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Showing posts from February, 2022

Getting my Band 6...a Promotion at Work!

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As part of my trust's preceptorship programme, you have to be signed off on a number of different competencies and work in every area of maternity. For me, that meant labour suite, community, the postnatal and the antenatal ward. This has now potentially changed for certain staff members, as Covid-19 and staff shortages have delayed them from rotating to the areas they were meant to. However, for me, I did all the rotations (and am doing so still), but I was lucky in that for a brief period of time, the wards were combined so I got a lot of my antenatal competencies signed off prior to starting the specific placement.  Competencies included the basics, such as: epidurals, fetal scalp electrodes, antenatal appointments, day 5 visits, discharges, using the computer systems and learning specific processes for computer systems etc. You also had to have completed both the development booklet, which answered questions about certain topics for the department, and the intravenous medicatio

Your Guide to a Day Trip to: Liverpool

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Liverpool is this week's city guide. It was a city I never particularly planned to visit but when the opportunity arose to an all expenses paid trip to the Royal College of Nursing Congress, I jumped at the opportunity. Liverpool is a maritime city in northwest England, which served as a key trade and migration port from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. It is also, famously, the hometown of The Beatles.  1. Explore the Royal Albert Docks.  It's beautifully scenic and newly renovated. There are so many little quirky shops and cafes, as well as an array of boats to gaze at.  2. Enjoy the night life. See where the nights take you. You can go high end or party mad.  3. Take in the scenic night lights. I loved strolling along the river and taking in the lights and food trucks.  4. Splash in the river water adventure playground. I think this is only there in the summer months but it looked so much fun. You did have to pre-book but you got a good allocated time slot so it mean

Body Confident Dress Haul!

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I've been really struggling with body confidence recently, especially when certain family members repeatedly make comments about my weight. I can honestly say, it hasn't been easy and I have been having a really hard time. I would try on 10 outfits before settling on something and still feeling ugly. I decided it was about time I treated myself so I bought a few new dresses for some upcoming days and nights out.  The first dress is the beautiful Green Tie Waist Short Dress . It is mainly black with some green and blue details. It has a tie at the waist, which then gently ruffles around the stomach area. It also hits perfectly above the knee. I bought this for a friend's date and my sister's birthday! This black dress I bought for a funeral. The last funeral dress I bought was for my grandfather's funeral so is now far too short for me! This is a simple linen dress, with a tie around the waist to make it slightly more flattering. I also like that the bow catches th

Sillbirth Data Shows Improvement

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I usually write my own posts for this mini "Midwifery Monday" series but this week, I was hoping to post some good news and instead, my good news became some other news I wanted to share. This post was written originally by Chris Binnie, who I met through Beyond Bea . He's a strong advocate for preventing stillbirths after his first son was stillborn at 38 weeks gestation.  In 2015, the government set a target to reduce stillbirth and neonatal death by 50% by 2030 (later changed to 2025), with an interim target of a 20% reduction by 2020. Today, the Office for National Statistics published the stillbirth data for 2020. It shows how this progress is going measured against that interim target of 20%. The 2020 stillbirth rate was 3.8 per 1000 live births, down from 5.1 per 1000 in 2010. That’s a 25% reduction, exceeding the 2020 target. This means 750 more babies arriving safely every year compared to a decade ago. 2 less babies are stillborn *Every Single Day* compared to j

Farm Puppy, Sister's Birthday and Valentines Day!

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After a few slow weeks, I finally got dressed up and celebrate not one, not two but 4 different days and nights out! It was a busy 4 day weekend.  Click here to watch the vlog or see below.   I continued my annual leave in Wakefield. My mum and sister both had the day off work on Friday (they always have Friday's off), so we headed out to Pontefract for the day. We started by going to Farmer Copley's for a yummy brunch out. Floki was so funny, barking and chasing the birds and other dogs and the food was delicious. We picked up some giant cakes from their bakery too.  Once we'd finished eating, we went round to my great aunt's house to show her Floki. She came around a few days ago to meet him, but Jess had taken him out for a walk so missed him. We stayed for about an hour, before heading to the town centre. I had a lingerie appointment for some new bras, so Jess and mum took the dog for a walk and went to M+S to get some birthday cake and other supplies. Afterwards, w

Your Guide to a Day Trip to: Nottingham

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From my place of birth , to my place of living, this week it's all about Nottingham. I think having moved to Nottingham and not grown up here, I've defintely taken advantage of the city and things to do. I have loved exploring it and now living in the city I call home. Located in the East Midlands, Nottingham is an ideal location for commuters who want a city/country area, whilst still having everything on the doorstep. It’s known for the Robin Hood legend, the hilltop Nottingham Castle and of course, it's historical position in the lace industry.  1. Visit Nottingham Castle. This has been under reconstruction since I moved over 4 years ago. Of course, it got delayed with Covid-19, so I am pleased it has finally reopened and I am hoping to visit it soon! 2. Stroll along the canal. This ended up being pretty much all I did over lockdown. I am lucky that it is literally on my doorstep, so at least I had a pleasant way to pass the time on my days off from work. Nottingham has