Happy new year! Another month and another birth! My first booked client ended up being my third birth, but her little girl was born last week. Spontaneous rupture of membranes at home got things started, a planned epidural at the hospital with an unplanned whiff of Pitocin to keep things moving, less than an hour of pushing and she was here! I felt my role at this birth was less physical, but more encouraging and making sure immediate postpartum needs were met. I tried to be a calming presence for a mom who tends to worry and make sure her priorities from her birth plan were upheld (delayed cord-clamping, the first hour skin-to-skin without interruption for weighing, exams, etc., keeping the placenta, and no eye ointment or shots for babe). We haven't had our postpartum meeting yet, but I hope that this momma also felt my presence was worthwhile.
So, no booked clients on the horizon, but they tend to fall into my lap at the right time, so I'm not overly concerned. I just have to finish up my birth essay on the last birth and finalize my paperwork and I'll be ready to send in my certification materials. Hopefully, all is in order and they will review and certify me without additional requests.
My new quarter at school started. It is a busy quarter with 4 classes including Leadership (my final pre-RN course) with a clinical placement in a high-risk antepartum OB unit, Pharmacology (this is the prescribing class for APNs as opposed to the nursing administration course), Advanced Reproductive Dynamics (the physiologic and pathophysiologic basis for the rest of my women's health and midwifery classes), and a Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine class. All classes that I will find extremely valuable, but it's alot to do at once! I've only done one day of orientation on my clincial unit, but I think I will love it and it's great to be around all these pregnant moms. Even if I spend half my time wondering how they could have been managed diffently to not have to be on this unit. For a few days while things were being finalized, I thought I was going to be placed on an L&D floor, but the preceptor fell through, so antepartum it is. Patience. Soon enough I'll be seeing lots of deliveries!
I don't expect much over the next month. School, sleep, repeat. Although I'd love to have some idea on the status of my DONA certification by next month (doubtful).
