Essay Example: The Role and Responsibility of The Mid-Wife

The midwife has essential roles and responsibilities when dealing with women who are under the cesarean section. After the cesarean section, the midwife plays a vital role in postnatal care for women. To start with, the midwife is responsible for assessing the immediate condition after the delivery. This includes assessing the consciousness level, and recording blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. Additionally, the midwife also records the type and amount of drainage. Also, the midwife checks on the pain and the previously administered analgesia to determine the further prescription of the analgesia (Cull, et al 2020).

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Furthermore, the midwife checks for wounds for ooze, ecbolic prescription, and the lochia amount. Besides, it is the responsibility of the midwife to confirm if the breastfeeding process has been initiated. To ensure that the electrolyte and fluid balance is observed. The midwife administers the IV regime as outlined in the records of Fluid Balance. It is also essential to ensure that iced water sips are offered for nausea (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016).

The midwife also plays an indispensable role in ensuring that the anxiety of the patient is minimized. Midwives should help with the settling of the baby and wit the breastfeeding process (Cull et al. 2020). Babies have different sleeping patterns, and thus the mother should understand how to calm and their babies through the help of the midwives. Breastfeeding the baby can be of great benefit as it helps develop a bond between the mother and the newborn. Breastfeeding cannot come easy and is stressful and painful. Some mothers may have a problem with the breastfeeding process, and in such instances, the midwives come in handy by helping mothers with the breastfeeding process.

After the baby is born immediately, the midwife is needed to inform the pediatric professionals of the delivery process. This is followed by checking the resuscitates as per the set protocols. The midwife is also needed to explain the baby's anticipated needs to the mother, such as ensuring that there is skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the child. It is also the midwife's role to palpate the newborn's heart rate and offer a gentle suction if necessary. It is also the midwife's responsibility to assess the infant's needs for further interventions if need be. The midwife should also weigh the child (Cull et al., 2020). The care of a newborn is an integral part of the responsibilities and the roles of a midwife and explained in the midwife's definition. Studies indicate that the provision of quality care from midwives who have optimum attitudes and skills can save many newborns.

Risk assessment is of great importance when it comes to postnatal depression and mental health. Most of the new mothers experience low moods and irritability symptoms. These symptoms are frequent in most of the women; however, they disappear after a while. However, there are circumstances where feelings become persistent, leading to postnatal depression (Cull et al. 2020). The condition is sometimes referred to as postpartum depression.

The assessment process in the case should include enquiring whether the patient has had a history of mental health condition, including the postnatal or the pregnancy period.

Additionally, the assessment process should consider the patient's physical well-being; this includes checking whether the patient has a history of nutrition problems, smoking, and weight issues (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). The assessment process should also check if the woman has been associated with drug and alcohol misuse.

The interpersonal relationship quality can be used to assess the social life of the patient. The assessment should also consider any mental health problem, acquired cognitive impairments, and the need to seek consultation from a specialist when formulating the care plans. The woman should also be involved in the risk assessment process (Cull et al., 2020). The focus area should be on possible risks such as self-harm, self-neglect, and suicidal thoughts when there is evidence of suicide or self-harm. It would be useful to assess the social support disseminated to the woman and inform the relevant professionals of healthcare on the care plan development. The woman should also be advised to look for further help if the situation worsens (Ryan et al. 2013).

Risk assessment for mental health illnesses and postnatal depression is essential as it ensures optimal healthcare decisions are made. The evaluation also ensures that the quality of care disseminated meets the needs of the patient. It is also essential to conduct a psychosocial assessment of the patient. Psychosocial assessment includes evaluating the functional capacity, social status, and the mental health of the patient (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). The individual's modes of behavior, appearance, and physical condition are put into an account for factors which may contribute to or indicate mental illness or emotional distress. Observations in the case may include; level of consciousness, motor activity degree, thought patterns, speech, facial expressions, and posture.

A midwife is in a position of meeting the psychological, social, and physical needs of a woman and her family. The role of nurses focuses on developing life skills, which can help achieve the patient's well-being. Midwives have shared aims, which include supporting the welfare and the health of women during pregnancy and after birth. Offering support to the family and women ensures that the baby's and mother's morbidity and mortality rates during pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum are reduced (Cull et al. 2020). According to the International Confederation of Midwives, midwives have the role of ensuring that they partner with women to promote the health of families, infants, and mothers. Additionally, they are entitled to respect human rights and human dignity at all times. They should also focus on promoting health to prevent diseases (Ryan et al., 2013).

