Nursing Post - Issue 5

theNursingPost The Career and Education magazine for Nurses and Health Professionals

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Midwifery Look inside to read this feature!

19 March 2012

- ISSUE 05

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Welcome to Issue 5 From the Editor...

Hello Readers, and welcome to Issue 5 of The Nursing Post!

For our feature inside this issue, we take a closer look at Midwifery (page 8).

This health care profession has at times stirred controversy and divided opinions throughout the medical industry. Amongst topics we discuss are Call outs for Midwives, Unassisted home births are worth the risk and Advise on choosing a Midwife.

Our new Website is now up and running!

Please take a look at our new format which includes the latest job listings from Australia and around the world, current news and events, courses and conferences and our Media kit to name a few.

If you haven’t already subscribed to our e-newsletter, sign up now on our site at www.nursingpost.com.au

Inside this Issue Midwifery

We have recently welcomed some exciting new additions to our wonderful team at The Nursing Post and we look forward to providing a great read for all of our readers moving forward.

Join us for our Aged Care Nursing feature in our next edition where we discuss the latest issues in this field of care. Stay tuned for the 2nd of April readers. Until then, take care all.

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Next Issue Aged Care Nursing

CONTENTS NAHRLS (Inside Front Cover) ...................................00 CQ Nurse ................................................................01 Mediserve Nursing Agency .....................................03,13,BC Pulse International...................................................04 Quick N Easy Finance..............................................05 BPNA.......................................................................06 Medacs Healthcare..................................................07 FEATURE: Midwifery.................................................08 Calling Out For Midwives.........................................09 Feature Article : Midwifery for Pregnancy.................10, 11 Continental Travelnurse............................................12 Six Tips For Delivering A Healthy Baby.....................14 Latest News: Dannii Minogue supports home births.15 Latest News : Noni Hazlehurst Speaks Out On Home Births.............................................................19 Unassisted home births are worth the risks for some women . ........................................................16

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Mercy Health Calling all MIDWIVES!...............................................21 Midwifery and the Law (Seminar)............................23 2012 SCA Conference . ...........................................24 RNS Nursing............................................................25 Educational Courses,Conferences & Events..............26+27 Ausmed Article: Are You Culturally Aware?...............28+29 Oceania University of Medicine ...............................30 Home birth: what you need to know.........................31 Is Facebook the cure?..............................................32 Crossword...............................................................33 Choosing A Midwife - Take Our Advice.....................34 Book Review: The Midwife’s Here............................35 Midwife Training A Practical Approach......................36 Crossword Answers.................................................36 Clinical Nursing Conference.....................................37

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T X E N E ISSU

Aged Care Nursing 6

Publication Date: 02nd April, 2012

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Contact Us Email: nurses@medacs.com.au Telephone: 1800 059 790 For a full list of our opportunities around the world go to: www.medacs.com.au 7

MIDWIFERY // INSIDE THIS FEATURE Calling Out For Midwives..................................................................................... 9 Feature Article : Midwifery for Pregnancy............................................................ 10-11 Feature Article : Six Tips For Delivering A Healthy Baby..................................... 14 Feature Article : Unassisted home births are worth the risks for some women.. 16 Latest News: Dannii Minogue supports home births........................................... 15 Latest News : Noni Hazlehurst Speaks Out On Home Births............................... 19

8

Calling Out For Midwives There is a thriving demand for midwives in the health industry.

We know that there is a demand out there for more midwives; we also know that there are plenty of courses out there in midwifery; but how difficult is it to make it as a midwife?

Professor Caroline Homer – Director of Midwifery Studies at the University of Technology has all the answers: Ten years ago, in order to become a midwife you needed to be a qualified nurse. Professor Homer revealed that this has all changed now: “It was actually really hard,” she said.

“We actually had to get the Act changed. The Nurses Act in NSW had to be changed to enable this course to start...that was a huge endeavour. So it took two or three years to make that happen, a lot of lobbying, a lot of working with government, and we were thrilled in the end that we now have a Nurses and Midwives Act, which means you can become a midwife without being a nurse.”

So far in 2012, over 250 people have applied to become a midwife. Professor Homer feels that this is a terrific response: “We had fantastic interest this year.”

