16 Sep My externship - An interim report
My sixth week in outpatient practice ends with a birth. It's a Sunday morning. My mobile phone rings shortly after 7 a.m. and I sleepily see Nora's name on the display. That can only mean one thing: I'm wide awake. A labour has started and I'm allowed to go with her.
Excited, I fall out of bed into the first clothes I can grab, brush my teeth, put on my shoes and off I go. On the way, I organise a coffee and croissant just in time. Not knowing what to expect, I try to be as prepared as possible. The remaining tiredness and morning hunger are gone.
When we arrive, it is very quiet at first. Silence, broken only occasionally by gentle sounds. The woman giving birth is completely at peace with herself. On tiptoe, I find my place next to Nora, who documents the progress so far and lets me know with a glance that it may still take some time. In the end, everything goes quickly.
In the cosy, dark bathroom, in the bathtub, the pregnant woman gives birth with joy and in her own rhythm, with patience and devotion, and welcomes her child. The atmosphere is moving, it is hard to describe in words how much the room is filled with joy, love and gratitude.
Since the start of my extra-clinical assignment in August, I have been able to get to know the family through regular check-ups and discussions and am now accompanying them a little further on their journey in the postnatal period. The unfamiliar feeling I had at the beginning - of being a foreign observer - gave way to curiosity, openness, a slowly growing familiarity and a feeling of closeness. The family shared their worries and fears, their challenges and their development with me. Sorrows and joys were also shared with me.
Watching this pregnancy unfold, connecting with the family who trusted me to be there for the birth of their child and finally seeing the family with a healthy mum* and her healthy baby in labour is invaluable to me.
This family is exemplary for all the families that I have been able to get to know and accompany during my work with Lena and Nora. This out-of-hospital assignment gives me enormous strength and support and gives me confidence for my future assignments in the delivery room. Because in order to recognise when help is really needed during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, I need the ability and confidence in my health. I'm learning that every day.
TEXT: VALEEN KÖLLING
PHOTO: DANNY MERZ