Days Leading Up to the Midwifery National Exam

Hello.
I'm aoo, a mother of two and a midwife.

Last time, I talked about an unforgettable clinical placement during my time as a midwifery student.

This time, I'd like to write about the days leading up to the midwifery national exam.

Once clinical placements are over, the next thing waiting is the national exam.

Getting into midwifery school was a major goal, but the true finish line was passing the national exam.

Back then, I spent every day focused on studying.

However, as a mother raising children, I didn't have the free time I had as a student.

The time my son was at daycare was my study time.

There were classes for national exam preparation, so I just studied during the day.

And when it was time for pickup, I returned to being a mother.

My husband would get home around 9:00 PM.

Picking him up, cooking dinner, giving him a bath, and putting him to bed.

It was tough, but it was also precious time that I, as a mother, could spend with him.

That's why I never thought about cutting into that time to study.

My study style was a bit unusual.

I would go to sleep around 9:00 PM with my son.

Then I would wake up at 2:00 or 3:00 AM to study.

From around 6:00 AM, I would finish chores like laundry and cleaning, and at 7:00 AM, I would wake my son up and get him ready for daycare.

After dropping him off, I would study again.

I kept up that lifestyle.

Looking back now, I think I really did a lot.

As the national exam approached, my anxiety grew.

There was a different kind of pressure compared to the nursing national exam.

I was being supported by so many people.

My husband and my parents were all cooperating.

That's why I remember feeling very strongly that

“I absolutely cannot fail”

.

And then came the day of the national exam.

Honestly, after the exam was over, I don't even remember if I was able to solve the problems.

My mind was blank from tension and exhaustion.

The day after the exam, I gathered with my classmates and checked the answers one by one.

It was a time for us to look back at the questions and come up with our own answers.

Looking at the results, I was within the passing range.

Of course, I was happy.

But more than that, I think the feeling of relief that

“it's finally over”

was greater.

I realized I had been running this hard until now.

After that, I reported to my husband and mother that I was in the passing range.

Both of them were as happy as if it were their own success, and they cried a lot.

Seeing them like that, I finally shed tears too.

And then, after the national exam was over, I told my son.

“Mommy is done with school. Thank you for helping me so much.”

Then my son said,

“Does that mean you can play with me more? I'm so happy! You did your best.”

I still can't forget those words.

My son was still small back then.

I'm sure there were many things he had to endure.

I was busy with clinical placements and studying, and I worried if I had been stealing away my son's precious time over this past year.

I was living with that anxiety.

That is why the words

“

happy” and

“you did your best”

remained deeply in my heart.

I don't know what my son was really thinking.

Even so, I felt happy and proud that he had grown enough to recognize someone's hard work and put it into words.

Through this experience, I realized something once again.

I was able to challenge myself to do what I wanted while being supported by my family.

So now, as a parent, when my children find something they want to do in the future, I want to be someone who can support them.

That is what I think.

From the day I started studying for the entrance exam, to taking the midwifery school entrance exam, to my life as a midwifery student, and up to the national exam.

It was a path I could never have reached alone.

My gratitude toward my family who supported me remains unchanged even now.

Next time, I'll try writing about the time I started working as a midwife.