Women require extra care after childbirth putting into consideration family and partner support. Childbirth and labor are demanding physically. This means that there is a need for women to maintain their health and, at the same time, recover their strength. Midwives need to advise women on how they can maintain a well-balanced diet after pregnancy. Breastfeeding women should also be informed about the need to drink clean and sufficient water (Ryan et al. 2013). Nutrition counseling should be a priority for the midwives.

The birth of a new child is typically associated with depression. Most of the women experience mild depression. It is the role and responsibility of midwives to identify women with postnatal depression and refer them to healthcare facilities nearest to them (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). The midwives should request consent from the patients on whether to share their information with their family members. It is the responsibility of the midwives to mobilize the support of the women from their family members (Jeffery et al. 2017).

Midwives should help women communicate and create concrete plans for the assistance they will require during postpartum. This involves asking the women the help they may need from the family members and other social support networks (Goodwin et al. 2018). Midwives are also at the forefront of promoting self-efficacy to accomplish parenting goals. Self-efficacy development can help women cope positively by assisting them in attaining positive coping skills and doing away with negative skills. Most importantly, the midwives should educate women on what to expect during the postpartum period. The midwives should normalize the experience of uncertainty and feelings of being overwhelmed by letting the patient understand the postpartum feelings are expressed universally by all women during this period.

The significance of breastfeeding in maternal health and infant enhancement has been documented in a manner that is well synchronized by professional literature in the healthcare setting. Breastfeeding has been an essential aspect of its socioeconomic, immunological, emotional, and nutritional support. The fact that healthcare professionals, such as therapists, nutritionists, nurses, and doctors, interact with pregnant women from time to time means that they should understand the breastfeeding concept. Mothers look for professional help to deal with issues surrounding the concept of breastfeeding (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). When it comes to breastfeeding, healthcare professionals are given professional advice to enhance mothers' confidence and self-esteem. The enhancement of confidence and self-esteem ensures that women are breastfeeding their young ones without major setbacks or problems (Ryan et al. 2013).

Additionally, healthcare professionals understand breastfeeding from a biopsychosocial and a dynamic process. Having a clear understanding of breastfeeding from the mentioned standpoint ensures that women develop trust towards the healthcare professionals and put their trust in their advice (Goodwin et al. 2018). Healthcare professionals are also offering women the best course of action when it comes to the breastfeeding process. This helps improve the worries of women and leads to the promotion of healthy breastfeeding (Ryan et al. 2013). As healthcare professionals, nurses play an influential role in the success of breastfeeding. Nurses' understanding of breastfeeding issues and their attitudes on breastfeeding signifies the professional support that the nurses can accord to women. Physicians are also pointing out the immunologic benefits of breastfeeding (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). Healthcare professionals can also teach women on how to position their children during the breastfeeding process. Certified lactation consultants and nurses offer women practical information on breastfeeding expectations (Ryan et al. 2013). An important piece of information disseminated to women is that during the first days of breastfeeding, milk is absent, and only colostrum is available (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016). Additionally, healthcare professionals' advice breaks the gaps between actual clinical practice and breastfeeding knowledge.

It is also clear that health professionals tend to be confident and can support women who are breastfeeding. These professionals also are in a better position of supporting and promoting breastfeeding positively. Lactating consultants are also positioned to identify barriers such as infant or frustrating maternal barriers that cause mothers to lose interest in breastfeeding. Through this, women are given the needed support to improve on their breastfeeding. The support on breastfeeding opens a universe that is multi-professional, where the various actors can add value to the breastfeeding aspect (Goodwin et al. 2018).

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has a number of roles that relate to the role of the midwife. The council regulates the activities of midwives and nurses in the UK. The council ensures that the registered midwives, public health nurses, and other nursing professionals are eligible to carry out their profession in the United Kingdom (Hunter, B., Fenwick, J., Sidebotham, M. and Henley, J., 2019).

In relation to the midwife's role, NMC ensures that the midwives meet the set standards for and that their knowledge and skills are up to date. The council ensures that the midwife works within the legal, regulatory, and ethical framework surrounding their practice (Khan, K. and McIntyre, H., 2016).