Midwife Bags and other Christmas Wishes
Aside from the fact that I don't celebrate Christmas per-se, being a good Pagan and all, I have to say that I get a bit caught up in the swirl of activity and the seizures of commericalism which pervade the U.S starting around Halloween. Now there's a holiday we Pagans dig. But I digress...
Recently a bloggie of mine, the lovely Lady Elms mentioned that she's hunting for a midwife bag. Something which struck a chord with me as I too have been keeping an eye out for an appropriate bag for my small collection of tools. I had wandered the internet looking at EMS bags, fancy, with many pockets and bulletproof nylon canvas and heavy duty zips.
They didn't much appeal. Nor did the hippy-ish Guatemalan fabric numbers from the online store where I bought most of my kit. They seem too big and too floppy and not quite stylish enough. I know, it sounds silly "why does a midwife bag have to be stylish?" I hear some of you ask. Well it doesn't I suppose, But I'd like it to. Shouldn't the bag which I carry professionally say something other than "Gung-Ho First Responder" (EMS bag) or "Peace, Man" (Hippy, flowy, Handmade in Guatemala), or "Let's get to work" (Various tool bags sourced from Home Depot and other Hardware outlets.) All of these bags work very well, but they just aren't me.
Those of you who know me know that I am beset by a deep-seated and powerful inablity to commit to things like any one cloth diapering system (Chinese prefold w/wool felt cover v's Australian terry cloth squares w/Litewrap covers). Likewise I have struggled mightily finding just the right nappy bag. This is more of a big deal when you are carrying cloth nappies but aside from that, I have 6 diaper bags. I have the small, chic black satiny diaperbag, gifted at my baby shower, which looks more like a handbag (and has indeed been used for that purpose more than once). It was too small though and it frustrated me. I have a bigger, overnight-bag type diaper bag which now does double duty as my Doula kit bag when I work births. It can carry a month of dipes, a full carton of wipes and a days-worth of snacks and sippy cups. Needless to say this was great for the trip back to Australia with a toddler and a 3 month old but it's too big for everyday use. Next was the hawaiian print corduroy school backpack. Everything fit but it was a touch too big, and it didn't have enough pockets and I had to rummage at the bottom of it to find anything. That pissed me off. I had a couple of others but they either looked revolting or they couldn't withstand the everyday rigors of being my diaper bag. Now that my baby is (almost) out of nappies I find myself still looking for the perfect diaper bag.
I fear now that my need for a midwifery kit bag just became the next generation of my diaper bag angst. I need a bag which can hold the following (a lot of which is student related so bear with me):
- Stethoscope/s (adult, fetal, pediatric - actually if anyone can tell me definitively if I can use my very lovely pediatric stethoscope on adults, I'll gladly throw my adult one away, it sucks so badly)
- BP cuff
- Thermometer, otoscope
- Gloves/Lube
- Specula
- Chux pads and then later:
- Doppler
- Urine sticks etc...
But I need it to be the right size (not too big, not too small), have pockets (not too many, and the right size though), practical and hard-wearing and not be god-awful ugly. In fact, if it can be really pretty (in a stylish, grown-up sort of way) then so much the better. How hard can this be?. I'm considering writing a letter to Kate Spade:
"Dear Kate,
I love your purses, but please would you design me a really kickin' Midwife Bag?
Yours most sincerely,
MamaMidwife"
I find myself returning to diaper bags as a potential solution:
This would be ranking up there right now. I think that would be about the sexiest midwife bag ever. Perhaps I should start my Yule wishlist...
Recently a bloggie of mine, the lovely Lady Elms mentioned that she's hunting for a midwife bag. Something which struck a chord with me as I too have been keeping an eye out for an appropriate bag for my small collection of tools. I had wandered the internet looking at EMS bags, fancy, with many pockets and bulletproof nylon canvas and heavy duty zips.
