Totally!! Depends on the personalities doesn't it?? I'm sure geography has an influence though, just my thoughts x

__________________


Have you just been offered a place? If so and you want a mentor please post in post this forum (also post here if you would like a mentee)

I have worked with 'cheerleaders' and the 'quiet calm ones' as well, all i will say is i know which i have witnessed to be succesful, more empowering for women and result in a more positive birth experience

__________________
Site Administrator, Student Mentor Scheme Manager

STMW 2nd year - no, really!

Thats one of the reasons I set the site up, to give students 'other' views to learn from, sometimes we are very limited in our exposure to different practice but for others they have a different mentor most shifts so struggle to develop a relationship and so a style of their own perhaps, especially in Year 1. Year 2 and 3 you are getting more confident so can kinda pick and choose what you pick up. Also I personally know some fantastic RMs (who I want to be when I grow up) and I wanted other students to benefit from the approach and attitudes of RMs like them.

__________________
StudentMidwife.NET Founder

"You're braver than you believe. Stronger than you seem. And smarter than you think."
Christopher Robin in Pooh's Grand Adventure

Fancy yourself as a bit of a writer? Want to contribute midwifery or SM2B articles to SMNET? If so, PM me with your thoughts/articles

I hate it when you have a women who is in total control and you are just giving quiet encouragement, and a mentor who comes in and starts 'cheerleading' from the sideline. You really want to say 'just shut-up, she is doing fine on her own' but without being rude, this is really difficult.
KS x

__________________
Kentish Spitfire
Moderator, Student Services
------------------------------------------------
"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"

i know when i was in labour the midwife was realy good and was not "cheer leading" but my mother on the other hand was and got told to shut up by me cos it was the most distracting thing in the world, along with hold your breath for 10 seconds and there is no point in screaming that much you will only get a sore throte? cant spell. that annoyed me. i think the thing with cheerleading is fine if you realy need to but when you look at it from the other side you just want to hit the person doing it. wether it be mother or not

dose that make sence? or am i just talking rubbish

No, you're not talking rubbish at all. What you say makes lots of sense. Women do get very frustrated when there are lots of distractions during the intensity of labour. They are more likely to scream at those nearest and dearest to them, than they are at the midwife or student.

__________________

oh god i dont want to get screamed at when i start training

You do need broad shoulders in this job! I have been called all sorts of names, by women in the intensity of their labour! But, I never take it personally. They nearly always appologise afterwards and are totally different characters!

__________________

Ha ha, yes, I too have had that experience and that is why I prefer not to take over care of a woman in the late first stage of labour. If you have seen her before she gets to that stage, you know it is just labour, but when you take over, you have no idea whether that is normal or not...lol

KS x

__________________
Kentish Spitfire
Moderator, Student Services
------------------------------------------------
"It's better to be thought a fool - rather than proved a fool!"