Here you are:

What does being a hospital based midwife involve?
Working a combination of early, late & night shifts.
Working on antenatal & postnatal wards, delivery suite and hospital antenatal clinic.
Working as a member of a team.

How long after qualification did you become a hospital based midwife and did you work in any other areas of midwifery previously?
I have always worked as a hospital based midwife.

How does the role of a hospital midwife differ from those working in the community, a birth centre or within an independent practice?
On the plus side, you see lots of women with a wide range of needs, some straight forward, some complicated. This means you keep up to date with skills in all areas of midwifery. You are also never alone and know your colleagues are nearby to give support, as needed.
On the down side, you are slightly limited by hospital policies and protocols, even if you do not totally agree with these.

What’s are your personal circumstances? i.e. married/kids/single etc
Married, 2 boys, born 1994 & 1996.

What did you do before you became a hospital based midwife?
Nursery Nurse, working in schools.

Why did you choose Midwifery?
It was during a 3 month placement on a maternity ward, as part of my NNEB training that I made the decision to apply to train as a midwife. I got on really well with the midwives and was fascinated by their job. It seemed so much more fulfilling than Nursery Nursing.

How did you feel on your first day in practice, after qualifying?
Aghhhhhh!

Please share a highlight of being a hospital based midwife, so far...
I really cannot think of any one incident to share. For me, caring for women in labour, supporting them 1:1 and helping them to have a positive experience is always a highlight.

Please share a low point and how you got through that...
The low points are when delivery suite is soooo busy, I have a problem and there is no one to turn to (because everyone is busy in other delivery rooms.) At these times I feel very alone. It does get easier, with experience. You have to draw on your training and experience to date, and trust that you do know what to do.

What is your favourite midwifery text book?
Myles Midwifery

What is your favourite midwifery literature book? i.e. babycatcher.
Sensitive Midwifery

What is your shift preference? earlies/lates/long days and what time to they start and finish
I like the variety of shifts. They all have their good and bad points.
Early: 7am-3pm
Late: 1.30pm-9.30pm (may soon be revised to 2pm-10pm)
Night: 9.10pm – 7.30am

Are you a member of a midwifery organisation? i.e RCM/ARM/LLL
RCM; NCT

Do you feel supported by your supervisor of midwives? if yes/no please tell us why that is.
Yes, very. My supervisor is also the delivery suite matron, so I see her regularly at work. I have an annual Supervisory Review, but I also know that I can chat to my supervisor at any time. Her office door is nearly always open. I have found my supervisor to be encouraging and appreciative of my work. She has given me several opportunities to share my skills and knowledge (gained through my work with the NCT) with other midwives.

How do you keep up to date with evidence based practice and how easy do you find it to implement this into your care whilst working within the constraints of local protocols?
I subscribe to professional journals, use the internet, attend study days, use online resources and chat with other midwives. My work with the NCT is a great help in keeping up to date too.
Where I work change happens slowly. I am patient in trying to implement change. I endeavour to model good practice and chat about how things could be different. I am currently on a working group to implement new policies for care of women in normal labour, in accordance with the NICE guidelines.

What are your future plans as a midwife?
I see myself practicing at the same hospital for quite some time. I am very happy there. There is talk of a midwife-led unit being built onsite. If this were to happen, I may apply for a post there in the next few years.

Share your wisdom.... what would you like to pass on to other students/wanabes?
Never forget how significant you are to the women that you care for. You may not remember them, but they will certainly remember you, your words and your actions, for many years to come.

Describe your ‘day in the life’ of a hospital based midwife.
This depends on where I am working, and what shift.

On the ward:
Early: take report; sometimes I am in charge; allocate or be allocated to who I am caring for; scan through the notes; introduce myself to the women I am caring for; do the drugs round; take observations; help with giving out breakfast; spend the morning doing antenatal / postnatal / neonatal checks, taking blood samples; supporting women with breastfeeding and parenting skills; liaising with doctors / social workers / physio’s / sonographers etc.; answering the phone; if I’m in charge - supporting other midwives on the ward; ensuring HCA’s know what their duties are; give out lunch; take admissions and make discharges throughout the shift; keep a closer eye on any women or babies I am particularly concerned about; document on all care given during the shift; hand-over to the next shift.
Late: Similar to above, 2 drugs rounds; (don’t need to do neonatal checks or antenatal checks); complete any work not done by the morning shift; the wards are generally busier, due to visitors.
Night: Take report; introduce myself to the women I am caring for; do drugs round & observations; switch off lights and settle the women down for the night, as much as possible; the remainder of the night is spent meeting people’s needs, as required, helping with breastfeeding and taking new admissions; document all care given; hand-over to the day shift.

Delivery suite (same routine, whatever shift): take report; take over care from previous midwife and be introduced to the woman I am caring for; care for this women, usually 1:1 for the duration of her stay on delivery suite, or for the duration of my shift; document all care given; take on care of new women, as and when required; hand-over to next shift.

Theatres: start on the ward; greet woman who has come for elective section; do full antenatal admission; liaise with doctors and theatres, to ensure all is ready for the section; accompany the woman to theatre; in theatre my role is to care for the baby; complete paperwork; accompany the woman and her baby back to the ward.

Antenatal Clinic: either accompany doctors during consultations, making phone calls, liaising with the ward, day assessment, community as needed; arrange blood tests, scans, further appointments. Or for a booking appointment: talk to the woman 1:1 and obtain her history; take bloods; answer her questions; discuss screening tests.

Thanks for reading!

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