Monday, December 8, 2008

I Passed!

Woohoo! One more workshop passed, and just one more to go before I'm finished with the academic portion of my midwifery study! This last one was on the Postpartum and Newborn. The new one is the Advanced Skills ~ where I get to learn about suturing and starting IV's and fun stuff like that!

I also have to write my protocols. In the state of Texas we have basic rules and laws that govern us, but each midwife has to write her own set of protocols stating what "I" will do in a given situation. For example: If I have a woman that goes beyond her due date, how far past that date am I willing to let her go before deciding she needs to have her baby? The docs don't like to see them go past 40 weeks ~ but some moms are 'slow cookers' and can actually safely carry a baby for 44 weeks! As time goes on, there are some risks, and I have to know what they are, and decide how comfortable I am with them, for how long...

I have to do this for every area of midwifery covered in the rules and laws. It won't be a quick process, but it is a good one. It makes you think through all the book learning you have done, and put that together with the clinical work you've done, and then decide what you feel comfortable with as a new midwife. There are things that will change in my protocols as I have more experience, but I have to decide what I am willing to do (and in some cases, where is the line I'm drawing in what I'm willing to risk my license over) right now.

Feel free to pray for me as I go through this process. I want to trust birth, and trust God in birth, and be wise and safe...

It's a beautiful day here in Springtown. We have the Christmas tree up and decorated, and the windows are open today. Can't do that up north, I bet! It's been a cloudy overcast day, but the temp is 70! The boys have done school, I've unpacked some boxes, we've hung some pictures on the wall, I'm trying to catch up on e-mail and such, and all-in-all, it's been a productive day at home. A much needed one!

Before leaving for my workshop last week on Thursday ~
  • Monday we had a study day for the 3 of us doing this workshop who live in the Ft. Worth area
  • Tuesday we had prenatal appointments all day
  • Wednesday we had a birth at the birth center
  • Thursday we had a birth at the birth center, and cleaned up and left only a little late for the workshop, arriving in Midland at about 10 PM
It was a very busy week! And has been a very busy, crazy 3 months since the last workshop with Robert's dad passing away in September, my move to the birth center in October, and the family moving to Springtown in November. But it is over, I did survive (although there were days when I wondered if I would survive intact!), and there is only one more workshop to go!

I'm taking this week off from school, just doing the prenatals, postpartum visits, and any births that may happen. Then I will get started next week so I don't end up with the last minute crunch (yeah, right! even when I start early and work all the way through, I still somehow end up with a last minute panic over getting it all done ~ why is that?).

Through all of this, I am learning ever better and deeper that God is in control, not me. There are new areas daily that I realize I am trying to make something happen, when if I would just rest, and let Him be God, I could relax so much more...will I ever figure that one out ahead of time? Here's praying I do, and soon!

Blessings!

2 comments:

For His Glory said...

That's great Congrat's on the test!! Anita

Anonymous said...

it's a great feeling isn't it....to be ALMOST done. can't wait until we're DONE!