“We have 70 places and we only have that many places because that’s how many clinical places there are in hospitals to place these students. You can imagine a course like this is 50 per cent clinical. So the students have to have a place where they can go into a public or private institution to receive their clinical time. So we’re bound by that essentially.”

According to Professor Homer, it is crucial that the correct

student to jobs in the field ratio is determined, before it is released to aspiring midwives.

“I think it’s a really hard balance to work out how many do you need, and then look after the new ones.”

“It’s a real balance of not putting too many students through so that they can’t be supported at the other end and get jobs and become experienced midwives themselves.”

Maintaining a healthy job to student ratio is important. Another important factor is ensuring that there is a diversity of applicants while ensuring there is equal opportunities.

“In our course we take a proportion of school leavers, a proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island women who want to become midwives - we’re committed to improving the outcomes for Indigenous women in Australia - and then most women who come into the course are mature age.”

For potential midwives, deciding what type of location they would like to work in can be very beneficial to their studies and future career. “They’re (regional) big enough towns, that there are enough women having babies.”

“In very remote areas, midwives often have to work as nurses because there aren’t enough women in the community having babies. If you want to work in a very small regional area, you may be better off doing nursing first and then midwifery, or the other way around.”

Developing new graduates and providing advice for them should be a priority according to Professor Homer.

9

Midwifery for Pregnancy These days, midwifery has become more popular among pregnant women. Midwives provide a service of high standards for pregnant women and their family. Research shows that midwifery care is associated with increased satisfaction before, during and after birth.

way. A good midwife provides education, counselling and support before, during and after birth. Almost 96% of births assisted by certified nurse-midwives occur in hospitals.

Midwives believe that delivering a baby naturally while trying to avoid intervention is the best way. Midwives support pregnant women while allowing nature to take its course.

What is Midwifery?

Choosing a Midwife The effort of a midwife helps the childbirth process to become a normal and joyful experience. A midwife is a knowledgeable and experienced professional who helps a pregnant woman to deliver a baby in a safe and natural 10

Midwifery works best when the midwife and the pregnant woman develop a good relationship. Women should try to get to know

a midwife before choosing her in order to become comfortable with her style, experience and performance.

As with any other obstetrical practice, midwives meet with an expectant mother once a month initially, then every two weeks closer to birth, and finally every week during the last month of pregnancy.

Who would benefit from Midwifery?

Choosing a midwife is an excellent idea for maternity care for women who are healthy and expect to have a normal birth. Midwives have found that encouragement, massage, relaxation, labouring in water, changing positions and other approaches are often very effective.

The Midwives Model of Care includes: • Taking care of the mother physically and psychologically.

• Providing the mother with individualized education, counselling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labour and delivery, and after birth support • Minimizing technological interventions • Identifying and referring women who require practical attention.

Who should not use Midwifery?

Midwifery is not advisable for women with higher-risk pregnancies. Midwives are trained to discover early complications and assist with the appropriate care.

Those who should not use midwifery for pregnancy include: • Women who are expecting more than one baby • Women with prior pregnancy complications • Women with gestational diabetes • Women with high-blood pressure • Women with chronic health problems of any kind before pregnancy Women in any of the categories above should consult a health care professional or an obstetrician.

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Six Tips For Delivering A Healthy Baby There are many problems which arise when it comes to childbirth.

This often makes it a stressful process, especially when it seems there is no known solution or cure for these problems.

Eluding these problems IS possible; medical research has shown.

You are what you eat, and so is your baby. Nutritious food is monumental for the development of your baby. Your growing baby gains all his/her nutrients from placental circulation and these nutrients are exclusively gained from the mother’s bloodstream.

In turn, the mother’s bloodstream gains it’s nutrients by what she eats. Dr. Tom Brewer has developed a diet for pregnant women in order to help them to give birth to a healthy baby.

The diet is called the “Brewer Medical Diet” and it has been medically proven to be beneficial. Six simple steps will get you on the road to giving birth to healthy baby:

Begin this healthy diet today; you don’t need to be pregnant to look after your baby’s future!

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1.

80-100 grams of high quality protein should be consumed daily. Every Cell in your baby’s body relies on protein. Whether it’

2.

You are eating for two; therefore 2400 calories should be consumed every day. Your body will not burn as much protein for energy if you eat a sufficient amount of calories. Eating real butter is a natural and healthy way of consuming more calories.

