So you want to be a midwife?

Hi :) I'm Nancy. I'm 18 years old, and as of right now I am a few exam results away from becoming a second year student midwife.

I originally started blogging about 6 months ago, but reading the posts back today they are completely cringeworthy! So, as I move into second year I thought I would start afresh.

Midwifery is a roller coaster. Lots of people ask me what it's like being a student midwife, and that's the best answer I can give them. Don't get me wrong, midwifery is the best thing I have ever undertaken. It is rewarding and inspiring and empowering, but it is extremely hard, and not something to be taken lightly.

You have to wrestle working full time on the wards, doing night shifts and long days, working bank holidays and weekends; at the same time as studying, writing essays, revising for exams and trying to ensure your friends and family know you haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. Each of these things is hard enough, let alone doing them all at once.

Midwifery is not like a normal degree. I see my best friends at university, studying their respective courses and I have to admit I often feel resentful; they have no idea what it's like for us. I feel frustrated seeing pictures of them getting ready to go out for the third time that week, while I'm 2 hours in to my third night shift in a row. It upsets me that they miss lectures without a care in the world, while me and my flatmates are dragging ourselves out of bed every single morning without fail. The impact of us missing one lecture is huge. It could be the difference between passing and failing an assignment; or knowing what to do in an emergency on the wards.

I don't want to convey that midwifery is all negatives, I just want to be extremely realistic in this blog. Doing this course is a lifestyle, it's not something you can do on a whim. You have to love it, you have to want it more than anything and you have to work hard everyday for it.

There are days when I get home from a day on placement and I ask myself why I want to become a midwife; but the next day I go to work and the day will show me the million reasons why I've fallen in love with this career. I get to be in the most privileged position, not only do I help bring life into the world but I get to be part of a woman and her family's journey. I am the person they look to, the person who supports them, who reassures them. I have been a shoulder to cry on, a cheerleader, a confidante and I have become an expert tea and toast maker.

There are certain moments that every student midwife lives for. The moment where a woman sees her baby for the first time and her eyes light up; the moment where the woman and her family thank you for everything you've done and the moment where you step away after a delivery and leave the woman and her family in their little bubble of happiness. There are more but these are the ones that stick out for me right now.

At the moment I should be on a 3 week placement on the low risk unit, unfortunately I have shingles and as far as I know I don't think I'm going to be able to return to this placement any time soon. I am so disappointed, I've been looking forward to this placement for a long time. This means I will have to make up 90 hours work at some point, which is a scary prospect. But hey… I told you it was a roller coaster.

N. x