences.
On my first day I arrived with another girl from my cohort- we met way back before we started Uni during occupational health checks so it was lovely to be sharing my first day on placement with her as well :) we were both pretty nervous and must have looked like such newbies in our pristine uniforms that scream 'I have no idea what I'm doing!!'. We were told that we had just missed 2 births (bah!) but this meant that we spent our shift providing postnatal care for 4 women and getting to know our lovely mentors. Both of them were really friendly and got us stuck in right away doing observations on the women and babies as well as showing us how to fill out the notes. It's really nice that they don't make me feel stupid for asking questions all the time and they always explain everything so well. The toughest part was saying goodbye to the families at the end of my shift, it's so bitter sweet knowing that I probably won't see them again!
I had a day off in between shifts and (as is always my luck) I had 2 night shifts to look forward to. I tried to get some rest beforehand and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Especially as my first night shift was also my first witness!!
It had been a quiet night with no one in the centre and we had received one phone call from a lady in very early stages of labour so I had low expectations for the shift. Just before midnight and to our surprise the lady and her family turned up and she seemed to be in a lot of pain so we admitted her and started to prepare her for labour. She and her family were lovely and chatty so I tried to keep her calm and comfortable whilst gabbing away to the very proud Dad and grandparents-to-be. She had some manageable risks which we had to prepare for, but whilst we were arranging for the appropriate medications and pain relief she rapidly progressed! Within 20 minutes I had witnessed my first SVD (spontaneous vaginal delivery) and could not have been prouder of mum or felt more privileged to have been there. The mum was amazing and she was so pleased that the birth of her little baby boy had been my first witness :)
It was a great experience for me to understand how we prepare for any risks in labour and also how we maintain the management of those risks after a speedy delivery. As I still had a lot of my shift left, I was able to provide a lot of the postnatal care and see how we observe mums and babies with risk factors. I felt like I had a great relationship with this woman and she even requested my assistance with breast feeding which I found really touching. She did a great job and I was in absolute awe of how much she took in her stride.
I certainly won't ever forget her and her family - when I went to say goodbye to her I couldn't wipe the huge grin off my face.
My second night shift was even more eventful with 2 more births. One was super speedy again (note to self, my uniform is a no-no when dealing with explosive waters. Scrubs all the way from now on...) but the other took a little longer which enabled me to give the Mum some encouragement and support during her labour. I find it amazing how these women really listen to my advice and every time I encouraged her to slow down her breathing or relax her muscles she did it straight away. Feeling like she was using my knowledge was so fulfilling and it seemed to help her a lot. The baby girl was beautiful and had the longest eyelashes! I got to give her a cuddle whilst the mum had a physiological third stage which was also a great learning experience. Gravity is definitely the best aid for a natural delivery of the placenta.
So there you have it! My first week in placement!! I'm exhausted, overwhelmed and could not be happier! I'm hoping I get all of my witnesses before I start my placement on labour ward the following week as I feel really comfortable and confident in the birth centre now. It would be lovely to end my time there with my first hands-on delivery... Keep your fingers crossed for me and watch this space :D
So yeh....I'm chuffed :D
We hit the books big style and after a couple of awkward days 'breaking the ice' and finding our feet, we were straight into lectures. I'm really enjoying learning again, especially the biosciences module which is similar to my access course but more in depth. We're also looking at midwifery from a historical and objective perspective which is fun, as my friends would tell you I love a good debate and hearing other peoples views...even when I disagree with them ;)
We also had a skills week in which we were taught how to take observations such as heart rate, respiration rate, temperature and blood pressure. We practiced urinalysis, injections and abdominal palpations... For me it was skills week when I started to feel a little bit wobbly.
Personal circumstances meant that I wasn't having a great time at home but Uni and the lovely group of girls I've become close to (thank god!) was really keeping my brain focused on other things, still...I felt drained, exhausted and was really struggling to concentrate...
Halfway through that week I really had to give myself a good talking to. This has been my goal for so long and I've already struggled though a year of college, interviews, assessments and a full time job... I pulled myself together and had a really good sort out of all my Uni notes to help me straighten out my head. The rest of the week I fully immersed myself in the skills lectures and came out feeling prepared and confident about starting placement.
We had one last week of lectures at our university hospital, also arranging some study groups so that we could do some extra revision to prepare us for clinical practice. The group of friends I've made are so supportive and without them making me laugh and feeding me cake (it doesn't matter what you do the stereotype fits. Midwives eat cake A LOT) I don't think I would have finished our theory block feeling as happy and content as I did :)
We had an evening of wine and Indian to celebrate (and commiserate our last full weekend of freedom) and wandered off towards our placements like lambs to the slaughter.... Just kidding (sort of)
So....PLACEMENT! I'm working at my local hospital on the very cushty birth centre where low risk, or manageable risk (as I have come to learn) women can come to give birth.
