Ystad BB

It’s been a couple of months since I left Ystad BB. It was my second job as a Midwife, but the “first” barely counts, I just went back to the job I had before I became a Midwife. It was in Ystad I became a Midwife. It was my dream hospital job, it still is. It’s a place where I got to be a part of a work culture that respects not only each other but also the families that we care for. No, it’s not perfect. But there’s something there, something a little different, something that I was looking for. Even though some time has passed I still feel like I'm going through a state of grief because of leaving. It was not an easy decision to make. 

I became a Midwife to attend births, but the births I attended as a Midwifery student were not what I was dreaming of. I wanted more softness and trust in the process, I think I found that in Ystad. A deep belief in women's ability to give birth to the babies they carry.

This image can be found in each birth room in Ystad BB.

Ystad BB is known for the Midwife Signe Jansson. She invited the father's into the birth space, focused on high presentence of staff in the birth room and spoke about the idea of having a home birth in hospital. Some of the things she revolutionized we take for granted now, but back in 1960's and 1970's what she did was not always accepted at first. Her spirit still lives on today, and in each room there is this picture of her, supporting a woman in labor in a very affectionate way.  

When I say I became a Midwife there I really mean it. I learned and unlearned so many things there. I learned why, all through our Midwifery studies, some teachers would talk about that midwifery was a craft. I began to learn and understand the craft there. How to use more than vaginal exams to assess labor progress. How to adapt to people that are very different from me. How to hold space and claim space. 

My biggest inspirations as a Midwife were my senior coworkers. They told me so many stories, they taught me the details, and welcomed me into the Midwife community. I had an official mentor as well as many unofficial ones, I look up to them all. I grew a lot as a Midwife but also as a person in Ystad, for this I will always be grateful. Even though months have passed I still see myself as a Ystad Midwife at heart. I hope that someday I will be back, attending births and remembering why I chose to become a Midwife.