midwifery

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Im studying for my BSN at the moment. I was wondering did anyone do a midwifery clinical? I think I will be doing one and I'm wondering what you thought of it? I've heard that some students have fainted and others thought it was boring because there was a lot of waiting around. What do you think? Im really nervous about it. I think it will be really cool getting to see a baby being born but I'm afraid I'll be really awkward because Im quite shy and I might get embarrassed. Any tips?

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

Where do you go to school that you call your rotation 'midwifery' instead of "maternity" or "obstetrics"? Are you to follow nurses who work with midwives rather than doctors? Curious since that isn't the norm in the US...

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lol sorry Im in Ireland so maybe thats why. I will be following midwives not nurses or doctors. Well maybe a nurse too but mainly midwives, I think its to give us a taste of midwifery so that we can decide if we would like to specialise in midwifery when we get our BSN. Midwifery is now a separate degree in Ireland although you can go on to become a midwife if you have a BSN.

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Specializes in Lactation.

OK I know this is a little off topic, but I would LOVE to be a midwife. In the US you have to have your MSN to be a Certified Nurse Midwife. there is also a route for certified professional midwives, these are midwives trained in Midwifery without a nursing degree but accreditied by an agency. then there is the lay midwife. She probably trained as an apprentice with another midwife.

Just relax when you do your midwifery rotation, stand to the side and enjoy the show. you will get more comfortable with it each time. Birth is not as nasty as people make it out to be, yes there's some poop, blood( not much usually) and amniotic fluid involved but if your already in nursing school you have already seen some of this stuff probably. just make sure the midwife attending knows your not comfortable and I am sure she will let you be as involved as you want to be. oh yeah and try watching births on youtube. look up homebirths, waterbirths, and unassisted births.

Good Luck!!!

Edited to add: I am exhausted nursing student, please excuse the lack of correct punctuation and grammer. :-)

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