So many moms ask me how long I’ve been a midwife and how the way I provide care to moms and babies has changed over the last 36 years as I’ve gotten older
So I’m going to repost a little tiny snippet of my Reflections from last year …….I hope you enjoy them.
To be honest I hated midwifery and midwives when I started my training. I really wanted to be a Children’s Nurse and only did midwifery to fill the time in whilst I waited to start that course.
I found midwives to be intimidating and quite scary at times back in 1989….. and they certainly didn’t tolerate fools gladly. My one mentor used to even hit me sometimes!
It was a hard and difficult course and the huge responsibility of two lives in your hands at any one time was quite overwhelming.
As the course came to an end though I found myself growing in confidence and starting to like some of the midwives, respecting their knowledge, understanding why they were the way the were (apart from the slapping of course ) and really enjoying all aspects of midwifery care …… but I also knew I didn’t want to stay at Birmingham Maternity Hospital as it felt too high tech after I had done some placements at Sorrento Hospital in Moseley which I absolutely loved.
Sorrento was the most amazing small Maternity Hospital in Moseley and was ran by the most fabulous lovely and caring midwives. There were no paediatricians on site / just one resuscitare and epidurals were definitely not needed by the labouring moms back in the day. I’m not even sure if I can remember anyone being induced! Women literally came in and had their babies quickly and easily, but we did have a theatre should it be needed.
Once they had had their babies there were pushed outside in a wheelchair to the postnatal ward where they stayed for five days. The babies were pushed at their side in an old Silver Cross Pram …… and if it was raining…… well we took an umbrella!
This is where I believe I was moulded into the midwife I am today and where I learnt “the art of midwifery” rather than focusing on just “the science” ……. Because midwifery is BOTH of these things!
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