Midwife

The word midwife comes from the French accoucher, meaning assistance during childbirth.

A midwife is an employee of a maternity hospital or women's consultation center who has a secondary medical education. The main duties of this specialist include obstetric assistance, home monitoring of the development of pregnancy and mother with a newborn, and teaching skills for caring for a baby.

When should you contact a midwife?

A midwife is the only professional whose education is focused on caring for mothers.

Early pregnancy is a time to see a midwife. The following symptoms help to identify pathologies during pregnancy and promptly refer the patient to a midwife:

• states of nausea;
• the appearance of vomiting;
• weight loss;
• bleeding during pregnancy;
• skin itching;
• yellowness of the skin;
• manifestations of infectious diseases (rubella, toxoplasmosis, etc.);
• infectious diseases transmitted through sexual contact.

What tests should you take when visiting a midwife?

In addition to a general blood test and to determine the blood type, what tests should be taken when visiting a midwife? The list includes tests for blood sugar levels, coagulation, and possible diseases (for example, AIDS).

Based on the results of a general urine analysis, the midwife makes a conclusion about the kidney function and possible pathological conditions. Analysis of a smear of the vaginal flora and cervix helps to exclude candidiasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and oncological diseases. Laboratory tests are also carried out for the presence of helminthic invasions.

Identified problems must be treated immediately to avoid harming the child’s health.

It is possible to identify most of the diseases dangerous for the baby thanks to prenatal diagnostics, which consists of a comprehensive prenatal examination. These techniques detect the development of Down syndrome, heart problems and other serious diseases.

What diagnostic methods does the midwife use?

The midwife's job is to collect the pregnancy history:

• family diseases (alcoholism, mental disorders, etc.);
• illnesses suffered by the pregnant woman herself during her life, especially infectious diseases or rickets;
• characteristics of the monthly cycle;
• information about previous pregnancies/births, if any, as well as abortions, miscarriages, bleeding, surgeries, etc.;
• the well-being of the woman's spouse.

The initial examination consists of determining the body type, nutritional status, skin condition, paying attention to the shape of the abdomen and the lumbosacral rhombus. The obstetrician records data on weight, height, external pelvic measurements, abdominal circumference, uterine characteristics, and fetal position.

In the second part of pregnancy, the baby's heartbeat is recorded, swabs are taken from the nose and throat to check for staphylococci. The midwife monitors the expectant mother's blood pressure.

In addition to external signs and laboratory tests, what diagnostic methods does a midwife use? The main assistant in monitoring the course of pregnancy and determining the sex of the child is ultrasound. Ultrasound diagnostics are indispensable in cases of determining the gestational age if a woman has menstrual irregularities.

In case of various complications (for example, the threat of miscarriage), detection of serious diseases (heart, liver, kidneys, etc.), abnormal position of the fetus, the possibility of post-term pregnancy, the midwife immediately refers to the doctor.

What does a midwife do?

A midwife can be called a nurse, a pediatrician, and even a personal psychologist. Providing women's health at any age, she monitors the development of girls, starting from kindergarten and until entering adulthood. Obstetricians work with women, explaining the basics of personal hygiene, preventive measures to prevent unwanted pregnancy, venereal diseases, and teach how to identify gynecological problems (breast cancer, ectopic pregnancy, etc.).

The duties of a midwife are as follows:

• treatment and preventive and treatment and diagnostic methods, as well as providing qualified assistance to patients;
• is responsible for preparing the gynecologist's workplace;
• independently or with a doctor provides medical assistance, carries out primary treatment of newborns or undertakes emergency resuscitation measures;
• is an assistant during surgical interventions;
• monitors the full development of babies in the first year of life, gives recommendations;
• visits pregnant women, young mothers and gynecological patients at home;
• deals with the coverage of family planning issues, conducts preventive examinations to detect gynecological disorders;
• provides emergency assistance in cases of acute illnesses and unforeseen situations with pregnant women.

What diseases does a midwife treat?

The obstetric field requires people to be quick, responsible, careful and pedantic, and able to respond adequately to the most unforeseen circumstances. A midwife must have important human qualities such as empathy, kindness and responsiveness, and be able to listen. All this helps people in this field of activity to provide qualified assistance and identify gynecological pathologies even in the process of the birth of a new life.

What diseases does a midwife treat? Medical workers in the field of obstetrics monitor the condition of a woman's reproductive system, detecting:

• symptoms of the onset of pathological bleeding;
• eclampsia - a painful condition of pregnant women, in which the pressure increases so much that it can become a threat to the mother and child;
• urinary tract infection;
• gestational diabetes mellitus – a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism that is first detected during pregnancy;
• autoimmune diseases;
• birth and postpartum complications.

Advice from a midwife

A comprehensive examination of the body of future parents and the necessary treatment before conception of a child is a necessary condition for ensuring the health of the future baby.

The midwife's advice concerns tests that reveal indicators of women's health that affect the favorable development of pregnancy. First of all, timely detection of hidden infections. Vaccination against rubella is also considered advisable.

Obstetricians are engaged in psychological preparation for pregnancy and childbirth. It is important for the expectant mother not only to "get her body in order" but also to mentally prepare for the most important period in life. To do this, it is necessary to take more walks, do physical exercises, pay attention to the diet, be harmonious and cheerful. The woman's mental state, her energetic connection with the child help the midwife herself, who focuses on women's feelings during childbirth.

A midwife is more of a calling than a profession. A midwife must have at least three children herself to provide qualified assistance during childbirth. Since ancient times, midwives have passed on their knowledge and birth rites from generation to generation. Today, the latest medical technologies have been added to centuries of experience, doing everything to continue life on Earth.