WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

Friday night, now that it’s over I can say the Q word – it was reasonably what I
would call quiet which was great for me having come off 6 weeks of annual leave
because the last thing you want when your brain is trying to get back into gear is
a hell night. We had a few babies, we had a few LMCs through, everybody got
their meal breaks, you got time to go to the toilet. I had time to undo all my mail
that had accumulated in 6 weeks and action certain things for that... yeah and
Saturday night was fairly similar, enough people to do the work, time to sit down
and talk about things with the registrar and anaesthetist and feel like you are
being collegial with supporting the wards. Just feeling like you belong to a team
rather than just what is happening in delivery suite. Supporting a house surgeon
who was upset about a second trimester SRM and having the time to just support
and talk with her.
With the uncertainty and unpredictability of delivery suite work, it was not until the shift
was over that Jane could retrospectively look back and reflect on what felt like a quiet
shift for her. A sense of superstition is revealed, that if she verbalises ‘the Q word’ it may
rebound on her. This ‘quiet’ shift feels like a precious gift; a luxury in comparison with
the usual busyness of her workplace. Having time for a meal break and going to the toilet
are accepted rights in most work places but for Jane as coordinator, for staff to get their
breaks and for her to achieve all she needed to do during her shift is the exception rather
than the rule. Her sense of ‘team’ and her appreciation of having time to talk, to listen
and to feel satisfied with what she achieved during her shift shines in this story. Jane also
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