Modern Midwifery and the Legacy of Mary Breckinridge A sweeping trend in rural areas has taken a toll on the health of the populations that live there; hospitals are closing or reducing their obstetric and maternity services. Reduced access to maternity services in rural areas affects the sustainability of communities as a whole (Miewald et al., 2011). Mary Breckinridge introduced midwives to rural Appalachia in the 1920s and brought about a significant decrease in maternal mortality. The broad return of modern midwifery could reduce economic burdens as well as decrease infant and maternal mortality in areas with limited access to care. The purpose of this paper paper is to discuss the life and legacy of Mary Breckinridge, examine the …show more content…
Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2011). Many of these objectives are interrelated, where increasing prenatal care and reducing the number of cesarean births directly affect the maternal and infant mortality rates. Intervention Nurse-midwives provide essential services to women of childbearing age and are particularly suited to providing care to rural populations. The midwifery model of care is women-focused and typically has a higher normal birth rate and higher patient satisfaction rate than obstetrician led care for low-risk patients (Collins & Kingdon, 2014). Midwives attended only approximately 8% of U.S. hospital births in 2011, increasing the number of midwives attending and caring for pregnant women could have a significant impact on the maternity care landscape in the U.S. For low-risk pregnancies, midwife led care leads to fewer costly interventions like augmentation and cesarean, reduces the rates of third and fourth degree tears, and is related to higher rates of breastfeeding (American College of Nurse-Midwives [ACNM], 2012). Increasing the availability of midwives in rural clinics and hospitals can significantly reduce the cost of care and improve …show more content…
is one that is slow to change. There are several regulatory barriers that exist in many states that prevent the widespread availability and ability of nurse-midwives to practice effectively and independently (Walker, Lannen, & Rossie, 2014). These differences in regulation has perpetuated a societal view that midwifery care is not the best care available although it is a valid and effective choice for many families. Policy Development Lobbying for the removal and edit of many restrictions for advanced practice nurse-midwives across the nation to allow for the more widespread use of midwives for prenatal and labor care could help improve maternal morbidity especially rural populations. Specifically, the current policies on supervision of practice and levels of education should be examined and standardized across the country. Complete and appropriate education must be ensured, regulated, and normalized across the country. There are many programs that train direct-entry midwives, which include Certified Professional Midwives, Certified Midwives, Licensed Midwives, and Registered Midwives, but not all states recognize the different training and designations and the states that do may impose different scopes of practice for each (Walker et al., 2014). Assuring that the term “midwife” is a universal indicator of training and ability is
Her work has shown that by starting off with a nursing degree and a passion, there is so much that a nurse can do to improve healthcare for women Nurses have an opportunity to work for organizations like Planned Parenthood and continue to advocate for women’s reproductive rights and care. Nurse practitioners, in particular, can perform roles such as educating women and young girls, inserting IUDs, and prescribing oral contraceptives to women. One of the greatest advantages of this aspect of the nurse practitioner role is that such services are much more affordable to those seeking care, as opposed to visiting a physician for these matters. This concludes that the work of Faye Wattleton and Planned Parenthood have made reproductive healthcare more accessible
The United States maternal care is on par with many third world countries, and among maternal mortality, African-American women are the ones most
Role of Family Nurse Practitioners: Case Study The shortage of primary care physicians has been a problem in health care system and will continue to the next decade due to increasing of aging population. According to National Governors Association (NAG) (2012), the growth of the aging population combined with the initiative of the Affordable Care Act, the problem of primary care providers shortage is worsening. Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are educated and prepared to perform primary care services as physicians do. More importantly, studies showed that NPs’ role as primary care providers achieve equal or higher patient satisfaction rates (Evangelista et al., 2011, Albers-Heitner et al., 2013).
In the Chicago Tribune, August 1, 2000, Darryl E. Owens (Knight Ridder) writes about a birthing practice used for thousands of years that has made a renewed entrance into American Healthcare entitled, “Childbirth ‘Doulas’ Take Root” (Owens, 2000). I found this article to be very interesting as I am studying to enter nursing school, and I have a desire to work as a nurse in women’s health, especially obstetrics. This article describes a different approach to preparing and supporting expecting families before, during and immediately after childbirth. The author, Darryl E. Owens is an editorial writer specializing in criminal justice, race relations, and social services for the Chicago Tribune, and has also featured articles in Teen Magazine.