3.

More sodium is required for pregnant women; therefore more salt is often required. This is particularly true if you are experiencing swelling and high blood pressure.

If you are not consuming enough sodium, these symptoms will get worse. Let your taste buds decide how much salt you need in your system. They are a natural guide to let you know you need more sodium!

4.

Four cups of milk and two eggs will provide you with 50% of your daily required protein. Therefore you should build your diet around these.

5.

Whole grains provide one third more nutrients than processed grains. Therefore food such as brown rice and whole-wheat flour should be chosen when possible.

6.

Keep yourself hydrated. Drink plenty of water and real fruit juice. Fresh fruit and vegetables should also be consumed as they contain plenty of water and nutrients which help your metabolism and immune system.

Dannii Minogue supports home births Dannii feels that home birth is the best option for her and would do it again.

in the UK for twenty years influenced her opinion on giving birth at home.

The practice of home birth has emerged as a hot topic amongst many mothers, particularly since the tragic death of a mother while attempting to give birth in her Melbourne home; Danni Minogue continues to show her support for the practice throughout the debate.

Minogue argued that tragedy may also strike while giving birth in a hospital; while recognizing that there are certain dangers involved when it comes to giving birth at home. Her comments came shortly after the tragic death of Caroline Lovell, who died during labour in her Melbourne home in January.

In July 2010, after many hours in labour; Minogue was relocated to a hospital to deliver her son Ethan, after an unsuccessful attempted home birth.

She said: “I had very specific reasons why I wanted to have my baby at home.”

“The last two times I’d been in a hospital my sister had cancer and there were satellite dishes out the front and nurses being offered $50,000 to get pictures of her with tubes hanging out of her. The second time I was in hospital for a friend who died of cancer. She never came out again.”

“I don’t care what anyone else says about having a home birth, that felt right for me,” she said.

“It’s about your body and what you feel comfortable with.”

According to the Australia’s Got Talent judge; living

15

Unassisted home births are worth the risks for some women We live in a world with many perspectives on risk. Entire professions exist to advise us on how to recognise, avoid and manage risk. And midwifery is no different.

So how do mothers to be make their own decision about the best birthing environment for them and their baby? And what will happen to the women who give birth at home in situations that seems to be risky to mainstream society?

It is becoming an uncommon choice among the western world women. 0.3% of births in Australia are planned home births. When a registered midwife is present, home birth is just as safe as hospital birth and is gradually becoming more acceptable throughout Australian maternity services.

Free birth and high-risk home birth Scientific evidence and health policy data shows that intentionally birthing at home without a health professional known as free birthing and planning a home birth if you have a high risk pregnancy are less safe. We also know that when women choose to give birth outside the system, the resulting backlash from the public and media can be savage.

From an interview of 20 women from around Australia about their own choice of birth outside the system. Nine chose to free birth and eleven had a home birth despite the presence of medically defined risk issues; three were firsttime mothers and seventeen had previously given birth.

Many of these women reported very negative previous hospital birth experiences that had been physically and emotionally devastating.

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The interviewers found these women had different perceptions of risk and felt “birth always had an element of risk” regardless of where it occurred. They also believed “a hospital was not the safest place for give birth” and that “interference in birth is a risk” and this was most likely experienced in hospital.

It was clear these women were not deluded about the risk they took, but saw separation from their baby and abusive care providers as greater risks. They prepared extensively for their birth and felt their choice provided the safest and best birthing option for them and their babies.

However, our study found that these women considered risk seriously but placed iatrogenic risks of giving birth in hospital under intense scrutiny. They challenged the assumptions that hospital birth must be safer and deemed the risks, such as a one-in-three chance of caesarean section, as unacceptable.

While women in this study also accepted responsibility for their decision, they challenged the assumption that a hospital birth would have been a better option for them. Given that 16 of the 20 women who had their first baby in a delivery ward or birth centre pursued a far different option for subsequent births, we have to question the impact of current maternity care on these decisions.

Further research into how to maximise the safety and choice for women who choose to birth outside the system needs to be done. But first we need to collect the data about how many women intentionally free birth in Australia so we can monitor the trends and outcomes. More broadly, we health-care professionals need to consider our roles and responsibilities in providing services that meet all women’s needs.

