MMMM that went well then!

Last day of November and how did my blog-a-day go?
between you and me, I think really well! O.K so I didn't make an entry EVERY day - but I averaged 1 every other day, pretty good going for a woman with 3 kids, one Mr.B, study and now full time work.

I feel I need to put in an explanation of what PLACEMENT means, I have been making the sorts of assumptions that the Uni tells us we mustn't do! (assuming that everyone knows the terminology we use). 40% of my university course is studying to be a midwife, this is known as block, when we are in uni doing the theory. The other 60% is doing the practical side of the training, this is known as placement. At the moment I am on community, I am working with a team of midwifes who work out of local surgeries, visiting mums at home who have had their baby's and in the clinics to check the pregnant women and occasionally post natal mums and baby's.
In February I start a 8 week placement, the first 4 in one of the hospitals I am attached to, on their ante natal ward. caring for pregnant mums who have had to be admitted to hospital for care during pregnancy. Then I will be at the other hospital I am attached to working in their delivery suite - where the babies are born!

Makes it all sound so simple doesn't it? Of course whilst I am on placement I still have the learning stuff to do, lots of reading on what I am learning during the day, my lovely mentors make sure of that!

Ouch!

How stupid do I feel?

VERY!

today I fell out of a house!

seriously! right in front of a patients husband!

collapsed into a pathetic heap on his drive!

oh boy am I in pain, grazed knees and sore hands.

but worse is the sprained ankle. I can barely move it, and putting weight on it is a no no.

Please don't let this get worse, I want to go out on placement tomorrow!

I am having too much fun to miss it!

Bloody Brilliant!

Seriously, it's been bloody brilliant the last few days!

I have had the most excellent community midwife mentors who want to teach me so much. I have taken blood, done blood pressures, palpated women ante and post natal, measured bumps, helped with breast feeding, checked babies, weighed babies and so much more.

It's a rush! the lovely Midwife I was with today, took a back seat and let me take the clinic on my own! she told me she thinks I am great and will make a brilliant midwife - she wishes I were 'her' student (my mentor is on annual leave for a fortnight, so this one is looking after me!)

Now I have finished blowing my own trumpet I will also tell you of the young woman, only in this country 1 month - pregnant, ill and scared. Of the woman whose only hope to have a baby was through IVF, and although pregnant is now so anxious about it she can't allow herself to relax and enjoy it.

This job is going to really have its highs and lows!

*YAWN* *SNORE*

I have had the best couple of days - midwifery experiencewise

But right now I am exhausted having not slept properly since Friday night, so I am not going to blog about it tonight.

Tomorrow I will try to tell you everything I have been up to!

Signed

Student Midwife Mrs.B!

Introducing................................

Student midwife Mrs.B!

I'm not at all jealous!

Of the student midwifes who are coming to the end of their first placements, and have not only witnessed their first 5 births (we have to witness 5 births before we can start delivering) but are now doing their first deliveries (with the help of their mentors hands!)

Me I am not out of Uni until Monday - and then it will be community, which is fab in its own way - but doubt I will see many, if any, births!

The one with no title

Had I not been so tired last night I would have blogged this then. The day we nearly had Niagra falls in our house!

It all began when........................................................................

I noticed a rather 'squidgy' feeling under foot in the bathroom when I went to the airing cupboard, this rang alarm bells, and true enough on inspection of the ceiling in the hallway I was faced with a huge bulge!

Cue mad panic clearing of hallway incase of cascade! Then phonecall to our landlord (the local council, some times I am soooo grateful to be a tenant!) for a plumber to come out. He was here within the hour and checked boiler (newly fitted in April) seems some condensing pipe or other was fitted properly and so has probably been slowly leaking since April. with that sorted and the ceiling bulged drained the best we can, we are left with a ruined flooring upstairs, holes in our celing downstairs, a bucket of murky water in the hallway (catching drips) and sodden squishy floorboards in the bathroom. Now I have to wait to see what our landlords are going to do about it - I will be jiggered if I am going to make a claim on my household insurance!