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Pregnancy

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Original poster

did you have any students at your birth?

111 replies

ranirani · 21/01/2009 22:28

I am at watford general. 37 weeks PG this Friday.
Do not think I want to have any students poking down there, definitely not. maybe to be present, and one only, not the whole group of them staring at my bits.
did you have any experience with students?
i know they need to learn but do not feel all that glamorous somehow with all this extraweight etc... having my Dh there would be enough embarassment for me
and NO photographing either!!!!!!!

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greenbeanie · 22/01/2009 09:07

I had a student mw for birth of ds2. She was brilliant, nearly at the end of her training and very keen for me to have the type of delivery I wanted - with minimal intervention. Everything went really smoothly and she was pleased to have seen and assisted in a normal delivery without any unnecessary interventions.

serenity · 22/01/2009 09:39

All the DCs were born at the same Teaching Hospital so I got used to having the odd student around. DD was the only one where they got 'hands on' though as she was delivered by a rather lovely student Doctor.

The only time it's ever been a bit weird was when I had a sweep the day before DD was actually born.

It wasn't in the hospital, it was at the MW run antenatal clinic. My MW had a feel around internally, and then got the student to feel my cervix. We then had a threeway chat about doing the sweep, pros and cons etc. the problem was, that the MW didn't tell the student to take her hand (well fingers) out We had a five minute conversation with the poor girl obviously not sure if she should remove them. To my shame the MWs were far more embarrassed about it than me (by that stage I was 41+3 on my third overdue PG, I'd lost count how many people had rummaged up there over the last few years and just didn't care anymore as long as it got DD out)

smallone · 22/01/2009 09:44

I put in my notes that I was happy to have active students but that I didn't want spectators. I got two 3rd years who worked in pairs with mw. They were lovely, had a bit more time to talk to you and were a lot more gentle about internals! I would def go for this again.

ohdearwhatamess · 22/01/2009 09:53

One student when I gave birth to ds2. I was asked if I was happy to have her there.

She was absolutely brilliant.

MamaG · 22/01/2009 09:55

I had a student at birth of dD 9 years ago

I kicked her, hard, on the hip. On purpose.

Helsbels4 · 22/01/2009 10:03

I had the world and his wife in the room when I had ds because he was ventouse and had a little trouble straight after the birth, so I have no idea who was who but when I had dd I had a student midwife with me and she was lovely! The qualified midwife was always lurking in the background and advising her but she delivered my dd and it was wonderful - all very calm. Qualified midwife did all the poking around afterwards but by that point, I didn't really care anyway I don't intend to have any more children but if I did then I certainly wouldn't say no to a student being there.

NorktasticNinja · 22/01/2009 10:29

AccidentalMum - No I calmly explained that double examinations (first by the MW and then by the student) were not not something I was happy with and was not conjusive to me having a good birth experience. I told her that I would prefer that she didn't bring the student next time she came. Both MW and student MW were perfectly happy with that.

WorzselMummage · 22/01/2009 10:37

I had student drs and mws in the room for both, student delivered my dd even though she was early. I quite like it really, they are well supervised and its nice to feel usefull, everyone has to learn

The very green young Dr, first year possibly, did actually go green when i went for my cervical stitch appointment.. bless.

If things are complicated i always found i got a better explanation if there was a student present too, they also seem to be
better at putting canulas in.

queenrollo · 22/01/2009 11:27

i had a MW near the end of her training, she stayed with me through the whole thing. Near the end when i needed an episiotomy i was asked if it was ok for the student MW to do it and i agreed. She'd not had the chance to do one before and was very grateful that i had given her the opportunity.
As ds was early i also had more people in the room near the end. I can remember the MW pointing to the corner and introducing me to the doctor and the student he had with him......i think i waved and said hello, but really by that stage i didn't care who was in the room.

StewieGriffinsMom · 22/01/2009 12:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SpookyMadMummy · 22/01/2009 12:35

I had a student midwife in the room when I had Dd2. I was more than happy for her to be there, after all they have to learn!!
She didn't examine me or anything, mainly observed but was lovely all the same. She weighed and measured Dd2 and that was as much involvement as she had.

bubblagirl · 22/01/2009 12:42

i had a student lad in with me and it wasn't as bad as you think your concentrating on the arrival you've been poked and prodded many times and it didn't bother me at all

there's no room for dignity when giving birth lol thats what my mum always said too true really and no different from having your midwife there he was great my midwife was fab and didnt feel uncomfortable at all

kando · 22/01/2009 12:45

I had a student present when I had DD1 (now 8). If I hadn't had her, I would have put a complaint in about the qualified midwife who was there - she did NOTHING to encourage me, hardly spoke to me or DH the whole time we were in the delivery room and disappeared for absolutely ages as I was fairly close to delivering. The MW was worse than useless (and she had the longest nails which she flashed in front of me whilst announcing "I'm doing an internal now"!) The student midwife talked to me, told me how to breath, suggested I try lying in a different position, told me to try pulling my legs up etc whilst the other MW just stood there!

DumbledoresGirl · 22/01/2009 13:00

DD (my third child) was delivered by a student midwife and she was the best midwife I had throughout 4 pregnancies and births. She told me she still had 2 years' training to do but I think she had everything she needed already.

