tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post5802136793961860408..comments2024-03-25T17:34:35.600+11:00Comments on Sarah Stewart: Are you a fearful midwife?Sarah Stewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-59491783947871648562015-08-18T02:38:05.788+10:002015-08-18T02:38:05.788+10:00Hi Sarah! My name is Maike Weiss, I am currently i...Hi Sarah! My name is Maike Weiss, I am currently in Colombia, where I studied Nursing. I would like to know if there is a chance for to study Midwifery as a Masters or Post-graduate? If not, maybe you know a website or a contact I can ask that! It could be wether in NZ or Australia! <br /><br />Big thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13648604379453354615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-39643766115901491672012-03-11T05:06:46.894+11:002012-03-11T05:06:46.894+11:00Hello Lisa, thanks you for getting in touch. As yo...Hello Lisa, thanks you for getting in touch. As you can see, its been some while since I wrote this blog post but I still carry the effects of that burn out. So what to do? You've got to put yourself first. We don't do that as midwives...so it's as if we have to give ourselves permission to do that. But we have to look after ourselves so we can keep on looking after each other.<br /><br />Change of subject: would love to hear more about your work in Uganda. And...have you seen the<a href="http://internationaldayofthemidwife.wikispaces.com" rel="nofollow">Virtual International Day 0f the Midwife</a>? This is a free online conference for midwives coming up on the 5th May. You're very welcome to come along and join us.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-39022555248564607872012-03-11T04:28:11.814+11:002012-03-11T04:28:11.814+11:00Thanks for posting .I see me in the too! (LM x 26 ...Thanks for posting .I see me in the too! (LM x 26 yrs ) Own large on line school with skills weekends, clinical trips to Uganda etc. I feel burned out with just 1 birth a mo. I am getting more picky..(for sanity reasons) 2 of my clients are daughter in law (again) and a sweet G1 who I delivered her.How can you say no to that !Using apprentices willing help, delivering babies in Uganda and bubble baths all help !Lisa Aman LMhttp://www.midwifetobe.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-79436752289052731502008-06-26T12:06:00.000+10:002008-06-26T12:06:00.000+10:00Thank you, wizzy, for your comments. Certainly ack...Thank you, wizzy, for your comments. Certainly acknowledging honestly how we feel is a good thing to do and I keep coming back to the fact that we need to support each other. <BR/><BR/>What I feel we need to do is carefully examine why we feel fearful - is it lack of support, attitudes of colleagues, bullying, lack of knowledge and professional development, over-exaggerated fear of litigation, excessive work load? Once we have acknowledged that these issues are may be reality, then we can look at what we can do about it.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-53932573015614394732008-06-25T02:29:00.000+10:002008-06-25T02:29:00.000+10:00I too have just found your blog spot sarah and i h...I too have just found your blog spot sarah and i have been reading it all day .You have touched on so many points. The fear factor is very real in this culture of blame society. I feel it too but on a busy acute unit stating ' this is scaring the pants off me' feels like you are some sort of failure an like you are admitting that ou are no good in a crisis. I have taken careful note of the fact that others feel the same and im going to try using the word 'fear' on labour ward and see what happens.wizzyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11687645003611455874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-66412528959669548912008-06-22T13:36:00.000+10:002008-06-22T13:36:00.000+10:00It does get better from the point of view that as ...It does get better from the point of view that as you become more experienced, you become less fearful and more confident. But as for the on-call, being a rural practitioner in an isolated geographical location is very difficult to manage, and I do not have an answer for you on that one.<BR/><BR/>I believe what is vital for you as a. a new grad and b. a rural practitioner is to get support from experienced people who can mentor you and new grads who you can identify with. If you cant make face-to-face meetings, have you investigated what online midwifery communities are available to join for support? <BR/><BR/>If you'd like to drop me an email or contact me on Skype (sarah.m.stewart), I can put you in touch with a new grad who is in rural practice who would be a great person for you to network with. The other person to contact is Carolyn McIntosh (http://mymidiblog.blogspot.com) who is an experienced rural midwife who would know more about rural midwifery networks.<BR/><BR/>So, main message from me, if you have a reasonable Internet connection, is to look at how you can develop your online connections and networks, and maybe even get an e-mentor.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-89127893046907268182008-06-22T13:11:00.000+10:002008-06-22T13:11:00.000+10:00HiI have just discovered your blog and finding it ...Hi<BR/><BR/>I have just discovered your blog and finding it very helpful - thank you. This discussion interested me particularly as I am a new graduate who has gone straight into independent practice. Although I have a small caseload due to my remote location, I feel terrified most of the time and find being on call 24/7 stressful as I can never completely relax. There is nothing I can do to change this (no group practice options). Sometimes I fantasise about working in the local deli instead.