The University of Salford Midwifery Society Magazine Semester 3

It’s ok not to be ok
2nd year student Sian Marie Hampton, reflects upon her midwifery
degree so far and reminds us all that strength comes from the journey.
Well, where do I start? I apologise in advance about my writing
and hope it makes sense. The joys that my dyslexia brings when
trying to articulate myself!
I write this at my table; looking at my essay plan and trying my
hardest to work my way through it and prepare for yet another
essay. I’m sat with my mind boggling as always. Constantly
wondering; is this right? Am I portraying my point? Have I
understood what I am to do correctly? Then I realise I’m not
alone, as I notice my WhatsApp groups pinging away. We’re all
in similar situations, trying our best to get through this degree.
We all took this path and worked hard to become a part of it; now
working even harder to fulfil those goals. The further we go, the
ever more determined we become to qualify.
To those who do not know me, I am currently a 2nd year student
midwife who was originally in the 2018 cohort. However, I am now
retaking part of my 2nd year. I am not ashamed or embarrassed to
tell you this. This is not a rare factor. Life in general can be very
chaotic and my last year was certainly unique. There were quite a
few personal dramas going on at home which made learning and
performing academically even harder than I find already. And
then the biggest curveball of all happened - COVID. It well and
truly made things so hard for so many and I had a decision to
make; do I step off, opt in, or opt out? With one failed assessment
already on my mind for the academic year, I made the decision I
thought was best for me - I opted in. I adore clinical placement
and this, I admit, is where I learn best. The online uni was by far
more of a struggle for me. I was home-schooling a 5-year-old and
had a very active 2-year-old at home, I was juggling many balls.