potato11
11-01-13, 17:52
Hi everyone :)
this may seem like a strange post, but I just wanted to share what I have been through today!!
I am a newly qualified midwife (been at my job 2 months now) and have recently started working on the elective caesarean list. My role is to greet women, do their observations, check bloods, prepare them for theatre, take the baby and resuscitate as necessary, then look after the women post-op.
Not only does this involve me catheterising in front of a WHOLE theatre team staring at me - including a consultant making sure I'm doing things correctly - it can be difficult enough trying to insert a catheter when someone isn't watching!!
THEN today a baby came out needing resuscitation - I was stood there, in my sterile gloves arms outstretched - (If anyone saw 'make me a midwife' it was exactly like that newly qualifieds first time!! shaking doesn't cut it)
nowhere to run or hide - feeling like I would explode with anxiety - then the baby comes out not breathing - but my training took over (cliche but true) I ran to the resus room, called for help and it arrived quickly, all the while I amazingly remembered what to do and the baby responded well to treatment and was perfectly fine.
I walked around for at least 2 hours after swearing I was going to quit my job, and when people asked if I was okay after the trauma I just wanted them to go away!! as I didn't want to focus on my feelings.
But overall I managed to do my job in spite of the extreme anxiety :) I think that's some pretty extreme adrenaline exposure!!
this may seem like a strange post, but I just wanted to share what I have been through today!!
I am a newly qualified midwife (been at my job 2 months now) and have recently started working on the elective caesarean list. My role is to greet women, do their observations, check bloods, prepare them for theatre, take the baby and resuscitate as necessary, then look after the women post-op.
Not only does this involve me catheterising in front of a WHOLE theatre team staring at me - including a consultant making sure I'm doing things correctly - it can be difficult enough trying to insert a catheter when someone isn't watching!!
THEN today a baby came out needing resuscitation - I was stood there, in my sterile gloves arms outstretched - (If anyone saw 'make me a midwife' it was exactly like that newly qualifieds first time!! shaking doesn't cut it)
nowhere to run or hide - feeling like I would explode with anxiety - then the baby comes out not breathing - but my training took over (cliche but true) I ran to the resus room, called for help and it arrived quickly, all the while I amazingly remembered what to do and the baby responded well to treatment and was perfectly fine.
I walked around for at least 2 hours after swearing I was going to quit my job, and when people asked if I was okay after the trauma I just wanted them to go away!! as I didn't want to focus on my feelings.
But overall I managed to do my job in spite of the extreme anxiety :) I think that's some pretty extreme adrenaline exposure!!