Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

medical students present during labour?

106 replies

kittyt · 14/10/2006 14:44

I am almost certainly going to be having a c sec as I have twins, 1st one breech. Am booked it at a big student hospital, and wondering whether to allow medical students in to see the procedure. Has anyone else allowed students in during their labour, and if so, what was it like?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

expatinscotland · 14/10/2006 21:12

I lived with someone who is now a neurosurgeon, and peoples' bodies, well, he just saw them as part of his course of study.

foxinsocks · 14/10/2006 21:15

I made the student midwife cry during my first birth - I'm not the sort of person that lives with regrets but I still feel bloody guilty about it over 6 years later!

SueW · 14/10/2006 21:19

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at OP's request.

CarolinahowlingattheMoon · 15/10/2006 08:41

ooh what did you say to her Foxinsocks?

foxinsocks · 15/10/2006 09:17

I'll post quickly as I'm only on the computer looking for directions!

I was just very sweary and shouty towards the end of labour. They were getting me to push but we were making no progress - I got so aggressive and insisted on getting a second opinion because I felt I couldn't go on (which is when she cried but I was absolutely at the end of my tether), they eventually called someone more senior in who told them off because having had a super quick labour up to 10cms (like only a few hours), I had been pushing for 2 hours with no progress and my waters hadn't broken. Senior woman came in, broke my waters and dd was out in one push.

I did make up with her afterwards but she still looked a bit shell shocked.

edam · 15/10/2006 09:25

My sister had a student midwife who was fab - stayed hours beyond the end of her shift to see the birth through. I've heard the same comment from other people who have had students. They've got to learn. As long as you feel confident enough to say 'no, I've changed my mind' if you do while you are in labour, then I'd say 'yes' at this stage.

CarolinahowlingattheMoon · 15/10/2006 09:37

awwwww fox, they've got to learn to deal with real patients though haven't they? It's character-building . Probably did her the power of good.

Chandra · 15/10/2006 09:43

Well, not the same but... there was a student midwife accompanying my community midwife in the month around DS's birth. I didn't find a problem in she being there until the day I mentioned I was attending X university and she said: "Yeah, I have seen you in the cafeteria, I'm studying there. Would you mind if I check your stitches?"

Someway I felt as if I was about to show my "bits" to a fellow student . Before she said that I would have said "go ahead".

DumbledoresGirl · 15/10/2006 10:19

PMSL at my "shy of nakedness" medical student. I still think this might have been her first clinical experience - she did not look much older than 20.

You comment Expat re once having seen one (naked body) you have seen them all, made me smile. Perhaps my naked body is so unusual that it doesn't fit that truth!

DumbledoresGirl · 15/10/2006 10:25

And as for your experience with the student midwife Chandra, how did you get out of showing her your bits?
I can fully appreciate your embarrassment at that moment. When I was having ds1, I had just given up a teaching job in a town 21 miles from where I was giving birth. The first midwife to attend me when I went into the labour room announced she knew me as I had taught her dd at the school! It was rather embarrassing, meeting her like that, with my legs akimbo, revealing all, but in fact she was very nice to me and I knew I was never going back to work so I didn't really mind.

CarolinahowlingattheMoon · 15/10/2006 10:25

labour is much more 'primal' than e.g. a naked person lying on an operating table though - I bet it was that rather than the nakedness per se that she reacted to.

Chandra · 15/10/2006 12:47

Dumbledoreg... I just smiled widely and said "would you mind if X checks them this time?" She was fine with it and left the room, no problems.

Highlander · 15/10/2006 13:01

I had a student shadowing the midwife for my elec CS this time. He was very unobtrusive, but went bright red when the midwife insisted he have a close look at female catheterisation. Oh, how the anaesthetist and I sniggered

cocopop · 16/10/2006 13:23

I had a student Doctor in the room when ds was delivered. It was a very long and complicated labour which ended in a failed ventouse and forceps delivery.

