How am I on ten of these posts already?! It’s funny; part of me feels like I have been here a matter of seconds and I’ve literally only just started this adventure, and another part of me feels like I’ve been doing it for years!
This week has been another action-packed week, and now I am sitting here, writing this, curled up in my bed with the most STONKING cold I think I’ve ever had. I suppose it is only to be expected after working long hours, burning the candle at both ends a little and generally being so super busy, but still, I’m pretty sure that (and prepare yourselves now, this is possibly the sexiest thing I’ve ever said!) I could win the “snot-olympics” right now! Sexy!
So, what has my fourth week in Community had in store for me?
- Antenatal Clinics.
I’m definitely getting my head around the clinic appointments now; what happens in each appointment, what to do and what information to give etc. There is a lot to learn and there are still moments when I pause in the middle of an appointment and have to rack my brains as to what else needs to be done – but I really do feel like I’m getting my head around it…! - Home Visits.
The visits this week have been really lovely – lots of baby cuddles, including one of the babies whose birth I was at (if you want a really emotional experience, try seeing a baby born and then seeing it at home a few weeks later, happy and healthy and growing really well – all the emotions!!) - Another Night Shift.
I did another night shift this week – and ended up witnessing another delivery! This one was another different experience for me as I got to witness an epidural being placed (which was a lot more cringey to watch than I ever anticipated!) and then, as the labour wasn’t progressing as quickly as we would like, the mum ended up having an assisted delivery using a ventouse, and finally an episiotomy – writing it down now, it sounds like a lot, but when the baby was finally delivered and she was snuggling her baby girl on her chest, it made the whole thing so worth it – and by the time the incredible obstetrician had finished suturing, you couldn’t tell anything had happened at all!!! Seriously, if I ever need sutures, I want that obstetrician to stitch me up – she was amazing – I know what I’m aspiring to now in relation to my suturing skills! Incredible!
So yeah, its been a good week – busy, but good! I’ve got a week in uni this week working on some assessment stuff, so I’m not seeing any ladies this week and I’ve got the time to kick this horrid snot-plague (see, I told you – SEXY!) without passing it on to any lovely pregnant ladies.
I’m also quite looking forward to getting some time to see my girls in uni and have a bit of a catch up too – though I imagine I might be a little quieter than normal given that my voice has decided to nip off on holiday for a few days – a welcome respite to my colleagues I imagine!
This week should be a bit calmer too, which, frankly, I’m really looking forward to – though I’ve also got 4 blog events so I’m already filling my newfound free time with them! What can I say? I’m good at being busy! 🙂
Image by Roman Kraft
Read last week’s Midwife Mondays post here
4 Comments
Annie
December 4, 2016 at 3:19 pmPhew! Reassuring for mums-to-be that, despite some unexpected complications, the professionals deal calmly with them and a happy outcome ensues. A challenging day at the office!
Cas
December 6, 2016 at 4:51 pmI feel you’re overstepping when you say “writing it down now, it sounds like a lot, but when the baby was finally delivered and she was snuggling her baby girl on her chest, it made the whole thing so worth it”. It’s sugarcoating an instrumental delivery, which can be very traumatic, and surely this woman won’t feel like anything had happened at all.
Rosie | A Girl On A Journey
December 8, 2016 at 12:53 pmI’m sorry that you don’t like the phrasing I used – in all my posts I try to be as honest as I can from my own perspective and in that situation I wasn’t by any means belittling what the mother had been through, but more that from my perspective it seemed to be worth it in the end when they were both safe – and she was thrilled. Obviously I cannot speak for the mother, but from my perspective as someone who hadn’t witnessed these things before that was my feeling.
Sorry to have caused offence.
R x
Cas
December 8, 2016 at 4:31 pmI understand it’s thrilling to witness a birth 🙂 Sadly though, many women will experince PTSD or feel traumatised by childbirth. Not everyone – I know a woman who had a looong IOL, and epidural, synto and finally ventouse delivery, and yet had a positive experince (she was thrilled to give birth again!). But I also remember one very very traumatised mum telling me: “yes, I had a baby. Yes, of course I was happy, of course I would do it all over again to have my little girl. But it was horrible, I thought I was going to die. I’m never doing that again.” – and she had the “perfect” birth, natural, free to move, with supporting midwife and partner, immediate skin to skin, immediate breastfeeding etc. So in my opinion it’s really hard to judge wether a woman had a positive experience or suffered trauma.
Good luck with your journey 🙂