The Scotish Midwife by Esme

I trained as a midwife in South East Scotland in the early 1980s. Twelve of us started together and after 10 weeks in school we where sent to our first wards. We where working in a women’s hospital which provided services other than maternity services. It no longer exist being pulled down and replaced some distance away by a new purpose built general hospital.

We’d been on ward for the odd day here and there and mixed with the students a head of us, in the residence or in the canteen for those who lived at home. They’d told us all sorts of shocking tales about what happens to gullible, or none team player new starters. I think we where all apprehensive. My first ward was the after care ward looking after mother and baby.

On day three and looking back on it should have suspected something it seemed that every ward had more midwives and nurses than it required. As I and two friends where coming off duty we where steered by a group of second and third years into the antenatal area. As soon as I entered I knew what was going down in as much as this was it this was going to be the initiation.

The room was similar to a changing room at the bath’s. The sandy floor tales extended up the wall. In the middle and around the walls where coat hooks above benches with baskets under them. The rectangular room had two sturdy wooden doors to the outside world and a curtained off opening opposite them on the two long sides.

Further nurses where brought in, the two after me where assigned to antenatal services, they protested immediately, they seemed to know what was coming, they where saying things like “You can’t” and “God girls do you know what they are going to do to you” the second and third years prevented them from telling us. Another few of us where brought in making 12 in all. What I then noticed was that the student midwife who was already a trained nurse was brought in. She tried to force her way back out immediately. But she was pushed back. She protested too saying she was not a new starter she was already a nurse. The third year who seemed to be in charge just said something like, “Well now you’re a student again, your not yet a midwife”. She looked as terrified as the two of us that where assign to antenatal obviously she knew what to expect.

“Right girls lets have you out of your things” the third year in charge said. We all just looked at each other in stunned surprise. We’d been told various stories about being stripped but no one had mentioned stripping yourself. We obviously hadn’t moved fast enough because the next statement was a threat, “Come on, come on or we’ll have to help you” the group of second years and third years began to look ominous and close in on us. It seemed pointless to make a fuss, it was going to happen so I started to undress. Soon we where all in various stages of undress, the quicker ones had come to a stop in pants and bra, I was just getting my tights off. “Don’t be shy or bashful girls we’re all nurses” looks passed around once more they couldn’t be serious. “We’ve got gowns for you” a second year said turning into the far corner and picking up a pile of gowns. At least we weren’t going to be naked. I reached for my bra along with many others and was soon topless, now feeling the chill, it was actually quite warm. Next I slipped off my panties. As each girl became naked she was given a gown. However, when the qualified nurse finished stripping her clothes where immediately taken and she was not offered a gown. The same fate befell the two students who’d drawn antenatal as their first assignment. They protested at being left naked but this did them no good. The tried their best to conceal what they could looking very uncomfortable.

“Right you, first” a second year said to the girl stood next to me. The curtain was drawn back and she walked through. Some time passed and then a voice from behind the curtain said “next”. The curtain was drawn back and the student next to me was pointed at and she got up and walked over to the curtain. I saw the other student now moving between the cubicles which lay behind the curtain.

I was the next to be summoned forward. I went through the curtain and into the first cubicle. There a third year took my pulse, and respirations. I was then passed on to the next cubicle with another student coming from the reception area. The cubicles where basically a area screened off with a hardboard screen of about six feet high. It had a foot gap to the floor and a three foot gap to the ceiling. I could hear what was going on in the cubicles ahead of me. The first girl was being told to take off her gown and she wasn’t pleased about this. Two other students came in from the reception area and after a little struggle the nurse already in the cubical asked what the fuss had been all about.

Now in my new cubical I had my blood pressure taken. When done and we where told to change again I noticed the first student in the open area in front of the cubicles. She was now naked and protesting but the nurse in charge just said that was the price she’d have to pay for all the fuss. She walked into her next cubicle and gasped or said something I saw her briefly try to back away before being pushed into my cubicle. I could here her struggling and pleading.

In the next cubicle I was told that I was to be weighed and my height measured but since I was over 21 the rules for me where different to the two previous students. I had to be naked for this. No big deal I thought so took off the gown. Once measured the gown was given back to me. The other student was still complaining what had really frighten me was her comment of ‘not shoving it up me bum”.

I was then pasted onto the next cubicle and now heard the student next ahead of me say, “Oh don’t not like that”. I was now getting nervous as to what was ahead of me I didn’t really want to think about it. I was once more asked to strip naked. I had my breasts, waist and hips measured. Then I was passed on to whatever was so awful about the next cubic. I’d heard the first student struggling in her new cubicle. I now saw her naked once more looking un happy. The next in line to me came out looking a bit more sheepish than earlier.

I went into the next cubicle and the kidney dish told me everything. Rectal temperature. I was asked to strip again and bend over the couch. It wasn’t painful just uncomfortable. I could hear what was going on next door it sound like internals. The first student had now disappeared into the first brick walled cubicles. No sound could be heard but it seemed that there where more second and third years in their.

I was now passed to the next cubicle. The student a head of me appeared naked. She smiled I tried to smile back. Sure enough this last wooden cubicle was internal examinations. Vagina and rectum. Not very nice bit embarrassing being nude. But I was not given my gown back so appeared for all the five students behind me to see.

I was now taken to one of the four brick walled exam rooms. Still very naked I was told to climb up onto the couch. I knew what was coming by the look on the girls faces surrounding me. A pubic shave. This took a bit of time. There where four brick exam rooms so long could be spent on us and still have the line of students coming on up behind. I heard the next student going to the last available exam room as I was being trimmed. I then heard a shocked gasp from outside. I wasn’t sure why. Once I was shaved I thought that would be it. But no worse was to come. It was an enema. I was released with it inside me. I then realised what the gasp was as I was stepping back into the open area. The girls had seen the first student minus her bush. I looked down the open area to see the first of the antenatal girls still very naked being taken to the first cubicle.

I was taken to the waiting area after the brick cubicles. It was a area similar to the reception area except rather than wooden doors to the outside world it had another curtain and went onto the corridor which ran behind the wards. You could here porters and other people coming and going. I was sat looking down the open area. The curtain hadn’t been pull fully across at the short side. I cold watch the procession of students make their way up to the final destination. I very uncomfortable wooden bench with an enema inside you. I saw the next antennal student then the older trained nurse.

They where intent I think on torturing her. I found out later that she’d been very nasty to a few of the students and this was pay back. She was prevent from covering herself at all so everyone including me got a great view.

Eventually the first student needed to get rid of the enema. The catch was that the toilet was down the back corridor. She poked her head out and when she thought it was clear took to her heals. Soon after the other student a head of me and the student who came in after me had to go. They poked their heads out and made a dash for it. I then could hold no longer and had to do the same. I waited until it fell quiet and poked my head out. I then stepped out and not being able to run in case of an accident walked briskly to the toilet.

Of course that wasn’t the end of the problem. Now relieved I had to get back from the toilet. The only problem as the three students a head of me pointed out stood at the door was that you couldn’t hear through the solid door. The next student pushed the door open and I decided to go for it. Big mistake I’d got out into the corridor and made about half the distance when a porter turns the corner out of a ward. He whistles and says something like “way to go”. Consequently, by the time the others came to make their dash to the toilet or back the word had got out. Porters seemed to be turning up at just the wrong moment.

Unfortunately, it was made worse for the trained nurse. She was given the choice when to make her run and at least three porters got a great show. Once we where all done we where given our clothes back and welcomed with a drink.