I felt like the parenthetical explanation in the title was a necessary initial clarification.
I’M SO EXCITED I CAN’T GO TO SLEEP! Tomorrow I am shadowing as a student nurse in Ireland’s National Maternity Hospital. Fingers crossed, I will be able to see my first live birth.
This post simply documents my thoughts before the experience. Look for an upcoming post about how the day went.
I mean, I can’t even sleep. And I’m not the one giving birth tomorrow. (Again, thank God…)
I imagine how the mother is feeling right now. Probably uncomfortable, excited, anxious, nervous….a whole mix of feelings. If she’s already had several children, maybe giving birth is old news by now. If she is a first time mom…wow. Unreal.
My main concern is my ability to externalize the event. The girls in our midwifery lectures (Thomas is off the hook with this one) tend to squirm and wince when we watch birth videos. Externalizing that pain is so challenging. Since none of us have been pregnant, the idea of labor can be terrifying. Most of the time in lecture we stare down at our abdomens – filled with nothing except the occasional food-baby from lunch.
In all seriousness, my goals for tomorrow are to be a strong support system for the mother, to externalize the pain while remaining empathetic, and to not cry too much with joy if all goes smoothly.
For the family’s sake, I hope the labor is easy and comfortable. For my own sake, I hope I don’t faint. It’s a very real possibility given this level of excitement and nervousness.
Tonight I am sending good thoughts and wishes to the family about to welcome a new little member into the world. Here we go, little baby! It’s almost show time!
WOAH BABY – Trying on the empathy bellies in Midwifery class
Postcards from Ireland 