Mothers-to-be who will be having their babies in the Fraser Valley this fall are once again invited to help a UCFV nursing student learn about pregnancy and childbirth from the patient's perspective. Women having their babies at MSA, Mission, or Chilliwack hospitals are eligible for this program.

More than 100 students have had the opportunity to "shadow" a pregnant woman through doctor visits, prenatal classes, labour and delivery, and the postnatal period through the Mums-to-be program.

"It's 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," comments program coordinator Joanna Hirnschall, of UCFV's Nursing department.

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

"It was good to have this experience of what labour is really like before we actually studied maternity," comments nursing student Tanessa McGladdery, who was matched with Lisa Laurie and her family for the birth of baby Emma last October. "It was great to spend the whole labour with her and experience it from the viewpoint of the mum and dad. It gave me a more personal perspective than I got when I worked on the ward for my clinical training. The doctors and nurses involved were all very helpful too."

Lisa Laurie appreciated having an extra helper along for her second labour, and also sharing her second pregnancy with someone who was keenly interested in the process.

"Taneesa was very involved in the prenatal doctor's visits and tests, and asked a lot of questions," recalls Laurie. "During labour she was attentive, alert, and there for me, and also very excited, because it was the first birth she'd seen. It was great to have an extra support person around who was there just for us but not as emotionally involved as family members are. It also gave my husband a chance to step out to get food or see our older child without feeling like he was abandoning me!

"It was a nice experience for me," says Laurie. "I'd recommend it!"

Women who are due between September and December and who will be having their babies at Chilliwack, Mission, or MSA hospitals are eligible to participate in the Mums-to-be program. If you agree to participate, the student nurse will meet you (and your partner if applicable) for a "get to know you chat", come with you on one visit to the doctor, come with you to one prenatal class, give you and your partner support during all of your labour and delivery, and visit you afterwards.

For more information, or to volunteer, call UCFV's Joanna Hirnschall at 604-795-2833, or 504-7441, local 2833.