The midwife controls, accompanies, guides, informs, assists and helps pregnant women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
Midwife is the name given to female health personnel who are dedicated to providing support to a woman throughout pregnancy , the moment of childbirth and the postpartum period. If that task is carried out by a man, then he is named matron .
This word that theoretically identifies someone who has been prepared and is in a position to serve a parturient in the role of assistant, derives from a Latin concept understood as a person of the female gender who has married and/or has formed a family by choosing navigate the experience of motherhood.
Midwifery , also known internationally as obstetrics or even midwifery , is the discipline in the health area that instructs and supports so-called midwives , obstetricians , midwives or midwives .
In recent times, in addition, the figure of the doula has been gaining ground, who does not do the same thing as a midwife . Although, at least for the moment, the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) has not included this notion, this word is climbing positions since it is common for the services of a doula to be offered and requested. In this regard, it is interesting to note that this type of assistant is associated with support and help of a spiritual or emotional nature, but does not assume health responsibilities. A doula , indicate those who specialize in the subject, is not qualified to carry out medical studies, give diagnoses or carry out clinical interventions: she can guide, provide emotional support, convey tranquility, inform, suggest exercises that promote relaxation and do massages. In short, he is dedicated to accompanying someone who is about to bring a new life into the world.
Responsibilities of a midwife
There are several, and segmented into different stages, the responsibilities of a midwife . Already with the pregnancy in progress (confirmed in principle by a pregnancy test purchased at a pharmacy and then by a blood test performed in a laboratory), for example, it is responsible for prenatal control and monitoring of the pregnant person in order to to promote good health for the woman and ensure that the fetus develops normally.
At the first appointment with her, the midwife prepares a personalized report including data on the medical history (illnesses, previous pregnancies that were interrupted or carried to term, etc.), any harmful habits of the pregnant woman and the date of the woman's last menstruation. future mother From then on, regardless of whether or not it is a high-risk pregnancy , a prenatal exam will be requested.
Blood and urine studies, as well as ultrasounds , are essential to know specifically how both the mother and the baby are doing (or the babies, in the case of a multiple pregnancy with twins, twins, triplets, etc. on the way).
A premature baby or a newborn with certain pathologies or who has low weight after birth is taken to an incubator, with medical and nursing staff supervising and caring for him permanently.
By complying with the controls and in the hands of excellent professionals in the field of medicine, pathologies and disorders can be detected in time and measures implemented to protect both lives. Gestational diabetes , the risk of preeclampsia , placenta previa , interruption or restriction of intrauterine growth , anomalies of the fetus or an unusual position of the fetus are some of the issues that require special attention.
Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum
The midwife is necessary and useful during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum .
Throughout pregnancy, a bond of care and trust is established with the pregnant woman that does not end when the newborn is left in the mother's arms. The midwife gives guidelines, resolves doubts, evaluates different aspects at each stage, prioritizing the well-being of mother and child (many times, she even considers the needs or fears of the husband and future father in order to enrich the family experience) and tries to minimize insecurities and fears. of who is about to give birth.
With some exceptions, the midwife is in charge of receiving at the birth center or clinic the woman whose water has broken or who already has intense and regular uterine contractions . Using her knowledge, she will evaluate the situation and determine if labor needs to be induced, if labor is already underway, if there is an unforeseen event that requires medical action or if it was a false alarm.
The surrogate mother, as long as the health, safety and assistance conditions for mother and baby are guaranteed, have the right to decide how to bring their offspring(s) into the world. So, you can try to have a natural birth in a public hospital or private sanatorium or go for a cesarean section (applying epidural anesthesia and making a cut in the abdomen and uterus in order to extract the baby) . There are those who opt for modalities that are not so common on a massive scale such as home birth or request a water birth , but it is essential that any practice outside a conventional delivery room is controlled by qualified personnel who know how to act in either conditions. of normality or in the event of a complication that requires emergency medical intervention.
Whenever possible, it is necessary, positive, beneficial and healthy to start breastfeeding on demand as soon as possible to provide nourishment and promote attachment.
Once the baby is out of the mother's womb, the umbilical cord is cut and a newborn care protocol carried out by professionals trained in neonatology is activated. In this instance, the midwife continues to be a valuable figure who cares for and guides mothers to promote the early start of breastfeeding and accompanies them to go through the postpartum period in the best possible way.