They didn't much appeal. Nor did the hippy-ish Guatemalan fabric numbers from the online store where I bought most of my kit. They seem too big and too floppy and not quite stylish enough. I know, it sounds silly "why does a midwife bag have to be stylish?" I hear some of you ask. Well it doesn't I suppose, But I'd like it to. Shouldn't the bag which I carry professionally say something other than "Gung-Ho First Responder" (EMS bag) or "Peace, Man" (Hippy, flowy, Handmade in Guatemala), or "Let's get to work" (Various tool bags sourced from Home Depot and other Hardware outlets.) All of these bags work very well, but they just aren't me.Those of you who know me know that I am beset by a deep-seated and powerful inablity to commit to things like any one cloth diapering system (Chinese prefold w/wool felt cover v's Australian terry cloth squares w/Litewrap covers). Likewise I have struggled mightily finding just the right nappy bag. This is more of a big deal when you are carrying cloth nappies but aside from that, I have 6 diaper bags. I have the small, chic black satiny diaperbag, gifted at my baby shower, which looks more like a handbag (and has indeed been used for that purpose more than once). It was too small though and it frustrated me. I have a bigger, overnight-bag type diaper bag which now does double duty as my Doula kit bag when I work births. It can carry a month of dipes, a full carton of wipes and a days-worth of snacks and sippy cups. Needless to say this was great for the trip back to Australia with a toddler and a 3 month old but it's too big for everyday use. Next was the hawaiian print corduroy school backpack. Everything fit but it was a touch too big, and it didn't have enough pockets and I had to rummage at the bottom of it to find anything. That pissed me off. I had a couple of others but they either looked revolting or they couldn't withstand the everyday rigors of being my diaper bag. Now that my baby is (almost) out of nappies I find myself still looking for the perfect diaper bag.
I fear now that my need for a midwifery kit bag just became the next generation of my diaper bag angst. I need a bag which can hold the following (a lot of which is student related so bear with me):
- Stethoscope/s (adult, fetal, pediatric - actually if anyone can tell me definitively if I can use my very lovely pediatric stethoscope on adults, I'll gladly throw my adult one away, it sucks so badly)
- BP cuff
- Thermometer, otoscope
- Gloves/Lube
- Specula
- Chux pads and then later:
- Doppler
- Urine sticks etc...
But I need it to be the right size (not too big, not too small), have pockets (not too many, and the right size though), practical and hard-wearing and not be god-awful ugly. In fact, if it can be really pretty (in a stylish, grown-up sort of way) then so much the better. How hard can this be?. I'm considering writing a letter to Kate Spade:
"Dear Kate,
I love your purses, but please would you design me a really kickin' Midwife Bag?
Yours most sincerely,
MamaMidwife"
I find myself returning to diaper bags as a potential solution:
This would be ranking up there right now. I think that would be about the sexiest midwife bag ever. Perhaps I should start my Yule wishlist...
posted by Louisa at 11:34 AM
5 Comments:
I have a petunia picklebottom diaper bag...used for 30 months and has now only just been retired...sadly I must say (but with great joy also asboth are now in undies)! It was the best damn thing ever. The little amount of staining that I did get on it was difficult to get out but it has worn well considering it was used EVERY day! Splurge and get one...or have someone else do so anyway!
I too went through the "what kind of bag" dilemma about a year ago and yes, ended up with a diaper bag, which I spied at a clients home and fell in love with and then went right to Babies R Us a bought it. It was an education to weed through the vast selection of choices, while I hunted for THE bag that the client had. I found it and it didn't cost an arm and a leg, which I also felt really good about. Now that bag is my prenatal/home visit bag, with all the littler stuff, stethescope, BP cuff, doppler, etc and I have the fancy EMT bag for my O2 tank, suturing stuff, extra disposables and the like. Be patient, the right one will come to you :)
Have you seen the Loom diaper bags? I just bought one to use as my diaper bag for Baby #2 - we had a Land's End backpack diaper bag for Baby #1, but it was a little too rugged for my taste, and it had that same problem with things getting lost at the bottom. The Loom bags are messenger-style, although they come in cool patterns and colors (I got a robin's egg blue one). They've got lots of pockets, so maybe they would do for a midwife bag as well.
Petunia diaper bags are fantastic, worth the dough. Fleurville also makes exceptional bags. There are several options/sizes so there could be one that suits your needs well....check out their Web site:
www.fleurville.com
Also come in great patterns, lots of pockets, environmentally-friendly and one of the best things...the outside is covered in this PVC stuff so you can wipe gook away with a wet cloth. I love my Petunia, but I really wanted one of these.
Hey there...
I too am a midwifery student (starting March 2007 anyway) and came across this blog and post through a shamble of links from other student blogs :)
Needless to say I too am looking for a bag, and hear the contents loud and clear...but have some more questions for you! If you could answer some or all of them that would be amazing...I am a bit of a seamstress so I could in theory create a stylish bag just for midwives! Woohoo!
What other things are you looking for? how many pockets? waterproof? locking? removable compartments? hard parts to keep paperwork from folding?
Anyway, great blog... I'm sure I'll be returning. :)
-M
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