I wouldn't have minded about the student being there but
1)I did actually know him (had worked on a ward where this man did his first placement at the hospital) and
2)the Doctor actually doing the delivery was talking to the student the whole time and was going into far too much detail for my liking. I'm sure that the whole thing took a lot longer and was more painful because of all the things I was hearing this Doctor say!!!

Sorry to be such a bad sport but now that I'm pg again I don't want to have any students present this time!

notasheep · 16/10/2006 14:24

A medical student delivered ds-or rather the student caught him as he was born rather quickly.

Do what you want to do

EnidVorhees · 16/10/2006 14:24

i always said 'no'

I didnt want a great crowd round me

IdrisTheDragon · 16/10/2006 14:29

I had a student doctor in for the whole of my labour with DD. It was her first ever labour and she was lovely .

She was brilliant at getting my hair out of my face and being someone else to grip onto (I think I may have left nail marks in her hands ).

DD had to have a little bit of oxygen after she was born and the student doctor brought her in (after the longest 30 seconds I had known) and it was a very lovely experience.

She came to see us on the ward the next day and thanked us for making her first birth experience so postive.

I am really glad that she was there during the birth .

IdrisTheDragon · 16/10/2006 14:30

She also was good at putting the line in for my IV drugs.

IdrisTheDragon · 16/10/2006 14:35

And she phoned her mum afterwards to tell her she'd seen a baby being born .

hotmama · 16/10/2006 14:53

I agreed when they asked as how else would they learn?

When I had dd1, there was a student midwife and doctor present - one male and female.

DD1's heartbeat was dropping so a "SWAT" team arrived - I think there was about 12 people. DD1 was yanked out by forceps followed by a huge bloodloss - and the room was very quiet - but everything was fine - and they both stood at the bottom of the bed sobbing their hearts out.

Had a student midwife present when I had dd2 - by emergency section - she sobbed as well.

I have fab pregnancies but don't half have crap labours and deliveries.

I think the world and his wife have had their hands up my fanjo!

Ah go on.

MrsDoolittle · 16/10/2006 15:07

I was a student watching when I saw two births. They will always remain among the most incredible experiences of my life.
So it would be no surprise to hear me say I believe it to be an experience of the upmost importance in any healthcare professional training.

MrsDoolittle · 16/10/2006 15:09

And I was just at 'the looking stage'

sliderule · 17/10/2006 08:35

I had a student midwife deliver my first baby (at hospital) under supervision of course! I was so out of it by then (and had had such a variety of m'wifes attending me as I was in hos for a looong time) that santa claus and elvis could have delivered by ds and I wouldn't have cared!! But I did agree to it as I felt that it is important that students get experience in an environment where they have support - how else are they to learn. Then when I had dd 6m ago I had a homebirth and a student midwife observed the final stages and delivery (2 experienced midwifes delivered) she helped the other 2 m'wifes, I was comfortable with her being there as I am v pro homebirth so I want as many midwifes as possible to have experience of planned and successful homebirths.

Basically I think you should only have people attending your birth that you are comfortable with - so if a students presence will disturb you in any way - don't do it

Josie57 · 17/10/2006 09:20

I had a wonderful student midwife who actually delivered my ds1. In my birth plan I had said yes to female students for routine observations but the student I had was so good that I was happy for her to do more. She talked me round from having an epidural when I was begging for one - my birth plan said don't let me have one. She spent a lot more time with us then a regular midwife would have and wrote amazingly detailed notes - even commenting on how supportive my dh was! Plus she was continually monitoring ds 1 heartbeat even though he didn't strictly need it. Plus the poor girl got to be a brace for my legs during the final pushing stage - she must have been so bruised as my husband complained about how much it hurt him!!!! She also stayed way beyond her hours and was generally a joy to have around - she will make a great midwife.

Don't forget you can always change your mind and make sure your birth partner knows what you will and won't let students do. I for one wouldn't be stitched by a student but there is lots of stuff I am happy for them to do.

kslatts · 17/10/2006 09:20

I had two c secs and with my second had a medical student present. There was already quite a few people in theatre so one more didn't really make any difference.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5