As a midwife, it is imperative that they support and empower women, ensuring they receive the best possible care, support and advice during pregnancy, labour and postpartum period. Midwifery is an extremely diverse profession; whether it be working in the community, teaching parent and education classes or working within the clinical setting. All aspects require the same standard of care to be adhered to at all times. Providing support to the mother and her family throughout the childbearing continuum is an essential in order to help them adjust to their parental role. A midwife is usually a woman’s first and main point of contact throughout this process. They are responsible for providing individualised care for both mother and her family, encouraging them to determine how their pregnancy progresses. This includes assisting the woman to make informed decisions about the services and options available to them and supporting them throughout the decision making process. Midwives work alongside other health and social care services in order to meet the individual needs of a mother such as teenage pregnancy. Midwifes are fully trained in dealing with teenage pregnancies and approach them in an empowering manner, ensuring that all the service are easily accessible to them and that they are treated with respect at all times. Inclusion of young fathers is important and effective support can contribute to preventing another unplanned pregnancy. Midwives also care for women who
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.,
The ANMC states that midwives should promote safe and effective practice. This competency standard involves: Applying knowledge, skills and attitudes to enable woman centred care, provide or support midwifery continuity of care and manage the midwifery care of women and their babies. Midwives providing continuity of care are able to provide safe and effective practice. They know there patients well from the woman’s blood test results to the woman’s birth plan. The midwife can provide safe and effective practice because she knows the woman best. Midwifery Continuity of care is associated with a reduction in the rate of a number of interventions, without compromising safety of care (Spiby &
Being a midwife refers to a profession where the midwife would work in partnership with the women throughout her pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period. Not only is being a midwife women-centred, however, their role also includes ensuring the partner and family members are prepared and aware of the process. Within a women’s health, the midwife should focus on health, family planning, nutrition, domestic and other health issues as the main priority is the
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.
Midwives identify high risked pregnancies and they make referrals to doctors and other medical specialists.
At the doctors, they will also arrange some antenatal care for Miley as well as answer any questions she may have about the dos and don’ts and about what she should and shouldn’t whilst pregnant, on top of this they will also provide the ‘what’s next?’ step and to her options and classes available to her. I think it is very important that Miley attends regular classes regarding everything she may need to know for the upcoming months as well as the birth and even for when the baby arrives, she will be able to go along and observe or even get involved depending on the class and whether any of the mothers wish to let her experience certain aspects using their child, alongside this it will open up many avenues such as meeting other parents to be, there will be varied ages including some of similar age to herself. Whilst meeting other mum to be’s or even parents, she will be able to ask questions and get some answers from real life experience. They then made an appointment with the midwife who will deal with scans and care for both Miley and her baby. A Midwifes duty is very important for a pregnant woman and her child, not only do they teach and educate, they also empower women to take control of their own health. In most communities midwifes provide prenatal care or supervision of the pregnancy, after assisting throughout the
The international Confederation of Midwives (ICM) defines the midwife as a person who has successfully completed a nationally recognized midwifery education program, is qualified for registration, and competent to practice in midwifery. As a midwifery student, I will explore the philosophies of this profession whilst working with my first continuity of care experience woman and her family. In this essay, I will examine the roles of the midwife, the scope of the practice for midwives and midwifery students, and search the value of the midwifery partnership and the importance of the woman centered care. I will also clarify the legal, professional and ethical responsibilities of the midwife in accordance with national standards and code. Analyzing
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.
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
Women’s health is an important and rewarding field of study. Certified Nurse-Midwives or CNMs are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses provide education and care prior to conception, during pregnancy, childbirth and after delivery of a baby. CNMs work in settings that may include doctors’ offices, hospitals, birth centers, health clinics and attending patients’ homes for birth services or routine pre and post-natal care. CNMs also provide health care to women throughout their reproductive lives that may call for reproduction education, health visits, annual exams, and post-menopausal
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
In today's society, the midwife has more roles and responsibilities than ever before. A midwife is someone who has to be able to provide women with the essential care, supervision and advice during their pregnancy, labour and postpartum period, and to care for both mother and child (International Confederation for Midwives 2011). As autonomous practitioners, they act as an advocate for the woman by supporting her and encouraging her to make her own independent decisions (Royal College of Midwives 2008). Midwives care for families from different social, psychological and physical backgrounds and work as part of a multi-professional team so excellent communication is vital. The number of women with complex social and physical needs such as drug and alcohol misuse are increasing, and a midwife needs to adapt to these situations and communicate effectively (Midwifery
This is the beginning of the mother’s involvement with the midwife. This is an opportunity for both parties to establish a personal relationship, partnership. This is where education exchange can occur, recognition of responsibilities, options and choices are determined which are supported and discussed with the mother and her supporters. (Pairman, 2010, pg. 431-432)
The partnership between a woman and her midwife is the key to a successful birth experience. This partnership is a professional friendship that allows midwives to get to know women and their bodies.
MD Marden Wagner said, “In every country where I have seen real progress in maternity care, it was woman’s groups working together with midwives that made the difference.” The Marriam Webster dictionary defines midwifery as “The art or act of assisting at childbirth”. The definition is a spot-on explanation. Midwifery is not very broad; it’s pinpointed as a specific job with detailed instructions that only deal with pregnancies. Many will argue to say that midwives only work with women who are having “normal-pregnancies”.(Goer, 2002). Normal pregnancies include a healthy mother and fetus, with no complications. “Approximately 10% - 30% of pregnant women will experience Bacterial Vaginosis (BV) during their pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy happens in 1 out of 60 pregnancies. About 1% of all pregnant women will experience placental abruption, and most can be successfully treated depending on what type of separation occurs.” (Pregnancy Complications). Everyone is different, they handle pain in different ways, they have diverse fingerprints, they all have their own unique genetic material; evidently all pregnant women will experience each pregnancy they have differently from themselves and from other women. Many people will argue about the authenticity of a Certified Nurse Midwife’s education however, in reality “Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) are registered nurses, with a minimum of a