History Of Nurse-Midwifery

1038 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History development of nursing

As early as the mid 1800s, women were choosing to give birth less with traditional midwives and began seeking the care of doctors. Childbirth often ended in mortality, of the mother and more often, the baby. Women in the middle and upper classes doubted the training of midwives. Doctors received formal training and were believed better suited to care for the challenge of childbirth. Medicine was embraced and encouraged by anyone that could afford it. Doctors were seen as a status indicator and midwives were only suitable for the poor. By late 1800s, doctors attended about half of the births in the United States. (Feldhusen, 2000) As cities became more popular, families left their large homes for smaller apartments. There was no longer room …show more content…

The Midwifery Section of the National Organization for Public Health Nursing released a statement recognizing pregnancy and childbirth as normal and natural. It was also during this time that a New York Hospital became the first mainstream medical institution to allow nurse-midwives. The 50s is also when the doctors Bradley and Lamaze made their first appearances. Each developed their own cirriculum for educating women on the events of childbirth and methods of coping without medical intervention. (Feldhusen, …show more content…

"I want to help treat the whole person, physically, emotionally, and socially." She completed her master’s degree in midwifery in 2009 and opened her partnership practice in 2014. "We left the large practice in 2013 with dreams of being able to give care that was more patient based. We didn 't expect to hit the ground running, but women needed us. We 've built a community." (S. Barton, interview) There are several classes of midwives. Certified nurse-midwifes and certified midwives require a degree whereas a certified professional midwife is certified but there is no degree requirement. There is also degrees of lay midwives. These are women who have apprenticed with other lay midwives and are practicing without a recognized certification. As previously mentioned the laws differ greatly for what is allowed and regulated in each of the states.
Certified nurse midwifery (CMN) is the most common method of entry into a certified midwifery position. This form of midwifery is recognized and licensed in all 50 states. A master 's or doctoral degree is required as well as clinical supervision and a current registered nurse

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of A Midwife's Tale By Martha Ballard

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social medicine was important to the community in eighteenth century Hallowell. Female midwives were a part of a social network. This differed from the traditional way people thought of midwives. “In western tradition, midwives have inspired fear, reverence amusement, and disdain. They have been condemned for witch craft, eulogized for Christian benevolence, and caricatured for bawdy humor and old wives’ tales” (46). This view changed in the eighteenth century because midwives were starting to be seen as a necessary part of the medical community. Midwifes were used for most births during this time, and doctors were only summoned if there was a medical emergency that was out of the midwives medical capabilities. During the delivery of children relatives and neighbors would come together for a social gathering. The most prominent physicians of Hallowell, Maine were Daniel Cony, Samuel Colman, Benjamin Page, and Benjamin Vaughan (48). Physicians believed that midwives were an important part of the medical community. Male physicians relied on more studied mainstream ways to cure diseases. In contrast, Martha believed nature alone offered cures for illnesses. However, she was not ignorant to mainstream medicine and would rely on those cures if one of her family members were in

    Read More

  • A Midwife's Tale Sparknotes

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Contrary to having doctors deliver babies today, midwives were called upon to deliver babies during the eighteenth century. There were many more midwives than there were doctors during that time. In addition, Martha served as a midwife, nurse, physician, mortician, pharmacist, and attentive wife simultaneously (40). Aside from being able to deliver babies, midwives were also highly experienced in medical care—they tended to wounds, diagnosed illnesses, and made medicine. Midwives were more accessible and abundant when compared to doctors—they did not require any formal training or education. When the medical field was underdeveloped, the midwives were the leading resource when it was related to medical conflicts.

    Read More

  • Mary Breckinridge's Health Care Analysis

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Early 1900s, health care was very limited to rural women. Adequate care and practice for childbirth was never heard of and often times performed by family members or even neighbors. It was said to be lucky if a child lived through the birth and even luckier if the child lived through their first birthday.

    Read More

  • Urbanization Dbq Analysis

    211 Words  | 1 Pages

    The arrival of immigrants triggered a rapid urbanization of the major cities in the United States. New buildings were built to keep up with the city’s population increase, new modes of transportation were built in order to get across the city faster, and settlement house were created The immigrants rushed into cities causing skyscrapers and tenements to be build. As a result of limited land, businesses decide to build the business up instead of out. In addition, many of the immigrants were poor, so the tenement was invented. A tenement is a building full of small apartments that would house many families. Document two shows an immigrant family living in one of these tenements. In addition, to changes in building there were also changes

    Read More

  • Urban Housing Dbq

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Late nineteenth century the population was growing at a rapid pace. The country had people flooding the biggest cities in the country such as New York City and Chicago. These populations were gaining more and more people every single year and the country has to do something to make places for these people to live. The government would go on to create urban housing programs. These programs were created to make homes for these people to live in. At the time it provided a place for people to live but as the populations grew it became a more cramped and rundown area because of the large populations in one place. These reforms eventually led to these areas becoming dangerous, they were rundown, and it created a hole that was difficult for people to get out of.

    Read More

  • Neonatal Nursing

    1506 Words  | 4 Pages

    Neonatal nursing is a field of nursing designed especially for both newborns and infants up to 28 days old. The term neonatal comes from neo, "new", and natal, "pertaining to birth or origin”. Neonatal nurses are a vital part of the neonatal care team. These are trained professionals who concentrate on ensuring that the newborn infants under their care are able to survive whatever potential life threatening event they encounter. They treat infants that are born with a variety of life threatening issues that include instances of prematurity, congenital birth defects, surgery related problems, cardiac malformations, severe burns, or acute infection. Neonatal care in hospitals was always done by the nursing staff but it did not officially become a specialized medical field until well into 1960s. This was due to the numerous advancements in both medical care training and related technology that allowed for the improved treatment and survival rate of premature babies. According to the March of Dimes, one of every thirteen babies born in the United States annually suffers from low birth weight. This is a leading cause in 65% of infant deaths. Therefore, nurses play a very important role in providing round the clock care for these infants, those born with birth defects or other life threatening illness. In addition, these nurses also tend to healthy babies while their mothers recover from the birthing process. Prior to the advent of this specialized nursing field at risk newborn infants were mostly cared for by obstetricians and midwives who had limited resources to help them survive (Meeks 3).

