21 days to go...EEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!

So I finished my last post commenting how interesting the comparison between care for poorly babies would be, well after completing my placement on a small special care baby unit (SCBU) I must admit my perspective on care here has changed already...well actually I suppose that's not quite an accurate way to put. Really it's more a case of I had views about care before starting this course, then as I've learnt things and worked with different people I've kind of adopted some of their views and thinking - as happens. Now after my time on SCBU, I've been exposed to another view which really has reminding me of what my opinion originally was. I'm sorry, that's a bit of a spaghetti junction on an explanation there! Hope you're still with me lol

As student midwives, and registered midwives too, the message about woman centred care is at the core of everything we do and learn; organisations such as the RCM, White Ribbon Alliance and WHO tell us woman centred care should be pivotal in all that we do while providing safe care...but I'm actually starting to think that's too narrow! 

One SCBU nurse told me about a situation many moons ago, where she was trying to facilitate a premature (but stable) neonate to have some time with his mother who was recovering a traumatic labour followed by a crash section and PPH. However her endeavours were in vain as this nurse was told by a midwife that she is too busy caring for the mother and doesn't have the time to think about cuddles. As the nurse was not given permission to bring the infant onto the postnatal ward, it was over 12 hours before this mother and infant got the opportunity to bond. Now it can't be denied that high risk postnatal care is demanding for any midwife but surely the priority of any woman after giving birth is to see and spent time with her child. So while I accept there may be much more complex elements to this situation than I know, in my opinion, facilitating time for mother and child to bond in those significant early hours, addressing what is the woman's priority (seeing her child) is more woman centred than just focusing on her physical well-being, and the duration of separation may also affect her physical well-being (stress causing raised BP, resulting in a higher EWS score perhaps).

Now that is one very rare occurrence, but just an example of how this placement has got me thinking about the perspectives from both sides perspectives and it has made me consider experiences I've had where perhaps care should have been family-centred on a holistic level rather than woman-centred on a medical level.

I've found this experience on SCBU eye opening and invaluable, it has really made me think about the importance of infant development and environmental factors. Consider more flexibility with care, can jobs be consolidated to reduce interfering with bonding time, things that can be done to encourage bonding, being family centred in postnatal care-not just woman centred and think about what I can do in the future to make transitional care smoother for the two teams involved. It's also made me think about how I can support women when their babies are taken straight to SCBU - I now believe I'll be able to support women better, be able to explain what the neonatal team will be doing, preparing women for what to expect when they see their child on SCBU and

So after those thoughts/impressions being consolidated, I'm wondering what care of the new family will look like in Tanzania? More-so where there is a premature or ill infant. How much of what I've learnt in the last 2 weeks will I be able to share with the midwives there, and similarly, how much more will I learn from them?

In other news - I had my birthday, I got spoilt, I smashed my money jar and banked the pennies.

 I gave blood for the first time, something I've wanted to do for a long time and decided I had to do before the big 3-0 next year so figured I best do it a) before my yellow fever jab and anti-malaria drugs and b) while I'm feeling brave!

I've paid for my placement, paid for my R&R trip to Zanzibar, got a selection of donations together for both the hospital and the orphanage which I'll be visiting. I still need to sort my travel insurance (job for later today) and have my yellow fever jab tomorrow...not looking forward to that :/ I'm currently putting together an info pack for my parents with my whole itinerary and important details that may be of use to them. My to-do list is looking interesting - as soon as I cross something off, there's usually 2 or 3 more things to add lol typical! I've got all the important things bought, and completed my toiletries shopping today...so think I'm almost ready!!! 

3 weeks today I depart...beginning to wonder whatever possessed me to fly alone?!?!

Time to explain myself

AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH
Time keeps running away! I promised another blog update and apologies that it's taken so long to actually write it!

PLANNING UPDATE:
Flights are booked and partially paid for (ie they're on a credit card)

So as promised, I thought I'd share some of the reasoning behind me heading to Tanzania. Now my personal reasons are a little bit hab-dash/here and there so please, bear with me and by the end of the blog I swear I can tie it all together!

So I've been made aware that some readers aren't familiar with the ins and outs of being a student midwife, so I want to shed a bit of light on that. As a student midwife, at least half of our 'learning time' has to be spent on placement. At my university I have a range of placements - these are where we students get the opportunity to learn and practice practical skills ranging from providing women antenatal care to delivering a baby to having the knowledge to be able to support with an emergency! Every summer we are given the opportunity to 'practice' on an elective placement, so a placement outside our usual sphere of learning to gain some experience or knowledge individuals are personally seeking. So some students go on placements in different units or areas of the country that are excelling in specific services such as home birth, bereavement counselling or supporting young mums-to-be. I knew that I wanted to do something a little extra, I don't have any big commitments in my life, so in the fortunate position to be a little selfish and think about what I want without having to consider implications to those who depend on me.

Where I live (and train to be a midwife) there is very little ethnic and cultural diversity. In the 2001 census, 96.9% of the local borough population declared themselves as White-British and only 2% of the population declared a religion other than Christianity (ONS, 2012). Now I'm talking about the town where I grew up but in my pre-midwifery adult life, I did move away and have lived in a couple of northern cities and worked around the northwest region; so although I have experience living and working in more diverse communities I wanted to gain experience of diversity during my midwifery training.

