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The role and responsibilities of the midwife
Midwives role in maternal health essay
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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 …show more content…
In the early nineteen-hundreds, the American Medical Lobby was almost successful in stopping out its competition: Midwives. The Journal of the American Medical Association (AMA) published an article in 1912 “The Midwife Problem”, which analyzed a survey given to obstetricians of their thoughts on midwives were. The article states “a large proportion admit that the average practitioner, through his lack of preparation for the practice of obstetrics, may do his patients as much harm as the much-maligned midwife.” This statement demonstrates the discrimination of skilled midwives. Comparing a trained midwife to a unprepared obstetrician. “doctors are the main reason women don’t have midwives.” says Cristen Pascucci the Author of “ Why Are We Asking Doctors if Women Should Have Midwives?”. Midwife led care is the norm all around the world for mothers and babies, so why not in the United States you may ask. Many may say that the United States has a dysfunctional system of maternity care, leading to poor outcomes for mothers and babies. After the 1912 “Midwife Problem”, prenatal mortality has been higher in hospitals and lower in at home births. (Pascucci, 2014) The doctors employed by the AMA in 1912, failed to take down the glorious, strong willed midwives. Even after 100 years of scrutiny, midwives are still going strong and proving their ways of doing things are
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.
Hook. Background. In her memoir, Call the Midwife, Jennifer Worth portrays the bodies of working-class women, such as Mary and Conchita, as a mere objects for sexual pleasure and the production children to emphasize their tragic loss of autonomy and social mobility.
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
"I had traveled much on the Kennebec, by water, by ice, and, during those treacherous seasons when the river was neither one nor the other, by faith" (e.g., A Midwife's Tale). Martha's diary is one of the few documents written by a woman that exist today and that describes the behavior, occupation, roles, and daily activities of a common society in the 18th century during and after the Revolution. Although she dedicates her whole life to help others and her family, the diary exposes a very different world with the very different community. Many other history documents lacked the problems of women and the lack of written documents by the female gender. Through this document, Martha gives the importance of women in the community and how they
In American culture during the first 8 months of pregnancy the woman will have monthly scheduled prenatal visits. At the beginning of the 8th month she will have biweekly prenatal visits. During the 38th week she will transition into weekly prenatal visits until the baby is born. If the patient has a high risk pregnancy her prenatal visits may occur more frequently. The frequency of high risk prenatal visits will depend on the provider and the complication associated with the pregnancy. During high risk prenatal visits the patient will generally have more specialized test to monitor her health as well as t...
...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.
Mary A. Osborne, a registered nurse said, “Nursing is a rewarding profession that can provide life-long job satisfaction and job security” (Jones 8). A registered nurse (RN) teaches their patients and the public all sorts of different health conditions and practices. They also give tips to the patients’ families and friends on how to support them physically and emotionally (Bureau 1). Registered nurses are employed in many places such as hospitals, schools, offices, homes, military services, and in nursing homes (Minnesota 1). Often in time, RNs don 't work by themselves, they work apart of a team that includes doctors, therapists, of course the patient, and generally their families (Minnesota 1-2). To be successful
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.
There is often debate regarding the topic of home birth vs. hospital birth. The debates may be fueled by common misconceptions due to the medicalization of birth. Even though there is extensive evidence based research on the safe outcomes of home and natural birth, many people still refute the concept. The outcomes for women delivering at home attended by certified
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).
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?
I am a registered staff nurse who prior to commencing my midwifery training was working on a surgical ward facilitating pre and postoperative care for critically and chronically ill patients. I was fortunate that during my nursing training I had an opportunity to be assigned practice placement with the community midwives and visit the labour ward. After this learning experience I was able to make a decision to undertake midwifery training after completing the required period of post registration experience. While with the community midwife I attended antenatal clinics where I practiced midwifery skills, namely palpation and auscultation with a Pinard’s stethoscope and enhanced my communication skills. Unfortunately I was unable to hear anything through a Pinard’s stethoscope and so when I made a decision to pursue midwifery tr...
Why Should The Midwife’s Apprentice Stay on the Reading List ? Albert Einstein said never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts. Beetle a homeless girl who thought she was a failure but had a dream of becoming a midwife’s apprentice. The Midwife’s Apprentice has been banned elsewhere, but Fayette County High School should keep it because it shows that if you don’t give up you can achieve anything.
A midwife is more than just delivering babies. Kathleen is a board certified nurse midwife and a member of American College of Nurse Midwives. A midwife is usually the first and main contact for the expectant mother during her pregnancy, and throughout labor. She is responsible for providing care and supporting women to make informed choices. According to
Personal statement In the summer of 2016 I was part of a charity trip to Bloemfontein, South Africa. This experience opened my eyes to the need for accessible health care for all and made me realise the consequences of a system where only the wealthy could afford it. The very basics of healthcare which we so often take for granted were not being permitted, even to the most vulnerable in society. Applying bandages and cleaning the cracked eczema induced wounds of a five year old girl was the simplest of tasks to us yet made impossible for the mother due to lack of money, resources and the basic understanding of asepsis.