midwife training downunder

Its 5 weeks til training begins and I start the journey to becoming a midwife. It will take three years of full-time training and education to earn the Bachelor of Midwifery, with the academic year being much longer than usual, stretching from January through to December.

I am expecting it to be busy and quite intense, but I have a lot to motivate me through it. My love of babies and pregnancy, and the elation of my own experience in becoming a mother, drives my passion for midwifery. It is the kind of work that will be unforgiving and demanding at times, but such an honour and privilege to be part of. What could be more rewarding than to guide and support women through the miracle of pregnancy and birth.

As a woman who has been a consumer of the New Zealand health-care system in pregnancy and birth, there are several varying experiences I've had that have shaped my philosophy of how I intend to practice midwifery. I've had a few very poor experiences - one with a midwife who forgot who I was within an hour of learning of my miscarriage (I was their client, needless to say I never went back to them). I have had a very bad experience of not being offered an extraction while in hospital after a late 'missed' miscarriage, which resulted in very public humiliation after I was sent home to miscarry. I have also been pressured into agreeing to unwanted inductions, which I pulled out of, as they were more a form of "informed compliance" than "informed consent". On the other hand, I have had some wonderful experiences in the hands of very competent, warm, and skilled midwives. I have had the pleasure of being cared for my midwives who put no pressure on me to comply with their preferences for birth. Who understood my body was not text-book typical, but trusted that I knew my body and its signs. Who supported me throughout birth and allowed me to birth my way. These midwives created a trusting and supportive environment allowing for wonderful memories to be created.

All of these experiences. some not at all good, but many wonderful, have helped me realise my goal as a midwife will be to support women in their pregnancy and childbirth journey as best as I can. Before having children I thought medically intensive births were the way to go for comfort, safety and health. I have now come to realise that the least medical intervention possible, and more trust in a womans body to labour naturally, is best in the interests of the woman's health physically and emotionally. There are without doubt situations where medical intervention is necessary for the safety of mother and child, but a lot is preventable. For example, women are often not told that the odds of requiring further medical intervention in birth if they take an epidural is greatly increased. However, epidurals are increasingly administered when another form of pain relief could be used with better outcomes for the mother and baby. Once medical intervention starts, it often leads to further intervention. About 50% of women who have an epidural go on to have an assisted delivery or a caesarian section as a result. Intervention can lead to longer recovery times, and a higher rate of post-natal depression associated with undesirable birth experiences. Its my intention to make sure women in my care are fully aware of their options and possible outcomes so they have full power over their birth experience. Knowledge is power, and this is a pregnant woman's right.

I intend to be a knowledgeable and supportive midwife, fully informing women of their choices and expected outcomes, their rights, and supporting their decisions. After all, the birth experince is not mine, it is theirs, and it will be my responsibility to help women in my care have the birth experience they desire whenever possible. I can't wait to start this journey to becoming a midwife, and to explore these issues further throughout my training.