Full Roses Revolution Day X MORE MIDWIVES Report

Below is a critical report from a midwifery student. It also deals with violence among midwives, how violence was used against the woman and how it could have harmed the baby. The overwork of midwives due to working conditions that are close to burnout can lead to situations such as the following. MORE MIDWIVES believes it is important to point out such symptoms when the system fails.

It was my exam week and I didn't really have much to do in the delivery room that day as I deserved a little break after the previous day's exam. I should have been able to choose my tasks in the delivery room. There was a midwife on the duty roster who I was reluctant to go with and so I didn't actively offer my help. This midwife has a lot of women to look after on this shift. They could actually have been divided up differently, but she made a conscious decision to do so. She went to see a woman who had just come into the delivery room from the ward and was in contractions with twins in the 26th week of pregnancy. At the same time, however, she also had to look after a woman who was in the final stages of labor.

There were actually still midwives on duty who would have had time. However, as the midwife was now with the new woman who had contractions in the 26th week of her pregnancy, the woman, who was about to give birth to her child, was left without any care. The woman then rang the bell. I went over and the woman obviously needed help. She was already moaning very deeply and was already pushing during the contractions. I tried to support her and finally saw that the head was slowly becoming visible. I called the midwife in charge. She shouted directly at me: “Come on, do it!” She probably meant that I should start with the perineal protection. The head came out well, but the woman was clearly confused and wanted to get out of bed. The midwife shouted at the woman to stay in bed. And said to me in a louder tone: “Then we’ll cut now!” I said: “I’m not doing it!” I thought that with proper care the woman could give birth without an episiotomy.

She said to me even louder: "And you want to take the exam?" She threw the scissors at me and said: "Cut!" I said: "No!" She said: "Do it!" I felt so sorry for the woman at that moment and I noticed tears welling up in my eyes. This pressure, the pressure to enable the woman to have a dignified birth and the pressure of the exam with the accusation in the back of my mind as to whether I was even suitable for the profession, made me act like an instrument: I took the scissors and cut the woman an "epi". But the head did not come out because it was obviously high. She cut again. The woman screamed. And then after about 5 contractions the child was born. Did the "epi" help? I don't think so! The midwife's style did not help the natural birth process either! Shortly after the baby was born, the midwife left the room and I was alone with the doctor and the couple. I helped the woman and put the baby to her breast. The tears came harder and I could no longer speak. After five minutes in the toilet, where I tried to let out the injustice and violence in the form of tears, I went to the family. In the room, the midwife stood in front of the family and said to me: "Oh yes, and you want to be a midwife, but you can't even help the woman breastfeed!".