Instructions
Final Project Part Two involves narrating a PowerPoint presentation. This activity will give you a chance to both download PowerPoint (if needed) and practice using it ahead of that assignment.
To complete this assignment, review the prompt and grading rubric in the Module Three Assignment Guidelines and Rubric PDF document. When you have finished your work, submit the assignment here for grading and instructor feedback.
Butts, ReneeSource:Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, 2018. 2p.Document Type:ArticleSubject Terms:Midwifery
Childbirth
Prenatal care
Postnatal care
Midwives
NursingAbstract:Midwifery is the practice of assisting in the birth of a child and the care of an expectant mother. One who performs midwifery is called a midwife. Midwives provide care and support for the mother before she has the child, help with the delivery of the child, and aid the mother in caring for the newborn and herself through the postpartum time. They provide instructions for breastfeeding and sometimes come to the home to answer questions and coach the new mother. Midwives can and do provide medical care, including gynecology. Modern midwives are able to provide diagnostic tests. They assist women in formulating proper diets and can work at birth clinics, in hospitals, and in patients’ homes. Thus, their role spans both medical and emotional support for those who enlist their aid. Midwives most often provide mothers-to-be with births in the security of their own homes, as many women would rather be in a safe, comfortable environment than a busy hospital filled with people.Full Text Word Count:1385Accession Number:87323747Database:Research Starters
Translate Full Text:
Choose LanguageالعربيةБългарскиČeštinaDanskDeutschΕλληνικάEspañolPersianFrançaisעבריתहिंदीHrvatskiMagyarIndonesiaItaliano日本語한국어NorskNederlandsPolskiPashtoPortuguês (Portugal)RomânăРусскийSlovenčinaSlovenščinasrpski (latinica)SvenskaไทยTürkçeУкраїнськаاردوTiếng Việt简体中文繁體中文
MidwiferyFull Text
Listen
Midwifery is the practice of assisting in the birth of a child and the care of an expectant mother. One who performs midwifery is called a midwife. Midwives provide care and support for the mother before she has the child, help with the delivery of the child, and aid the mother in caring for the newborn and herself through the postpartum time. They provide instructions for breastfeeding and sometimes come to the home to answer questions and coach the new mother. Midwives can and do provide medical care, including gynecology. Modern midwives are able to provide diagnostic tests. They assist women in formulating proper diets and can work at birth clinics, in hospitals, and in patients’ homes. Thus, their role spans both medical and emotional support for those who enlist their aid. Midwives most often provide mothers-to-be with births in the security of their own homes, as many women would rather be in a safe, comfortable environment than a busy hospital filled with people.
Major Christine Gundel, 779th Medical Group nurse midwife, checks on Monica McCoy, Public Affairs Specialist for Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington D.C. and patient at the Maternal Child Unit at Malcolm Grow Medical Center, before her scheduled cesar By Suzanne M. Day [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsA midwife measures the height of the mother’s fundus at about 26 weeks to determine the probable gestational age of the fetus. By eyeliam from Portland (Oregon or Maine, not indicated on Flickr page), United States (240 – Checking In) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Background
In colonial times, few doctors practiced medicine. Many of the available doctors were not educated. Native American groups often had midwives among their members. Initially, midwives in England were given priority to board ships to the New World. The services midwives provided were in demand, as men were not customarily present during childbirth. It was deemed improper for men to witness birthing. Childbirth was a fear-inducing experience, and many women dreaded the real possibility of death.
A pervasive myth about early midwives is that they were often accused of witchcraft. This is not true. Midwives had to maintain a trustworthy reputation within their communities. Although it is possible that midwives may have been accused or convicted of witchcraft at one time or another, this was an uncommon occurrence.
Just before the nineteenth century, hospitals and doctors were more prevalent than midwives. Many believed midwives were incompetent and lacked the medical knowledge to oversee births. The difference between standard medical practice and the naturopathic methods employed by midwives was quite pronounced.
During the nineteenth century, more people began to believe that a woman’s role was inside the home. This belief resulted in even fewer midwives. The sentiment also led to low pay for midwives, as many did not consider their work to be a real profession. By the end of the nineteenth century, those who could not afford doctors sought the help of midwives. Physicians at this time, however, had statistically higher success rates than midwives.
In the twentieth century, more doctors were educated. Doctors received more formal education than midwives did, which further strengthened the belief that midwives did not have the proper knowledge to attend to pregnant women and infants. Furthermore, hospitals offered methods that eased or eliminated the pains of childbirth, which made them a far more attractive option than hiring a midwife.
