Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Providing evidence-based mother- friendly maternity care


Here is a leaflet provided by the The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS): 10 Steps for Mother-Friendly Care.

Provided by Citizens for Midwifery, the leaflet outlines the 10 steps, discusses outlines medical practices that are not evidence based, and summarizes the advantages of birthing at home.

  • STEP 1: Offers all birthing mothers unrestricted access to birth companions, labor support, professional midwifery care.
  • STEP 2: Provides accurate, descriptive, statistical information about birth care practices.
  • STEP 3: Provides culturally competent care.
  • STEP 4: Provides the birthing woman with freedom of movement to walk, move, assume positions of her choice.
  • STEP 5: Has clearly defined policies, procedures for collaboration, consultation, links to community resources.
  • STEP 6: Does not routinely employ practices, procedures unsupported by scientific evidence.
  • STEP 7: Educates staff in nondrug methods of pain relief and does not promote use of analgesic, anesthetic drugs.
  • STEP 8: Encourages all mothers, families to touch, hold, breastfeed, care for their babies.
  • STEP 9: Discourages nonreligious circumcision of the newborn.
  • STEP 10: Strives to achieve the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to promote successful breastfeeding.
If you are a midwife, how does your midwifery practice rate against those steps?

If you are anyone other than a midwife, how does this rate against what you would want from a midwife or maternity service?

Image: 'Pat the Baby'
www.flickr.com/photos/66606673@N00/331633573

No comments: