Calling all midwives or ppl who know!!!

I am seriously considering becoming a midwife but I have a few questions

1. I am weak in the stomach and don't think I could handle doing iv's etc etc is it possible to be a midwife wihout doing these things?

2. Is is possible t be a midwife and only work during the day??

As much as I would love to do this I am just wanting to figure out how it would fit in with family life and dh's job etc etc



Thank you so much for any info

Please don't take my post with any authority, I have absolutely NO idea what I'm talking about, but I had a couple of points -

1 - If you have a weak stomach, wouldn't the whole birth be a problem, not just IV's?
2 - Babies pretty much come whenever they want, so I'm guessing you hafta work around their schedule, KWIM?

I really don't mean any offence, those are just my thoughts

Not all mw need to put in IVs, perineal suturing etc at most hospitals its an extra skill you can learn but doing a short course and then demonstraing so many insertions.

As for the only work during the day if you were to work casual it would be possible, as generally most places you must do a rotating roster. Depending how many shift a week you want to work it may be possible to request all shifts but not generally.

Most places will have 0700 till 1530
then arvo is 1300 or later till 2130 or later
then night shift

hours really depend on organisation you work for as most places you will work all shifts and all days of week including weekend, public holidays and christmas

Thanks for the info!

sg, lol nope the birth doesn't bother me...well far from it i love it!, I'm a doula just not a needles fan!!

Feeb, thanks! Soworking casually is that a hard job to get? or are their lots of casual positions?

So basically you have antenatal appts which would involve internals and then internals during labour and obviosuly witness the birth etc but other than that there are no "icky" bits you have to do unless you want to??

The thing with casual work is you can just work at one hospital on bank and if they are short of staff will book you but can cancel you some places have a condition that they can move you to some other ward instead if you are not needed where booked.. Or you can work for an agency and go to different hospitals but can also get cancelled sometimes after you have arrived at hospital.

Some hospitals dont have agency work in birth suite just post natal.

Doing casual most likely you will only do birth suite if hospital allows it but mainly postnatal.

Depends on hospital and state how easy it is to get shifts.

Good luck

Yeah you don't have to do IV's but honestly even if you don't like them its something you would get use to quickly. I don't do IV's. Ive tried a few times got a few missed a few. Obviously even without putting them in yourself you have to connect them, tape them, change lines etc but there is no blood and nothing to worry about. Inserting IVs is also something you might start with some experience not whilst your training.
Nurses and midwives often have something they can't handle. For me thats goolies. Make me heave or vomit everytime A bit embarrassing when you have to run at times.

As for shift work. Unfortunately you can't get out of it whilst your training. When your qualified you have more opportunities to say no to certain shifts and to arrange set shifts that suit your needs. Unless your in management or community health then you nearly always have a 7am start from a morning shift not 9-5. But every hospital is different and the bigger the hospital often they have more variety in start and finish times.

Working on a casual basis you have more flexibility (although no guaranteed work) you can refuse to do night duty and evenings and just work during the day.

How do you find placenta's looking through them for abnormalities, checking the vagina for tears, poo, vomit etc? If that doesn't worry you then I am sure you will be fine. Even with a weak stomach you can still be a midwife if thats the profession you want to do. Also some places do not take direct entry midwives. You actually have to become a registered nurse first then do midwifery. Thats another thing to consider. Do you want to do general nursing first in order to be a midwife. I would recommend doing both as then you have two qualifications and really it depends on where you live as there are not alot of universities who run the direct entry midwifery.

Thanks ladies,

Thanks for that info Feeb, I would really want to be involved in the birth suite, I am also interested in antenatal and postnatal but wouldn't want to be always postnatal iykwim. So if I was only to work 2-3days I would maybe be able to do just days? Thanks for that though I guess for me I have always wanted to be a stay at home mum and we still want to have 2 more children but this is something I am very passionate about more than doing a job for the money, as in if I didnt do this then I may not work at all iykwim so it is a long term thing once the kids start school so I guess in saying that things could change too, but it is still great to get an idea, so not being guaranteed shifts would be ok. DH works 6-2 so it would be early starts that would be something to look into, how we would work it with the kids etc. If I only do a bACHELOR of Midwifery would they be able to send me to other wards??

It is pretty much iv's, sutures that I couldnt handle! I had gd that was insulin dependant with my 1st and I was ok with the needles, even though they aren't really a proper needle but so I think i would probably be ok doing syntocinon injections

Emmy, well I find placenta's AMAZING (lol in other settings that would sound a bit wierd but oh well!!) and I would be able to handle checkiong for tears and fine with the poo and vomit, have experience those things with my work as a doula. Griffith is starting a Bachelor of Midwifery next year that is just for midwifery not nursing, I wouldnt want to do the nursing, may sound strange but I have NO interest in nursing only midwifery

Yeah I know that feeling. I only did nursing to do midwifery as when I did it that was the only way you could do it. You wouldn't be sent to other wards except maternity related places like antenatal, postnatal, labour ward etc.

I love placentas too. I think there so amazing and so many people don't like the look of them. I love seeing the shape and where the cord is inserted and the cord length and thickness. So much variation in them. I think you would be fine and your stomach is obviously not that weak if you dont mind vomit and poo and blood lol.

Sorry should have explained myself more the other wards were meaning antenatal, postantal, scn and gynea