You like the new layout? I played with it last evening. I wanted to create a header that showcases some of the flowers I've photographed lately. I was tired, so I didn't make a new background design/color, so I just chose one that I had made previously.
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I started the new school term on Monday. The first day is always a day of copying/pasting/printing the syllabi and individual modules for each course, as well as reviewing and reading the introductory material. I also try to create some sort of calender for the term, with due dates filled in. Yeah, I'm an organized person like that. I think you really need to be, to succeed in a program like this. I mean, the program is 100% student driven and initiated. If I don't do it, it doesn't get done. If I procrastinate, I will fail the class. Simple as that.
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I received some follow up info on an intervention I implemented at the OB/CNM office where I did my community health practicum, way back in October/November 2009. Apparently, they've really taken off with the implementation of my postpartum depression information and follow up. I also included information about local support groups for PPD. Patients have been going to them, thanks to my intervention from my class! WOW!! I wrote to the program director at my school for the Bridge curriculum, and she suggested writing it up for one of the Maternal/Child Health Nursing journals.
So, I took her advice, and started researching how to write and publish an article with one of the journals. I'm just at the beginning stages, so I don't expect to see any completion in this article in the next few weeks (or even months). Especially now that I'm at the beginning of a school term, with my own deadlines and such.
However, I am super psyched! I love to write (as you can tell), and love to express my creativity while educating women/families. This could very well be just the tip of the iceberg for my writing and scholarly future.
(And, it looks good on a resume/CV to say you've published articles in journals!)
4 comments:
Good Luck and congrats, AYC, on your PPD implementation and writing your article. Like you said, it always pumps up a CV.
Hope you are doing well and getting back to the grindstone with school and such.
Jim
I am so happy you have succeeded with your post partum depression program! I believe birth experiences can trigger depression for sure, though I'm not sure it would fit the category of post partum depression...it might be called something else. I know that two times I had a lot of saddness after birth, and both of those times the nurses were pushy and I felt they caused interventions that weren't needed. The first time I had a LOT of stitches as the nurse had me push with all my might (before I had an urge) and she pushed my husband back who was trying to help me calm down so I wouldn't freak out. I had a terrible sunburst tear of my labia and a big hematoma on one side. I recall thinking my baby was ugly...isn't that terrible? That subsided in about 3 weeks but it was an awful feeling to not feel the "love" I should have. You know my story of my 6th birth, I had sorted out the love part...felt great love for the baby but was really mad at myself and very tearful for months after the birth. I couldn't look at pictures from the delivery room, it made me flash back and made me very anxious. I really was feeling abused by that nurse. It affected me in this birth, I wanted to control of every aspect of this 7th birth. The midwife even mentioned that I must need control while I was in the delivery room, she kept trying to get me to relax and not focus on unneeded things. I was hyper focused on time and on being mobile. I analysed everything I was doing, and did so outloud. I believe I was worried I would make my midwife think I was strange and overbearing as a mother in birth. I believe it was a direct result of the issues in the previous birth that caused me to act this way, and only after the birth this time did I really realize why I was so anxious and wanting so much control.
Ugh, I go on and on!
Blessings!
Dawn
My point though, is that when I felt in control and when nurses and staff were kind to me, I didn't get that depression for weeks. I would have maybe a day or two of baby blues, but not that deep feeling of self loathing or negative feelings toward my baby. I still analyse every aspect of my birth experience, but can put things in perspective. This time my water was broken by the midwife, but she asked first and I consented. I wish we hadn't broken the water, and I will try to avoid it if I get to birth again, and may even ask her about it in my follow up appointment. However, I am not crushed by the fact that it happened different than my plan. I recognize it may have been a needed intervention (we were experiencing slow rising heart rate after contractions so speeding up birth may have been prudent) OR it may have been a mistake BUT that wasn't such a tragic mistake in my mind. I wasn't bullied into it. Makes all the difference in the world. I can critique what happened without feeling I have to hate what my midwife did or be angry at myself for giving in. I can reconize the moment for what it was. If I had been bullied, I most certainly would have experienced negative feelings for several weeks and would have aversions to my midwife and possibly to birth in the future.
Blessings!
Dawn
Rock star! I don't have the desire or time to write as often as I would like - I hope that you can fit a journal article in there somewhere amongst your busy schedule! That's a great opportunity!
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