Connecting the dots

Dear readers,

I received a lot of questions about my internship in Slovenia and my first experiences as an intern at the labour ward. I promised to address these questions in my blogs. I know there is a bit of a delay in blogging (I will share the reason for that in another blog).

Let me finally kick off then, by addressing what is probably one of the most frequently asked questions, by patients as well as by staff members, friends, and family: why do an internship in Slovenia?

The truth is, I wanted to do my last internship in Africa, but ended up training in Slovenia. Before I explain the course of events, let me first emphasise that I don't regret this shift of destiny in the slightest bit. On the contrary, it put me in the right place, at the right time and with the right people.

As mentioned earlier, I changed school to be able to train in Brussels and to do an internship abroad. Because the deadline for applications to go to Africa had passed, I was left with the option to either go to Finland or to Slovenia. The choice was quickly made, for personal as well as professional reasons. On the one hand, I already had a history with Slovenia, and on the other hand, training in Ljubljana enjoys a good reputation. Let me start with the history before introducing you to midwifery in Slovenia.

1    Connecting the dots

Three years ago, I was in a period of rethinking my life and career. I had just hit my thirties, found myself in the midst of a burn out, disconnected from myself. This led me to give up my work as a researcher in law and my then career dreams.

At that point, my friends took me on a "Balkan road trip". I am still thankful for that. Even though I couldn't see it back then, this trip would mark the beginning of something new. Visiting Slovenia became an important transition point in my life. The warm welcome of the guest family, the parish, the young people we met, the beauty of the countryside, the outdoor life... it was like a warm bath to me.

As soon as I got home, I started to search on the internet for expat jobs in Slovenia. I felt that a change of environment could be what I needed, but since I could not find positions in the field of law, I dropped the plan. However, some months later, the spark of life that I found again in Slovenia, let me to decide to change the course of my life radically and to start midwifery training in Belgium.

Now, three years later, when offered the chance to complete this adventure of transforming from a lawyer into a midwife by doing a training in Slovenia, it felt like the dots were getting connected. Funny enough, during my first visit to Slovenia I made this picture in Ljubljana... seems like back then the walls were already inviting me to connect the dots in my life.

2  Midwifery in Ljubljana

The second and decisive reason for me to opt for an internship in Slovenia, was the good reputation of the labour ward of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UMCL), in clinical practice as well as in the field of research. The UMCL houses the biggest labour ward of the fourteen Slovenian maternities and is one of the largest hospital centres in Central Europe, with approximately 6000-8000 births a year. The labour ward serves as a regional reference centre for high risk pregnancies and deliveries and all sorts of pathologies and has the only Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the country.

Training in such a centre of excellence would offer me unique learning opportunities. Especially because midwives in Slovenia have a much more independent status than in Belgium. They conduct every normal low risk labour and are very actively involved in the management of high risk cases. In that respect, they work as part of an multidisciplinary team. This gives me the chance to learn how to practice midwifery care from skillful and very experienced midwifes.

During life's journey we all carry a rug sack somehow, someway. Sometimes life demands that we empty the rug sack, especially when its content keeps us grounded and limits us in taking off in life. Some years ago a friend told me his life's ambition, which was  “getting wings”. Last week a friend here in Slovenia shared that she finally feels “alive” while being here on Erasmus. I guess that probably summarizes best my experience so far… I am finally feeling alive again. I guess I got my wings!