After my daughter was born, I kept looking at the placenta saying things like, “I grew an entirely new organ! That supported a person for nine months! And then kicked it out when I was done with it!”
Placentas are awesome.
This is the best thing I have ever read about placenta.
“Angélique Marguerite Le Boursier du Coudray (c. 1712–1794) was an influential, pioneering midwife. In 1759 the king commissioned her to teach midwifery to rural women to reduce infant mortality. Between 1760 to 1783, she traveled rural France, sharing her knowledge with women. During this time, she is estimated to have directly trained 4,000 students.
“Du Coudray invented the first lifesize obstetrical mannequin, called “The Machine”. Various strings and straps serve to simulate the process of childbirth. The head of the infant mannequin has a shaped nose, stitched ears, hair drawn with ink, and an open mouth, with tongue.”
via retronaut
Sorry for the inactivity recently, the workload I have right now is ruining my social life!
Thinking up a Midwifery 101 I can post to make it up to you all soon!
This is a face presentation. Baby is born OP with its face as the presenting part. There can be complicating factors that indicate cesarean, but surgery shouldn’t be the first course of action. As you can see here, vaginal birth with a face presentation is safe with a skilled provider. However, it’s common for baby’s face to be swollen and bruised for a few days (or longer) after birth — it’s hard work making your way down the vagina!
Having a bit of a soppy moment about my life and midwifery and how glad I am that I chose this path.
Someone slap me before I start getting all gushy.
Had the nicest shift ever on delivery yesterday. Cared for the most lovely couple! Was gutted I wasn’t there to help deliver their little girl.
I did go and visit them on the ward today though, couldn’t resist meeting their gorgeous little daughter.
The dad was the most amazing birth partner I’ve ever come across, he was so tuned in to his wife and what she needed. The only time he spent on his phone was when he was using an app to record her contractions. He was on his feet for the entire 14 hour shift (and most likely the rest of the night!) rubbing her back, massaging her swollen feet, cooling her down with a damp flannel.
He talked her through every contraction, keeping her breathing controlled and steady. He encouraged her and told her how amazing she was doing after every pain.
It was so beautiful to watch, you could just see how much he loved her.
It’s shifts like that that remind me why I want to do this job. It was really magical.
