Supporting A Physiologic Approach To Pregnancy And Birth

Supporting a Physiologic Approach to Pregnancy and Birth: A Practical Guide provides an overview of current evidence and a range of practical suggestions to promote physiologic birth within the United States healthcare system. Presenting the latest evidence available on practical approaches and minimal interventions, this book looks into clinic exam rooms and hospital labor units to investigate the possibilities for improving the pregnancy and labor experience. Contributors discuss recent research and other published information and present a range of ideas, tools, and solutions for maternity care clinicians, including midwives, nurses, physicians, and other members of the perinatal team. An invaluable resource, Supporting a Physiologic Approach to Pregnancy and Birth is a must-have practical guide for those involved in all aspects of pregnancy and birth.

Meticulously documented, Optimal Care in Childbirth pulls back the curtain on medical-model management of childbirth. Written for those who want to practice according to the best evidence, assist women in making informed decisions, or advocate for maternity care reforms, it provides an in-depth analysis of the evidence basis for physiologic care.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

This book about the art, craft and science of expert midwifery care, while focusing on ‘alternative physiological births’ that are those ‘outside’ of guidelines, the contents can be applied to any birthing choices. Drawing upon the findings of a PhD that captured the experiences of midwives who proactively supported alternative physiological births while working in the National Health Service, their practice was conceptualised as ‘skilled heartfelt practice’. Skilled heartfelt practice denotes the interrelationship between midwives’ attitudes and beliefs in support of women’s choices, their values of cultivating meaningful relationships, and their expert practical clinical skills. It is these qualities combined that give rise to what is called ‘full-scope midwifery’ as defined by the Lancet Midwifery Series. This book illuminates why and how these midwives facilitated safe, relational care. Using a combination of emotional intelligence skills and clinical expertise while centring women’s bodily autonomy, they ensured safe care was provided within a holistic framework. Moreover, this book offers insights for midwives to move beyond ‘rule-based’ practice, where the benefits of expert practice are illuminated. Midwives facilitating ‘alternative’ physiological births epitomise evidence-based practice, which centres the woman or birthing person as the expert in their life, and the midwife meets them where they are with expert skills to support them. But what does this look like in clinical practice, particularly for those employed by institutions, those ‘working within the system’ who have constraints that private or self-employed midwives don’t have? How does a midwife cultivate those skills within a culture and climate that devalues both relationships, midwives and women’s autonomy? This book aims to provide a roadmap for those seeking to cultivate these skills. The core focus will be the midwife-mother relationship from the perspectives of the midwives, rather than the midwives wider working relationships or workplace contexts. This is purposeful so to offer a deep dive into the nuanced and varied ways of delivering this type of care. However, the realities of practice are also firmly embedded with the book, tensions will be explored, limitations acknowledged.

This groundbreaking book takes us around the world in search of birth models that work in order to improve the standard of care for mothers and families everywhere. The contributors describe examples of maternity services from both developing countries and wealthy industrialized societies that apply the latest scientific evidence to support and facilitate normal physiological birth; deal appropriately with complications; and generate excellent birth outcomes—including psychological satisfaction for the mother. The book concludes with a description of the ideology that underlies all these working models—known internationally as the midwifery model of care.

Appealing to the nurse or midwife, a unique physiologic approach reveals simple answers to difficult obstetric complications like fetal malpresentation, deep transverse arrest or cephalopelvic disproportion.

The second edition of the comprehensive and award-winning text on prenatal and postnatal care The updated edition of Prenatal and Postnatal Care offers a comprehensive text for the care of the woman during the childbearing year. The expert author team presents information needed to master foundational knowledge in anatomy, physiology, psychology, culture, and structure of preconception, prenatal and postnatal care, and the management of common health problems in the childbearing year. This edition has been revised throughout and contains 6 new chapters on the following topics: prenatal ultrasound, triage of the pregnant woman, assisting women to development confidence for physiologic birth, pregnancy after infertility, oral health, and issues around diversity and inclusion in prenatal and postnatal care. Additional highlights include new and updated content on pregnant women in the workplace, prenatal genetic testing, trauma-informed care, and transgender pregnancy care. The second edition also includes commonly used complementary therapies and offers more detailed information on shared decision-making and planning for birth. Prenatal and Postnatal Care: Provides expanded faculty resources with case studies and test questions for each chapter Offers a comprehensive text that covers essential aspects of prenatal and postnatal care of the childbearing woman Builds on the edition that won the Book of the Year award from the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) in 2015. This revised, authoritative text is an ideal resource for midwifery, nurse practitioner and physician assistant students, and healthcare providers working with pregnant and postpartum women.

Prenatal and Postnatal Care Situate pregnancy in the emotional and physical life of the whole person with this bestselling guide Prenatal and postnatal care are important and dynamic areas in healthcare research and practice. The needs of the childbearing person before and after birth are complex and intensely personal, combining significant physiological impact with broader emotional needs. In order to supply optimal care, providers must account not only for physiological factors, but also for cultural, social, experiential, and psychological ones. Prenatal and Postnatal Care takes a holistic, person-centered approach to prenatal and postnatal care. Emphasizing the pregnant person and their unique needs, this book presents prenatal and postnatal care as foundational care for a healthy start to family life. This accessible, comprehensive book provides unique knowledge and skills to practitioners so that they can make a positive difference to the people they serve. Readers of the third edition of Prenatal and Postnatal Care will also find: New chapters covering health equity, ethics in perinatal care, exercise, and more All chapters updated to reflect evidence concerning health disparities and inequities Concrete ways for clinicians to disrupt the systems of harm and exclusion that can mediate care at every level Prenatal and Postnatal Care is essential for midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other healthcare providers who work with childbearing people.