the role of the midwife in public health julie foster senior lecturer university of cumbria
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The Role of the Midwife The Role of the Midwife in Public Healthin Public Health
The Role of the Midwife The Role of the Midwife in Public Healthin Public Health
Julie FosterJulie Foster
Senior LecturerSenior Lecturer
University of CumbriaUniversity of Cumbria
What is a midwife?• responsible and accountable
professional• works in partnership with women to give
the necessary support, care and advice during pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period
• Conducts birth• Cares for the mother and the newborn
Care includes:• preventative measures• the promotion of normal birth• the detection of complications in
mother and child• accessing medical care or other
appropriate assistance • carrying out emergency measures.
An important role in:• health counselling and education• not only for the woman but also
within the family and the community
• Antenatal education• preparation for parenthood • women’s health sexual or
reproductive health and child care.
Midwifery is much more than just delivering
babies• What qualities do you think a
midwife should have?• Advocate for natural birth• Sensitive to family’s needs• Passion for empowering women
Skills of a midwife• Excellent people skills• Good communication and observation• Interest in the physical, psychological
and process of pregnancy and birth• Ability to answer questions and offer
advice• Happy to work as part of a team• Dealing with emotionally charged
situations
The midwives role in public health
• What is public health?• Public health aims to address the
health and the healthcare needs of populations, bringing together all the factors which shape and influence the health of individuals and communities’
Midwives play a vital role in public health
• They can individualise public health policy helping women to lead healthier lives
• Midwives know how to target marginalised groups through schemes such as Sure-start children’s centres
• Think about which groups these may include?
• ‘
Minimizing the effects of inequality is an integral part of
maternity care• Maternity services can address
health inequalities by adopting 3 key principles:
1. Identify women who are likely to experience inequalities
2. Planning, commissioning and delivering care that is individual and personal
3. Recognising that care of pregnant women is not exclusive to the health service
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Public health benefits of breastfeeding
• Tackling obesity• Coronary heart disease• helps to reduce some cancers• WHO recommends that all
newborn infants are exclusively breast fed for the first 6 months and beyond
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Breastfeeding• Two challenges in promoting • breastfeeding:• Initiating breastfeeding• Maintaining breastfeeding• Support to mothers during • pregnancy, labour and birth • increases both initiation and
duration
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Why breast feed?• Breast-milk is the best form of nutrition for
babies it has the perfect ingredients
• Cows milk is the best form of nutrition for calves not for babies.....
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Benefits of breastfeeding
• Reduces the risk of infections• Reduces the risk of cot death• Has advantages for long term
health in both mother and baby• Convenient• Cheap!
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How can midwives overcome this?
• Education - in schools, in the home, in antenatal period
• help to change societal/cultural perspectives
• provide support throughout pregnancy and in the post natal period
• breast feeding support groups
• infant feeding advisors
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• Breastfeeding
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/breastfeeding/Pages/Introduction.aspx