This essay aims to provide an overview of midwifery-led care, emphasizing its role in supporting women, newborns and families throughout the entire childbirth continuum. Through a detailed explanation of the role and scope of the midwife, this essay aims to highlight the importance of midwifery-led care in shaping positive outcomes for service users. Furthermore, it seeks to delve into the concept of the midwife as an autonomous practitioner and a crucial member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), highlighting the impact of this dynamic on the provision of midwifery-led care. In examining the unique care qualities offered by midwives, this essay will explore the role of the midwife and the advantages of this for women, childbearing individuals, newborns and families. Within the United …show more content…
The subsequent sections of this essay will explore the professional, legal, and ethical frameworks that serve as key components for midwifery-led care. A key piece of legislation such as the Human Rights Act (1998) will be examined, alongside the professional and ethical guidelines established by the ICM and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Lavender and Chapple (2004) establish in their definition that midwifery-led care encompasses a responsibility for midwives to comprehensively assess and develop care plans for women and their families. These plans are required to consistently address the physical, psychological, and social needs of the woman throughout the childbirth continuum. Despite this publication being over two decades old, this definition continues to resonate in midwifery-led care globally, as the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) definition does not differ from that stated above (ICM,
Pairman,S., Tracy, S., Thorogood, C., & Pincombe, J. (2013). Theoretical frameworks for midwifery practice. Midwifery: Preparation for practice.(2nd ed, pp. 313-336). Chatswood, N.S.W. : Elsevier Australia
...o find a balance between interventional and non-interventional birth. With this being said, I also understand that there are strict policies and protocols set in place, which I must abide to as a healthcare provider, in any birth setting. Unfortunately, these guidelines can be abused. Christiane Northrup, MD, a well recognized and respected obstetrician-gynecologist has gone as far as to tell her own daughters that they should not give birth in a hospital setting, with the safest place being home (Block, 2007, p. xxiii). Although I am not entirely against hospital births, I am a firm believe that normal, healthy pregnancies should be fully permissible to all midwives. However, high-risk pregnancies and births must remain the responsibility of skilled obstetricians. My heart’s desire is to do what is ultimately in the best interest of the mother, and her unborn child.
Maternity care used to be and still is at some facilities segregated into three departments; intrapartum, postpartum and nursery. This care is often called “transitional” care, and has been described as “rigid and inflexible” (Waller-Wise, 2012). During my obstetrics rotation, the transition to family centered care was observed.
The term "reproductive rights" has become synonymous with abortion rights, birth control access, and issues surrounding reproductive technologies, yet the struggle for a woman's right to choose when and how to become pregnant often overshadows a woman's right to choose where and how to give birth. The lack of feminist discourse and activism surrounding issues of childbirth may attest to the hegemony in the modern American birth ritual of increasing medical intervention from obstetricians in hospital settings. There are currently several movements to challenge this dominant birth model--prepared childbirth advocates offer education classes and natural childbirth advocates lobby for the rights of midwives and home births--but I refrain from giving either of these movements a feminist label because neither are invested in challenging prevailing gender ideology or the equation of woman with motherhood. This paper will argue that a feminist discourse of childbirth is necessary by using a Foucauldian analysis to chart the current web of power and knowledge in the American hospital delivery room and how it works to deny agency to women in labor, alienating them from their experience. Recognizing that power and knowledge operate on a myriad of levels and tactics, including counter-tactics, I will not limit my focus to the dominant discourse of medical experts, but also explore what I call counter discourses of childbirth, particularly from the prepared childbirth and natural childbirth advocates. Within this discussion, I hope to offer suggestions on a feminist ethic of childbirth that reaffirms women's autonomy during labor, but does not limit them to prevailing codes o...
