Today was International Women’s Day (March 8) in Slovenia. It is celebrated as a sort of Mother’s Day and comes with the tradition of giving flowers to a woman. I was surprised by my sweet colleague giving me a tulip, a flower that conveys comfort and warmth and is the symbolic flower of The Netherlands (my homecountry). I was just having a couple of tough days, so the gesture of the flower really moved me. Having those strong midwives around at the labour ward here, inspires me to stand my ground and know my worth.
Strong women are often also patient women. Long (night)shifts inevitably come with periods where you can only be a patient guard. Slovenian midwives have their very own way of getting through these periods. Imagine my surprise when I first saw my colleagues resorting to… knitting! A couple of knitting midwives isn’t something you would easily find in a Belgian labour ward. However, my colleagues convinced me to give the knitting a try, as a good way of maintaining the dexterity a midwife needs. I leave it to you to imagine my clumsy tries in the beginning, but I have good hopes that I will further master the fine art of knitting.
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