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Television personality Noni Hazlehurst and baby after one of her two home births. Picture: supplied

Noni Hazlehurst Speaks Out On Home Births Noni Hazlehurst; former presenter of Play School, has spoken of her disappointment that not enough women who had low risk pregnancies were encouraged to give birth at home.

“Yes I was scared and yes I thought when was this going to end.”

Hazlehurst says that pregnant women should not be scared to give birth from home; especially if they are at low risk.

Hazlehurst has given birth from home twice. Although her friends were concerned over her decision, she has complimented her experiences describing home birthing as empowering and beneficial.

Andrew Bisits of the Royal Women’s Hospital believes that in recent times that both women and medical experts are more fearful of complications during labour. Therefore intervention is becoming more and more frequent as all parties want to elude risks at all costs.

Home birthing has become a hot topic for debate in recent times following the tragic death of a woman giving birth from her Melbourne home.

On Thursday the 8th of this month in Melbourne; a collection of medical experts from Australia and abroad gathered to view the premiere of a DVD which promotes home birthing as a woman’s right.

Director of the film Kate Gorman says that the aim of the film was to bring light to some of the unspoken elements of the debate. The DVD is titled “The Face of Birth”.

Hazlehurst features in the DVD explaining her decision to give birth from home. She speaks about how she was influenced by some tragic stories she had heard about medical interventions and therefore wanted a midwife to help her deliver her baby from home.

She speaks about her son’s birth: “It is a much more peaceful and empowering experience if you can have a natural birth in your own environment,” she said.

“Absolutely appalling”; this is how Sally Tracey of the University of Sydney described the current caesarean rate in Australia.

Childbirth expert Rhea Dempsey has gone as far as saying that today we live in a “labour bypass” era.

She also believes that women who give birth naturally from home often feel awkward talking about their experience as it may make their friends feel condescended.

After 28 weeks of pregnancies, qualified dietician Claire Amai decided to shift from the hospital setup to having a home birth.

Her decision came after researching the positive and negative aspects of both birth methods. She has now given birth from home on two occasions.

She said; “I decided from all the statistics and research articles I’d read, home births were equally as safe”.

“To be in a calm, peaceful environment in my own home was amazing.”

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Inside this issue: Final issue for 2011:

CHRISTMAS

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NURSING

Inside this issue

Emergency Nursing

MANAGEMENT

12 December 2011 - Issue 24

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Calling all

MIDWIVES!

If you are a Registered Midwife or Interested in becoming one then we want you!

The Mater Hospitals in Mackay and Gladstone, operated by Mercy Health and Aged Care Central Queensland Limited (MH&ACCQL), are seeking Registered Midwives in these rapidly growing areas of Queensland.

MATER MISERICORDIAE HOSPITAL - GLADSTONE Registered Nurse/ Midwife (Level 2): Is responsible for the safe, efficient and effective delivery of patient care within the Maternity Department. This responsibility includes direction and guidance for other registered nurses working within the Maternity area ensuring the provision of patient care services in a manner that supports the business and services objectives of the Hospital.

Terms: Full-time or part-time with a base hourly rate range of $37.40 - $40.06 + superannuation & other applicable penalties and allowances dependant on comparable prior service.

Student Midwife: Will undertake a Graduate Diploma of Midwifery through a university of our choosing whist working as a Registered Nurse within Mater Misericordiae Hospital - Gladstone.

Terms: Full-time or part-time with a base hourly rate range of $28.61 - $36.76 + superannuation & other applicable penalties and allowances dependant on comparable prior service.

MATER MISERICORDIAE HOSPITAL MACKAY & GLADSTONE Registered Nurse/ Midwife: Provides family-centred nursing care in collaboration with other health professionals and significant other to ensure safe, efficient and effective management of the patient.

Terms: Hours and employment terms are fully negotiable with full-time, part-time and casual positions available that attract a base hourly rate range of $28.61 to $36.76 ($35.19 - $45.22 casual) dependant on comparable prior service + superannuation and penalties.

Enquiries: Apply and/or gain more information about these positions at www.mercycq.com/jobs where the positions are listed under available positions.

