There is ample evidence that the delivery of maternity care, particularly in rural and remote areas of Canada is in crisis, largely as a result of the rapid decline and overall supply of professionals to provide this care (Druss et al., 2003; British Columbia Women’s Hospital and Health Centre Maternity Care Enhancement Project, 2004; Fauveau, 2008; Smith, Brown, Stewart, Trim, Freeman, Beckhoff, and Kasperski, 2009; Martin and Kasperski, 2010; Graves, 2012; McIntyre, Francis, Chapman, 2012; Meffe, Moravac, Espin, 2012; Miller, Couchie, Ehman, Graves, Grzybowski & Medves, 2012; Morgan et al., 2014). The continuing decline in the number of Canadian family physicians that provide maternity care, particularly with intra-partum care, has been highlighted in a number of articles (Price et al., 2005; Tucker et al., 2005; Peterson et al., 2007; Morgan et al., 2014). These continuing trends, in combination with the decreasing number of obstetricians being trained in intrapartum care, and number of students opting out of obstetrics to focus on gynaecology, have contributed to a general crisis in maternity care over the last decade (Price et al., 2005; Stempniak, 2016). This has given rise to possibilities of new ways of providing care to the maternal and newborn population, and inventive means for utilizing health human resources in the most productive and efficient ways (Stempniak, 2016). Collaborative practice, interprofessional education and post-licensure interprofessional
This means recognizing each woman’s social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural needs. It also acknowledge that a woman and her newborn baby does not exist independently of the woman’s social and emotional environment. This includes incorporating an understanding in assessment and provision of health care (Yanti et al., 2015). The fundamental principles of women-centred care ensures a focus on pregnancy and childbirth as the start of family life, not just as isolated clinical episodes. These motherhood phases take into complete account the meaning and the values of each woman. Providing women centred care helps women make an informed choices, being involved in and having control over their own care, this also includes their relationship with their midwives (Johnson et al., 2003). This demonstrates that midwives are able to attend for women during pregnancy, childbirth and in early parenting years. In addition to this, midwives also provide education for women in order to have a healthy lifestyle (Woods et al.,
I believe as a Midwifery Student at Australian Catholic University (ACU) that childbirth is a natural life process. Within my philosophy, my aim is to provide a women-centred care based on evidence- based practice. Also the importance of supporting women with cultural variation, social circumstance and understanding other specific needs throughout the woman’s pregnancy. The women-centred care is an essential quality to a midwife as it ensure that the women is educated in healthy lifestyle choices within pregnancy, childbirth and during parenthood. This relationship of “women-centred care” is the key to midwifery practices as Australian College of Midwives (2009) refers to the philosophy of maternity care that promotes a holistic approach by recognising each women’s social, emotional, physical, spiritual and cultural needs. In retrospect, it is important to reflect on your past experiences during your midwifery practice but also your life beyond midwifery.
This essay demonstrates significant factors, a midwife and the women may face within Australian public hospitals. As a midwife the key skills are understanding of what supports and impacts the normal physiological process of labour and birth. This essay will discuss two influencing factors that have a negative effect on the normal progress of labour and birth. This will be seen, firstly by discussing the cultural and environmental impacts of labour and birth. Then, examining how the midwife may best support and facilitate the adverse effects of normal physiological process. This essay also discusses a positive labour and birth environment within the Australian standard model of care.
I would have to say the separation of the "The Female Genital System" and "The Maternity Care and Delivery" subsections of the CPT are necessary and appropriate because they involve different types of care in totally different situations.
Within Victoria there are multiple models of maternity care available to women. An initial discussion with the woman’s treating GP during the early stages of her pregnancy is critical in her decision-making about which model of care she will choose and this key discussion is essential in allowing a woman to make the first of many informed decisions throughout her pregnancy. According to a survey conducted by Stevens et al. (2010) only 43% of women felt ‘they were not supported to maintain up-to-date knowledge on models of care, and most reported that model of care referrals were influenced by whether women had private health insurance coverage.’ Many elements of these models of care differ: from location of care, degree of caregiver continuity, rates of intervention and maternal and infant health, outcomes access to medical procedure, and philosophical orientation such as natural or medical (Stevens, Thompson, Kruske, Watson, & Miller, 2014). According to the World Health Organization (1985) and Commonwealth of Australia (2008) there is a recognition that ‘85% of pregnant women are capable of giving birth safely with minimal intervention with the remaining 15% at potential risk of medical complications’ (McIntyre & Francis, 2012).
