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BBC TV blog
 - 
Jess Shaw-Roberts
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<link>https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/tv/</link>
<description>Get the views of BBC bosses, presenters, scriptwriters and cast from the inside of the shows. Read reviews and opinions and share yours on all things TV - your favourite episodes, live programmes, digital channels, the schedule and everything else.</description>
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	<title>The Midwives: The pressures and emotions of being new</title>
	<description><![CDATA[<p>I'm less nervous now delivering babies than when I was newly qualified in <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/bbctwo">BBC Two</a>'s documentary series <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/programmes/b01lmnnx">The Midwives</a>. </p>

<p>I've found that my confidence has built really quickly with the job. </p>

<p>I feel honoured to be the only healthcare professional in the delivery room responsible for caring for the mother and her newborn child. </p>

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<p style="width: 512px; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102); margin: 0pt auto 20px;">New midwife Jess attends her first Caesarean section
</p></div>

<p>It's an empowering, intimate moment looking after women in their most vulnerable time.</p>

<p>Being filmed over six months gave me a real incentive to show the viewers a true insight into the pressures and emotions of being new in the role. </p>

<p>I felt the camera didn't get in the way of my ability to perform as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwifery">midwife</a> - actually the experience of being filmed sharing that moment with new parents was fulfilling. </p>

<p>Similarly to Chloe, the first year student you'll see in <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/programmes/b01lvh34">episode two</a>, I asked a lot of questions, especially during my first few weeks working on the antenatal ward.  </p>

<p>This, with the support of the <a href="http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=120">midwives</a> helped me to grow in confidence. </p>

<p>I can relate closely to Chloe because for both of us knowledge of the job grows with you. </p>

<p>The questions you ask at the beginning are different to the questions you ask towards the end of your training and when you've just qualified. </p>

<p>You tend to just double check when newly qualified and even if it's something I already knew I was never too scared to ask. </p>

<p>Being a student has its ups and downs. You'll see in the series that Aurelie is struggling through her year of training, which I can personally relate to. </p>

<p>It's possible that part of the challenge for her was what we call the 'second year blues' although some student midwives can experience this at any time. </p>

<div class="imgCaptionCenter" style="text-align: center; display: block; "><a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/tv/jess_others_500.jpg"><img alt="Aurelie Santu, Jess Shaw-Roberts and Chloe Badham " src="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/tv/assets_c/2012/08/jess_others_500-thumb-500x300-97192.jpg" width="500" height="300" class="mt-image-center" style="margin: 0 auto 5px;" /></a><p style="max-width:500px;font-size: 11px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);margin: 0 auto 20px;">Aurelie Santu, Jess Shaw-Roberts and Chloe Badham  </p></div>

<p>It is a period during your training where you hit a brick wall and where completing your training feels like an impossible task. </p>

<p>I had a high dropout rate in my group of student midwives. Forty of us started in September 2008 and only 26 graduated in December 2011. </p>

<p>The <a href="http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/default.aspx?id=1947">midwifery course</a> is extremely tough: you practice for 37.5 hours a week, 45 weeks of the year for three years. </p>

<p>On top of the full-time lectures and placement you have what feels like a never-ending amount of academic essays, reflections and written skills to complete! </p>

<p>During my second year I experienced the blues when I was not enjoying one area of practice along with writing an essay that I was struggling with. </p>

<p>I nearly quit. It would have been the worst mistake of my life because looking back it was one glitch and I hit many smaller ones on the way. </p>

<p>Becoming a midwife was the best thing I have ever done. </p>

<p>I encourage anyone who is thinking about becoming a midwife to be entirely sure that you are ready to commit, and to be a student but not live like a student - and that you are up for the challenge. </p>

<p>It's a great challenge to beat and overcome! Anyone who is in their training: stick to it. It's worth it.</p>

<p><em>Jess Shaw-Roberts is a midwife on <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/programmes/b01lmnnx">The Midwives</a>.</p>

<p><a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/programmes/b01lmnnx">The Midwives</a> continues on Tuesday, 7 August at 9pm on <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/bbctwo">BBC Two</a>. For further programme times, please see the <a href="https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/programmes/b01lmnnx/episodes/guide">episode guide</a>.</p>

<p><strong>Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.</strong></em></p>]]></description>
         <dc:creator>Jess Shaw-Roberts 
Jess Shaw-Roberts
</dc:creator>
	<link>https://bbcbreakingnews.pages.dev/blogs/tv/2012/08/the-midwives.shtml</link>
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	<category>health</category>
	<pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2012 09:30:56 +0000</pubDate>
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