Finding a practitioner to care for you during your pregnancy and the birth of your child is a very important task. Most people go to their family doctor. Unless your pregnancy is high risk that may not be necessary. Midwives offer care that is “lower-tech, less invasive, and less inclined toward intervention without a clear medical need.” says Jamie Cruz, author of “Call the Midwife”. Many women are uneducated on the benefits to selecting care from a midwife. Many times when expecting mothers discuss their options with their family doctor, the discussion of midwives is often avoided or the doctor will discourage the expecting mother from choosing a midwife. Midwives and doctors should work as a team and embrace each other, however due to
Nicholls, L., & Webb, C. (2006). What makes a good midwife? An integrative review of methodologically-diverse research. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 56(4), 414-429. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.04026.x
Throughout history mankind has come up with some wonderful inventions and innovations, but out of all the creations by far the most beautiful and precious is human birth. I first developed an interest in nursing and in particular midwifery years ago. I believe it is a great service within the health profession because of the privileged position to assist in human childbirth. The word midwife means with woman. Centuries before obstetricians delivered babies, midwifes assisted women in having at home births. But it was only formally established as a profession in the early 1900’s. A nurse-midwife is a registered nurse that specializes in midwifery. The job of midwife is to assist in family planning and birth control advice, provide general gynecological services (such as pap smears and breast exams), aid women in childbirth, and help women by providing prenatal and postpartum care. Nurse-midwives are required to have a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree and pass the American College of Nurse Midwifery (ACNM) board examination to obtain certification.
INTRODUCTION There are many things that affect a student’s enrolment as a nurse the student must be competent in the many registration standards that the Nursing Midwifery Board of Australia have set. The stigmas attached to students with Impairments and or Criminal histories and the ineligibility to register. Nursing is defined by the International Council of Nursing (2014) as collaborative care of individual’s any age health or ill of all communities, groups, in all situations. Health promotion, illness prevention and the care of unwell, disabled and dying people are included in the nursing practice. Encouraging a safe environment, research, contributing to shape health policies and health systems management, and education are also key nursing
A labor and delviery nurse has vast knowledge of the process and methods that are required for delivery and bring a new life into the world and is educated with the responsibilities of assiting the new born babies with their medical issues. Considering all the responsibilites needed to take on this career, such as assisting women with complications within the pregnancy, delivering a newborn and managing post birth issuses, the nurse must be professional in his or her work at all times. All people wishing to pursue the career of being a Labor and Delivery Nurse must also have good analytical skills, as part of there job to montior and analyze the mother and child (CollegeAtlas.org).
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). (2015). [online]. [Accessed 5 April 2017]. Available at: (-- removed HTML --) .
Professional Attributes Necessary For Midwives attribute is a quality or characteristic of a person, place or thing. Personal attributes are character traits or personality traits. Personal and professional attributes are important in all jobs and are a vital part for midwifery practice and entry to education all this is mentioned in (Midirs, 2013). Trying to describe or define what attributes are can be difficult and tricky because it can be linked to many things because they are impalpable. The World Health Organisation (2011) sees that personal and professional attributes help to build every person's knowledge and skills, which are used in clinical care and anywhere else. This all may all include communication skills which is also (speaking
I initially considered midwifery when I attended an antenatal scan with my auntie and heard the heartbeat of the unborn baby for the first time. Listening to discussions regarding health concerns and family support highlighted the importance of the midwife and mother relationship. Two years ago I was given the opportunity to be my mum’s birthing partner alongside my dad. I saw how the midwives interacted and were supportive through the birthing and decision making process. It was found that the baby was breach and the safe option was a caesarean section, and with the complications discussed mum was able to make the right decision. I attended pre and postnatal appointments and listened to the midwives offering advice and guidance, develop a birthing plan as well as check and monitor the health and wellbeing of mum. These first hand experiences have given me a deeper understanding of the role of a midwife and how communication and building trusting relationships is key during these emotional and vulnerable times for a woman, and inspired me to become a midwife.
“All over the world there exists in every society a small group of women who feel themselves strongly attracted to give care to other women during pregnancy and childbirth. Failure to make use of this group of highly motivated people is regrettable and a sin against the principle of subsidiarity.”
Women-centred care can be defined as holistic care that aims to recognise the woman's individualised needs, expectations as well as her right to self-determination. Midwives play an important role in women-centred care by providing evidence-based information while acknowledging the woman's right to make informed decisions about their health and that of their baby. The midwife's role is to build trusting relationships and advocate for the woman, and to ensure her social, emotional, physical, physiological, spiritual and cultural needs are met. " The ICM is a framework that was first developed in 2002.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) clearly states the responsibility of a nurse towards the health and wellbeing of people, and that individuals must be able to trust nurses in this respect (NMC, 2008). Needless to say, management acumen is crucial to delivering high quality care (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2011). This essay will describe my experience in caring for a group of patients as well as detail my reflection upon it. Ensuring that Patient All Patient Needs are Met Managing the residents at my clinical placement has been a welcome challenge.