Midwifery: Personal Statement

Throughout personal professional development reflection is essential, allowing health care professionals to self-develop by revisiting events and analysing areas in which improvements and learning would ensure a positive impact on their future practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC, 2010) notes that all health care practitioners must be self-aware in their own values and principles which could affect their practice. Ensuring they maintain personal and professional development while learning through supervision, feedback and reflection.

My passion for midwifery came to light whilst working as a domiciliary care assistant, although I believe it has been my vocation for some time. I am drawn to the role of a midwife because I want to empower women to make their own decisions during their pregnancy and birth and give them the confidence to do so. I think it is important to remember that everyone is different. The role of a care assistant has taught me a lot of valuable skills and knowledge that I can take to midwifery; I have been lucky enough to support a variety of people to live a life of independence to the best of their ability, and aid them with tasks and decisions where needed. I have learnt the importance of listening to people, and offering advice and reassurance where

A constructive critique of the research into women’s experiences of becoming a mother after prolonged labour.

Being a midwife does not only defined by assisting women in childbirth. The general dictionary definition are the misconception of how people view midwives. Being a midwife means to be ‘with women’ and this leads the construction of the midwifery philosophy, Page (2006) 5 steps and Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) competency standards, in order to provide the best women centred care (Australia Collage of Midwives, 2017). This essay will cover a constructive overview of what Page (2006) 5 steps of being a midwife means, it will also defined what women centred care is and emphasis on the importance it has for the woman. Understanding Page (2006) 5 steps and women centred care helped build the pathway for midwifery philosophy to correlate with NMBA competency standard in order to support midwifery practice. For

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) published the expected standards for pre-registration midwifery education. They stated that Student Midwives are required to assist in the care and support of several women throughout their antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum period. This is achieved via the caseload holding scheme (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2009). Midwifery led continuity of care models are described as care given during the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period from a known and trusted midwife in order to empower a woman to have a healthy pregnancy and birth (Sandall, Soltani and Gates, 2016). In September 2005 research was published supporting midwifery-led continuity of care, which they found was linked to a number of benefits for both mothers and babies, in contrast with obstetrically led and shared care (The Royal College of Midwives, 2014).

In this article, the authors explored the continuity of midwifery care using the caseload approach that was established in Queensland. This was to address the development of care for women experiencing inequalities and to improve birth outcomes. The authors objective was to investigate midwife’s responsibilities within their scope of practice when applying a caseload model (Midwifery Group Practice [MGP]).

first watched, "The Business of Being Born" when it came out in 2008.  It was prior to having children and I had just accepted my position as a Nurse Manager the year prior in Obstetrics in a Rural, Level 1 Facility.  (Being Level 1 in Obstetrics means that we only care for low risk mothers and babies that are at least 35 weeks gestation.)  I find it very interesting how my perspective has changed in the 9 years since its release.  Although I am still pro, low-intervention birth, I feel like the enthusiasm I once had for natural birth with limited intervention has been hijacked by an increase in anxiety d/t the fear of medical liability.  A couple of bad home-birth outcomes can do that to you.  On the flip side, and to be fair, we don’t see all of the perfectly healthy and safe home-birth deliveries; because if everything went well, there would be no need to come to the hospital.

I have been interested in medical work due to having spent numerous periods of time in hospital suffering with asthma and medical ailments but, I recently realised midwifery is my vocation; to help bring a new life into the world and supporting women and families is highly rewarding . I most enjoy my A Level subjects Biology and Philosophy and Ethics and I feel these would be put to good use in Midwifery, it has also been my ambition to be the first person in my family to go to university. I am excited by the role of being a midwife and aware it consists of more than delivering babies and is actually very diverse. The position includes being the first point of contact for expectant mothers during pregnancy, labour and the early postnatal period while providing care and supervision during childbearing. Becoming a midwife means being responsible for helping the mother make informed choices about the services and options

Now there are two types of midwives: professional and traditional. There are several different pathways to become a professional midwife. All pathways require higher education and training that results in certification or licensing. Gynecological, family planning, counseling, and childcare are stressed elements taught in higher education to midwives. The most common types of midwives are listed below including the three professional U.S. midwifery credentials, Certified Professional Midwives (CPM), Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM), and Certified Midwives (CM). The traditional, community-based midwife chooses not to become certified or licensed for various reasons. They believe that they are only accountable to the community or patient that they

This report will evaluate the roles and responsibilities of a midwife. “Midwifery encompasses care of women during pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period, as well as care of the new-born.”(WHO, 2015) This is a recent definition and clearly points out that a midwife has many roles and responsibilities. The NMC Codes of Conduct will be evaluated with specific emphasis on recent changes within healthcare. These changes took place as a result of the tragedies at Mid-Staffordshire Hospital in 2005-2009 and are the outcome of the Francis report in order to improve care given to patients.

According to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNMb) (2015), home births account for 1.4% of all births in the U.S. In eight years the number of home births in the US increased by 41% (ACNM, 2015b). Providing home births falls within the scope of practice of midwives and is supported by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM, 2015b). A mother can have the option of a home birth as long as the home birth follows regulations set in place by the state and can provide a favorable safe environment for both mother and newborn (ACNM, 2015b). Both the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that the ultimate decision of having a home birth is a patient’s right, especially if she is medically well informed (Declercq, & Stotland, 2016).

The International Confederation of Midwives (2011) recognises midwives as being responsible and accountable professionals who work in partnership with women and their partners to give them support, care, and advise during pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period. This assignment will look at the significance of professionalism and how it affects the role of the midwifery student in university and in midwifery practice. It will begin by giving a definition of professionalism, followed by a discussion on two characteristics of professionalism; accountability and knowledge. Finally how these impact on the role of the midwifery student with regard to conduct and behaviour within the university, will be discussed in relation to both their personal

Two years ago, I was introduced to midwifery when my brother and his girlfriend were considering options for the impending birth of my nephew. Since that time, everything I’ve pursued and studied has helped bring me a step closer to becoming a midwife myself. I find pregnancy, childbirth, and babies to be the most fascinating things in the world. I spend heaps of time independently researching different aspects of childbirth. Last year, I wrote a research paper on the differences between home births and hospital births, and I’m currently working on a podcast about home births and the role midwives play. There's so much knowledge out there that I was oblivious to; once I figured out that pregnancy, birth, and even postpartum care need not be

My particular interest is in normality and my future ambition is to become a core member of the Midwifery Led Unit team at Leighton Hospital. I have gained valuable experience in this area, in particular with water birth. Although

My chosen clients are women who are pregnant and have complications or are unwell in pregnancy. Clients can come in any ethnicity. Usually these clients are from the age of 16-40 however there are anomalies.