Category Archives: Education

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 [...]

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My fears

By The Midwife | Published: January 9, 2007

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

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

First birth

By The Midwife | Published: October 12, 2006

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

By The Midwife | Published: October 11, 2006

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! [...]

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Oh, the drama

By The Midwife | Published: October 3, 2006

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

By The Midwife | Published: September 26, 2006

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

Suturing sucks

By The Midwife | Published: September 21, 2006

I feel like I’ve just barely been holding it together the past few weeks, and just barely (by the skin of my teeth) managing to keep on top of things…not that I’m even coming close to getting all of my reading and homework done, but I’ve been doing enough to feel like I’m working hard [...]

Also posted in Academia | 2 Comments

Remember where the heart is

By The Midwife | Published: September 8, 2006

So, here’s what I’m taking this semester: Intrapartum Neonatology Postpartum Intro to Teaching And eeegads, that’s a lot! IP and Neo alone are enough to snow someone under, and then they’re putting postpartum and teaching on top of that? When am I going to breathe this semester, let alone eat, sleep, work and blog? But [...]

Also posted in Academia, Midwifery | 4 Comments