Alternative Uses for Midwifery Tools

I have a lot of tools and gadgets that I use as a midwife. While they are invaluable to my midwifery practice, some of them can also be handy for other purposes.  

Here are just a few of the ways I have found some of my midwifery tools to be useful for more than midwifery care:

• Chux pads are great for protecting surfaces when you know what you are doing can or will make a mess. My husband’s favorite use for Chux pads is to protect the garage floor when he’s doing an oil change. I have used them when I’m doing something in the kitchen that has the potential to be quite messy like pitting cherries.
• Birth pool mirrors can be useful for seeing things inside a car engine bay or on motorcycle engines. I found it invaluable for putting colostomy bags on during my colostomy phase of life.
• Infrared thermometers can be used to check oven or freezer temperatures.
• Stethoscopes can be used to pinpoint where a noise is coming from, handy if you are hearing a new noise in your car. I’ve also used my stethoscope to get a heart rate on my cat.
• Hemostats are a clamp often used to clamp blood vessels.  If an umbilical cord tears during birth (rare but it can happen), I would clamp it with a hemostat. My husband has his own set now to clamp hoses on cars and motorcycles.
• I’ve used my scale and sling to weigh a cat.
• I have started using nitrile gloves when working with jalapeno peppers, onions, as well as car and motorcycle repairs or maintenance.​

Using some of my midwifery tools for more than midwifery aligns well with the adaptability and outside the box thinking midwifery demands, not to mention making some of the things I do around my home a little easier.