At the birth of my fourth child, I had a medical student (female) present at the pushing out stage. I wouldn't say she spoilt the birth experience for me (god! it is not that great at the best of times!) but I did pick up on her awkwardness and she did not add anything to the experience. Dh always recalls with amusement that he had to show her how to put a nappy/clothes on the baby! I felt she was embarrassed by me and that made me feel slightly sellf-conscious which I could have done without, but students have to be at someone's birth otherwise they would never learn what to do, so overall, I don't feel that bothered. As a fourth time mother I was supposed to be demonstrating a normal birth for her, but unbeknownst to anyone until it had happened, ds3 chose to come out backwards facing, so she got to see something interesting I hope.

AnnVan · 22/01/2009 13:28

I agreed to let a student mw be present. She was lovely, and I got two mw's for the price of one. The student was already a qualified nurse but was retraining as a mw. She'd done loads of deliveries already, and needed a few more to her name to be able to qualify. I let her do one examination, but at the next one, I only let the other mw do it as didn't feel I could cope being examined twice. They were brilliant, and it also meant that while the main mw was trying to get DS to breathe, the student was watching and saw that I'd begun to bleed badly.

AnnVan · 22/01/2009 13:29

Oh and by the time DS was born, i didn't care who was there - there were 7 people in the room by that time, and I didn't give a monkeys.

2pt4kids · 22/01/2009 13:38

I had a student in the room both times.
Very different experiences.
With DS1 I never even considered it before and just accepted having a student in without too much thought. The student ended up delivering DS1 and he broke his arm as he was born. I still feel thinking about it as I am positive she yanked a bit too hard in the wrong place. Never admited it though.

With DS2 it was a different hospital. I wrote in big letters 'NO STUDENTS' on my birth plan.
DS2's birth was very quick and very straight forward. My MW was lovely and she said to me 'I know you say no students on your plan, but I have a young girl here, who is on her first day at the hospital. Would you mind if she just watches from a distance. I will ensure she does not come anywhere near you and definitely wont touch you'. I agreed and the student was very sweet.
She fainted when I had my epidural put in and I laughed so much I went a bit hysterical still look back on it fondly

wishingchair · 22/01/2009 13:51

I had a male paramedic observing at mine. It was fine, he was lovely and said he'd learned loads so I felt quite good that someone else could be helped by this man in an emergency situation.

notsoteenagemum · 22/01/2009 13:52

A student had a go at palpating(is that a word?) my bump when pg with dd and said " ewww I can feel it move" the midwife apologised and sent her out, however another midwife delivered dd and then the placenta, it was her first delivery and she was lovely, she bought a little outfit and teddy for her, sometimes I think students can be more attentive than some more experienced staff.

Patchybob · 22/01/2009 14:06

I had a student midwife at the birth of my second dc. She told me I was fully dilated and ready to push, it was only because I was sure I wasn't that I asked the proper midwife to double check and I was only 6cm! AAARGH! At that point I insisted on an epidural!!!

mrsfossil · 22/01/2009 14:20

I had a student present as i feel that they have to train on someone. She was very gental when she examined me and was fully supervised. During my drawn out labour, my mw had to keep popping out but the student stayed with us so we never actually felt left. I am due in 11 weeks with my 2nd baby and i will allow a student if they ask. If they do or say something i'm not happy with then i can say so. Also 1 extra internal isn't the end of the world and we are short of mws.

Dottoressa · 22/01/2009 14:22

I think there was a student at DS's birth, but was so out of it that I couldn't take it in. I did write 'no students' on my birth plan (I was a uni teacher then, and felt I already saw quite enough of them).

In the event, the birth was so hideous that I ended up not giving a toss that my dad had seen me in stirrups with my bits widely exposed - and if I didn't care about that, then I certainly didn't care about a couple of students hanging around!!

notnowbernard · 22/01/2009 14:24

Had a student mw

Was fine about it...tbh the World and His Wife could have been there, I really could not have cared less at the end

She didn't do any 'faffing' around, though - was just observing. And got the lovely job of fishing my poo out of the pool with a colander

But, having been a student myself (nurse) - it's the only way to learn properly

WentworthMillerMad · 22/01/2009 14:28

I had the most fantastic student at the birth of my 3rd baby, called storm. She had pink hair, young, a few tatoos. She did not conform to the 'midwife look' but WOW she was amazing. she was very encouraging and my son was her first hand on hand delivery as many people refuse to have a student - i will never forget her - hello holly storm at paisley maternity unit!!!

SamJohnsMum · 22/01/2009 14:31

Had a student with my second midwife (long labour!!) and she was fantastic - she was just about to qualify, so TBH, it was like having two midwives and I felt like I got a lot more attention - in a good way.

I didn't want her doing any of the examinations when I was in pain before my epidural, but afterwards I said that fine. Everything she did was double-checked though - so I always felt confident in what was being said.

IMHO, the secret to a good birth is knowing what's going on and knowing what you want at the same time as being able to go with the flow - so if your gut tells you that you wouldn't be happy with a student, then refuse. Be prepared for the birth plan to go out the window, but stick to your guns if you feel really strongly about anything!!

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