Midwife Communication

. ‘The need for communication skills has always been a fundamental part of delivering maternity care.’ (RCM, 2010)

Many women may become anxious that they feel that their heart is beating faster than it normally would in their pre-pregnant state as the cardiac output in pregnancy is greater as it increases by around 30-40%. It is then again the midwives job to use effective communication to provide support to the woman and help her by providing an insight into what is going on in her body and ensure her that it is to all accommodate for the growing fetus. It is important that the midwife is able to reassure and empathise with the woman when discussing these adaptations as there may be difficulties in communication if the woman is worried

Midwives will provide high quality and individualised health care to each and every woman they look after by ensuring that the womans needs are taken into account when deciding on a care plan. It is believed that communication plays an important role in discussing a womans care plan as the midwife needs to listen to what the woman and her family wants while she also provides the woman with information about how her body will change throughout her pregnancy. An aim of antenatal care is ‘The establishment of open communication and a relationship of partnership between the woman and the professional involved in her care, ensuring that she has continuity of care and carer. (Henderson and MacDonald, 2004, page 142) It may be easier for a woman to report any problems to her midwife if she has a relationship as she may be more open and trusting, which will then improve the standard of healthcare that is delivered and ensure that the safety of the woman and the baby remain. The Royal College of Nursing(RCN) (December 2012) set out 6 standards for all midwives and health care providers to follow in order to make sure that a high standard of care is delivered. These standards are called the '6c's' which include values such as care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. This provides midwives with a standard to follow when delivering care to many women and their families to ensure the needs are looked after. The author believes that the 6'cs are effective as it ensures that when delivering care, no values are missed and the standard of care is high with every woman that is looked