Alternatively, contact the Human Resources Department, on (07) 4931 7478 during business hours or email employment@mercycq.com “we are an equal opportunity employer�

Enquiries: Pam Zions, Hospital Manager (07) 4971 3755 during business hours or email pzions@mercycq.com.

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Midwifery and the

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A Diverse Choice of Education for All Australian Nurses Ausmed www.Ausmed.com.au Education 23 Online Learning | Conferences | Publications

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Guest Speakers: Venerable Thích Thông Pháp Buddhist Monk, Chaplain, Hobart Rabbi Paul J Jacobson Nahum Goldmann Fellow, Sydney Eileen Glass Spiritual Director, Educator and Supervisor, Australia

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Educational Courses, Conferences & Events // CONTENTS Ausmed Education: Article - Are You Culturally Aware?............... 28+29 Oceania University of Medicine.................................................... 30 Home birth: what you need to know............................................. 31 Is Facebook the Cure?.................................................................. 32 Crossword Puzzle......................................................................... 33 Choosing A Midwife - Take Our Advice........................................ 34 Book Review : The Midwife’s Here............................................... 35 Midwife Training A Practical Approach Crossword Answers...................................................................... 36 Seminar : Clinical Nurse................................................................ 37 26

// Events + Conferences 2012 2012 SCA CONFERENCE Where Words Meet Silence - Connecting through Pastoral Care Spiritual Care Australia 16th – 19th April 2012 Rydges Lakeside London Circuit, Canberra City www.spiritualcareaustralia.org.au

Australian College of Operating Room Nurses 15th National Conference Territorial boundaries: Dare to be diverse Australian College of Operating Room Nurses 22-26 May 2012, Darwin, NT www.acorn.org.au

International Nursing Conference Nursing: Caring to Know, Knowing to Care Nursing Division of Hadassah University Medical Centre 4-7 June 2012, Jerusalem, Israel www.israel.rnao.ca

4th Congress of the Wound Union of Wound Healing Societies Better care - Better life Wound Union of Wound Healing Societies 2-6 September 2012, Yokohama, Japan www.wuwhs2012.com

National Association of Childbirth Educators’ Biennial Conference Generation Now - the fears, the fantasy and finding the balance National Association of Childbirth Educators 16-18 October 2012, Luna Park, Sydney www.nace.org.au

16th South Pacific Nurses Forum 2012 South Pacific Nurses Forum 19-22 November 2012, Melbourne, Leonda by the Yarra. www.spnf.org.au

ACNN 2012 11th Global Conference on Ageing Ageing Connects IFA-FIV 28 May - 1 June 2012, Prague Czech Republic www.ifa-fiv.org

Alcohol Conference

7th Annual Conference Gravens Seminar on the Physical and Developmental Environment of the High Risk Infant 7 - 8 September 2012 CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, LOVEDALE, HUNTER VALLEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA www.acnn.org.au

Beyond 2012: Leading the Way to Action 6-8 June 2012, Fremantle, WA www.nidacconference.com.au

27

Are You Culturally Aware?

We live and work in a culturally diverse society, caring for people from varied ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. Within Australia we have our culturally rich Indigenous population, as well as many migrants from countries as diverse as Russia, Greece and Korea.

This presents a challenge for nursing and midwifery staff to provide care that is both clinically safe and culturally sensitive. Many hospitals have protocols designed to aid staff in understanding and delivering culturally appropriate care, yet in reality it can be difficult to do this. In this post, we’re going to have a look at some theory behind culturally appropriate care, as well as examining a couple of relevant case studies.

Transcultural care: cognitive approach Across Australia it is known that Indigenous people have higher rates of adverse health outcomes compared with non-indigenous people. This is similar to other countries such as New Zealand and Canada. It is therefore important that Indigenous people are not discriminated against in any way and that their culture is accounted for when they present for health care. The cognitive approach to 28

culturally appropriate care takes into account the customs and traditions of various cultures. Health professionals are usually educated about different cultures and taught their beliefs, practices and values, especially those of indigenous peoples, and how to incorporate these into appropriate care.

Unfortunately this fails to address the broader social and political factors that can impact on an individual’s access to health care and may lead to stereotyping. An individual is no longer assessed as someone unique, but within the clinician’s framework of what that person’s culture represents to them (the clinician) – a type of “cookbook” approach.

