BACKGROUND Good mentoring is important for students to support their adjustment to and learning i... more BACKGROUND Good mentoring is important for students to support their adjustment to and learning in the clinical environment. The quality of the mentoring relationship is key for students but there is a lack of evidence explaining how a good mentor/mentee relationship establishes and develops over time. AIM To explore the developing relationship between mentors and mentees participating in a structured midwifery mentoring program in one Local Health District in Sydney, Australia. METHODS A qualitative interpretive descriptive research design was utilised. Data were collected using 10 focus groups with midwife mentors (n = 31) and seven focus groups and four interviews with Bachelor of Midwifery student mentees (n = 24), over a 12-month period. Thematic analysis using an inductive approach was applied incorporating constant comparison to identify themes and sub-themes. FINDINGS Three overarching themes and three sub-themes were identified. The first theme was 'The great unknown'. Within the second theme 'Building the relationship' were three subthemes: trying to connect; becoming known; and an insider on your side. The final theme 'the virtuous circle' described the reciprocal relationship and benefits that developed between mentor and mentee. DISCUSSION The mentor/mentee relationship took time to develop and went through a number of phases. A positive mentor/ mentee relationship flattened hierarchical differences, increased student confidence and capacity for learning, and reflected the midwifery continuity of care relationship between midwife and woman built on respect and partnership. CONCLUSION Developing a successful midwifery mentoring relationship takes persistence, reassurance, and mutual disclosure ultimately resulting in a recurring cycle of encouragement and support.
For many mothers in Australia, worries about pregnancy, birth and parenthood have become a source... more For many mothers in Australia, worries about pregnancy, birth and parenthood have become a source of considerable anxiety. Although apprehension and heightened concern are normal responses to change, raised expectations, contradictory information, the increased surveillance of mental health issues and a fragmented health system may contribute to the higher prevalence of anxiety. In this paper, we identify challenges surrounding maternal anxiety, including the limitations of current approaches to prevention and treatment, and the role the 'good mother' narrative may play in increasing anxiety. An overview of our research at Western Sydney University (WSU) demonstrates how working with mothers, and those who support them, can optimise resilience and hope and allow for new ways to celebrate the diverse experience of motherhood within our communities. Our ultimate goal is to transform the narrative from one that pathologises mothers, and those who support them, to one that norma...
AIM: This article is a report of the women’s experiences of unplanned emergency hysterectomy foll... more AIM: This article is a report of the women’s experiences of unplanned emergency hysterectomy following severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).BACKGROUND: Every year, thousands of women worldwide undergo hysterectomies for either gynecological issues or following childbirth to save their life from severe PPH. Little attention has been given to the experiences of women with secondary infertility, despite many of these women being of childbearing age. Some of the issues concerning this group of women are related to their feminine identity, sexuality, sense of being, and womanhood.METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 Australian women between the ages of 24 and 57 years. The data were collected between May and October 2009. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.FINDINGS: One major theme; loss of normality, and four subthemes emerged, “being incomplete: half a woman,” “not myself: a changed body,” “being alone: isolation and disconnectedness,” and “fearing inti...
To describe the experiences of women who have had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe po... more To describe the experiences of women who have had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage and the impact on their early mothering experiences. Postpartum haemorrhage and subsequent hysterectomy is a traumatic birth event. Traumatic birth experiences have the potential to impact on a woman's experience of motherhood and her initial relationship with her baby. The relative rarity of this event makes it easy to dismiss the experiences of women having a hysterectomy following childbirth. Little is known about a woman's early mothering experience in the context of having an emergency hysterectomy. Qualitative naturalistic inquiry approach. Data were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews from 21 Australian women who had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage. Findings revealed three themes in relation to early mothering experiences in the context of having a hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage. They were 'initial separation: lost bonding time', 'feelings of failure' and 'relinquishing care of the infant'. This paper highlights the ways undergoing emergency hysterectomy following childbirth can impact on the experience of early mothering in the postnatal period. Greater recognition and attention to the specific needs of women who have an emergency hysterectomy following childbirth is required. Providing women with an opportunity to talk, debrief and ask questions related to their birthing experiences, will help women to reconcile their feelings. Giving women the opportunity to have their infants with them in intensive care unit, together with ongoing emotional support and anticipatory guidance, may also be useful approaches in assisting women during this difficult and traumatic time.
Of all life events, the childbirth experience is consistently described as a significant life eve... more Of all life events, the childbirth experience is consistently described as a significant life event of powerful psychological importance in a woman's life. Birth has been described as a normal, natural and amazing process that can be life enhancing (Walsh 2007) and for many women and men this experience is one of excitement and joy.
