Vital role of midwives

The organisation believes many maternal and newborn deaths can be prevented if competent midwives are available to support women during pregnancy and childbirth and provide emergency care when complications arise.

The International Confederation of Midwives supports this in stating that a midwife is the most appropriate care provider during pregnancy, birth and during the postnatal period to ensure a low risk pregnancy and birth.

What midwives do

Midwives are trained nursing professionals who play a vital role in ensuring the health of mother and baby through pregnancy, birth and after birth.

The scope of their responsibilities includes:

• • Detection of abnormal conditions in both mother and child

• • Promotion of hygiene and physical comfort

• • Promotion of exercise, sleep and rest

• • Advice on nutrition

• • Control and maintenance of healthy vital signs such as blood pressure, respiratory functions, pulse rate and foetal heart rate

• • Promotion of natural birth

• • Referral to medical assistance when needed

• • Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV

• • Ensuring the mother’s health after the birth

• • Providing emergency care when medical help is absent

• • Supporting the mother in taking care of the newborn until the age of about six weeks

• • Advice with breastfeeding

• • Advice on birth spacing and family planning

• • Taking care of dying patients or stillborn babies.

Midwives are professionals

Midwives are clinically trained professionals. Training for midwives in South Africa form part of the four year degree or four year diploma courses offered by various universities and colleges countrywide that are affiliated to the South African Nursing Council.

Midwives and their profession are regulated by law as well as the SANC; the scope of practice of midwives in the country is regulated by the Council under the Nursing Act of 1978.

 

Sources
www.globalroomforwomen.com
www.midwivessociety.co.za
www.sanc.co.za
www.who.int