Who has has had a student midwife at their birth?

[AliBaby]

I have had a student midwife with me for the last few hospital appointments. She wil also attend the birth if she can make it and then postnatal care.

I am just wondering what I should expect during labour and birth? I now I should have asked her these questions but I didnt even think about it at the time.

[BrightSparkles]

Mine just really shadowed and watched what the other midwife did. No trouble at all. You just ask her for what you are comfortable with at the time. Gl x

[RainbowRiver]

I had one for my last birth. She mainly was another support person, rubbed my back, got me drinks, encouraged me when things got a little tough.

This pregnancy i have one as well

[AliBaby]

Thanks girls. I realy like my student midwife. I just dont want to ask her to do something and it isnt her "job" so to speak.

I also want to feel like I have space if I need it without seeming rude.

At DD's birth, the midwives left me to myself unless I needed them. I was happy to be in my zone in the shower. I didnt even want DH in there. Just made him come in and check on me if I called out to him. I know every birth is different so not sure what I will want.

[Amy_jellybean]

I was lucky enough that my student midwife worked at the hospital I birthed at so she got to be my midwife and just had another midwife over seeing what she was doing. It was so lovely to have the extra support and put us at ease. I ended up with an emergency caesar and she was able to come in with DH and I. She was fab and I really hope she can be my midwife for my next baby

[Eenee]

Both times they mainly observed and took photo's for me

[Tyige]

I am a student midwife or should I say on hold lol, basically the student midwife is there for extra support so you have someone familiar in the birth suite with you (besides your family). Depending on the students year depends on what they do during the birth, generally obs are taken by the SM and anything to help you feel comfortable like ice or water etc. the more experience gain the more that the SM does, some help deliver the baby aswell, but this also is up to the lady giving birth . If you feel like you need some privacy and your not getting it just ask if she minds giving you some privacy for a while, your SM wont mind . I hope that helps .

[milka]

My student midwife was great. I was induced so she just sat there, we all made polite chit chat nothing was really happening... Then when suddenly it all began my husband said she jumped right in & did what she could ( telling me to breathe, comforting me...) I don't really remember her doing these things but she did. I do remember getting on the floor on all fours and laying my head in someone's lap which ended up being my birthing position and once the final push was over I looked up & realised it was her lap I had been leaning on, her hand i was squashing & her ear I had been screaming in... My husband was just at the back not doing all that much!! (for some reason I don't seem to like him at the moment I'm giving birth!!)
I could not have gone drug free without her & my real midwife

[HotI]

i had a student midwife for both my pregnancies. i didn't invite the student to DDs birth, but did for DS' birth. She helped get DH to start filling the birthpool. Let me know what she thought was happening. i didn't need any obs so she wasn't involved in physical stuff, but she did help me get out of my pants. She also held baby for us when i was not strong enough, and DH had to get some sleep. We still keep in touch now.

[Cricket]

I have had a student midwife with me for the last few hospital appointments. She wil also attend the birth if she can make it and then postnatal care.

I am just wondering what I should expect during labour and birth? I now I should have asked her these questions but I didnt even think about it at the time.

I think it will depend on how far along in her studies she is, and what your wishes are. I've had a student a couple of times, and one was nearly done her schooling, so she did most of the "work" of the delivery, with my regular midwife right there to check. Then I had another who was not as far along, and she did a couple examinations, (with my permission) but mostly my regular midwife handled the rest. Each time I was asked if I was OK with having the student there, and having them involved in my care. They explained what she would be doing and explained that my midwife would be right there as well. I was OK with it, because I "clicked" with the student pretty well, and was comfortable with her, and I know it's sometimes hard for them to get the experience they need to learn.

You should have a choice, either way though, so feel free to ask for whatever you need in the moment!

[AliBaby]

Thanks everyone.

Great to hear from mums who have had student midwives and student midwives themselves. I feel very comfortable with her so I am sure all will be fine. I thnk from memory she has a year to go in her studies. I was more than happy to take her on as everyone has to learn and I did click with her as well.

