Ideal practice as a midwife ---
I have unlimited energy and endurance. I power nap and feel refreshed. I can stay by your side to help you through each contraction in your labor. Every mother and baby have a happy ending that culminates in a picture perfect birth. I cheerfully answer pages and triage questions at all hours of the day and night. I help educate women in their birth choices and can provide women with that experience they desire. Inductions are only when medically necessary. Women can ambulate and use the jacuzzi tubs, as well as eat and drink as they desire in labor.
The reality as a midwife ---
I get tired and cranky. I don't sleep well in the hospital. I run out of steam in providing one on one support, especially when I know that I have several other women to assess and manage. I need to run every possible management decision past my attending MD before proceeding. Births are not picture perfect - ever. Mothers and babies sometimes have complications that are out of my control. More often than not, pages after office hours tend to be for things that could wait until calling the office the next day. Or don't need to be called in and discussed at all. Inductions are for no reason at all, just for being "tired of being pregnant". Continuous fetal monitoring, no ambulation, no use of the tubs, and laboring women can only have ice chips (anesthesia department rules, not mine).
Would I change my path if I could foresee the reality as a midwife? I doubt it. To be quite honest, I love what I do and wouldn't change it for the world. Would I (if I could) change certain policies and procedures? You betcha! Will I? Not right now. No making waves for this beginner midwife. I'm just trying to absorb all that I can, and learn as much as I can right now.
6 comments:
it's so sad that the things you envisioned happening are not happening that way. i'm sure that its stressful that you can't always help women in the way you want or the way they want.
i hope that you do eventually decide to challenge policies and procedures though, because one person can make a huge difference.
stay strong. i know you're an awesome midwife!
it is definitely not always ideal. know that some places (hospitals/practices/states) out there allow for more autonomy and ability to provide closer to "ideal" midwifery care. you will learn a ton at this first job and be an amazing provider for the women you serve, then maybe there's another job down the road for you that allows you to practice closer to your ideal - minus the power napping and feeling refreshed...i don't know if that's humanly possible. :) keep doing what you're doing, your patients are lucky to have you!
Hi, nice blog Really very interesting post shared above. Awaiting for more posts like this.
I applaud you. Being a midwife and being there for mothers certainly isn't hard. My good friend was a midwife and the job just wasn't for her. Brilliant girl and all, but she should have done research of something. She was always so resentful and never friendly and that took a toll on her patients. She once made her patient cry as well! Anyway, thanks for all you do and you sound like a classic example of what nurses ought to be like. - Jane
Sounds like you might want to come and live and work in my province in Canada when you have completed your training! We don't do continuous monitoring, ambulation is always suggested and is the norm - even for MD/OB patients, and clients have the option of calling 811 nurse line here for any concerns any time of day (free for anyone,covered or not) Having worked both in the USA and Canada, The process of labour isn't as restricted here...it's more like a 'natural' delivery process here.....think about it! :)
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