Family Life Cycle Essay

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Transition & Life Cycle: Across family life-cycle literature, the arrival of a first child into the marital structure is considered to be one of the most common and key stages a family will experience during its development. Further, it also possesses the potential to be one of the most stressful examples of change within the marital relationship with the experience of having a baby being ranked at 6th out of 102 stressful life events1. It is widely accepted that the birth of a child changes the parents’ marriage or relationship, but to what degree and to which areas of the relationship depend upon the individuals. One literature review by Cowan and Cowan, regarding the transition into parenthood, concluded that; changes that occur in parents’ …show more content…

Obstetricians and midwives are in the uniquely challenging position where they must balance up the interests of two individuals, that is the autonomy and beneficence-based duty to the mother and the beneficence-based duty to the unborn foetus. This is due to the fact that the foetus is incapable of having its own perspective on beneficence and is therefore innately non-autonomous. This discussion will however focus on the consent process within certain aspects of …show more content…

It is defined as a process in which the medical professional provides appropriate and accurate information to the patient, allowing them to ask any relevant questions and come to a rationalised and deliberated decision. The crucial factors in obtaining valid consent are that the patient is considered competent with the ability to understand and retain information before communicating their decision21. The consent to undergo or refuse treatment in the majority of cases should be up to the patient only without coercion from family, friends or carers21. The patient should be fully informed with accurate and concise information, including appropriate alternatives and the consequences of refusing treatment, and given appropriate time to reflect upon this and ask relevant questions or request further information21. If after everything has been addressed fully to the protocol and the competent patient were to refuse treatment, it is important as a healthcare professional to respect their decision even if it does not agree with your personal

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