<BR/><BR/>I could quit independent care and work at the tertiary hospital doing shifts but I know this would mean giving up normal birth (by my definition) and doing a lot of epidural management and synto and theatre care. Yuck. I would miss the continuity and the chance to see lovely candle-lit home births. <BR/><BR/>I guess there must be other new grads out there going it alone and I would love to know how they cope with the constant on-call and the fear. Does it get better?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05621527770923280426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-62194878975078532732008-02-25T15:15:00.000+11:002008-02-25T15:15:00.000+11:00next week. ha joking. I do think we have some less...next week. ha joking. <BR/>I do think we have some lessons to learn in terms of professional limit setting though. Setting limits is part of being competent, self managing and professional I think. This is especially important in midwifery which can be very greedy and needy and eat people up. As (mainly) a profession of women perhaps this is something we in particular struggle with (ie work life balance, setting limits etc).Historically we have quite an oppressed culture - I just think we are still trying to cope with that. 9thats the royal we not you and me specifically). I quite frequently hear sentiments shared that suggest this is a difficult area for lots of midwives to conquer. Maybe partly it is about personal growth and individual levels of self esteem - or is it something to do with our professional self esteem (meaning the broader profession). <BR/>Surely setting limits is going to be an important component of achieving sustainability - both as a profession and personally.shauneboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13306944197030567283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-7850390475743992082008-02-24T18:38:00.000+11:002008-02-24T18:38:00.000+11:00I think as a profession we need to respect each ot...I think as a profession we need to respect each others right and desire to set limits around how much of ourselves and our lives we are prepared to give, professionally. If we all undertook to be supportive and understanding next time one of our colleagues is strong and insightful enough to set a limit about what they won't do - we would all benefit. We should all make a personal effort to support each other more in this area and to create a climate where it is accepted that work is just work. Sadly this rarely seems to happen. Often we are our own worst enemies, I believe. Is it really the world, the women, the universe... who expect the earth from us or are we doing this to ourselves and each other? <BR/>I choose to be strong and set my own limits but while I do reap the rewards of having a personal life, a family I totally enjoy engaging with above all else and being fulfilled in way that matters to me - I am not oblivious to negativity imposed by some who resent or disrespect this professional limit setting. I think we need to encourage a climate of balanced decision making - as we mature as a profession I think this will evolve.shauneboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13306944197030567283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-28457590413266550412008-01-18T13:22:00.000+11:002008-01-18T13:22:00.000+11:00Thank you for dropping by, Laura. Great to hear fr...Thank you for dropping by, Laura. Great to hear from a new visitor to this blog.<BR/><BR/>I am extremely keen that we are open and honest about how we feel. I was a little anxious about how this post would be perceived especially by my immediate peers and students. However,I wrote it to help generate discussion. Hopefully, it will do that over time.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-43985854685370999922008-01-18T11:16:00.000+11:002008-01-18T11:16:00.000+11:00Thanks Sarah for your honesty.I hope you can take ...Thanks Sarah for your honesty.<BR/><BR/>I hope you can take some time to renew yourself and recharge your batteries because you are an asset to the profession. Not every experienced midwife takes the time to reflect on their state of burnout and examine their motivations for continuing. But they should.<BR/><BR/>I am a new midwife just finding my feet and I find my blog is a good reflection tool (www.lovingthequestion.blogspot.com). <BR/><BR/>I am starting to understand who the burntout toxic midwives are in my unit, and I don't avoid them, but take what they say with a grain of salt. Every one of them has something to teach me and they have probably forgotten more about midwifery than I will ever know. But I hope the learning is two-way, as I have a very clear sense of myself entering the profession as a breath of fresh air for the tired burnt-out ones, and also to be a wake-up call for the cynical heart-not-in-it-anymore ones, who truly should do the profession a favour and get out as they give it a bad name. As short-staffed as midwifery is, women are NOT getting good midwifery care from these midwives, and the profession cannot rebuild and reshape the confidence of the current generation of birthing women with cynicism and grudging rushed care.Laura Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13299523378009842115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-12985639309780708722007-10-29T15:16:00.000+11:002007-10-29T15:16:00.000+11:00This comment came to me from a New Zealand midwife...This comment came to me from a New Zealand midwife:<BR/><BR/>"I was particularly interested to read about your burnout. I thought as I was reading it this is me!!!! I am burnt out. Its quite hard admitting it - but quite healing as well. It also doesn't have to be a death sentence for midwifery as everyone thinks it is. Burnout seems to a bad word in this profession. I know I can work through it as long as I am sensible and get help. However having said that I have booked 46 women from beginning of Jan to end of May - there is such shortage of midwives here. .... Having said all that I do love this job but wish I could afford more locum support. But what can be done to attract more people into independent midwifery - it seems that everyone is hell bent on making the job harder including the midwifery council. One very competent experienced midwife may leave because she cant make up her points. Another new midwife has just had a mother birth a stillborn baby because of HELLP, she is so distraught she doesn't want to carry on. Another midwife has just had six months off because of a health and disability action against her , And so it goes on . You wonder when its your turn but as you say we must surround ourselves with positive peers and mentors and know that the care we provide women is the best in the world."Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-77133051810887126772007-10-25T03:45:00.000+10:002007-10-25T03:45:00.000+10:00I completely agree with you, Rae, about the balanc...I completely agree with you, Rae, about the balance of work and home life. The problem comes when you're trying to provide 24/7 midwifery ie being all things to all men or women. It just isn't sustainable. The challenge is providing 'continuity of care' (not carer) without compromising one's relationship with women.<BR/><BR/>The other issue, sustaining academic life and/or midwifery scholarship is addressed by Liz Smythe. In her article Liz calls for a re-examination of the expectation related to annual practicing certificates that Midwifery Council have placed on midwifery academics. I would welcome comments about this.<BR/><BR/>Smythe, L. (2007). A hermeneutic analysis of the rise of midwifery schlarship in New Zealand. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, Oct; 37: 20-26.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-27772456687610445302007-10-24T21:21:00.000+10:002007-10-24T21:21:00.000+10:00well loads of food for thought there Sarah! You ha...well loads of food for thought there Sarah! You have mostly answered all your own questions really - so I think you have a pretty good perspective on the range of issues you have raised. <BR/>I totally agree that a baseline belief in and respect for the normality of birth is something that sustains us as midwives. <BR/>On the issue of sustainability - it is great to see this issue gaining a profile in midwifery - I commend Karen Wakelin and Joan Skinner for their research in this area for LMC midwives. <BR/>Massages all round in my opinion - more people should have this skill so more of us get the benefit of it more often. I personally find that I need regular time away from work - where I engage fully in the other aspects of my life which are fulfilling and sustaining. This sustains me as both a professional and a person and its a stretch to be one without the other. Getting downtime often means developing the confidence to say no and set reasonable boundaries.rae hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04068529493029817773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-39850155470485761542007-10-22T04:07:00.000+10:002007-10-22T04:07:00.000+10:00Thanks for your comment about massage, Loving Peco...Thanks for your comment about massage, Loving Pecola. Do come back-I would love to hear your comments especially as it will be from a student's perspective.Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-83557746460494011332007-10-21T10:00:00.000+10:002007-10-21T10:00:00.000+10:00Great post. Wanna think, I'll be back. But I did ...Great post. Wanna think, I'll be back. <BR/><BR/>But I did want to add that I do believe in massages and I think that might be the missing link to my "exhaustion" problems. I had been getting regular bi-weekly massages for 2 years before I moved across the country for midwifery school, and I think my body is really missing those massages. Not only my back but also my brain. It was one of the few times I could completely drown everything out, especially when I got the deep tissue because I could only concentrate on what she was doing.minority midwifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908138985132917245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-25289476216105721312007-10-19T10:06:00.000+10:002007-10-19T10:06:00.000+10:00Thanks for that, David. It's something I should in...Thanks for that, David. It's something I should investigate-I must come and get a massage from your students!Sarah Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00480597227427423793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-30995806661084615652007-10-19T09:42:00.000+10:002007-10-19T09:42:00.000+10:00I might add something to your list of recommendati...I might add something to your list of recommendations for practicing midwives - Find a good massage therapist & get regular massages.<BR/><BR/>Massage has been shown to be one of the most effective therapeutic interventions in the management of chronic lower back pain. It has been shown to be more effective than self-care educational materials, muscle relaxation and remedial exercises. (Boduk, 2004)<BR/><BR/>Bogduk, N. (2004). Management of Chronic Low Back Pain. MJA 2004; 180 (2): 79-83. Retrieved on 22 July, 2007 from http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/180_02_190104/bog10461_fm.html .David McQuillanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03160701917071791047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-652950132925204088.post-79049651148088654752007-10-18T15:45:00.000+10:002007-10-18T15:45:00.000+10:00This is a really good honest and insightful post S...This is a really good honest and insightful post Sarah. I am sure many midwives will identify with the situations you describe.<BR/><BR/>I am reflecting on this and writing an entry in my blog http://mymidiblog.blogspot.com/ . I think this posting will stimulate a lot of debate with midwives.Carolynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02464510128406258242noreply@blogger.com