[New Midwife] 7 Mindsets to Cherish for Your First Delivery Duty | Things More Important Than Technique

Good morning! ☀️ I'm Carrie, a senior midwife who wants to support new midwives. 🌷

In my previous article, I talked about the "7 preparations" you should make before starting delivery duty.

Even if you are prepared, you still feel nervous when you actually enter the delivery room, don't you?

There are many new midwives who face their first delivery duty while harboring such anxieties. When I was a newcomer, I would reflect after every delivery assistance and sometimes feel down, thinking, "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a midwife." 🌀

Even so, the reason I gradually started to think "delivery assistance is interesting" is because not only my technique, but also my approach to delivery changed.

This time, I will talk about the "7 mindsets" I want to convey to new midwives. 👇

1. "Participate" instead of just "observing"

There is something I want to tell new midwives.

It is,

"to have the mindset of participating, not just observing." is.

Of course, as a newcomer, you have little experience, and I think there are many situations where you will be observing.

But, if you are just "observing," aren't you just standing there watching?

Every birth is different. That is why I think it is a great waste to just "watch vaguely."

When you observe, please try to observe with a purpose.

For example,

By deciding on one theme like this, the scenery you see will change.

And another important thing is,

to be in the delivery room while thinking, "Is there anything I can do too?"

For example,

These are important midwifery care tasks that even a newcomer can perform. Delivery assistance is not just about "delivering the baby." Supporting the mother so she can give birth with peace of mind is also an important role for a midwife.

"I can't do anything yet because I can't assist with the delivery."

Instead of thinking that way,"What care can I provide right now?"

Just by standing in the delivery room with that perspective, you will becomenot a "spectator," but a "member of the team."

And I believe that building on this will cultivate your observational and judgment skills as a midwife, leading to improvement in your delivery assistance.

2. Look at the mother in front of you, not just the monitor

When I was a new midwife, there were times I would just stare at the monitor screen before entering the room and couldn't move. Perhaps I lacked confidence in my care and didn't have the courage? to enter the room.

Of course, all of this is important information.

But the monitor isonly "a piece of information" representing the mother's condition.

The person a midwife faces is not the monitor, but the "mother" right in front of her.

For example,

These changes do not show up on the monitor.

That is why, when I see a new midwife who cannot move while in front of the monitor, I tell them,"The monitor is important, but look at the mother's face once."

A midwife is a professional in delivery assistance, but at the same time, a professional who stands by the mother. Not just the fetal heart rate or the progress of labor,

Having that perspective is the first step toward midwifery care that stands by the mother.

And, observing the mother closely also leads to early detection of abnormalities.

"Something feels a bit off." That small sense of unease is, in many cases, a feeling that senior midwives have acquired through experience.

No one has that sense from the very beginning.

That is precisely why I want you to be conscious of the "habit of observing people" from your time as a newcomer.

Do not just understand the birth through the numbers on the monitor; feel the entire birth process, including the mother's facial expressions, voice, breathing, and gestures.

Building up that experience will cultivate your observational and assessment skills as a midwife.

3. Consult immediately when you don't understand something

Some new midwives hesitate, thinking, "I might get scolded if I ask this," or "The seniors look busy. Is it okay to consult them now?"

However, in a setting where you are entrusted with lives, "not consulting" can be a greater risk.

Consulting is an important action to protect the patient's safety.

"Is it okay to consult you now?"

A midwife who can say those words will definitely grow.

4. Do not aim for perfection

When I was a newcomer, there was a time when I would think, "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a midwife," whenever one thing didn't go well. I was a negative new midwife who would completely deny my own worth over that one thing that didn't go well (laughs).

But, there is no such thing as a perfect score in delivery assistance.

Even now, more than 10 years after becoming a midwife, there are times when I think, "I might have been able to provide better care at that time. Maybe I should have done this."

That is why I believe midwifery is a job where you continue to learn.

Instead of focusing on what you couldn't do, why not value the habit of thinking about "what to do next"?

5. The birth includes the reflection

A birth does not end when the baby is born and the placenta is delivered.

By reflecting on each delivery case by case, experience becomes knowledge.

However, there is no need for self-blaming reflection that only focuses on regrets.

Speaking from my own experience, when I look back on my time as a new midwife,

and other such things, I only reflected on my mistakes. Of course, that is also an important part of reflection.

But just as important is reflecting on "what went well." This perspective is something I became conscious of after I started doing reflections together with my juniors.

For example,

Deliveries that end smoothly are often just left at "that was good," but they are actually a treasure trove of learning.

There is a reason for everything, such as the way a senior colleague speaks, positioning, support for breathing techniques, and creating an environment that does not hinder the progress of labor, all of which I used to watch without much thought.

When you can put into words "why it went well," you will be able to replicate that success in the next delivery.

Conversely, by reflecting on "why it didn't go as planned," you can see the points to improve next time.

Reflection is not a time to blame yourself.

It is a time to organize your experience, including both successes and failures, and think about "how to apply this to the next delivery."

Reflecting carefully on each case will increase your repertoire as a midwife.

I plan to introduce specific methods of reflection and how to use the "My Delivery Log" that I practice in the next article.

6. Don't blame yourself too much

When I was a new midwife, every time I finished a delivery,

I think there are times when you reflect on things.

When I was a newcomer, every time I finished assisting a delivery, I would look back on it repeatedly on my way home or in the bath at home, and I would feel down, thinking, "Maybe I'm not cut out to be a midwife."

However, from my experience so far, I think the attitude of continuing to think, "Maybe I could have provided better care," is what becomes the strength to keep growing as a midwife. I really think so.

And for new midwives who tend to blame themselves during reflection, the most important thing I want to convey is

just because you couldn't assist with a delivery as well as you wanted to, you don't need to deny your own worth.

That is what I mean. When you are a newcomer, only the things that didn't go well stay in your mind. Of course, reflection is important. But what is even more important is

to also turn your eyes toward "what you were able to do today." I think.

Such small steps are also wonderful growth. Before you go to sleep, please think of three things you were able to do today.

7. Believe in yourself

The last thing I want to convey. It is this:

You passed the national exam and were hired as a midwife. And the fact that you were entrusted with delivery attendance means that "you can be trusted" is what your workplace decided.

Of course, that doesn't mean you have become able to do it alone.

It is okay to consult about things you don't understand.

It is okay to ask for help when you are in trouble.

On top of that, it means that you are expected to grow. That is what it means.

Please believe a little more in yourself, who has overcome clinical training and the national exam.

Conclusion

Assisting in deliveries is a job where you can witness the miracle of the birth of life.

That is precisely why it is nerve-wracking, and there is also fear.

However, that fear is by no means a bad thing.

Because you are afraid, you prepare.

Because you are afraid, you consult others.

Because you are afraid, you reflect.

Building on that, little by little, your feelings will change to 'delivery assistance is fun' and 'I want to learn more'.

Next time, I will introduce in detail how to reflect on delivery assistance that I have continued since I was a newcomer, how to maximize learning from seniors and doctors, and how to utilize a 'My Delivery Log'.

I hope this will be a hint to turn each birth into a lifelong asset for yourself, rather than ending your reflection as just a 'debriefing session'.

Also, the previous article '7 Preparations You Want to Do Before Delivery Duty Starts' is now available. If you want to read from the preparation stage, please take a look at that as well.