Moms to be, needed by UFV nursing students

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – If you’re a pregnant woman who will be having her baby in a Fraser
Valley hospital between September and April, you’re in high demand by
University of the Fraser Valley nursing students.

Mothers to be who will be having their babies in the Fraser Valley are
invited to help a UFV nursing student learn about pregnancy
and childbirth from the patient’s perspective. Women having their
babies at Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Surrey Memorial, Ridge Meadows, Peace
Arch, Langley Memorial or Royal Columbian hospitals are eligible for
this program.

Countless UFV nursing students have had the opportunity to shadow a
pregnant woman through doctor visits, prenatal classes, labour and
delivery, and the postnatal period through the Moms To Be program over
the past 15 years.

Its been a wonderful opportunity for our students. It gives them
a chance to experience the pregnancy and birth process up close from the
perspective of the mother and her family, said UFV nursing professor
Marlene Upton.

The students complete this component of the program while they study
the theory of maternity nursing and before they take clinical training
in maternity wards.

UFV first year nursing student Charlene Martyn is a mother of three
herself, but she still found it very valuable to be matched with a
mom to be early in her nursing studies.

“Seeing pregnancy and birth through someone else’s eyes helped me
make the transition from someone totally absorbed in my own pregnancies
to someone who will be a professional helping others through pregnancy
and birth, she says. I had to set my own experience aside and
think about how others experience the process.”

“A lot of my fellow students didn’t have much experience with
pregnancy, birth, or babies, so it’s really crucial that they get some
exposure before beginning their formal maternity training. It’s an
excellent way for them to observe how people make the transition into
parenthood.”