Transcultural care: an individual approach The individual approach to dealing with people of different cultures has been developed as a method of acknowledging how colonisation and migration can affect an individual’s cultural values and practices. Unfortunately this requires health professionals to have a greater insight into individual cultures and how the society they are living in has influenced both the culture and the individual. Theorists acknowledge that the individual approach, while resulting in a superior service than

Working as health professionals in a multithe cognitive approach, is a long way from being ofcan presentAustralian cultural100s society many challenges universally practiced in multi-cultural societies such Access CPD Hours Education as Australia. The best we can do at the moment is to the practicing nurse. We need to remember treat each individual with respect, and acknowledge to treat each patient as an individual, instead of that although we try our best to be culturally categorising them by the culture we assume them sensitive, this may not always be achievable. to hold. While there may be cultural norms that apply to the majority, we need to always look at the Case Study 1 wider picture in an effort to provide the highest level of care possible.

A nurse entered an Iranian patient’s room to find him on the ground, seemingly muttering Source: incoherently to himself. The patient could speak very little English and the nurse was concerned that Williamson, M. & Harrison, L. (2010). Providing the patient had fallen out of bed and was unable to culturally appropriate care: A literature review. right himself. She went over to try and help sit the International Journal of Nursing Studies, 47, 761patient up, however he became visibly agitated and 769. the nurse was left unsure of what to do. Later the nurse found that the patient was a devout Muslim Continued Professional Development provided by and he had been praying to Mecca.

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• • •

Should the nurse have done something different in this situation?

What would you have done in this situation?

Is there any way the nurse could have demonstrated cultural sensitivity in this situation?

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Case Study 2 A Cambodian woman was rushed to the emergency department by her family who explained she was feeling extremely dizzy. Upon examination the nurse found the patient’s body covered in dark, red welts.

Feeling concerned about the possibility of self harm, the nurse informed both her supervisor and the doctor and an investigation was undertaken. It turned out that the patient had been practicing a traditional form of healing called “coining”, where a coin is rubbed vigorously on the patient’s body.

• • •

Should the nurse have done something different in this situation?

What would you have done in this situation?

Is there any way the nurse could have demonstrated cultural sensitivity in this situation?

29

What I like about OUM is that I can continue to work part time and continue my studies in medicine.

Vivian Ndukwe, RN from Melbourne, OUM Class of 2012

RN to MBBS

Your next logical step‌ become a physician.

Earn your MBBS at Oceania University of Medicine OUM graduates currently work in Australia, New Zealand, and USA. Receive personal attention from your own Academic Advisor.

Renowned, highly rated lecturers from top international medical schools.

OUM graduates are eligible to sit for the AMC exam.

New 5-year undergraduate MBBS program launching soon for experienced health professionals.

New classes begin every January and August.

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For more information visit www.RNtoMBBS.org or call 1300 665 343 30

With the course structure and support network of OUM, I am going to make my goal of becoming a physician.

A good physician.

Paris Pearce, Paramedic from Mackay, OUM Class of 2016

Home birth: what you need to know Home birth is not appropriate in high-risk situations.

No matter how strong your desire to give birth at home, your baby’s safety must be the priority.

There are no medical professionals who will allow a planned home birth to proceed if a pregnancy is considered to be of high risk.

Statistically, home birth does carry more risk.

The RANZCOG (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) made the following statement: “The most recent meta-analysis of planned homebirth in Western countries indentified twelve studies of suitable quality for inclusion, providing a comparison of 34,205 planned homebirths and 20,755 planned hospital births. The overall neonatal death rate was almost three times higher for babies born without congenital abnormalities in the homebirth group.”The rates are low but should still be a consideration.

not safe, either physically or psychologically.” she says. “It is also expensive, has many consequences and is counterproductive to optimising normal birth and healthy mothers and babies.”

However - proximity to medical care makes a big difference!

If you say yes to all the home-birth candidate boxes, the facts are that around one third of the home births are transferred back to hospital either prior or during labour. As with any other form of birth, allowing for and accepting the fact that it may not go according to plan will help you to deal with that fact if it occurs. And putting in place some contingency planning with your nearest hospital means that you are helping to minimise the risk of anything going wrong.

Homebirth greatly lowers your risk of intervention.

