Abstract
Developing nations are plagued by high maternal mortality rates, unwanted pregnancies, and family planning policies that aim to control population growth through sterilization and unsafe birth control drugs. In such harsh settings, traditional midwives are important and effective agents of women’s wellness and family planning policy. This essay will evaluate the community roles of professional versus traditional midwives in rural Asia, including discussion regarding the meager respect afforded traditional midwives by physicians and clinic staff without acknowledging the work they accomplish with such limited resources. Analysis of the results of midwife training programs will compare government-sponsored programs’ curricula to outreach education by colleagues from the international community, showing that these professional midwives provide methods for integrating traditional midwives into professional (hospital) circles as well as offering more realistic approaches to midwives in indigenous communities in the face of Western biomedicine’s influx into government policy. Data will also be presented that suggests that maternal mortality rates are reduced as a result of pre- and post-partum care from midwives, and that education and home visits by midwives helps advance women’s status by increasing their ability to regulate their fertility.
Professional versus Traditional Midwives
The international definition of midwife ratified by the World Health Organization (WHO) describes an individual who has completed a duly recognized program of study and is registered or legally licensed to practice midwifery in their country (WHO, 2000). This differs from most cultural definitions of a midwife. More often, midwives are any woman experienced in birth and recognized by her community to be a midwife. WHO calls these women Traditional Birthing Assistants (TBAs), and considers them care providers who fall outside the formal sector of skilled birth attendants. However, these women are experienced in maternal care and offer expertise to their clients. They are also accepted by their communities as able midwives and habitually afforded more trust than professionals.
Professional midwives in Northern nations receive eight or more years of education. Their practice is usually categorized as an alternative form of healthcare. In fact, an e...
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Critically discuss the challenges that may be encountered by the new graduate nurse/ midwife in one of the following areas within this domain:
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.
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 .
Not all women are cut out to be a midwife. However, those who became midwives were often led to their path either answering a "call ", followed a family tradition or took up an interest in serving women during pregnancy and childbirth. For some people being called to midwifery came in a dream, others a vision and for some through prayer. For these women, it is a common belief that they were chosen by God to do this work, therefore it means something not only special but spiritual as well. Other midwives followed the tradition in there family, especially in cultures where midwifery and birthing at home was (and still is) the norm. It was not uncommon for a young woman to apprentice and follow her Grandmother, Mother, or Aunty, to assist in a
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
The videos depicted the reality of life in poor developing countries where the basic necessities of life are unavailable and inaccessible resulting in high infant/maternal mortality rates, diseases, and disability. The experience also broadened my knowledge in terms of how to communicate and educate this population of women who are so ingrained in the existing traditional, harmful practices and beliefs that cause unsafe health outcomes for themselves. Cultural awareness and communication will be key components to prevent early marriage, childbirth, and obstetric fistulas. The activity also increased my awareness of the limited resources, information, and support available for the low income population to meet their daily needs and health necessities. As trained health care providers, we are an important source of information, aide, and support system for our vulnerable clients especially during hard times. Based on this course learning, I will continue to make an effort to provide accessible health information (e.g., treatment, monetary resources, medications, etc); basic self care needs (e.g., ADLs); and socio-psychological support to my patients in my nursing practice.
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).
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...
Black (2002) defines “professional regulation as the attempt to alter the behavior of others according to defined standards or purposes with the intention of producing a broadly identified outcome, which may involve mechanisms of standard-setting, information-gathering and behaviour-modification.“ Midwives are regulated by the nursing and midwifery council which in 1902 were known as the central midwife board. This is to ensure that appropriate training and registration has been undertaken. This bans the unqualified practice of midwifery. The 1902 Midwives Act serves to recognise the professional status and regulation of midwives as autonomous practitioners in midwifery. The code 2015 helps to regulate midwives and the standards of practice. This influences professional behaviours of midwives it ensures that midwives promote professionalism, good communication, verbal and non-verbal. Regulation allows for a set standard to be practiced throughout the United Kingdom as all midwives work to the same level of care. This makes it easier to identify midwives who do not preserve safety and practice effectively. Other ways in which midwives are regulated include revalidation, and the standards of competence for registered midwives. Revalidation consists of undertaking 450 hours of practice within the last three years. Undertaking 35 hours of continuing
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
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.
For one woman, this vision of childbirth is not the norm. Ana Rhodes is a midwife, and she is one of the only birth attendants available to...
"The Role of a Nurse / Midwife." Irish Nursing Board, An Bord Altranais. N.p., n.d.
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.
Coming from a large family, birth and pregnancy were a very common events in my household, from a young age I evoke being curious about my mother’s pregnancies and as I got older and got a better understanding of the stages of birth and pregnancy I became captivated by my mother’s pregnancies and insisted that I attended as many antenatal appointments that I could. I also became very interested with the midwife that came to our house and provided my mother with all the support she needed and the job she done. I concluded that midwives play an important role throughout pregnancy, the labour, and the postnatal period, and also in a woman and her family’s lives, providing them with all the maintenance and assistance they can get. Eventually I