MotherStories takes you behind the scenes of a birth at Clinique Générale-Beaulieu. Throughout the year, you'll be able to discover our Interviews highlighting the different players involved in childbirth, and the role each plays before, during and after the birth. Today, we're opening the ball with Pauline Guillot, nurse nursery nurse.
Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Pauline Guillot, I'm 38 years old, I've been a nursery nurse for almost 15 years and I've been working at the Clinique Générale-Beaulieu maternity hospital for 5 years. I also give physiological babywearing classes with other colleagues, and will soon be offering baby massage classes. Our role with families is one of prevention, education and parental support.
What's your role during childbirth?
At the moment of delivery, my role is to ensure that newborns adapt well to life outside the womb, and to act accordingly. The first 10 minutes are crucial. The baby is not only going to breathe, but also adapt its body temperature, need to feed and show us that it's in good health.
I work in collaboration with the midwives at the time of delivery, as well as with the nursing assistants. We complement each other! We take it in turns to have our place and to be able to be 3 with the parents.
Before the birth, I like to introduce myself to the parents, talk to them, find out if they have a birth plan or special wishes...
During childbirth, I support the mother-to-be by being as discreet as possible.
Once the baby is born, the obstetrician places him on his mother's belly, and I take over while he cuts the cord with the father. My movements will be coordinated between observing color, breathing, upper airways, tone, drying the baby to maintain temperature, discovering the baby with the parents, skin-to-skin, first exchanges of glances, congratulations.
In the event of an emergency or life-threatening situation, we help each other out. The midwife and obstetrician stay with the mother, and the nursery nurse with the baby and the paediatrician. Dad stays with either the midwife or the nursery nurse. The caregiver stays with either the midwife or the nursery nurse, depending on who needs it most.
And afterwards, during the maternity stay?
Each family is cared for by a nurse and an assistant for 12 hours. We standardize the way we talk to and care for parents and babies. We support parents in the day-to-day care of their child: changing, washing, bathing, breast or bottle feeding, and we answer any questions they may have. Most often, they concern crying, baby's rhythm, sleep, meals, transit, digestion, babywearing and much more... We focus parents' attention on observing their baby, his attitudes, when he sleeps, when he wakes up, when he eats, when he is carried, to help them understand and respond to his needs.
Throughout the stay, parents will become increasingly independent with their baby, enabling them to return home with peace of mind. An independent midwife can visit the parents' home if they wish to continue the support.
The new mother also receives appropriate care and regular monitoring.
Even in the post-partum period, midwives and nurses work together and support each other. When a baby needs more care or more specific monitoring, a nursery nurse will follow it up or be available, and conversely, if a baby presents an unusual picture, the midwife's attention will be drawn to it.
Why did you choose this profession? What drives you every day?
This profession was an obvious choice for me. I've always loved contact with children, parents and the world of hospitals, and I think my mother had a lot to do with it - she was a nursery assistant. I remember often going to see her in the maternity ward where she worked. From behind glass, you could watch her among the cribs, looking after the babies and talking to them.
I'm always happy to go to work, join my colleagues and meet new parents every time, as well as big sisters and brothers. I get a lot of pleasure from my job, I feel at ease and useful. I love passing on my knowledge, answering parents' questions and guiding them along the right path. Newborns just want to wake up and communicate.
I also love training and learning. There are so many different ways of doing this job. Early childhood extends from birth to adolescence, and healthcare practices are evolving, so it's up to us to adapt.
I'm driven by contact, exchange, transmission and care.
Do you have a memory of a birth that has particularly marked you ?
Every birth is special to me, it's such a unique moment, and so different every time! I'm always moved when a baby is born, because it's a family that's being created or expanded, and I'm a witness to that history.
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