Are you pregnant?

As a student midwife, I have to admit I often have what I call my 'pregnancy radar' switched on because I'm searching for women who would be interested in linking up with a student midwife.

So in the hope that maybe this blog could be another avenue for leading to possible 'linking up'.... here goes!

This 'linking up' is part of my three year Bachelor of Midwifery degree at ACU. It's called Follow Through Journey and the idea is that, as students, we link up with ten pregnant women per year and spend time with them over their pregnancy to get an idea of how pregnancy is a very individual and unique experience for each woman. Students can begin meeting up with women any time between 14-35 weeks of pregnancy and remain connected to women till about six weeks after birth. Each Follow Through Journey involves approximatly 10 contact hours. It's completely confidential and as a student I have a practicing midwife to mentor me along the years of my course.

It is relational rather than skills based....the aim is to connect with women who are willing to comunicate their experience of pregnancy with us, and as students we do not practice any clinical skills in this program. Because Follow Through has no defined way of working it's completely flexible. The ammount of involvement I have as a student depends on how each woman wants me to be involved - it can simply be meeting up at home for a chat, or attending antenatal appointments, or being an extra support person at birth if that's what a woman wants. The program tailors to the woman and what she is comfortable with.

I love Follow Through Journey for the continuity it brings. It's such a privilage journeying with women - I learn so much from them.

So if you've got questions about Follow Through or if you're pregnant and interested and would like some extra support, someone to talk things through with, or someone who can source information for you, and are between 14 and 35 weeks, and live out the eastern side of Melbourne please feel free to email me.

My email address is laura_beimers(at)kastanet.org (just change the 'at' to @)