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. It outlines the minimum set of knowledge, skills and professional behaviours that are required by an individual to use the designation of midwife …show more content…
Category 1 general competencies consider the need to use research to inform practice, to uphold fundamental human rights of individuals when providing midwifery care and to facilitate women to make individualised choices about their care, taking into consideration gender identity, cultural norms and practices while collaborating with women to develop comprehensive plans that respect their preferences and choices. Category 2 competencies are specified for pre-pregnancy and antenatal care. Addressing the skills and behaviours expected of the midwife when delivering quality midwifery care through providing health assessments relating to the birthing person and their fetus, while promoting health and well-being. the framework discusses assessments used to detect complications during pregnancy and the role the midwife provides when supporting a woman through unplanned pregnancy as well as promoting and supporting health behaviours to improve wellbeing and monitoring the progression of pregnancy and assessing fetal well-being. Continuing on, Category 3 competencies are related to assessment and care throughout labour, the role the midwife plays in facilitating safe birth while detecting and managing complications in a mother or …show more content…
The final category explores the competencies specific to continuity of care and addressing health assessments of mother and infant, providing support with breastfeeding, detection of complications and the provision of family planning services. The midwife will have a range of skills and behaviours to facilitate category 4 competencies and these include the ability to provide information to parents relating to providing a safe environment for the baby, the skills to examine the infant at frequent intervals to observe growth and developmental behaviour and to provide follow up care for the woman and her family especially in situations such as stillbirth, neonatal death or serious illness. A key principle of women-centred care is continuity of care. This is care provided by the same midwife, or group of midwives, throughout pregnancy, labour and postnatally. In Australia, "an estimated 10% of women have access to midwifery-led continuity of care. "(Cummins et al., 2019) talk about continuity of
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
Firstly, my name is Amal Abdi, I am seventeen years old and currently attend Bsix College where I am a full time student; working hard to gain my level three diploma in health and social care. This essay is going to identify my career aspirations and the skills required to fulfil my dream of becoming a midwife it will also highlight my values,practice and also my beliefs .
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.
Critically discuss the challenges that may be encountered by the new graduate nurse/ midwife in one of the following areas within this domain:
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.
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). (2015). [online]. [Accessed 5 April 2017]. Available at: (-- removed HTML --) .
Their work environments include a physician’s office, hospitals, nursing care facilities, schools, and clinics. Nurse midwives also work in birthing centers. Some may even treat patients in the comfort of their patient’s home. Also, they may travel long distances to help care to patients in places wh...
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.
Australian Nursing and Midwifery Board, 2006, national competency standards for the registered nurse, 4th edition, Dickson ACT
"The Role of a Nurse / Midwife." Irish Nursing Board, An Bord Altranais. N.p., n.d.
It is wrong to assume that the stigmas that exist around the practicing methods of midwifes today are products of the past. A lot of information in today’s society is recent and biased against the...
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
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