BASICS OF MIDWIFERY ITS SCOPE AND DEFINITION ESPECIALLY FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES FOR GAINING MORE KNOWLEDGE IN PROVIDING CARE TO THE PREGNANT WOMEN

1. INTRODUCTION
TO
MIDWIFERY

2. MIDWIFERY
‘MIDWIFERY’ is the health care profession
which believes in providing care to child-
bearing women during pregnancy, labour and
at birth not only this but during the postnatal
period

3. OBSTETRICS
‘OBSTETRICS’ branch of medicine that deals
with the care of women during pregnancy,
childbirth and the vulnerary period following
delivery
‘OBSTERICAL NURSING’ Is a specialty in
nursing that work with patient who are
attempting to become pregnant and are
currently pregnant or have recently delivered

4. Scope of Midwifery
Midwife have essential role to play in preparing
for and providing sexual and reproductive
health services scientifically based acts and
procedure which she used to provide and
practice in midwifery and which relate to the
mother and child in the pregnancy, labour and
the puerperium

5. • The diagnosis of health need of mother and to provide
attainment of optimum physical and mental health for
a mother and child by the prescription, provision and
execution of a midwifery regimen where necessary.
• Prevention of disease relating to pregnancy labour and
delivery and the promotion of health and family
planning
• Teaching and counseling
• Monitoring health status of the women
a. Progress of pregnancy, labour and the puerperium
b. Vitals of mother and child
c. Relieving the stress, anxiety related to pregnancy,
disease condition medication and treatment

6. • Prevention of complication related to pregnancy
a. During episiotomy
b. Suturing first and second degree tear of an episiotomy
c. The administration of a local anesthesia
• In administration of medicine to a mother and child
• The promotion and maintenance of hygiene, physical
discomfort and reassurance of the mother and child
• Promoting exercise including antenatal, intranatal and
the postnatal, rest and sleep
• The facilitation of body mechanics and prevention of
bodily deformities
• Supervision over the supply of oxygen of mother and
child, maintaining fluid and electrolyte and acid base
balance

7. • Facilitation of healing of wound , protection of
skin, maintenance of sensory organ, nutritional
status of mother and child
• Promotion of breastfeeding in a holistic
prospective
• Establishing and maintaining healthy
environment in which physical and mental
health of child and mother gets promoted
• Assisting and preparing in operative diagnostic
and therapeutic acts for a mother and child

8. History of midwifery in Nursing
• According to international confederation of
midwifes, WHO and the international federation
of gynecology and obstetric
“a midwife is a person who, having been
regularly admitted to midwifery educational
program that is duly recognized in the country
in which it is located, has successfully
completed the prescribed course of study in
midwifery and has acquired the requisite
qualification to be registered and or legally
licensed to practice midwifery”

9. • The physician SORANUS Of EPHESUS describe
the certain characteristics desired in a good
midwife
He stated “a suitable person will be literate, with
her wits” about her, possessed of a good memory,
loving work, respectable and generally not unduly
handicapped as regards her senses: sound of
limb, robust and according to some people
endowed with long slim fingers and short nails at
her fingertips’’
She must be having sympathetic deposition and she
keeps her hand soft for the comfort of both mother
and child

10. Development of maternity services in
india
• Various programmes were launched for maternity services
such as
Family welfare programme
Reproductive and child health programme
National population policy etc
And the major intervention include
• Essential obstetric care
• Emergency obstetric care
• 24 hours delivery services at PHC/CHC
• Referral transport
• Safe abortion services
• The medical termination of pregnancy ACT 1971