Taking an overseas elective is encouraged by the Royal College of Midwives (RCM - aka that wonderful organisation who awarded me a travel scholarship last month...also a professional organisation/trade union for midwives). An overseas elective gives the rare opportunity to see not only a different way of providing maternity care, but makes you consider the context of the maternity care. So here in the UK women are equal citizens, but in many countries women are still considered second class citizens. So as an extreme example, think about women being pregnant in a country where they legally have to abide by what their husband says they can and can't do - that could even mean he dictates she can't seek any antenatal care or that she must stay at home during childbirth, so that she can cook his meals and care for the rest of the family. Extreme to many of us Brits but reality for many women across the globe.

So people have asked me if I want to experience diversity then why don't I just go somewhere like Birmingham or London, where the units are much busier than what I'm used to and there is so much more cultural diversity. And if I want to travel to East Africa, then why don't I just wait until I've graduated and I can afford a "proper" holiday where I'll be able to relax and enjoy my time there. Well, I want to have a placement there to learn about life and midwifery in Tanzania. If I were to just go to another location in the UK then I'll still have some familiarity as we all work to similar national guidelines, going to Tanzania really is experiencing something new - there are places I may visit which don't have access to sterile equipment - I'd never experience that anywhere in the UK! And yes, it will be emotionally intense but I know I will enjoy myself on the whole, I'm the type of person who likes to immerse myself in a new culture and I'll still have time to do more recreational activities while there so best of both worlds. Also to me, going somewhere where I'll be part of the minority is completely removing myself from my comfort zone...and really, since I started studying towards midwifery I've metaphorically, constantly gone from a comfort zone to a deep end of a new pool so why not go for broke?!

And the huge crux of this decision, the whole point of this degree is working towards becoming a qualified, registered midwife. Once I qualify I'll be looking for employment along with hundreds of other newly qualified midwives. In one sense, this degree can be seen as a 3-year-long interview, and hopefully when it comes to finding a job as a midwife, the experience of finding out first hand about global maternity care and the professional development I expect it aids will hopefully help me stand out from other applicants.

And if it doesn't, well it's gonna be one hell of an adventure!!!

Getting over 2nd year blues

So I've been keeping something under wraps since I started this blog that needs to be made public knowledge now.

To help towards the funding of this elective I applied for the Midwives Magazine Student Travel Scholarship at the Royal College of Midwives Awards. I found out I was shortlisted in October and was invited to London to give a presentation on my reasons for wanting to go to Tanzania, my learning objectives for the trip, and what type of experiences I hope to encounter.

Although the overall application process was hard work on top of existing general student midwife commitments - I'd happily do all that interview preparation again rather than some of the essays! I'll willingly admit that I've suffered with second year blues and knowing I have Tanzania to look forward to has been the light at the end of the tunnel during the last few months.

So after going to London at the end of October for my interview and presentation it was a long wait for the results which were announced at the RCM Annual Midwifery Awards which were held last week on January 24th 2013.

The event room

The event itself was amazing! Everyone looked so glamorous (which I'm sure you'll appreciate, as midwives and students we are mostly in scrubs/tunics - not the feminine dresses we see on BBC's Call The Midwife), the drinks reception was lovely, the atmosphere was nothing but exciting and I spoke with some really interesting people. Then we were all invited into the main event room for the dinner and awards ceremony. The meal was delicious (I joked it was possibly the best meal I'd have as a student!) and there was some wonderful people sat at my table - especially the other shortlisted candidates in my category. Meeting these students from different universities gave the us the chance to compare notes on courses, assignments, placements and, naturally, our electives!

Then the awards ceremony itself began with a speech from Cathy Warrick - chief executive of the RCM - highlighting that although the room was full of wonderful people working within maternity services, getting recognition for the excellent work they do, there are many more midwives and maternity teams who are just as amazing and inspiring that weren't in the room. A sentiment I whole heartily agree with. As the shortlisted entries for each category were announced, and then the winners, the room became electric!

When it came to the Student Scholarship, our table became very quiet and nervous as we wished one another luck. To our amazement it was announced that the scholarship is to be shared between the three entries. This was an amazing surprise and we were all in slight disbelief! What happened over the next five minutes is a bit of a blur, but I remember being called up to the stage to receive my cheque, as I made my way I was congratulated by many people and I was VERY conscious of concentrating on walking and not tripping over!

Emma (editor of Midwives Magazine) Cathy (chief executive of RCM) Me (1 of 3 scholarship winners) Natasha Kaplinsky (news anchor and presenter) 

So I have received part of a scholarship. This is an incredible honour and amazing to think that the judges I met back in October want to support me in making my dream a reality. This has made a big contribution to the money I have to raise for the whole trip, so it has eased a little pressure...but I still have much more to raise!

Being in a room with so many wonderful midwives getting recognition for excellence and innovation was nothing short of inspiring. Even if I hadn't received any part of the scholarship, just being there and making the contacts I have was inspiring and has completely reignited my motivation. 

Second year blues are definitely over!

Congratulations to all the finalists and winners; especially my fellow students, what a fantastic way to start our journey in midwifery :)

And I know I've said 'inspirational' too many times, but I can't think of any other suitable word lol

I'll be doing another blog later this week, I've had a lot of people ask me why I'm wanting to do an elective, so that's going to be my next topic :)