Category Archives: Clinicals

New job, new midwife

By The Midwife | Published: October 10, 2007

I am a working girl at last!  Finally, after weeks of overcoming bureaucratic hurdle after hurdle, I am finally working!  Today was my first day at my new job as a new midwife at a busy Brooklyn hospital.  I can’t even begin to describe to you how exciting it was to get an employee ID […]

Also posted in Midwifery, Pregnancy | 5 Comments

Two week count-down

By The Midwife | Published: April 20, 2007

My Comprehensive Exams are in less than two weeks. Yes, you heard that right: LESS THAN TWO WEEKS!!!  Aaaaiiiiiieeeeeee!!!!  Two measley weeks in which to review all of well-woman gynecology, primary care, neonatology, antepartum, intrapartum, postpartum and professional issues.  Seems rather daunting and impossible, right?  I agree.  However, I’m doing my best not to dwell […]

Also posted in Academia, Education | 4 Comments

The need for speed

By The Midwife | Published: March 29, 2007

I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately to become much much MUCH faster at my clinic visits. My clinicals are at a very high volume clinic where the midwives (two to three, depending on the schedule) can often see about 35 patients in a day. This means that each midwife, on the days that […]

Also posted in Education, Hospitals, Midwifery | 7 Comments

The final push

By The Midwife | Published: March 18, 2007

Seems like I spend a lot of time telling women in labor to breathe, but I really need to take a moment to remind myself of this as well. And breathe again. “Overwhelmed” doesn’t even begin to cut it these days. Burnt-out seems closer to the truth sometimes. My schedule is relentless, and now that […]

Also posted in Academia, Education, Midwifery | 5 Comments

Messy birth

By The Midwife | Published: March 4, 2007

Someone asked me once how I can stand to be around birth all the time, with all its sights and smells and liquids and mess. I told this person that honestly, I very rarely notice it, and it doesn’t bother me, obviously, or else how could I continue to do this day in and day […]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Education, Labor and Birth, Midwifery | 2 Comments

A foot!

By The Midwife | Published: February 25, 2007

The strangest vaginal exam I’ve ever had so far happened two nights ago, on my first night-shift clinical rotation, when a woman in early labor came to triage. She was full term, she’d had some light spotting, hadn’t felt the baby move as much as normal in the past 24 hours, and was contracting about […]

Also posted in Complications, Education, Labor and Birth | Leave a comment

Tight shoulders

By The Midwife | Published: February 4, 2007

So, my first week of clinicals ended last week, and I am only just now having an opportunity to sit down and write about it. Let me tell you a bit about my schedule: clinicals take up roughly 42 hours a week—2 labor and delivery shifts and 2 clinic shifts—plus one day a week in […]

Also posted in Birth Stories, Education, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 4 Comments

Rising to the challenge

By The Midwife | Published: January 21, 2007

So, we found out last week where our clinical placements for integration will be. Sadly, I will not be returning to the same hospital where I did my Intrapartum rotation. Honestly, I think that site was one of the best placements a student could hope for: it was busy, with lots of births, the population […]

Also posted in Education, Midwifery | Leave a comment

Closer to the dream

By The Midwife | Published: November 30, 2006

Last week I had an exam in Neonatology, and my teaching project and a presentation in Neonatology all due at the same time, so it was a bit hectic. This week, the only thing on my plate is a few modules and some studying for the upcoming final exams, and a write-up of my teaching […]

Also posted in Education, Episiotomies, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Vaginal Birth, VBAC | 6 Comments

Reflections

By The Midwife | Published: October 24, 2006

The first birth was fast, over before I knew it, before I could even shake. And very special—of course it would be special. The second two babies I caught happened in quick succession in the same morning. One was born at 9:55 am and the other was born at 11:09 am. The first a boy, […]

Also posted in Education, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 3 Comments