There are birthing pools, bean bags and fancy bubbly light thingies which make it all a very nice relaxing environment, one of the rooms is actually bigger than the flat I used to rent so yeh....it's niiiiice.
My shifts consist of three twelve and a half-hour shifts per week, either day or night hours with an hours break. A lot of people have reacted to my shift pattern with "ooooh so you get 4 days off?" But after one week in the job (which included 2 night shifts- urgh!) I can safely confirm that at least 2 of those 4 days are solely for recovering from feeling absolutely pooped! I don't mind the hours though because I really do think it's the best job ever! Hell - I'd do a 5 day week if they'd let me!
Before we can start being hands on in placement (meaning actually delivering the babies with the assistance of a registered midwife) we students have to witness 5 normal vaginal deliveries. Being at the birth centre means that as most of the women there are low risk I should rack up my 5 witnesses quite quickly! After my first week I've seen 3!
Now as this is a very public blog about very private care, I can't tell you too much about my experiences as I don't want to share any personal details about the women and families I've encountered or cared for. I won't ever name or mention any details which may compromise this anonymity but I will try to describe how I've approached care from a professional view and what I've learned from my experiences.
On my first day I arrived with another girl from my cohort- we met way back before we started Uni during occupational health checks so it was lovely to be sharing my first day on placement with her as well :) we were both pretty nervous and must have looked like such newbies in our pristine uniforms that scream 'I have no idea what I'm doing!!'. We were told that we had just missed 2 births (bah!) but this meant that we spent our shift providing postnatal care for 4 women and getting to know our lovely mentors. Both of them were really friendly and got us stuck in right away doing observations on the women and babies as well as showing us how to fill out the notes. It's really nice that they don't make me feel stupid for asking questions all the time and they always explain everything so well. The toughest part was saying goodbye to the families at the end of my shift, it's so bitter sweet knowing that I probably won't see them again!
I had a day off in between shifts and (as is always my luck) I had 2 night shifts to look forward to. I tried to get some rest beforehand and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. Especially as my first night shift was also my first witness!!
It had been a quiet night with no one in the centre and we had received one phone call from a lady in very early stages of labour so I had low expectations for the shift. Just before midnight and to our surprise the lady and her family turned up and she seemed to be in a lot of pain so we admitted her and started to prepare her for labour. She and her family were lovely and chatty so I tried to keep her calm and comfortable whilst gabbing away to the very proud Dad and grandparents-to-be. She had some manageable risks which we had to prepare for, but whilst we were arranging for the appropriate medications and pain relief she rapidly progressed! Within 20 minutes I had witnessed my first SVD (spontaneous vaginal delivery) and could not have been prouder of mum or felt more privileged to have been there. The mum was amazing and she was so pleased that the birth of her little baby boy had been my first witness :)
It was a great experience for me to understand how we prepare for any risks in labour and also how we maintain the management of those risks after a speedy delivery. As I still had a lot of my shift left, I was able to provide a lot of the postnatal care and see how we observe mums and babies with risk factors. I felt like I had a great relationship with this woman and she even requested my assistance with breast feeding which I found really touching. She did a great job and I was in absolute awe of how much she took in her stride.
I certainly won't ever forget her and her family - when I went to say goodbye to her I couldn't wipe the huge grin off my face.
My second night shift was even more eventful with 2 more births. One was super speedy again (note to self, my uniform is a no-no when dealing with explosive waters. Scrubs all the way from now on...) but the other took a little longer which enabled me to give the Mum some encouragement and support during her labour. I find it amazing how these women really listen to my advice and every time I encouraged her to slow down her breathing or relax her muscles she did it straight away. Feeling like she was using my knowledge was so fulfilling and it seemed to help her a lot. The baby girl was beautiful and had the longest eyelashes! I got to give her a cuddle whilst the mum had a physiological third stage which was also a great learning experience. Gravity is definitely the best aid for a natural delivery of the placenta.
So there you have it! My first week in placement!! I'm exhausted, overwhelmed and could not be happier! I'm hoping I get all of my witnesses before I start my placement on labour ward the following week as I feel really comfortable and confident in the birth centre now. It would be lovely to end my time there with my first hands-on delivery... Keep your fingers crossed for me and watch this space :D
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