Do I HAVE to let student midwives practise their butchery on my arm?

[bohemianbint]

Am 30 weeks on Sunday and had check up yesterday, which involved having blood taken (as they all do!) Anyway, a trainee midwife sat in on the appointment and took the blood. Just before she put it in, the main midwife said "make sure you don't press on the needle as the ladies find that quite painful"...and whaddya know. Am left with (without a word of exaggeration) a 5" blue green bruise.

Do I have to let them learn on me? I suppose it would be bad form to say, "actually, would you mind not", but everytime a student comes near me I end up looking like an extra from Trainspotting.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Oh, no, Margo, some nurses are brill at it! Especially if they're been an onco nurse.

our phlebotomist is awful. I'd rather have a student have a go at it than her. one time I needed a couple of non usual size vials of blood taken and she used this weird improvised needle/container bit on the end. the needle got stuck in my arm, she turned white, needed 2 people to get it out without shooting air bubble into my vein. nice.

It's all well and good saying that they all have to learn but I for one am sick of massive bruising and pain.

Had my bloods taken 2 weeks ago only to get a letter saying that they lost them there was an error and they need redoing. Well sod that for a game of bruises. I don't think so.

I have god awful veins, took 6 goes from different people to get my booking bloods I now go straight to the Pathology dept. at the hospital and they usually get it out quickly and painlessly. MWs are usually crap and don't get me started on the DN

So the short answer is NO I would never let students near my veins!

actually i find it's completely random, tbh. i've had loads of blood taken, by the best of the best and by the newest of the new. sometimes they hit a patch of nerve endings and it hurts like buggery, sometimes it is just the 'sharp scratch' that they tell you about.

however, i'd say no to a student. in fact, i say no to just about every doctor in hospitals after summer and demand to see a senior nurse, as that's when the greenhorn docs turn up. i used to share a flat with medics and they were, bless them, utterly terrified and useless (by their own admission).

Bohemianbint, sympathies! I had a similar experience with ds1. She bruised one arm, DROPPED THE NEEDLE OUT, had to go and get another needle, leaving my arm BLEEDING, then did the other arm, bruising that one.

Imagine my delight on arriving to be induced when the SAME student mw joyously said 'I'm going to be looking after you, it's so lovely to see someone I've met antenatally...' Grrr.

look, you big bunch of moaners... i once had a cervical swab taken (while 5 months preg) by a midwife who was suffering from parkinsons. what can you do but say 'er, okay' when the lady with the visibly shaky hands comes over and says 'i'm doing your swab, dear, just lay on the bed and open your legs as wide as you can'?

I'm terrible to get blood from - in hospital they take one look and send for the Vampire (nurse with uncanny ability to get blood from stone). Only bruised once, and that was when my consultant took blood the other week - I thought he'd done a great job, but had a big bruise the next day. Apparently bruising can be a lot to do with the pressure you put on the area immediately afterwards - too little, and you bruise. He didn't get me to do it, which they usually do, but put a strap on my arm. I did have fun teasing him about it the next time I saw him...

it was WONDERFUL. and me and tallis met up, it was great, we even went to the beach with her and her dh (and dh's dad and sm)... now that's hospitality. i was going to do a post about it and then thought it was a bit me, me, me.
PS get a dvd player for plane journeys - you will not regret.

I had a student take my booking-in bloods with DS2. She was amazing - v quick, v little pain and no bruising. I was gobsmacked. The community midwife said she had a natural talent for finding veins. The student (a first year, no less!) was practically combusting with pride

yuk
last time some woman (whose entire JOB was taking blood I believe) maanged to hit a nerve instead of the vein, i had a dead arm for weeks, a huge bump and fabulous bruising

I'd gladly have let a student do it instead!

also, in a similar vein (ha!) when DS hda his MMR the other day, at the crucial moment he knocked the nurse's hand and she jabbed ME in the knuckle, we're j8ust waiting to check I don't get an infection . Nice

i want to hear abobut Rome aitch

It's actually getting worse, it now looks like a map of central Manchester.

To avoid bruising, put plenty of pressure on the hole with a piece of gauze or whatever for a good few minutes after. You shouldn't even need one of those horrid plasters that way. If they take it from the inside of your elbow don't bend your arm after to hold the gauze in place, that makes for bad bruising.