Midwifery and obstetric nursing focus on the care of pregnant women and babies. To become a nurse midwife in the US, students can become LPNs, complete a Bachelor of Nursing program, gain clinical experience, and obtain certification through the NCC. Midwives assess and monitor patients, collaborate with physicians, and provide emotional support. Obstetric nurses monitor labor, administer pain relief, and alert doctors for delivery. Midwives also teach postpartum and newborn care and provide emotional support.
Midwifery is a healthcare profession that focuses on the care of pregnant women and the babies they give birth to. Obstetric nurses assess, implement and evaluate care independently in the stages of childbirth. Obstetrics is a surgical specialty that deals with the care of women and children during pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate aftermath. Obstetrical nurses can further specialize in perinatal nurses or labor and delivery nurses.
To become a nurse midwife in the United States, some students will become licensed practical nurses (LPN) and gain some basic nursing experience before continuing their education. Others will skip this step and enter an accredited college with a Bachelor of Nursing program, where the student will choose a concentration in midwifery. In most cases, a new nurse will complete a year of clinical nursing experience before moving on to state board nursing and becoming a registered nurse (RN). The final step to entering midwifery in the US is to obtain certification through the National Certification Corporation (NCC). Nursing training generally follows a similar path in other countries, but it can differ from place to place.
Midwifery duties can vary according to the patient’s needs. A nurse midwife can assess each mother and baby to develop an individualized plan of care, while collaborating with physicians or other healthcare professionals. Midwifery nursing also involves monitoring the mother and baby for adverse reactions. If this happens, the nurse midwife will make changes to the patients’ plan of care based on her own medical knowledge as well as the advice of the patients’ physicians.
Most of the time when a woman is in labor, she is seen by an obstetric nurse. The nurse may administer pain relievers or provide other ways to deal with labor pains. During this time, the nurse will monitor the progress of labor and alert the doctor when it is time to deliver. For most uncomplicated child labor, the doctor doesn’t intervene until it’s time to give birth. At this time, the nurse will hand over the delivery to the doctor, but will remain to help.
After delivery, a midwife also teaches the patient about postpartum and newborn health care. Midwifery nursing involves emotional support for new parents as they try to adjust to the newborn baby. A nurse midwife can help mom and baby get comfortable with breastfeeding or demonstrate various swaddling techniques to a new parent.
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