To ask if you're a midwife...

[SarahH12]

What made you become one and how physically intensive is it?

When I was a teenager I really wanted to become a midwife. I think I was put off as I got it in my head that women wouldn't want someone so young caring for them at such a potentially wonderful / difficult / emotional time of their lives.

I need a career change. I've always wanted to be a midwife. BUT (big but here) I have a joint condition and I don't know if I'd be able to cope as I've heard it can be quite physical.

How physical is it?

What made you want to become a midwife?

Anyone here who's a midwife?

I was already a nurse, and in the days when I did my nurse training, you also did a two week maternity placement, and it really made me want to become a midwife, so I worked as a staff nurse for a couple of years, then did my midwifery training! 19 years later, I’m still doing it!

Honestly, really really think about whether you want to do it and look at whether becoming a doula might suit you better first.

You’re often short staffed, under ridiculous time constraints, often don’t feel satisfied with the level of care you are able to give, it’s often very medicalised and the disparity between what you read/learn and what you are able to do in practice is huge.

I don’t want to go into loads of detail on here but you can PM me if you have any questions.

I think that it depends what area you work in, in the units, where it’s busy, it’s exactly like that. I’m now on community, we have our own caseloads, there’s good continuity, good work life balance and you go home feeling satisfied.

I'm not a midwife, but work for the nhs.

Honestly, I wouldn't advise anyone to work for the nhs at the moment. At least not on the front line. It is understaffed, highly pressured and thankless. Should something go wrong due to multiple syatemic failures, there is a culture of blaming individuals, rather than openness. Look up the case of Dr Bawa Garba and Nurse Amaro.

I'm a student midwife and yes it is very physical. 13 hour shifts, often on your feet all day. Moving beds, equipment, post section ladies. The thing I struggle most with physically though is the positions you sometimes have to get into for deliveries. Lots of bending and stretching which is playing havoc with my already knackered back.

I was a practising midwife for 17 years (now a HV) I started my midwifery training when I was 26 and totally loved it until the year I left. I was a delivery suite sister and totally burnt out; it was no better in any other area of midwifery. We had to juggle staff and the level of care was often unacceptable due to the pressures on us. Paperwork after a birth took in excess of three hours; I understand it it’s worse now. While I would be passionate about being there to support those early hours of feeding or just caring for a tired new Mum, I was unable to because it was ‘your next lady is waiting in room 5’. My mental health was at its worse; my anxiety through the roof. I used to be terrified going to work knowing it would be pressured and hellish, lucky to have a wee in 12 hrs; a sandwich and coffee - no chance. I then used to fear that I had cocked up or forgotten something, living my days waiting for a phone call or regretful that I was unable to do my best for the women. It was physically hard not stopping in 12 hrs and constantly being on your feet. A complex delivery or caesarean could mean standing or hours. Expectations were high; people were stressed and angry a lot of the time. I sobbed writing my resignation; the thing I loved was ruining my family life and it couldn’t continue - I wasn’t strong enough to stop it. I sound bitter I know but it’s hard in ways I didn’t expect and wasn’t prepared for. Happy to discuss in a PM.

I’m a midwife. I got off the shop floor and into an office job as quickly as I could because it was killing my back. Physically hard as hell. Standing for 13 hour shifts as well as kneeling/squatting/bending over. Pulling beds about, running to emergencies. Women will expect to be able to pull on you when they’re tired and want to reposition themselves/get up the bed.

I still do bank shifts on labour ward but will only do short shifts, I can manage the odd shift.

I trained as a midwife and it was both physically and emotionally demanding. The job was very much like a roller coaster ride with real highs and crashing lows. We were constantly short staffed and i became really disheartened because I was unable to offer the support needed to the new parents. I was constantly tired and drove to each shift worrying about what I would have to face and drove home glad that I had managed to get through the shift. Sadly it wasn’t for me. So sorry to be negative but you really have to want to do the job to be able to get through the training. I wish you the best in what you decide to do.

It is physical, and the training is gruelling with no let up. As qualified you can work part time and some trusts do short shifts but as a student it is full time with no let up.