When I was first interested in midwifery I joined lots of groups dedicated to a vision of true midwifery – radical midwives, real midwives, grassroot midwives. Basically midwives who felt that the medical model of childbirth had taken over and women needed to connect and trust their bodies. I want to stress I feel strongly…
Don’t you remember, you stuck your hand in my genitals?
“Sorry but are you a midwife? You delivered my baby didn’t you!” She looks so pleased. So pleased to see me. Have you any idea how lovely it is for complete strangers to be pleased to see you? It gives you a warm nice feeling inside – unfortunately accompanied by an icy dread because she…
Why Mad Men Nostolgia Doesn’t Help In An Obstetric Emergency
Having meandered around the jobs market for a long time before coming to midwifery I’m quite used to the phrase “good at working in a team”. In many a job interview I’ve bleated on about good communication skills and respect for others. NHS job adverts always request good team workers – it’s probably on some…
Why your nervous stomach stops another woman sleeping
Most of my shift had been really nice. That does happen sometimes. Maybe about once in 20 shifts. Just due to the random statistical distribution sometimes there are just not that many women going into labour. I was on the antenatal ward and only had two women to look after. I was enjoying having the…
The money shot
There is, of course, one momentous positive about being a midwife. It’s such an obvious one that it almost goes unmentioned a lot of the time in midwifery circles. Yes, it’s lovely to help to empower women; yeah, it’s great to be an autonomous professional and all the other stuff but really, honestly, it’s pretty…
Why selling pumps makes me want to weep and may delay your exit
So on the post natal ward yesterday. An average kind of a shift – not too dreadful but my urine still looked like lucozade when I finally went to the loo so obviously fairly busy. I had managed to discharge a couple and thought I wouldn’t hear from them when they buzzed and said they…
Should your midwife consider your newborn baby’s future sex life?
I’m not always very good at breastfeeding support – it requires lots of patience and time. I have the patience but often on a postnatal ward I’m very short on time but it’s probably the most important thing to get right for new parents. So many babies I come across have this weird instinct to…
Your entitled moaning may be entirely appropriate
“I know it’s not your fault but it’s just that I really have a thing about waiting, It makes me really stressed. We’ve been waiting for hours now. If the doctors think it’s so important for me to be induced why have we been waiting for so long.” There is no way on earth I…
Why starting as a student midwife was like being in ‘Life on Mars’
This only makes sense if you’ve watch the time-travel series ‘Life on Mars’. Sorry to start a midwifery blog in such an inappropriately inaccessible way. Just the way it goes – it’s the only way to get across my initial feelings when I started as a student midwife 10 years ago. Maybe this will work…