So long 2012!

What a fabulous, crazy, stressful year it has been for me! And I wouldn't change a thing. Quick update: Clinicals are going well and I'll be doing births in a few weeks. I'm too excited for words!
Thank you all for your amazing support as I welcome what will probably be my most amazing year yet. It's been almost 2 years and as this part of the journey draws closer to a close, know that I feel your love and your encouragement. It has truly helped me get through a tough year! I hope 2013 will be exceptionally beautiful for all of you.
Love, light, and blessings!
~mamamidwife~

There are no words...

By the grace of God my kindergartener made it home today...my mom and her teachers will go back to school on Monday and their kids will be there...there are no words. Its never ok when a child is lost but for someone to do something so horrific to these babies...there just aren't any words.
I stopped in Newtown on my way back to the city this past summer for gas. I remember thinking how sweet and quiet and cute this little town was-its one of the reasons I said I would move to Connecticut if I had to, to find a job. 
I don't understand why people are so malicious. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that anybody would want to hurt a child. I can't comprehend the loss that these families are enduring. I don't know what to say and all I want to do is hug my child and keep him close. All I have to offer are my tears for a heartbroken community and prayers that God will hold these families close and keep all of our children safe when they return to school on Monday.

God bless you Newtown. And may God bless the 26 angels who earned their wings today.

First week of clinicals...check!

What a crazy awesome week this has been! 46 women in my first 3 days. I know for some this is no big deal but when you've been out of nursing for a while it takes a minute to get back into things.
I absolutely love my site. There are 6 amazing midwives (4 of whom I've already spent time with this week). This week they have all given me the space I need to adjust and practice at my own speed. For me it was exactly what I needed from the novice point of view, to feel safe enough to say "ok I'm ready to try this on my own". Which is exactly what I did Wednesday and Thursday. I've been doing lots of fundal heights and fetal heart tones. It's funny how no 2 people do the exact same thing but get the same result. I also did my first exam on a pregnant uterus...I don't know why but there is something so exciting about validating all this stuff that has been crammed into my head the last year and a half. I had such a great week interacting with patients-I forgot how much I love being a nurse. The charting to keep up with my clinical numbers is not so much fun but it's a necessary evil that gets me closer to getting my degree.
So anyway I'm looking forward to getting back next week. My goal is to look over some more stuff this weekend so I can get more comfortable in the teaching and answering questions part of patient interaction. Hopefully by the end of next week I will feel more comfortable seeing patients on my own. 

Princess Kate = Awesome!!!

So by now you've heard that Princess Kate is expecting a baby but is being hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum. I gotta say-it made me really like her! I don't know what it is but something about Kate puking her guts out gives me the warm fuzzies. Maybe it's because she's found her (literal) prince charming and I attract toads that turn into nightmares. Or maybe its because I'm sick in the head. :) But I do feel incredibly sorry for her. Not one day went by while I was pregnant that I can't remember not vomiting at least 2 or 3 times a day. To this day I still think I consumed more gatorade than an athlete does in an entire season. And hyperemesis gravidarum is way worse than what I went through. It's nature's cruel and unusual punishment to women already faced with hormonal imbalances, pain in all the wrong places, and cankles. It's not something I would wish on my worse enemy and I certainly wouldn't wish it on this girl who can't change clothes without causing an international shopping spree. So despite my joyful glee at her misery, I wish her and Prince William a safe, happy pregnancy and I hope she gets well soon.
And P.S. Kate-I'll love you more if you go #teammidwife!  The UK has some fabulous midwives!

Finally!!!

Well after a month long delay (I will refrain from finger pointing), I am off to clinical tomorrow. Tomorrow is strictly observing and doing some housekeeping stuff. I've been granted guest privileges for the health system so I'll get an official badge and such tomorrow. I'm grateful that I won't have much to do tomorrow because I feel like everything I crammed into my brain in October is gone. As a student I always want to go in prepared but I feel like I can't remember a thing! This is such an unusual place for me to be. In nursing school I was very comfortable in clinicals because most everything I had already done or was familiar with. But this is a whole new ballgame. A lot of people keep telling me it's best to start with a fresh pair of eyes but I'm feeling like maybe I should have tried a little harder to work L&D before now. I've tried channeling my nervous energy into something constructive but so far I've manged to clean everything twice. So anyway, here goes nothing! Looking forward to sharing my experiences soon! :)