Hannah Elizabeth

One of my SeneSisters recently organised and ran a training on Black Lives Matter . It wasn't quite a "here's what you should know" format, but more of a "here's what you should think about". I found it really beneficial to practice self-reflection and also have those discussions with like-minded individuals who also wanted to benefit from open and respectful communication. It was important to use the opportunity to learn, grow and improve from other's experiences. I find the whole campaign deeply upsetting and honestly quite heartbreaking. In the 21st century, I struggle to understand how this is still and issue and why it has been allowed to continue. I feel guilty for having white privilege despite not truly understanding everything that brings with it. I want to make a change to create equality, yet don't really know how. I think one of the most clear aspects what that myself, along with others, feel very unsure about what to say about ...

*Trigger warning: stillbirth and baby loss* If you read my review on the Beyond Bea training that I recently attended online, following the coronavirus pandemic, you will see that I had an amazing time and learnt so much. I couldn't fit it all on one blog post and so I decided to split the two areas up into a review and the lessons I learnt. Of course, this is just my take on the most important and stand out moments for me. There was so much more covered so I would thoroughly recommend attending a study day yourself, whether online or in person at some point. It was truly eye-opening and inspiring. Grief Bonding is affected in any sort of baby loss and so clinicians need to allow the grief process to be led by mother and to go at their own pace. Grief is individualised and cyclic, but it's never a straight forward process. Language is incredibly important and can have a detrimental effect and impact on women and their families. Medical terms such as medical termination is...

The Covid-19 measures are starting to be more relaxed so we went to see family, before I finished my last undergraduate assessment. Click here to watch the vlog or see below. My sister gave birth to her first baby right at the start of lockdown, but before that, I hadn't seen her for over a year so it had been quite sometime since we were last together. Since I lived with dad, when the lockdown measures started to be reduced, he organised to go down and very gratefully, I was also invited. It was such an honour to meet my niece and she is seriously the happiest baby. She is completely and utterly adorable and the whole family fit so well together. My sister seems to be a natural. With both of the families isolating, we were planning on socially distancing but did get some sneaky cuddles in with baby. I take a hand holding finger shot with all of my nieces and nephews as babies and I didn't want to stop the tradition now. As expected, we spent a lot of time outside and s...

As many people have raved about in the beauty interested, dermaplaning was the brand new craze of 2019. After watching a YouTube video with Ellie Mecham and her sister Bonnie Hollein, I decided to try it for myself! What is dermaplaning? Dermaplaning is a low-risk, exfoliating treatment that involves a gentle scraping to the surface of the skin with a blade. It is almost like shaving your face but in a much more finer way. Due to the small blade, it is able to remove the dead skin cells in addition to removing wispy facial hair, so skin is more even in tone and texture. It can be done professionally in a clinic by either a dermatologist or licensed aesthetician or at home by yourself, using one of many different brands of at home kids. Why do it?  Exfoliation is essential for maintaining an even, healthy glow. By dermaplaning, the result is smoother, brighter skin because it removes peach fuzz and dead skin. This allows makeup to go on much more flawlessly, and also all...

Following on from my previous ZSL Suicide Awareness training , the organisation recently launched a new module. This was called a "Step Up" and it gives a brief introduction to social isolation, and how to help someone who may be isolated. It takes into account the adjustment individuals have needed to make followed the new normal of Coronavirus and takes into account the significant changes in how many of us live and work. I was really excited when I saw the learning objectives because it related to me both personally, socially and professionally. Without social interactions people are more vulnerable to feelings of hopelessness and helplessness as they have increased rates of depression, dementia and physical inactivity. By providing signs to look, we can hopefully more easily identify when isolation is affecting someone negatively. These include: lack of interest, not practicing self-care, frequently cancelling plans or changing them. Remember, it's not only the eld...

My fourth and final journal for this academic year is officially out! I cannot believe that this little passion project that I started is now officially a published journal and I am so proud of it! The latest edition centres on " Studying Healthcare During a Pandemic ". The topic was pretty easy to pick for once and it was nice to see so many people interested in being involved. I think it somewhat helped that people had a little more downtime but it was defintely nice to read how others are coping. I don't think anyone expected the academic year to finish with social distancing, cancelled events and a pandemic. These are extraordinary times and we have many extraordinary members, many of which deserve celebrating. This edition discusses the successes of the Nursing and Midwifery Association, welcomes the new committee, announces new changes and discusses the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on our experiences as Health Science students. You can also read the pre...

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the last few weeks and so in between work, I've been enjoying it as much as possible. Click here for the vlog or watch below. My week started with some training which was organised by a fellow SeneSister on the campaign of Black Lives Matter. I will be sharing the training a little later here . I was really eye opening and allowed us to have an open and honest conversation, giving a chance to self-reflect on our own opinions. It has been so hot recently and I've been really struggling to concentrate inside because it is so HOT! Two of the days were just ridiculous so I ended up sunbathing and reading. Don't You Cry by Cass Green was a book that I got for my birthday ; it's not a book I'd normally choose for myself but I ended up loving it! Sadly, on one of the days we found a baby bird. It was right in front of my car and so young, just a few days old. We assume it must have fallen from a nearby nest but we ...