MANA’s goal of responding to the Open Letter is to debunk some of the myths and misinformation in the “Open Letter to MANA” by Woman-Centered Midwifery. They also want to remind people in the midwifery, birth work and reproductive justice community that trying to secure safe spaces for women does not
After reviewing Healthy People 2020 goals for maternal, infants, and child I can see that an APN can play many different roles to achieve these goals. The main role of an APN in the primary care setting is of educator, patient’s advocate, and care coordinator. As a primary care provider, an APN plays an important role in health promotion and disease prevention across the life span by supporting and providing needed education and information. APNs also facilitate quality care and provide treatments to improve the quality of life, reduce pain, suffering, and prevent further progress of the disease. There are several ways an APN can help achieve Healthy People 2020 goals for maternal, child and infants health.
Her main arguments is there is a significant decline in fertility by practicing contraception and abortion. Brodie starts her discussion of the 19th century with the diaries of Mary and Henry Poor a married couple, well-educated
When I was thirteen years old I took a trip to Itta Bena, MS to visit my grandmother, a local midwife who helped deliver 95% of the population there. On the first day of arrival we sat and talked about everything that she could possibly think of: growing up in the south, favorites foods, my grandfather but mostly we spoke about her career as a Midwife. She spoke with much passion about her career and her love for babies often saying “I love all babies… Black, blue, white or orange they all have a place in my heart”. Two years later I revisited the subject in my sophomore year child development class, though this time I began to learn the history of midwives and their tasks. Until the 20th century, when trained physicians and hospitals became the norm place of delivery, midwives provided most of the care for poor and rural women throughout the south.
In the last ten years, more and more women are going the home-birthing route because it is safer and more natural. This can be seen as a mini revolt against the stigmatized and dehumanized view of mothers and birth. Using a midwife and having a home birth allows for the body to naturally go into labor, a labor that could last hours or even days. The female body is designed to naturally produce oxytocin, a hormone that causes labor. In this process, a mother goes through contractions where the baby is turning around so they are facing head first.
Arizona Western College Abstract This work provides information on the benefits of different birth options, such as home births, birthing centers, water births, using a doula, and hospital births. As a result of investing the benefits of each birthing option, there's also going to be information on what options are supported in Yuma, AZ. This work also includes the pros and cons of medicated birth, c- section, and natural birth. The information I gather will support my decision, when it comes to recommending my best friend on what option she should do. [The abstract should be one paragraph of between 150 and 250 words.
Modern hospitals have undergone tremendous technological advances and patient-focused changes over the past 50 years, culminating in facilities that offer world class care, patient safety, and compassionate attention. Despite this safe and seemingly comfortable environment, a small of women chooses to decline the hospital setting to give birth in their own homes. Giving birth in the house with proper medical care is generally safer than giving birth in a hospital due to the reduced risk of infections or diseases. Home birth is not a risk in itself, but if there are sudden complications or the mother is not able to naturally give birth, this presents problems, as there is no one to conduct Caesarean section or provide some painkillers through
In the field of midwifery, men are the minority for once and have gone to great lengths to be where they are today. The struggles for male midwives can be seen through the diverse stories and experiences of Dilan and Billy, two individuals striving to pursuing what they love. This topic surrounding male midwives is very important to a society that broadcasts women's rights in the workforce, but tends to overlook the same situation from a male’s perspective. It’s important for both genders to be encouraged to do what they love, even if it is an uphill battle. Since then, times have changed, along with gender roles.
There are a number of roles involved in supporting both the baby and parent(s). From the minute parent(s) find out they are having a baby, health professionals become involved. These include: Midwife – The main provider of care for a pregnant woman is a midwife. Midwives are well qualified and skilled to ensure full support is given throughout pregnancy and during birth. Obstetrician – A doctor who specialises in pregnancy and birth.
As a midwife of color, I hope to influence my community by providing quality care and education to women of color, their families, and their babies. Five years after I begin my midwifery practice I plan to create a birth center in Albuquerque, New Mexico that specifically caters to women of color. This birth center will employ midwives, nurses, and staff members of color in an effort to provide an environment that caters to the needs of women of color. All staff members will be thoroughly trained to provide culturally competent care to the predominant cultural groups in New Mexico. The birth center will be available to all women regardless of income and meet the needs of the women it serves.
Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Acknowledgments The authors acknowledge the contribution of midwives Nural Seslikaya and Mine Akyol in data