h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Meg

I'm sorry to barge in here like this, seeing as how you don't know me from Eve, but I was hoping you wouldn't mind answering a few questions.

I'm little lost soul at the moment, and one of the things that is running around in my head is the idea of becoming a midwife, which i found was your chosen career.

I am mostly just wondering what it's really like? Does for instance, 'Casualty' or 'Holby City' give a clear idea? Or is it all paperwork paperwork?

I do have a background in "health" services, ie. work with handicapped/disabled people, mostly children, but haven't done that in a few years now as I wanted to try something that didn't involve shift work. Having done that, I can see the advantages of both ways of work and have no preference, really.

Any ideas or recommendations that you'd have for me? Anywhere that I could get a better idea about whether this is for me?

In any case, thanks so much for listening - happy anniversary (coming up soon, isn't it?)

cheers ismarah

Hi Ismara,
Thanks for the anniversary greetings
No problem talking about my favourite subject. I trained as a nurse and then did the 18month midwifery course when i was about 23. Looking back I was far too young and didn't have enough support in such a demanding job. I left a year after I qualified. I was out of midwifery for 10 years and have been back for 3 years now.
I can't compare midwifery to hospital dramas as I don't have time to watch many. I can only say that there is not much high drama in real life. Each birth is unique and a majority require no medical assistance. It does involve shift work and lots of paperwork and is an emotional rollercoaster.
There's an interesting e-group called ukmidwiferylist, that is a forum for midwives, students, mothers to be etc to talk about childbirth. You could look up the association of radical midwives or the independent midwives association for more information on the web (sorry, don't know the adresses).
For real on the job knowledge you could apply to your local hospital for a health care support workers job on the maternity unit. You probably won't see any births but you will hear what midwifery is like first-hand and have lots of involvement with postnatal mothers and babies. The birth is a small part of our job really. More women need help ante and postnatally.
Find out as much as you can before making your mind up.
meg.

Hey Meg and thanks for the answer

At the moment, I'm in full-time employment, but it is a job, not a career kind of thing. So I've been looking for something for awhile and have considered all kinds of things.

I wasn't really expecting high drama or anything, but you made a good point well when you pointed out that most of your work involves post-natal mothers etc, not just the birth itself. I hadn't really thought about that side of things, a normal mistake if you don't have any kids yourself I guess.

For me this would be a complete career change, first to being a student and then to being back working shifts etc. I have given myself a year to try and sort myself out and figure out what I want, but midwifery is one of those professions that people don't necessarily have an accurate idea about, which of course is what I need if I'm going to try and make my mind up...

So there are other things I'm thinking about, but I've always liked the idea of a 'certified' career, ie. a job with a prerequisite qualification that you can't do it without, if you understand.

So have you enjoyed your return to midwifery? I'm presuming you're NHS - how does that feel for you? I'm also presuming that you might have had your kids in the interim period you mentioned - does it feel different to be working as a midwife when you've been there, done that? Are there any courses or unis considered better than others, in your knowledge?

At the moment, nothing you have said has made me go oh no! and this idea is still simmering away. I even know of a local-ish uni that does the degree...

Thanks for giving me stuff to think about - look forward to hearing more from you, if you have time.

Thanks again

cheers ismarah

Oooh, I found this quite helpful...

www.midwivesonline.com

I'm sure you know it, but it also has a section called 'So you wanna be a midwife?' which I found interesting.

Now it looks like I just need to find a chatty midwife around here somewhere to interrogate and ask intelligent questions of..

Thanks again - hope you're doing well

cheers ismarah

I am chatty usually but was on holiday last week (first wedding anniversary) and I only have acess at work on Monday nights.
On the whole I don't regret returning to midwifery but it can be tough. I couldn't do it full-time. One shift without a break is a pain but 3 or 4 12 hour shifts without a break would kill me. There is a lot of job dissatisfaction amongst midwives generally as we're always short-staffed and therefore not able to always give good care, which makes you feel bad. We are taught to empower women and then take away that power when they come into hospital. I'm lucky, where I work isn't too medicalised and women still come first. I am in the NHS currently but hope to be independant one day.Yes, it did make a difference having children. I had empathy before, but you cannot immagine what giving birth actually feels like. I know nothing about uni's as I've never studied at one.

Patience is a virtue - and one you'll need plenty of if you are to be a midwife

Thanks again for the advice, I'll bear it in mind.

Don't entirely know your meaning with the and the comment with it - but will assume sort of 'over and out' kind of thing.

best wishes

cheers ismarah

Hmmm I have just re-read what I wrote and I see what happened here... I said 'chatty...around here...' and meant someone willing to talk to me in person near to where I live and you took that to mean that I was rebuking you for not being chatty enough. Sorry about that - online misunderstanding thingy...

Hope you had a nice holiday

cheersismarah

thanks Ismara for clarifying things. It is hard when conversation is delayed by a few days. I wish for all and often sign off with this or