Category Archives: Education

A foot!

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 Clinicals, Complications, Labor and Birth | Leave a comment

Tight shoulders

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, Clinicals, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 4 Comments

Rising to the challenge

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 […]

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My fears

Forget the “bang”; our final semester of midwifery school started with a resounding “thud” as the largest module known to man or gods was laid upon us today. I’m only taking one class this semester: Maternal and Obstetric Complications. Trust me, it’s more than enough. In fact, paging through the module, it doesn’t really seem […]

Also posted in Academia, Midwifery | 4 Comments

Closer to the dream

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 Clinicals, Episiotomies, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Labor Support, Vaginal Birth, VBAC | 6 Comments

Reflections

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 Clinicals, Hospitals, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 3 Comments

First birth

Magic, magic, magic! I’m walking on air right now! Tired, elated, giddy, bouncy, prone to fits of giggling and wide smiles. I caught my first baby today!! Unbelievable. In fact, I couldn’t have asked for a better first day of clinicals. I am so blessed, and so very lucky. The day started bright and early […]

Also posted in Academia, Clinicals, Labor and Birth, Vaginal Birth | 6 Comments

The Eve of IP

My IP clinicals begin tomorrow, bright and early, a 12 hour day shift at the Brooklyn hospital where I will be doing my intrapartum clinicals. So, in less than 12 hours, I’ll be on the labor and delivery floor, in my scrubs, a student midwife about to catch her very first baby!!! Nervous? Hell yes! […]

Also posted in Clinicals | Leave a comment

Oh, the drama

We had the mother of all check-out exams today. Not that they’re actually called check-outs: they’re really called competence perfomance evaluations, but are known informally as check-out exams. Basically, you have to demonstrate your hands-on practical skills to your professors by going through the motions and talking her through the mechanisms of labor, an occiput-anterior […]

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The Suturing Saga continues

Here you can see the lovely vaginas we cut out of our foam blocks to practice on. Notice that the eipisiotomy I cut is crooked. I’ve colored in the different layers: red = muscle layer, pink = submucosal, blue = subcutaneous, purple = subcuticular, and the edge is the mucocutaneous border. All so nice and […]

Also posted in Academia | 3 Comments