Anyone who has given birth in a hospital will (hopefully) have witnessed first-hand the dedication of the staff, especially their midwife.
In case we needed a reminder, however, Swedish midwife Petra Vindberg Linder has shared a very candid reminder of how high-pressure the job is.
Posting a photo of her scrubs to Facebook, with blood stains on the crotch, she explained: “Night shift of a midwife = had three childbirths. You don’t have time to pee or change sanitary products. Thanks and goodnight.”
It didn’t take long for the photo to go viral, with fellow professionals posting ‘been there’ comments.
One wrote: “It is because of this that I no longer work as a midwife.”
Others, meanwhile, took to the comment section to share messages of support and encouragement.
“You guys are doing an amazing job,” one wrote, while another called for the government to intervene.
“I admire you. I wonder when our politicians are going to wake up and do something about the situation,” they added.
Possibly the sweetest message of all came from one Henry Spencer, however, who thanked Petra for her dedication.
“As a father lucky to have had children born at Huddinge Sjukhus, Sweden; Northwest Medical Centre, Florida; The Royal North Shore Hospital, Australia; and Minnesota Birth Centre – all under the care of midwives - I salute you,” he began.
“I salute you and your dedication to your profession. We need people like you to publicise the insane conditions under which you are made to welcome the latest generation to the world. We got your back, girl.”
Petra told national media that she initially uploaded the post privately, so that only her friends could see it. It caused quite the stir, however, and she was encouraged to make it public.
Opening up in a follow-up interview with Swedish newspaper The Local, Petra admitted that while she ‘loves her job’, incidents like the one she posted about have made her wonder how long she can do it for.
“It’s a very difficult field of work…I chose it, and I want to work in this field, but I wonder after a night like this how many years I’ll manage it,” she explained.
“I’m 40, I’ll work to 65 if I’m fit, but can you manage that? There are so many people in this country who want to work with childbirth but don’t because of the working conditions.”
How does this post make you feel, mums?