At the end of the day, explore all of your available options and never be afraid to ask as many questions of your medical advisers and general practitioners as you need.

According to Associate Professor of Midwifery, Hannah Dahlen, a first-time mother in Australia has a greater chance of surgical intervention during her birth than of not having it. “This is

As Associate Professor Dahlen explains: “It remains a woman’s right ... to determine what happens to her body during pregnancy and birth and most midwives and doctors value this right.”

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Is Facebook the cure?

Why consult a doctor, when you can consult hundreds online?

This the mentality of Australian Facebook users. A study funded by the mobile phone service provider Amaysim has revealed that 95 % of Australians have turned to Facebook when they needed advice.

What kind of advice?

The study has shown that almost ten per cent of Australians would seek medical advice on Facebook; publishing their medical symptoms online.

“Social media has kicked over that fence and invited the neighbours in, along with the neighbour’s friends and their friends’ friends.”

While conducting the study, the surveyors came across Facebook users seeking advice for some strange problems such as: “Does this chunk from my chin need stitches?”

“How do I unhook a bra?”

The study has also found that one in ten Australians have posted their relationship problems on Facebook and fifteen per cent of parents have cried out for parenting advice online.

Mr Mansour added; “Just like Warnie and the Kardashians, Aussies are making online connections more personal by engaging in conversation and getting more personal online than ever before.”

A shocking statistic found by the survey is that almost fifty per cent of Australian Facebook users seek guidance on Facebook every day.

Some of the findings on the survey were shocking; however the survey also found that the most common questions asked on Facebook were entertainment related.

In a statement, Ged Mansour of Amaysim said; “Aussies have always enjoyed a chin wag over the back fence.”

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Crossword 9

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6

7

3

2

4

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1. Lack of ______ causes night blindness 2. Potatoes and Bread are rich in _____ 3. Childbirth Assistant 4. Windpipe 5. Smallest air sacs of the lungs 6. Vitamin B2 7. Muscles between the ribs 8. Main organs of the respiratory system 9. A persistent visible mark on the skin 10. Confined to a specific area 33

Choosing A Midwife - Take Our Advice When choosing a midwife, there are many factors which must be taken under consideration. Here at the nursing post, we understand that having a midwife can be very beneficial, therefore in this article, we will be offering our advice on choosing a midwife. We will also be giving details of the value of having a midwife.

Choosing the right midwife: There are numerous forms of midwives, this must be kept in mind. One form of midwife is a certified nurse midwife; these are trained and qualified nurses who are also qualified in midwifery. A certified nurse midwife may be ideal for you if you would prefer a midwife with a more in-depth medical knowledge. Another form of midwife is a direct-entry midwife, also known as a lay midwife. Lay midwives do not have a nursing degree but are comprehensively trained in midwifery. A lay midwife’s training takes the form of an apprenticeship; therefore a lay midwife will gain an abundance of hands-on experience before they are even qualified fully.

What are the advantages of choosing a midwife? Every year more and more women are deciding that midwifery care is the best option for them. Here are some of the most popular reasons why: Reduced risk A midwife will advise you throughout your pregnancy, helping you make the healthy decision and keep risks at a low level. A midwife acts as your tour guide. She leads you through your pregnancy while ensuring that you maintain a high level of health.

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A natural birth Sometimes a C-section or an induced labour is necessary. However if these interventions can be prevented it is always an advantage.

Statistics show that women who opt for midwifery care are less likely to need intervention. This gives peace of mind to pregnant women who want to steer clear of all avoidable interventions.

Midwives help keep pregnant women’s stress levels low so they can remain relaxed and focused, this is particularly important during labour.

A more personal experience Getting to know your midwife on a personal level can really improve your pregnancy experience. Many women prefer this rather than dealing with many nurses, not getting to know any of them particularly well. Getting to know your midwife will help you evaluate her on a personal and professional level.

Improved options More options are available to you as regards to where you would like to give birth. Whether you want to give birth in a hospital, at home or in a birth centre; midwives are trained to help deliver babies in any of these settings.

Similar to obstetricians, you’re in safe hands if you opt for midwifery care. Keep this advice in mind if you are considering midwifery care for you pregnancy.

