Midwifery Today Community

Hi ladies!  I recently started apprenticing with 2 wonderful midwives and I'm loving it.  I really want to make sure I am being helpful but unobtrusive, so I'd love to hear some of your "what NOT to do's" concerning my presence at births.  Or, keep it positive and give me the "to do's"!

What do you love for an apprentice/student to do?

What do you hate them to do?

Anything else?

Thanks in advance for you responses!

I love my apprentices to tell me how much I look like Kim Basinger!!

When at a birth or prenatal, try not to tell too many personal experience stories.  Once in a while ok, but if you talk about yourself too much you'll irritate the mama and midwife.

Giving your midwives a rundown of the dates you are not available for a birth or prenatal because of commitments will just set the tone of 'she's just not that into this" and may prevent them from calling you.  I know that has happened to me a bit.  We all have lives.  To be committed to midwifery means you live your life but you drop everything to attend a mama.

Listen.  Help clean up, Make tea.  Anticipate needs.

read holistic midwifery, heart and hands, know how to use the instruments well. stay clean for births, be always the learner.

if you have concerns about something the client or midwife says during a prenatal or birth, approach the midwife privately to discuss that. keep your cell phone nearby and answer it when she calls

enjoy the births : )

 I usually lke my apprentices to start off just taking notes, while observing the midwives interacting w the family. Often when gloved, I can't be taking up to the minute notes, then when I can chart, can't remember what happened when. Then, after she knows my "style" and learns more, she can pitch in more. If coming from the same direction, I love to be "chauffered" to births & prenatals.  would also love it if she were to file my stats for me, I am way behind!

I would expect that she would never contradict me in front of a client, but would come to me privately to discuss any differences of opinion, not just follow me blindly.

I hope we would agree when she has the experience & skill for the apprenticeship to be over. I have known a few to branch off & start an independant practice, before the mentor agrees she is ready, then she tells possible clients that she apprenticed w that mentor, making it seem like the mentor graduated her to independant practice when such was not the case.   

Thank you everyone for the thoughtful responses!  Keep 'em coming!