My experience with the midwifery team begins with a lot of appointments around Yorkishire. Usually I travel by train/ bus when I go to visit clients with Sharyn, because she chose long time ago to avoid using a car and to not contribuite to envirolmental pollution with her travel. I travel with the other midwives by car and usually we need around one hour to get the woman’s house, so I have a long time to discuss their business and their choice to become independent midwife with them.
It is very interesting for me to listen their personal histories, and every time I can learn something. When we arrive to woman’s house we are welcomed with a lovely cup of tea and any pets who live in the house.
Currently, the midiwife introduces me to the woman and we sit on the sofa. It is nice to travel and to get to know English people in their houses, so I can appreciate better their culture, mostly the famous English tea!!!
We provide antenatal and post natal care, so I have the chance to meet women during the pregnancy and after the birth, this is a good opportunity for me to practice continuity of care, that is an important part of the midwifery model.
The continuity of care is also a benefit of independent work, in fact in that way the midwife can build a good relationship with the woman and her partner, who is also actively involved, and support the family in their informed choice about the pregnancy and the birth.
During the visit the midwife writes her notes in a book which details all the information about the client and her medical hystory and after every visit the midwife updates this information and the most important points of the visit , that who consents to share with the other collegues and to have a legal document.
The clinical checks during the visit are very few, just the abdominal palpation, the blood pressure, the urine stick and the ascultation of the fetal heartbeat. In fact for my team the most important thing is to talk with the woman and to ask her how she is; everything is based on the relationship and on what the woman says. There is a plan of things to be discussed, and every time the midiwife and woman talk about a topic, for example the managment of third stage of labour, or what she wants to do with the placenta after the birth.
The visit ends with the date of the next appointment. What happened during the visit, and how the woman feels is shared in the team’s meeting every thuesdays, after a delicious lunch.
Every midwife sees each woman, in that way the responsability is shared and working in a team is very beneficial. The clients find the team on their website, or on facebook or by word of mouth. At first the midwife meet the woman for a consultation, a chat about the care that the team provides and the payment options and the woman’s expecations and wishes.
If the woman proceeds with them, she has to pay insurance for the care and she has two years to complete payment.
The team is very lovely and friendly with me, they are avaialable to answer my questions and often ask me about independent midwifery in Italy and the care in Hospital.
The most important think I undestood is the benefit of working together and the skills which every mdiwife can bring into the group. Chris and Sharyn in particular are helping me to improve my business idea as a future freelance midwife, because Chris first founded the team 26 years ago, so she has a lot of experience and Sharyn has made different ethical choices in her life and for me is fascinating and useful to have a different point of view.
Until next time!
