Nurses in History: Jeanne Prentice While, Jeanne isn’t really a nurse of history yet, this modern woman is helping with home births and being a midwife to expectant mothers. She campaigns and helps with women taking their labor and deliveries home and out of the hospital. This form of alternative care is highly controversial, with many women finding flaws. However, Jeanne is persistent and dedicated to delivering babies at home. One of the primary reasons Jeanne stands behind home birth is the importance of choice for a mother. She believes that it should be an option whom a mother invites to this special moment in her life. She fights against many stigmas with this form of medicine due to some opinions regarding modern medicine.
Modern Medicine or Homebirth Jeanne Prentice of South Dakota has a strong belief in a women’s body. Due to this, she fights against those against homebirth. Jeanne stands on the beliefs that women’s bodies are designed to give birth. She believes strongly that since women have been able to have birth without modern medicine, perhaps it is better to keep it that way. While she is a strong advocate for making the choice that is right for you, she hopes that others will also keep an open mind regarding her form of medical practice. In the many years of experience being a nurse and since her days studying for a nursing degree at the American College of Nurse Midwives, her care is comprehensive for these expectant mothers-to-be. Her standard routine includes: Annual Exams Pap Smears Family Planning & Education Seminars Pre-Conceptual Care Lactation Consultation Labor & Delivery With many years of experience, she has been providing women proper care since 1994. Her goal is to continue to combine skills of midwifery with those of advanced medical practice. Hoping that one day, midwives will have a better reputation for the work that they can do for mothers, in an intimate and private setting.
Forms of At Home Birth If you are electing to have your baby outside of a hospital or medical facility, you are most likely considering a home birth. Wanting your baby to arrive in safe, happy, and healthy
conditions is normal. For every woman there are benefits to home births, while there are many for hospital births. Below are the benefits to a choice of home births: 1. All of your comforts are available. You can relax in your bed, your tub, and eat food that is common for you. 2. Complete freedom for birthing position. While some women may not even consider this, some want to find a position that better suites them. 3. Ambiance. No ultraviolet lights are required or beeping machines in the background. 4. Not time constraints on contractions or labor and delivery time. 5. Privacy is almost guaranteed. 6. Provides option for all natural birth. The negative associations with home births are the medical issues, including unexpected emergencies. Midwives are not trained surgeons and cannot preform a C-section if something goes wrong. Women delivering their children in a hospital also have the option to rest for a few days before bringing the baby home. This provides her time to rest, especially if she has younger children in her home. Lastly, is the cost of homebirths. While they may be less expensive than a trip to the doctors or hospital for delivery, insurance companies do not always help pick up the check. This is generally an out-of-pocket expense, not covered. Before you make this decision, consult with your insurance company if you are covered for a home birth. There are many options available to women in this century. Review your choices carefully and consider than many impactful nurses helping to provide you choices.