BOOK REVIEW Title:

The Midwife’s Here:

The Enchanting True Story of Britain’s Longest Serving Midwife Publication date:

May 10th, 2012 Author:

Linda Fairley

‘Delivering my first baby is a memory that will stay with me forever. Just feeling the warmth of a newborn head in your hands, that new life, there’s honestly nothing like it! I’ve since brought more than 2,200 babies into the world, and I still tingle with excitement every time.’

It’s the summer of 1967 and St Mary’s Maternity Hospital in Manchester is a place from a bygone age. It is filled with starched white hats and full skirts, steaming laundries and milk kitchens, strict curfews and bellowed commands. It is a time of home births, swaddling and dangerous anaesthetics. It was this world that Linda Fairley entered as a trainee midwife aged just 19 years old.

From the moment Linda delivered her first baby, racing across rain splattered Manchester street on her trusty moped in the dead of night. Linda knew she’d found her vocation.

‘The midwife’s here!’ they always exclaimed, joined in their joyful chorus by relieved husbands, mothers, grandmothers and whoever else had found themselves in close proximity to a woman about to give birth. Under the strict supervision of community midwife Mrs. Tattershall, Linda’s gruellingly long days were spent on overcrowded wards pinning Terry nappies, making up bottles and sterilizing bedpans and above all helping women in need. Her life was a succession of emergencies, successes and tragedies: a never-ending chain of actions which made all the difference between life and death.

There was Mrs. Petty who gave birth in heartbreaking poverty; Mrs. Drew who confided to Linda that the triplets she was carrying were not in fact her husband’s; and Murial Turner, whose dangerously premature baby boy survived against all the odds.

Forty years later Linda’s passion for midwifery burns as bright as ever as she is now celebrated as Britain’s longest serving midwife, still holding the lives of mothers and children in her own two hands.

Rich in period detail and told with a good dose of Manchester humour, The Midwife’s Here! is the extraordinary, heartwarming tale of a truly inspiring woman.

Author Biography Linda Fairley enrolled as a trainee nurse with Manchester Royal Infirmary at the age of 18.

She went on to train as a midwife at St Mary’s Infirmary, and later Tameside Hospital in Greater Manchester. She remained there for the next 40 years.

Linda lives in Greater Manchester and has two children, Peter and Fiona. This year she was been nominated for the Cheshire Woman of the Year Award, held in aid of the NSPCC. She still works two days a week as a community midwife, continuing to serve the women of Tameside.

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Midwife Training A Practical Approach In order to complete a midwife course, a student midwife must gain some practical experience.

A midwives training takes a similar format to an apprenticeship as regards to how they must learn by experience as well as theory.

A licenced practitioner will take an apprentice midwife under her wing. In order for a registered midwife to take on an apprentice, she must have at least three years of experience and must have been present for fifty childbirths or more. An apprentice midwife will rely on her mentor to train her as regards the typical routines and duties of a midwife.

A professional regulating body will arrange examinations for student midwives. A student midwife must also be present and aid a certain number of childbirths before they can gain their qualification.

In order to avoid controversy with regards to the participation of a trainee midwife in a labour; a consent form must be obtained by the student. It is mandatory for any student midwife to obtain this form if they are to perform any practical work. It is common for two trainee midwives to be present for one birth.

Bedside manner is one aspect of training for student midwives. As well as medical training, student midwives are trained to support patients emotionally. Midwives learn how to make the women concerned trust them and therefore feel more comfortable and 36

safe. Good people skills are necessary for midwives. Patients often feel concerned by the presence of student midwives; therefore people skills can be very beneficial to ease the patient’s anxiety.

Midwifery training programs vary in terms of required practical work to gain qualification. A student enrolled in a nurse-midwifery course would require far less practical work than a student enrolled in a direct-entry program. This is due to the experience that the nursemidwifery student has already gained as a nurse.

There are many other factors which affect the required practical work experience necessary including the type of school in which the student is enrolled in. For example a student enrolled in an online training program would require a lot more work experience than a student enrolled in a medical school close to a hospital.

Crossword Answers: 1. VITAMIN A

6. RIBOFLAVIN

2. CARBOHYDRATES

7. INTERCOSTAL

3. OBSTETRICIAN

8. LUNGS

4. TRACHEA

9. BIRTH MARK

5. ALVEOLI

10. ENCAPSULATED

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