    Read More

  • The Shift in Abortion Policy in the 1800s

    5428 Words  | 11 Pages

    Wertz, R., and Wertz D. Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America. New York: Free Press. 1997

    Read More

  • Slave Midwife Essay

    1676 Words  | 4 Pages

    Slave-midwives avoided methods and drugs that were common for the male physicians during this time. While doctors were using cupping, leeching, urination and even vomiting to assist in childbirth, midwives used more traditional methods to maintain control during the birthing process. Doctors also relied on episiotomies to assist in childbirth, but since these often resulted in infection and sometimes even death, midwives avoided resorting to this procedure. They instead would apply oil to the vulva, strengthening the muscles for the delivery process. To induce labor, midwives would create tonics and even burn roots, directing the smoke into the vulva. A slave-midwife from Kentucky, Easter Sudie Campbell, describes a tonic she would mix to cure the swelling of the glands, “I cans cure scrofula wid burdock root and one half spoon of citrate of potash. Jes make a tea of burdock root en add the citrate of potash to hit” (Tunc, 2010).

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Nursing And Perinatal Nursing

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    A neonatal nurse must be a registered nurse (RN) with a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BSN). You are required to be certified in Neonatal Resuscitation or Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing. You might also be required to complete a minimum number of years of experience in a hospital setting. Nurses wanting to specialize in perinatal nursing must have a post baccalaureate degree. Master's degree programs in either field are available. In order to earn a Master of Science in Nursing in one of these areas you have to have a bachelor's degree in nursing and be a licensed RN at

    Read More

  • Certified Nurse Midwife

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    In combination with a Master’s of Science in Nursing, midwives must attain particular certifications and educational requirements. Aspiring midwives must first obtain a Bachelors degree in Nursing (BSN) and become a registered nurse. In order to become a registered nurse candidates must successfully pass the NCLEX-RN exam. This is the RN licensure exam. This typically takes up to 4 years to complete. Candidates are then required to have a year or more experience in labor and deliveries. The Master’s of Science in Nursing program is offered only by colleges and universities and generally takes two academic years to complete. In order to enter this pro...

    Read More

  • Nurse Practitioner: My Personal Experience Of The Neonatal Nurse

    2110 Words  | 5 Pages

    Although nurses have worked with infants for well over 100 years, the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner title did not come until the 1970s. In Farah, Bieda, and Shiao 's article, The History of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner in the United States, the authors discuss that in the late 1970s, there was a shortage of medical staff, particularly pediatric physicians, in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

    Read More

  • Midwife Vs Home Birth Essay

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chances are that terms such as “midwife” and “home birth” conjure up for you old-fashioned images of childbirth. These words may bring to mind scenes from old movies, but you’re not likely to associate them with the modern image of childbirth. Do you know anyone who has had a midwife-assisted birth or a home birth? Would you consider one?

    Read More

  • Obstetrics And Gynecology Nurse Essay

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    After either attaining an associate's in nursing or a bachelor's in nursing, the next step is to take an exam called the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX. Taking and passing allows your to be a licensed practicing nurse in your chosen state ("Gynecology/Obstetrics Nurse"). Once you have become experienced with the position of a staff nurse accumulating clinical experience, and acquire a certain amount of hours, depending on the hospital, “a nurse can proceed to become credentialed as an OBGYN nurse,” ("Gynecology/Obstetrics Nurse"). Becoming certified in areas such as obstetrics, gynecology, perinatal, and labor and delivery nursing can help you move forward. After becoming familiar with the OB/GYN office and positions, you must then become certified as an OB/GYN nurse you first have to pass the Inpatient Obstetric Nursing exam. Once certified, you can move on up to be an Obstetrics and Gynecology Nurse ("Gynecology/Obstetrics

    Read More

  • Nursing History Paper: The Evolution Of Nursing Profession

    987 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nursing is more than merely a job, an occupation, or a career; it is a vocation, a calling, a frame of mind and heart. As a nurse, one must value the general good of others over his own. He must devote of himself nobly to ensure the well-being of his patient. However, today’s well-recognized nurses are notably different from nurses of the recent past. Service is the core of the nursing profession, and the essential evolution of the vocation reflects the ever-changing needs of the diverse patient population that it serves. As a profession, nursing has evolved progressively, particularly in its modernization throughout the past two centuries with the influence of Florence Nightingale. The field of nursing continues to grow and diversify even today, as nurses receive greater medical credibility and repute, as its minority representations

    Read More

  • American Nurse: The Backbone of Medicine

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    In colonial America much of what we considered modern medicine had not even been thought of yet. In the 18th century nursing was not a profession yet. In America most people were not able to reach a trained medical doctor they relied on the help of the woman of the house. So during the colonial time most of the actual medical care provided was based in the home of the patient. Most of what these women knew was either taught to them by their mothers or by a “guidebook”. In these guidebooks women were able to find helpful recipes for herbal medications. They only time that women worked outside of the home was to serve as midwife to other women. Women competed with men for success because women helping other women during childbirth made more sense than men. However it wasn’t until the Revolutionary War that women really stood up and the field of nursing really began in the United States.

    Read More

More about History Of Nurse-Midwifery

Open Document