Catch up

Where has the week gone? I suspect a deal of it slipped by while I was a) at work on the postnatal / antenatal ward for 3 days, b) procrastinating/avoiding cleaning up my pigsty of a craft room c) watching romance movies (Love Actually, and The Holiday) d) Super-poking work people on Facebook (very low-brow I know) as well as e) spending the weekend just hanging out with my hubby and daughter.

This working for only 7 shifts a fortnight feels really slack! Having said that I was pretty pooped after the third shift and I don't think my brain actually completed the shift - it seemed to throw in the towel with about 2 hours to go and I was a bit vague after that. Thank God for afternoon staff with fresh brains.

I seemed to remember all the stuff about talking to women, and I'm fairly sure I did all my obs and meds satisfactorily, and I did a refresher session in neonatal resus. But by the end of a day caring for 5 women (3 primips incl. 2 x 24 hours post CS) 4 newborns (the other woman had triplets in SCN) I was mentally exhausted. I had forgotten half of what I had to do to get women discharged, and with the birth surge in this city getting women out the door is critical.

So...I've now done 3 (count them 1, 2, 3, that didn't take long) shifts as a registered midwife! Hope I start to feel effective soon! I hear from all my friends who qualified with me (but who didn't have a 3 month break after finishing) and they all sound so competent and self-assured, and they're working in Labour and Birth Suite (LBS) and I'm jealous. But ward work is a good place for me to be as I ease my way back in, some days very civilized, some days completely crazy. I'm sure I'll get into the swing again soon. And I move to LBS for 10 weeks in mid-Dec.

I did have one cute thing happen to me this week! While we were away in San Diego and out for dinner with El Zed and Dave, a woman approached me and confessed her lust for my bag - a little sweetie I like to call "The Ultimate Purple Bag" (see below) ...

made because I couldn't find a purple bag that made me go weak at the knees (this one did). Anyway, I wasn't keen to part with it there and then, but when I told her I had made it and planned to start making and selling more, she gave me her email address and asked me to contact her when I got home. I was dead chuffed. So I did contact her and she has now got back to me and wants me to make her an identical bag! And send it to her in Colorado!

Woo-hoo! A paid commission. And I haven't even started my etsy shop yet! Could I combine craft/bag designing and making/ AND midwifery - could I BE that lucky? (only if I pull my finger out and MAKE the bag).

Anyhoo, off to bed (dreaming of bags, bellies and babies)