Australian College of Midwives Incorporated journal最新文献

Language provides a means of communication. It is an efficient way to discuss ideas and information, express thoughts and emotions. The words we use and their context, can, however, alter their intent. Implicit in words and language are layers of meaning. Language is therefore powerful. Biases may be revealed, attitudes subtly reflected. Midwives must be skilled and aware of their use of language. Midwives are striving for change, for increasingly woman centred care and for birth to be recognised as a normal life event of healthy women. Language is an instrument of change which midwives must utilise to be truly with women.

Australian Aboriginal women have twice the number of still born babies as Australian non Aboriginal women and have babies who are five times more likely to die within the neonatal period. The perinatal mortality rate is three times higher and the infant mortality is more than five times the overall rate for babies of Australian Aboriginal women compared to Australian non Aboriginal women. These are the stark statistics compiled by the Midwives' Notification System in Western Australia (1998).

This paper discusses East Kimberley Aboriginal women and their life cycle. When compared with women of Western culture the life cycle of Aboriginal women is uniquely different. The lives of traditional Aboriginal people are encompassed by cultural values and beliefs which determine, govern and affect who they are, where they belong and how they view the world. As an Aboriginal woman, who is conducting the antenatal/postnatal program in her the provision of culturally appropriate health care is based on these principles and values. Since the author's inception of this program, evidence suggests that the incidence of Aboriginal women's representation and first time attendance has increased.

The introduction of the Australian College of Midwives Inc (ACMI) Competency Standards for Midwives in late 1998, has implications for every midwife in Australia. This paper will provide a brief history of the development of nursing and midwifery competencies in Australia, examine what the competencies mean for practice and suggest ways that the competencies can be used for assessment. It is well to remember that the competencies must be considered in context and midwifery legislation and education form a triad for the implementation and use of the competencies.

The 50 year old tradition of routinely weighing pregnant women, which has been identified as an obsolete practice, is still practiced by many. The antenatal clinic and community midwives, and medical staff from the Division of Obstetrics (Central Coast Area Health Service) as well as pregnant women attending the clinics have been surveyed to identify the impact on implementing evidence based practice (ceasing routine antenatal weighing). Using both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a rich and detailed picture, the outcomes showed that the importance of weighing decreased for most of pregnant women. Midwives were surprised at the womens' acceptance to the change; and both health professional groups did not feel a loss of overall care. This research suggests that organised and planned change can achieve acceptance of evidence based practice.

The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of raspberry leaf products consumed by a group of mothers during their pregnancy, by comparison with a group of mothers who did not. A retrospective observational design was used. Subjects were women who birthed their babies at Westmead Hospital between January 1998–July 1998. The sample consisted of 108 mothers; 57 (52.8%) consumed raspberry leaf products while 51 (47.2%) were in the control group. The findings suggest that the raspberry leaf herb can be consumed by women during their pregnancy for the purpose for which it is taken, that is, to shorten labour with no identified side effects for the women or their babies. The findings also suggest ingestion of the drug might decrease the likelihood of pre and post-term gestation. An unexpected finding in this study seems to indicate that women who ingest raspberry leaf might be less likely to receive an artificial ruture of their membranes, or require a caesarean section, forceps or vacuum birth than the women in the control group.