Professional midwifery emerged as the twentieth century continued. Professional midwives had formal medical education and were called certified nurse-midwives. The 1970s brought about additional changes. Some people wanted a less institutionalized childbirth. Women wanted to learn to care for themselves. However, home birth was vigorously discouraged by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and a doctor who assisted in a home birth could face disciplinary action, including being fired. In the 1990s, some insurance companies required higher premiums for, or simply refused to insure, doctors who worked with midwives. A federal law enacted in 1994, however, required Medicaid to pay for certified nurse-midwives.
Overview
Midwives remained a popular option for child birth as of the early twenty-first century. Midwives assisted with about 8 percent of births in the United States. They are recommended for low-risk pregnancies, as the midwife birthing process involves few medical treatments. People often go to midwives because they want to give birth at home, but 95 percent of all midwife-attended births take place in hospitals.
Women may choose a midwife for other reasons. Some women do not want to give birth in the institutional and antiseptic environment of a hospital. Some think the attendants in hospitals can be impatient or cold. Some women are averse to having an entire team of medical professionals prodding them with fingers or tools, while others are uncomfortable with medical interns spectating on the birthing process. A woman may desire control over who can witness the birth of her child and may prefer not to have an audience of strangers. Midwives are supposed to be respectful when a woman refuses a procedure. They will educate women about various procedures and answer whatever questions a mother-to-be may have.
Midwives have several responsibilities, according to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM). Throughout a woman’s pregnancy, midwives must provide exams. They need to guide the mother-to-be through decisions, such as what to do when complications arise and whether to use anesthesia. When the child is born, the midwife should give the mother information and recommendations for dealing with colic. The midwife should help the mother, and sometimes the couple, adjust to life changes that an infant brings. Midwives also educate women about breastfeeding. The World Health Organization endorsed midwifery in 2016, stating that studies suggest that comprehensive midwife care (including family planning services) could prevent 83 percent of all maternal deaths, stillbirths, and newborn deaths.
Doulas have some similarities to midwives, but they are not midwives. They provide emotional support but do not actually deliver the child. They educate the woman on what will happen throughout pregnancy and during delivery. Doulas may sometimes fetch items a woman needs or provide rides for the woman. Doulas do not provide medical care. Like midwives, they provide breastfeeding education. They may assist with the infant’s needs. They can fill the role of maid or housekeeper after the child is born, handling household tasks so the new mother can rest. Some of these tasks may include making meals or snacks. Like midwives, doulas help the family adjust to the addition of an infant. Doula services are often not covered by insurance providers, though.
Bibliography
“Breastfeeding Support.” The Midwife Center, midwifecenter.org/services/breastfeeding-support/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
“The Case for Midwifery.” World Health Organization, 2016, www.who.int/maternal‗child‗adolescent/topics/quality-of-care/midwifery/case-for-midwifery/en/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
Cohen, Marisa. “Nurses vs. Doulas vs. Midwives: Who’s Who.” Fit Pregnancy, www.fitpregnancy.com/pregnancy/labor-delivery/nurses-vs-doulas-vs-midwives-whos-who. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
“Differences between a Doula and a Midwife.” All Nursing Schools, www.allnursingschools.com/articles/doula/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
Feldhusen, Adrian E. “The History of Midwifery and Childbirth in America: A Time Line.” Midwifery Today,2000, www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/timeline.asp. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
Harley, David. “Historians as Demonologists: The Myth of the Midwife-Witch.” Social History of Medicine, vol. 3, no. 1, 1 Apr. 1990, pp. 1–26, academic.oup.com/shm/article-abstract/3/1/1/1689119/Historians-as-Demonologists-The-Myth-of-the. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
“Homebirth and Community Midwifery.” Midwives Alliance North America, mana.org/about-midwives/homebirth. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
McCracken, Leilah. “A Declaration of the Rights of Childbearing Women.” Midwifery Today, 1999, www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/declaration.asp. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
Mulder, Tara. “Midwifery, Then and Now.” Eidolon, 16 Dec. 2016, eidolon.pub/midwifery-then-and-now-7c3447b84675. Accessed 18 Sept. 2018.
“Parkland School of Nurse Midwifery: History of Midwifery in the US.” Parkland Memorial Hospital,www.neonatology.org/pdf/midwifery.history.pdf. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
“What Is a Midwife?” Midwives Alliance North America, mana.org/about-midwives/what-is-a-midwife. Accessed 8 Feb. 2017.
© 2017 by Salem Press, Inc., A Division of EBSCO Information Services, Inc.
Result List Refine Search Result 1 of 1
Expand Record FormatsExpand Article Tools
Sample Solution