Early prenatal care is extremely important for the future baby's health. Although prenatal care is funded by the Provincial and Federal Governement, not all women receive prenatal care on Prince Edward Island. This could be as simple as not being able to get transportation to
Maternity care in the United States is in jeopardy. There is an increasing trend of shortages of obstetrician-gynecologists and family physicians that once provided vital maternity care. With almost half of the nation’s counties lacking an obstetric provider, approximately ten million women are affected. Obstetricians-gynecologist themselves are also feeling the burdens of the understaffed hospitals and clinics with prolonged work hours. These medical professionals who dedicate their very lives to the field and the care of women are under a great amount of pressure and stress due to the shrinking workforce. Furthermore, interest amongst the youth is necessary in order to have an ample amounts of physicians available to replace the increasing
In the United States, the process of childbirth is far more dangerous for African American women than it is for White women. For African American women, the path to a healthy birth is riddled with barriers. There are many health disparities between the two races. African American women face much higher low-birth and infant mortality rates; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published that although infant mortality rates in the U.S. have dropped by over 10% in the past ten years, a large gap continues to exist between the health of the races during the entire childbirth process. (World Health Organization, 2010) In the United States, Black infants are more than twice as likely to die within the first year of life as a White infant, and this disparity has not seen advancements in the last century. Many of these deaths can be attributed to low birth weight, and preterm birth among black infants.
Government Funding For Midwifery Across Canada Will Implement Positive Changes To Indigenous Women In Canada And Our Healthcare.
This research consisted of key informants and general informants. These general informants were leaders in the community, granny midwives and African American and European American health care professionals. These general informants came from the clinics and hospitals where key informants were from. The key informants from each region were women who were either pregnant or had a baby within in a year preceding the study. (Marjorie Morgan, 1996)
For hundred of years, women have wrestled with their womanhood, bodies, and what it means to be a woman in our society. Being a woman comes with a wonderful and empowering responsibility--giving birth. What sets us aside from other countries is that the process and expectations of giving birth has changed in our society; coming from midwifery, as it has always been since the early times, to hospitals where it is now expected to give birth at. Midwifery was a common practice in delivering babies in
The growth in presence of midwives in both Indigenous and non-indigenous communities is increasing, indicating the overall difference in experience between what would be defined as “natural” birth and what western medicine dictates as “normal” birth. Though, this does not include the use of “assisted” birth during emergency situations, which is sometimes the case even with midwife patients (Green, 2017). But, this experience gives the mother an ally especially through emergency situations, which is related through both Dorothy Green and Kim Anderson’s experiences; Anderson whose first pregnancy needed to be terminated was assisted by an Indigenous birthing center to ensure that she would be able to bury the remains of her child, which is needed for both closure and ceremony (2006). Similarly, Green had to fight to make Indigenous medicine and options known in the hospital, to ensure that her patients were returned the pieces of their birthing process they needed to move forward and perform ceremony (2017). The use of traditional teachings, especially in an event as sacred as birthing, helps to heal Indigenous communities and families, and a healthy community leads to healthy identities of mothers.
physics of birth; moving from sitting and squatting, which was used historically by midwives and
Although nurse midwives do complete the task of aiding in the delivery of newborns, “they also provide health care and wellness care to women, which may include family planning, gynecological checkups, and prenatal care” (nurse.org). Nurse midwives also assist along with physicians during c-sectional births. Certified Nurse Midwives or CNMs are advanced nurse practitioners; however, nurse midwives must earn an advanced degree, a special certification, and training in order to practice midwife duties. CNMs offer similar care to that of an OB/GYN doctor; therefore they make different financial earnings. “Nursing Economics, found that when midwives work in collaboration with physicians, the birth is less likely to end in a C-section” (nurse.org). If less c- sections are performed in hospitals, it could help lower the medical costs due to paying for medication during the labor and delivery, of a natural vaginal birth. To illustrate, nurse midwives should be more prevalent in hospitals, in order to lower the financial status of medical
This essay will be relating to an episode of care that was provided to a woman, her partner and their baby on day five during the postnatal period. It will examine the role of the midwife in relation to breastfeeding and how this was not achieved in the case study which is shown in the appendix. Throughout the essay it will look at the following outcomes: the role and responsibility of the midwife within current maternity care provision, the importance of sensitive midwifery, key legal and ethical dimensions of the midwife's role and key sociological and psychological agendas impacting on current maternity care.