Women's Health Care For Teens Through Menopause, Family Planning

Midwives identify high risked pregnancies and they make referrals to doctors and other medical specialists.

In America, midwives attend less than 8% of all births and less than 1% of those occur outside a hospital. At the same time, the US

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

The first piece of literature analyzed was a scholarly article titled, “Nurse Midwife and Scientist: Stuck in the Middle” by Aleeca F. Bell, published in 2007. Bell has a Ph. D, is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Nurse Midwife at the University of Chicago, Illinois. Bell’s ethos is established by her many degrees, her teaching of nursing classes, her many publications and academic awards, and her experiences at the Alivio Medical Center and the Will

• Nurse-midwives (NM) – obstetrics and gynecology primary care that encompasses both pre and post natal in both traditional medical locations as well as home health settings

A Nurse Midwife provides advanced nursing care and education to obstetrical and gynecological patients by monitoring the fetal development, listening to fetal heartbeat, taking external uterine measurements, identifying fetal position, or estimating fetal size and weight. Also provides prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn care to patients. We can find all this information on www.bridges.com . Becoming a Nurse Midwife requires a minimum of a graduate degree, such as the Master of

The midwives role is not to deliver the baby. Their role is to be a

Eagerly yearning to have a positive impact on health standards in my community has compelled me towards studying Midwifery. I believe there’s nothing more remarkable than understanding how a woman’s body functions during their pregnancy. Broadening my horizon and developing my understanding about how midwives specialise in nurturing a pregnant woman and her baby from early postnatal periods, pregnancy and birth. However what intrigues me the most is having the privilege of forming a relationship with mother whilst being pregnant. Another appeal is that midwives are essential in preparing women for motherhood by providing around the clock support and educating both parents and family, to help them make informed decisions about their new-born

Whether you are considering a midwife for you next birth, or you know someone who is having a baby, the option to use a midwife will improve the safety and health of the birth and improve the experience for the mother, baby and all involved. A nurse midwife is the best option for a mother who wants to improve her birth experience because using a midwife allows the body to take its natural path toward birth, improves the health and well being of the mother and child and lowers the risk for a C-section.

Additionally, other government papers echoed the same principles for midwifery led model of care (DH,2004; DH, 2007; DH, 2008, DH 2009), foremost came The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Service (NSF) (DH, 2004). In 2007 the Department of Health produced an implementation paper for the NSF to help deliver its key principles known as ‘Maternity Matters’ (DH, 2007). These documents recommend that women are cared for throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond by a midwife that she faith in and knows well (Department of Health, 2007). Moreover, The NHS Mandate 16 – Maternity and Children stated that pregnant women should have a named midwife (NHS England, 2014). Furthermore, this is echoed by The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) (1995). Nevertheless, Andrews (2006) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) argue that continuity of antenatal care can be provided by a small group of midwives with whom the woman feels comfortable (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence , 2008).

Nurse Practitioner: Gynecology is a nurse who specializes in Women’s Health. They will be doing prevention or treatment of disease that deal with the reproductive system. The state board will regulate just how much they are able to perform. Some might even go as far as prescriptions for birth control, and even diagnostic test to be fulfilled. They work with women of all ages and provide care for acute and chronic health problems. They can provide health counseling services to women who they feel need it most. They deal with women going

Being among the most highly trained in the field of registered nursing positions, nurse midwives have been bettering women’s health care and the birthing process for centuries. Nurse midwifery can be traced all the way back to the Biblical era from 2200 BC to 1700 BC. During these times, witchcraft and magic was a prevalent fear and since women at this time were not formally educated, it was thought that their talent and understanding of birth, a mystery of life to many at this time, was due to a supernatural force. For these reasons, during births at this time, a Rabbi would attend in case of a difficult delivery. In 2013 as Barnawi, Richter and Habib stated “. . .difficult delivery was seen as caused by witchcraft or black magic and it was believed that only a Rabbi could break this spell” (p.115). However, midwifery during this time was a widely respected practice and was solely performed by women who were among appropriate child bearing ages. Their role encompassed a wide variety of practice still used by midwives today such as management of pregnancies, vaginal exams, utilization of a birthing stool, and identifying fetal gender at birth. According to Barnawi et. al “The biblical era was the golden period in the history of midwifery in which women empowerment had an active role in framing some concepts of professionalism in midwifery” (2013, p.115).

The original meaning of midwife is “being with woman,” (Midwifery around the World,” 2011). Midwifery education dates back to the 1600s and the role of care has been practiced throughout history. Many people in America do not completely understand the roles of midwives in women healthcare today. Midwives play a vital role in successful deliveries not only inside the hospital but also outside the hospital setting. In fact, certified-nurse midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) can offer services beyond maternity care, including women’s and general health care services from the teenage years through adulthood and into the elder years (“Our Moment of Truth,”2014). The field of midwives offers a variety of roles including those listed

There are many health care options available during pregnancy, so why would a mother want to choose a midwife? Midwifery is a natural approach to labor and delivery that offers a less intrusive kind of birthing environment, more birthing options, and midwives are able to accommodate the specific needs and wants of the mother. “Midwives attend approximately 10% of births in the U.S. across all settings, including hospitals, birth centers, and home births. In every setting, midwife-led maternity care results in reduced infant and maternal mortality and morbidity, fewer medical interventions, decreased costs, increased savings, and improved client satisfaction” (MANA). In order to fulfill the needs and wants of the mother, one must be able to adjust accordingly by having the right set of skills and education, allowing the woman the right to make her own decisions about the type of childbirth she desires, and have the added benefit of being able to adapt to the cultural and social desires of the client. Midwives practice and promote the philosophy of women’s rights, have the adequate skills and education, and include many benefits associated with the blessings of childbirth. (* 67%)

Hearing the word midwife leaves many people thinking of unprofessional, inexperienced women who help deliver babies naturally, without the help of medication. In truth, nurse-midwives are registered nurses who have attended additional schooling for women’s health and are taught to make women feel as comfortable as possible. In the beginning, remedies were the females’ legacies, their “birthright”; these females were known as “wise-women by the people, witches of charlatans by authorities”. (Ehrenreich, 1973). “Females were wanderers, traveling from one place to another, healing the sick and wounded.” (Ehrenreich 1973). These women were among the first human healers and they were especially helpful when it came to childbearing. The midwives