I am currently on my last ever placement as a student midwife! I am on delivery suite, or labour ward, which is basically where pregnant women who have more complex needs come to receive care and deliver their babies. It’s a very challenging but rewarding placement. I feel like I am now able to consolidate my learning whilst preparing myself for becoming a newly qualified midwife! So, I thought it would be interesting to share with you what I do when I am on a 12-hour shift on delivery suite.
05:40 – My alarm wakes me up, I get ready and leave the house ready for work.
06:30 – I meet my fellow course mate and she picks me up whenever we are on shift on the same day. If not, I get the bus to placement.
07:00 – We arrive at work. I have a quick breakfast. Today, it’s a strawberry Weetabix To Go shake and an Alpen Bar. I like to eat a bit earlier in case it’s a busy day and I don’t get another break until the afternoon.
07:20 – My shift officially starts. I find my mentor and we go to our allocated room, where we receive handover. We are looking after a woman who is having her first baby and she is progressing well.
07:30 – After handover, we make notes on all the care we give. In midwifery, it is so important to document everything you do. In this case, I write every down the baby’s heart rate, the woman’s observation and the pain relief she is using.
09:30 – It’s time for a quick comfort break and have a quick cup of tea. I need that cup of tea to function!
09:45 – I am back in the room with my mentor and we continue our care.
11:30 – Since I am in my final placement, I need to get all my deliveries. So I am called to another room, where a woman is also having her first baby and whose labour is progressing well. I also continue to care for her and support her.
13:00 – It’s dinner time. I usually like to have it a bit later, but it is best to have it now in case both women progress quickly. Today I am having some rice and chicken, which is filling. There are always some yummy treats in the staff room, and today it’s cheesecake with mini eggs so I help myself to a serving.
13:30 – I go back to the first room and see how the woman is getting on. I am running between both rooms as they are both progressing well…this is what happens when you are trying to get all your deliveries. I currently need to get 11 more babies to get the 40 needed as required by the course.
15:00 – Both women feel ready to push so I am running between both of the rooms as I want to be able to deliver both babies. However, both of the women are having some problems with the babies’ heart rates so they will need to get reviewed by a doctor.
16:30 – The baby in one of the rooms is struggling, so the doctor steps in to help deliver the baby as it needs to be delivered now. The woman has a kiwi delivery and it’s a healthy little boy!
17:00 – The woman in the other room is ready to push, so I go in to help and support her.
17:05 – I have just helped deliver a healthy boy. The feeling of bringing a baby onto its mother’s chest is just indescribable. It’s times like this where I realise just how privileged I am to be in this profession.
18:00 – I help the woman with feeding her baby. I also check the baby over, weigh him and then get his dad to dress him up.
19:00 – I help my mentor write up all the delivery notes. There is so much paper work, but it is important that it is completed.
19:50 – My shift is over and it is time to go home and crash into bed.
20:30 – I am finally back home. I have a shower (where I also like to reflect about my day), have a cup of tea and watch some youtube videos.
22:30 – Time to sleep as I am completely and utterly shattered.
I hope that you enjoyed this quick ‘day in the life’ post. I must add that no day is ever the same and I never know what to expect when I am on shift. This all adds to the excitement off the job and helps to keep me going! I can’t wait to be a qualified midwife and do this as a full-time job. It is tiring and stressful, but as you can see, it is so rewarding and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.
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