student midwife support

What is student midwife support / "the “continuity of care” experience?

• All midwifery students are required to follow 10 women and birthing people through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum (and attend at least 6 of those 10 births) in order to graduate and enter the profession of midwifery (the “continuity of care experience” — CoCE).

• The CoCE experience provides an invaluable experience for the student to learn from this experience and the relationships/clinical exposure, and provides the woman or birthing person invaluable additional emotional, physical and educational support (and a familiar face) as they navigate pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

What’s involved?

• Your student will attend and provide support for at least:

  • 4 antenatal appointments/classes/screening tests;

  • labour + birth (if you are open to this); +

  • 2 postnatal appointments

  • + with someone to turn to in the waiting room, before, after and between appointments for additional support

What will your student midwife do?

• A source of emotional and physical support during and between appointments and labour and birth (if you want them there)

• Provide you with additional resources on key topics arising during pregnancy, birth and postpartum (as students are at the coalface of current research, drawing on it in their studies every day)

• Be familiar face in circumstances where you are receiving fragmented care, or even when you have a known midwife

• Speak with you about your birth preferences and support you in having your choices respected by your care provider or place of birth

• Advocate for your wishes or birth preferences

• The list goes on ….

What does the evidence say about student midwives?

Physical outcomes

A Queensland study by Tickle et al. (2022) looked at the outcomes for women birthing with CoCE support from a BMid student in both continuity of care (known midwife) models (CMC), as well as fragmented care models, when compared with the state population outcomes, and found:

• lower rates of induction

• lower rates of caesarean section

• higher rates of spontaneous vaginal birth

• reduction in rates of smoking post 20w of pregnancy

• lower rates of episiotomy for women giving birth vaginally for first time

• lower pharmacological pain relief use in labour + birth

• higher rates of VBAC for those with CoCE+CMC (not fragmented)

• reduction in 3rd+4th degree tears for those in fragmented care

This study by Tickle et al. (2022) demonstrates the power of support from a student midwife for those who have a known midwife and those (i.e. the vast majority of those in Australia) receiving fragmented care. While it acts as another example of continuity of midwifery led care (from clinically practising midwives) leading to better outcomes (e.g. higher rates of VBAC here that weren’t present in the fragmented care group), at a time when midwifery-led continuity of care remains inaccessible to the vast majority, a student midwife can be an excellent choice for your birth team, particularly where doula support is not be an option for you.

Experiences

Women who received CoCE support from BMid students were surveyed for a study by Tickle et al., (2021), they:

• reported feelings of support, presence, empowerment, relationship and partnership

• described the student as having provided advocacy and assistance in navigating the maternity system, as a “bridge” between them and the maternity system

• would recommend a midwifery student to family and friends (97.6%)

Some of the comments from our followers included:

• “Amazing! [My student midwife’s] warmth, compassion, companionship and check ins were wonderful pre and post birth. During labour you were soo supportive and wonderful!” (from a practising midwife, who had private midwifery support, a doula, and a student midwife while birthing at home — proof that students can be valuable in every context!)

• “She was the only person truly there for me during my first birth. I am forever grateful”.

How do I find a student midwife?

There are so many students out there looking to recruit, but finding the right match is so important. Just like choosing your care provider, it is important that you find a student that aligns with you, your personality, and your values. Your student should make you feel at supported, and your conversations bring you joy.

Some places to find a student include:

• Check out our Instagram post to find a match

• Local parents facebook pages for parenting / “good karma” networks

• “A Student for Every Woman” (VIC), “Call the Student Midwife” facebook page, or Homebirth Australia or Homebirth Victoria Network (or state equivalent)

• University websites — e.g. Australian Catholic University CoCE page (if you are looking for a student midwife in Melbourne)

How does a student midwife differ from a doula?

• In an ideal world all families would have the support of a known care provider as well as a doula if they choose to, through pregnancy and into postpartum. The reality is that doulas are financially out of reach for many women and birthing people, and a student midwife may be an amazing free option for additional support. Further, many people choose to have the support of a doula and a student midwife, knowing the different roles they can occupy.

• In the same way you need to find a doula that is the right fit for you, you need to find a student midwife that is the right fit for you.

• A student midwife cannot charge for their support, whereas doulas charge for their services. This experience is part of the student’s requirements to graduate and gain registration. It is fundamentally a learning experience, while providing immense value to the birthing woman or person also.

• Students may have more limited birth experience than a doula (again, this depends on the student, and it depends on the doula! as some students have been doulas previously, and some doulas are new to birth work). Students are required to attend a minimum of 6 of the 10 CoCE births, 30 unassisted vaginal births (and additional criteria for antenatal, postnatal, complex care, and other birth experiences) in order to gain registration.

• A doula can assist and offer support in all stages of labour, including if labour at home prior to moving to hospital or a birth centre, whereas a student midwife can only attend to support you during labour and birth when there is a registered health care professional in attendance (i.e. if you are birthing at home they will attend once the midwives are present, and they cannot otherwise attend for early labour support at home – they will instead meet you at the hospital or birth centre).

• Students can be involved in your clinical care with your permission and support of the midwife or obstetrician, whereas a doula cannot.

• A student midwife should generally not be counted in the number of support people, whereas a doula will be counted (*this is facility dependent). This means that some families choose to have both!

• A student midwife should generally be permitted into an unplanned (or planned) caesarean section, whereas a doula may be unable to attend unless they are the primary support person (*this is facility dependent).

• Both student midwives and doulas have the information and capacity to advocate for your needs in different ways.

To hear a little bit more …

Listen to episode 12 of the Birth Choices podcast where we talk about the role of a student midwife and how it may look and feel.

Happy matchmaking!