Childbirth and Midwife

In many parts of the world today there are still many women who use a midwife verses using an Obstetrician Gynecologist. However in the United States fewer than three percent of women who give birth are attended to by midwives (Kram and Eckstein,1990). It is stated that “In the United States that childbirth has become increasingly medicalined and specialized, first with family doctors or general practitioners taking over the process, then obstetricians, and today, perinatologist.
These physician specialists are trained to see birth as an abnormal or pathological process requiring heroic interventions, rather than a natural process” (Kram and Eckstein, 1990). Midwives however view childbirth and pregnancy in a different light. They tend to view childbirth and pregnancy as a natural process. “Midwives are trained to see birth as a normal, physiological life event throughout which women must make their own choices in order to have control over their own experience “(Kram and Eckstein,1990).
The model of care that midwives go by is the belief that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes. The model of care includes monitoring all aspect of the woman well-being throughout the childbearing cycle, provide individualized care with hands on assistance during the birthing process, minimizing technological interventions, and identifying and referring women to obstetrical attention if needed (Midwife Alliance of North America,2013). I choose to do my research on midwives because I want to become one.

The who process pregnancy and birthing intrigues me. The process is unique with every case and every woman handle and go through their pregnancy differently rather it be because health reason, religion, or simply because they wanted to go about the experience in a particular manner. Being a midwife I will see a lot of different things and face a lot of different challenges but the most rewarding part of the whole thing is bringing a new life into the world unharmed and healthy. I really like the care model that midwives believe in as well.
I think that as a midwife you have a more intimate and closer relationship to your patient because instead of just telling a woman how her pregnancy is being planned out, most midwives take the time out to make a birthing plan and make sure to use the least amount of medicine possible is used so that there are no prolonged or future complications on the mother or unborn child. Though midwives do have comfort medicines that they will use in cases where the pain is unbearable or needed. The nursing care steps are related to just bout all aspect of nursing no matter what area. The nursing care steps are used frequently by a midwife. When a woman becomes a patient for a midwife the woman is first assessed. All her present and pass history is given and the midwife looks her over and gives her gives her a complete and thorough physical examination and make sure all her blood work is checked. After all test and physical examinations are complete the midwife in conjunction with a doctor diagnosis the patient if needed and provide any extra care to ensure a healthy pregnancy.
In most cases is a woman is considered high risk the midwife will refer her to an OB/GYN. Midwives tend to only take in low risk pregnancies because there is less complications that they will encounter being that most midwives lean toward all natural pregnancy’s. After all diagnoses are made the midwife and the patient formulates a birthing plan in which the midwife follows through on as long as the pregnancy goes according to plan with no complications.
The implementation phase of the birthing process is how the midwife is actually handling the patient at all visits and how the pregnancy is progressing along. The evaluation phase like always is when the midwife evaluates if the birthing plan being accomplished in a healthy manner and to the patient liking, if there is found to be complications or something that needs to be changed here in the evaluation phase is it done and then it is implemented into the nursing care plan once again. This ongoing cycle is not complete until the child is born and all postpartum care is complete.
As a nurse midwife if would be my job to ensure that the patient is well educated about the pregnancy and what is to be expected. It is also the responsibility of the midwife to ensure that the patient is comfortable with every aspect of the birthing plan and feels comfortable being able to discuss what’s going on in her pregnancy. It is the responsibility of the midwife to ensure the safety and well-being of the patient and the unborn child. The midwife is to make sure that the pregnancy is going