Role of Midwife in MCH care

Prof. Rajalaxmi Mishra

Principal
College of Nursiing , berhampur
 INTERNATIONAL
MIDWIVES DAY- 5 th MAY

2020
Midwives with Woman: Celebrate,
Demonstrate, Mobilise , Unite – our
time is NOW!
 Who is a midwife?
• A midwife is a trained health professional who
helps healthy women during labour, delivery,
and after the birth of their babies.
•  Midwives may deliver babies at birthing
centres or at home, but most can also deliver
babies at a hospital.
 Definition of midwives
• “A midwife is a person who has successfully completed
a midwifery education programme that is based on the
ICM Essential Competencies for Basic Midwifery
Practice and the framework of the ICM Global
Standards for Midwifery Education and is recognized in
the country where it is located; who has acquired the
requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally
licensed to practice midwifery and use the title
‘midwife’; and who demonstrates competency in the
practice of midwifery. .” (ICM, 2017)
 Model of Midwifery Care
• the autonomy of midwives to practise
holistically, within the full scope of midwifery
practice and in all settings
• the role of the midwife to support physiology
and promote normal birth
• the role of the midwife to uphold human
rights and informed consent and decision
making for women
 Contd...
• the role of the midwife to promote evidence-
based practice, including reducing
unnecessary interventions
• the role of the midwife to assess, diagnose,
act, intervene, consult and refer as necessary,
including providing emergency interventions.
• The competencies are integrated statements
and not a list of tasks.
 Highlights on themes
• Celebrate
CELEBRATE

Demonstrate

Mobilise

Unite
•Key messages
• International Year of the Midwife provides the opportunity to
advocate for the strengthening of midwives and the midwifery
profession globally.
• Building a strong partnership between women and midwives is
key to delivering quality maternity care that is based on
respectful care.
• Care from a competent and qualified midwife during
pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period is a human right for
women and newborns everywhere.
 contd..

Midwives deserve enabling environments

to deliver quality care worldwide.

Midwives unite with women to protect and

progress women's rights globally.
 International Code of Ethics for Midwives

• The aim of the International Confederation of

the Midwives (ICM) is to improve the standard
of care provided to women, babies and
families throughout the world through the
development, education and appropriate
utilization of the professional midwife
 CODE

• The code addresses the midwife’s ethical

mandates in achieving the aims and objectives
of the ICM concerned and how midwives
relate to others; how they practice midwifery;
how they uphold professional responsibilities
and duties’ and how they are to work to assure
the integrity of the profession of midwifery
Advancement of Midwifery Knowledge and
Practice
• a. Midwives ensure that the advancement of
midwifery knowledge is based on activities that
protect the rights of women as persons.
• b. Midwives develop and share midwifery
knowledge through a variety of processes, such
as peer review and research.
• c. Midwives participate in the formal education
of midwifery students and ongoing education of
 Practice of Midwifery
• Midwives provide care for women and childbearing
families with respect for cultural diversity while also
working to eliminate harmful practices within those same
cultures.
• b.Midwives encourage realistic expectations of childbirth
by women within their own society, with the minimum
expectation that no women should be harmed by
conception or childbearing.
• c.Midwivesuse up-to-date, evidence-based professional
knowledge to ensure safe birthing practices in all
environments and cultures.
 Key skills for midwives
• Ability to deal with emotionally charged
situations.
• Excellent team working skills
• Examining and monitoring pregnant women
• Assessing care requirements and writing care
plans
• Undertaking antenatal care in hospitals , homes
• Carrying out screening tests
 Contd...
• Advising about & supporting parents in the
daily care of their newborn babies.
• helping parents to cope with miscarriage,
Termination , stillbirth & neonatal death.
• Writing & reporting.
 contd..
skills
Midwives deserve enabling environments
to deliver quality care worldwide.

Midwives unite with women to protect and

progress women's rights globally.
“It would take150 years for the world
to see the kind of nursing I
envision.......”