Being back on placement

My last placement was on a midwife-led care unit which was my best placement so far; the unit allows women that have had a low-risk pregnancy a normal physiological birth in a calm and homely atmosphere.

Experiencing this as a second year student midwife with more responsibility was amazing.

This was my second time coming to this placement area, but this time it felt completely different as I felt like I knew what I was doing and had more confidence. I noticed that my knowledge had increased and I was able to use this during practice, making me feel more like a midwife and that I was getting somewhere. I was starting to talk more and take control rather than always depending on my mentor. Saying that, my mentor was always there supporting me and helping build my confidence up which really helped when talking to women and their partners.

During the actual births I was able to help and guide women by talking more, building their courage to push and that they could do this. It is important to communicate to women and their partners throughout labour, especially during the second stage when the woman is ready to push. Each day I went to placement I just could not wait to learn more and build my confidence up in supporting women through this difficult time.

At the moment I have seen a lot of low-risk midwifery care and not much high risk, which scares me since high-risk care can get a lot more hectic. I have been into a high-risk environment but I have not really done anything myself, which I am looking forward to. It’s just two completely different areas, but this should not change the care for women which I think calms me down when thinking about high-risk midwifery care. I think I am a caring person and that’s one thing I do best so hopefully it will all work out.