DH did a great job supporting me last time but it will be lovely to have an extra support person who knows what is going on as well. She has had 2 children herself.

Thanks again for all of your replies.

[Glass half full]

I'm not sure my experience is what you're after, but i'll share anyway I didn't have a student follow me through my pregnancy, but I did happen to have a student midwife working when I gave birth. From what I remember she was so lovely and both her and the qualified midwife just let me 'get on with it', which was pretty great for me having a hospital vbac. She was actively involved, and i recall the other midwife telling her to do certain things when i was in the pushing stage. She was so excited/happy/surprised that she had witnessed a vbac be such a 'normal' birth, that I hoped it would influence her thoughts towards vbac in the future. I told her " you have to go tell your uni friends, vbac is awesome!" Haha!
So after that experience, I would definitely be happy to have a student midwife follow my journey through out my pregnancy and labour if I were to ever have another

[Beatrix]

I had a student with my 1st birth and she was so amazing!!
She was in her 3rd year, so very hands on (with my permission) and I remember how excited she was because my daughter was her first catch!!!

I didn't have one with with 2nd or 3rd only because she was terribly unrealiable and misses so many apps I told her no to birth.

This time I have a awesome lady again. I meet her before falling pg at the baby expo and liked her so when I fell pg I rang her up. She is so excited about my birth as well, not many students have the opportunity to attend a home birth. Not sure how much of a active roll she will play in the birth as it depends how I feel being my first home birth and well i may decide just to have the qualified ladies do all the bits and bobs but I know she would be happy to just observe. She does my obs normally at general app.

[Traveller]

I had a student midwife with my first who I didn't really bond with. I kinda wish I'd just asked her to leave tbh and I didn't have a student with my next birth. I wanted a student with my last birth but it didn't happen as you can't request one in that way in the NHS.

As a student I try to ensure that if the woman I was with didn't want me there that she would be able to ask me to leave, knowing I wouldn't take offence. What I actually do depends on the setting. In the private hospital I do a lot less. I'm there to observe and anything clinical I do is up to the decision of the midwife in charge of the birth. In the public system I will do anything I can, up to and including catching the baby, because it's much more acceptable there to do so. That's not the way in all private hospitals though.

[sloane]

I had a student m/w for dd's birth. she was great. she made it really clear from the start (when I was about 14 weeks) that she was there to do ad much or little as I wanted. I wanted her to be there for dd's birth (wasn't fussed about labour while I was at home because I just wanted to be by myself). it turned out well because she was working at her p/t job on the day but absolutely bolted to get there and made it with about 30min to spare! I wasn't worried that she was only at three hospital towards the end as I felt supported enough. she was great though and took photos for us right after dd was born which was awesome because we were only able to get one photo after ds was born and it's a horrible one!

we've stayed in touch and dd will be 1 in a couple of weeks.

as I have birth both times at a big tertiary hospital there have been student m/w present both times as well. they have also been great and the.student present for dd being born did the catching.

[My Three Sons]

I have both been the student midwife and had a student at DS3's birth. The student who followed me was working with my caseload midwife, I wasn't a continuity experience for her. But I saw her at most of my appointments and she sat with me during my whole labour, and caught my son. She was lovely and I really wished I had been able to keep in contact with her, especially as it was her who got me to go and study midwifery!

From the point of being the student in continuity experiences, I made sure that my women knew that it was totally their call as to if I was in or out of the birth room, or if they didn't want me there that I would not take any offence. I had one of mine ask me to meet me at the hospital, only for her to get her husband to call once she got there because she changed her mind. I was disappointed that I was going to miss to see her in all her birthing goddess mode, but I was VERY, VERY glad that she knew and felt comfortable enough to tell me what she wanted ensure her birth was the way she wanted.
I had some births I wasn't invited to, and some I was. Each was wonderful and I learned so much from every birth I had the honour of attending as a student.

[Beautiful Disaster]

Me and she is a bb member without her I would have been lost.