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Student Stories

Katie Purves

Studied: Bachelor of Midwifery (Pre-Registration) at Flinders University

My role as a Registered Midwife is to provide care for women, babies and their families during antenatal, intrapartum and the postnatal period to up to 10 days post hospital care. I perform booking in visits when they first present to the hospital, abdominal palpations to locate the position of the fetus. Listening to the baby’s heartbeat. I help women with their mental health and refer them to the appropriate mental health team. I identify any issues during their pregnancy and refer them to members of the multidisciplinary team such as doctors or breastfeeding specialists. I am involved in emergencies such as post-partum haemorrhages, pre-eclampsia and shoulder dystocia’s! I provide care for women and their families during natural, instrumental and caesarean section births. I then provide the care after birth and up to 10 days post- birth in the community. It really is a wonderful and privileged job with many challenges during the process. It helps that the team I work with are awesome!

Other opportunities that I have had during my time in Australia are: being part of a gymnastics team in SA and the NT and competing in the Australian Masters and New Zealand Masters Games, where I won multiple medals. I worked in a factory packing sweets and chocolates over the Christmas period for three years. I took part in The Royal Adelaide Show, showing my biscuits. I volunteered at The World Cup Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne. I have packed birthing kits for third world countries on three occasions. I have been lucky enough to travel around Australia and made life long friends!