BACKGROUND Good mentoring is important for students to support their adjustment to and learning i... more BACKGROUND Good mentoring is important for students to support their adjustment to and learning in the clinical environment. The quality of the mentoring relationship is key for students but there is a lack of evidence explaining how a good mentor/mentee relationship establishes and develops over time. AIM To explore the developing relationship between mentors and mentees participating in a structured midwifery mentoring program in one Local Health District in Sydney, Australia. METHODS A qualitative interpretive descriptive research design was utilised. Data were collected using 10 focus groups with midwife mentors (n = 31) and seven focus groups and four interviews with Bachelor of Midwifery student mentees (n = 24), over a 12-month period. Thematic analysis using an inductive approach was applied incorporating constant comparison to identify themes and sub-themes. FINDINGS Three overarching themes and three sub-themes were identified. The first theme was 'The great unknown'. Within the second theme 'Building the relationship' were three subthemes: trying to connect; becoming known; and an insider on your side. The final theme 'the virtuous circle' described the reciprocal relationship and benefits that developed between mentor and mentee. DISCUSSION The mentor/mentee relationship took time to develop and went through a number of phases. A positive mentor/ mentee relationship flattened hierarchical differences, increased student confidence and capacity for learning, and reflected the midwifery continuity of care relationship between midwife and woman built on respect and partnership. CONCLUSION Developing a successful midwifery mentoring relationship takes persistence, reassurance, and mutual disclosure ultimately resulting in a recurring cycle of encouragement and support.
For many mothers in Australia, worries about pregnancy, birth and parenthood have become a source... more For many mothers in Australia, worries about pregnancy, birth and parenthood have become a source of considerable anxiety. Although apprehension and heightened concern are normal responses to change, raised expectations, contradictory information, the increased surveillance of mental health issues and a fragmented health system may contribute to the higher prevalence of anxiety. In this paper, we identify challenges surrounding maternal anxiety, including the limitations of current approaches to prevention and treatment, and the role the 'good mother' narrative may play in increasing anxiety. An overview of our research at Western Sydney University (WSU) demonstrates how working with mothers, and those who support them, can optimise resilience and hope and allow for new ways to celebrate the diverse experience of motherhood within our communities. Our ultimate goal is to transform the narrative from one that pathologises mothers, and those who support them, to one that norma...
AIM: This article is a report of the women’s experiences of unplanned emergency hysterectomy foll... more AIM: This article is a report of the women’s experiences of unplanned emergency hysterectomy following severe postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).BACKGROUND: Every year, thousands of women worldwide undergo hysterectomies for either gynecological issues or following childbirth to save their life from severe PPH. Little attention has been given to the experiences of women with secondary infertility, despite many of these women being of childbearing age. Some of the issues concerning this group of women are related to their feminine identity, sexuality, sense of being, and womanhood.METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 Australian women between the ages of 24 and 57 years. The data were collected between May and October 2009. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.FINDINGS: One major theme; loss of normality, and four subthemes emerged, “being incomplete: half a woman,” “not myself: a changed body,” “being alone: isolation and disconnectedness,” and “fearing inti...
To describe the experiences of women who have had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe po... more To describe the experiences of women who have had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage and the impact on their early mothering experiences. Postpartum haemorrhage and subsequent hysterectomy is a traumatic birth event. Traumatic birth experiences have the potential to impact on a woman's experience of motherhood and her initial relationship with her baby. The relative rarity of this event makes it easy to dismiss the experiences of women having a hysterectomy following childbirth. Little is known about a woman's early mothering experience in the context of having an emergency hysterectomy. Qualitative naturalistic inquiry approach. Data were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews from 21 Australian women who had an emergency hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage. Findings revealed three themes in relation to early mothering experiences in the context of having a hysterectomy following a severe postpartum haemorrhage. They were 'initial separation: lost bonding time', 'feelings of failure' and 'relinquishing care of the infant'. This paper highlights the ways undergoing emergency hysterectomy following childbirth can impact on the experience of early mothering in the postnatal period. Greater recognition and attention to the specific needs of women who have an emergency hysterectomy following childbirth is required. Providing women with an opportunity to talk, debrief and ask questions related to their birthing experiences, will help women to reconcile their feelings. Giving women the opportunity to have their infants with them in intensive care unit, together with ongoing emotional support and anticipatory guidance, may also be useful approaches in assisting women during this difficult and traumatic time.
Of all life events, the childbirth experience is consistently described as a significant life eve... more Of all life events, the childbirth experience is consistently described as a significant life event of powerful psychological importance in a woman's life. Birth has been described as a normal, natural and amazing process that can be life enhancing (Walsh 2007) and for many women and men this experience is one of excitement and joy.
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