Comments on: The sucky part

By: millinersdream

millinersdream — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 15:44:33 +0000

I went through that as a new doula 15 years ago, as a childbirth educator in training years ago…and now in nursing school. When I caught a baby (one of my doula client’s nearly two years ago) I went through this high–and a crisis of “should I go to midwifery school instead of nursing?” It seemed easy!

It’s not. None of it is; there is that learning curve, as you say with _anything_. Different levels of responsibility, different tasks to learn, different everything.

You can do it. We can all do it. It’ll just take time.

By: mamasun

mamasun — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 00:31:14 +0000

I am in the exact same place. I am in the midst of my first rotation of clinicals and it takes me an hour to get through a positive pregancy test visit. A PE takes me a good hour and I am still having a hard time finding a cervix during a speculum exam (it’s amazing how different every uterus is). I’ve only delivered two babies because I’m on a 24/7 call schedule with my preceptor (she averages 5-10 births per month) and I missed two deliveries last night because I had to work (RN). I like working, but I really want to be available for my L&D clinical but the 24/7 call really impinges on life (scheduling work, kid time, husband time). The GYN/Prenatal clinic is great, but as I said before it is hard. There are days that I wish I was like other people and just wanted a normal job. What is it about this midwife thing that runs so deeply into my system? Why am I not satified just being a nurse??

By: miriamjoyce

miriamjoyce — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 20:18:05 +0000

I’ll bet that as soon as you do reach that level of competance/confidence, which you will, the frustrations of being limited to a doula’s role (as marvelous and as essential as they are) would get to you. Just a guess. Hugs for the meantime…

By: MidwifeDiller

MidwifeDiller — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 20:48:13 +0000

Ok, so here is the good news: It gets easier!
I truly understand your woes, because I, as an integration student, am still struggling with time management. But…slowly but surely, you get better with history taking and PE skills…and before you know it, you really become skilled and efficient. Being in the clinic is difficult with all the patients and the backup of patients… that’s what I love about L&D. I’m with the patient for hours and hours… so it’s a lot more relaxed in some ways…and a lot LESS relaxed in some ways. Don’t worry, you’ll get better at the time factor. It’s part of the normal learning curve. Yo’ure going to be fine Take some big deep breaths when you feel like the pressure is being put on you, and don’t let it affect your performance. Better to be thorough and catch something, then to be all rushed and missing important information or PE findings, right?
Take care!

By: The Student

The Student — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 15:16:58 +0000

Sounds like fun! Still somewhat in “why am I becoming a midwife?” mode. Doula-ing would be so up my alley, too, and just think, so much less responsibility! All of the joy of attending births, and helping women, with so much less responsibility on your shoulders, or a license on the line if there’s a bad outcome and you get sued, or the faff of dealing with malpractice insurance (or not), or any of the rest of it….blah. Blah x 10.

By: k

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:28:30 +0000

Hope the day dawned a little brighter this morning. Last night I was at a hospital tour with the doula class. One of the other gals was talking about her textbooks and classes she is taking to become a midwife… sigh…. I sat up half the night wondering if I would ever get to that point. Let alone if I’d ever be able to “fit” that mold. She even is going through the same program that I looked into (correspondance). Big heaving sigh…. so the aspiring midwife to the NW of you is rooting for you! Hoping you have a better time of it. And I loved the long drawn out intake meetings I had! First one was two hours of nothing but birth talk! =) K