"Alarm bells rang in my head. I realised that what was visible to my colleagues in the other room was not a head at all, but a bottom..." Just one of many stories I could have told relating to my work. but this particular tale stand out in my mind, largely because of the effect the event had on me personally. Despite the fact that Shelagh is single and has no children of her own, she's always busy as a practising midwife and a lecturer in Midwifery.
In her spare time Shelagh likes to swim and is an active member of the Soroptimists.
I've been a midwife since 1977. It never becomes routine - on some days it can be dangerous, scary, thrilling. On some days it's a bit like being a stunt woman, without the helmet. This one time I was working in Germany in an army hospital. I walked into a room and realised that the intercom in the delivery room had been left on and I was privvy to the conversation. "You are doing really well. That's great we can see much more now. This baby is really bald, not a hair to be seen". Alarm bells rang in my head. I realised that what was visible to my colleagues in the other room was not a head at all, but a bottom. I sped to the delivery room and my suspicions were confirmed. The young midwife in charge was glad to see me. I put out a call for medical assistance, but neither the consultant, nor the house officer, were available. It was down to me. And I'd never done this before! The Carry On Midwife scenario loomed large. My mouth was dry, my heart beat fast. What if this baby gets stuck?
What if I turn it the wrong way and make the situation worse?
I donned my gloves, hands sweating so much that thefingers protruded beyond my own, making my hands look like cows udders. Get a grip I said to myself. You've been trained to do this. Then panic subsided, everything was clear. It was obvious and logical to follow the manoeuvres I had been trained to perform. The baby emerged with a lusty cry as the consultant entered the room. " Grand job", he said and walked out again. My elation and relief were immense. Mum, baby and more to the point, midwife, were doing fine. | 
