Midwives’ Work Beyond Childbirth
Nowadays, we can talk about courses for midwives (and midwives) and also about classes they can teach in specialized centers. Midwives can help both prepartum and breastfeeding with valuable advice.
In earlier times, midwives were women who specialized in helping other women give birth. But this specialty was mainly attributed to the experience they had. Generally, folk wisdom, mythological beliefs, and other natural factors made up the repertoire of midwives of the past.
However, over time, this specialty has been certified from a scientific and social perspective. Therefore, midwives are no longer just ladies with a lot of natural knowledge of the birth process. Therefore, it is possible that mothers can consult them with any kind of doubts, as well as follow up on the maternity hospital in other ways.
Consultant breastfeeding midwives
The International Board Certified Lactation Consultants, IBCLC (Certified Breastfeeding Consultants) certifies hundreds of nurses known as “midwives” each year. This certification allows more women to be helped by people specialized in breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding is a process that occurs naturally and instinctively, sometimes it needs some encouragement and adaptation.
The job of certified lactation consultant midwives is to teach new mothers the secrets of this process, as well as advise them on techniques that can improve the practice. These consultations can be carried out during the prenatal and postnatal phases.
A woman breastfeeding for the first time will need support in many ways. And even those with experience can find themselves in different situations. Although most of the time the process occurs normally, there are women who may have some difficulty that requires the intervention of a specialist.
Midwives can help correct problems that may arise during the breastfeeding process. Such problems can exist on the part of both the mother and the baby. Perhaps the mother has a health problem or questions about the process. But it’s also possible that the baby will need help to adapt to this new feeding system.
During consultation with midwives, mothers provide the information needed to identify the possible problem. In private consultations, sessions are held for at least an hour or as long as necessary to evaluate methods and techniques that improve the procedure. There is also the possibility of carrying out these consultations at home.
When is midwifery intervention needed?
In most cases, mothers solve their problems at home with their children, mothers, relatives or with their own experience. However, there are situations where specialized intervention is needed. Although many of these problems can be solved by gynecologists, sometimes this is an aspect that requires the application of natural methods, a lot of patience and a high degree of complicity.
Many of these certified midwives can help through prenatal course sessions. They will teach you things we don’t know will happen, as well as advise on the situation we’re going through. Not all the changes that motherhood has in store for us can be revealed in some sessions. Furthermore, midwives ensure that a lot of information is not forgotten because most women are particularly focused on the moment of childbirth.
Anyway, the most specific and common consultations have to do with the breastfeeding process. Among the main related issues are:
- Pain during breastfeeding, cracked nipples or mastitis
- baby who refuses to breastfeed
- Problems arising from surgery, low milk production, weight loss
- Doubt in milk extraction
- Need to dedicate themselves to exclusive or mixed breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding twins or tandem (breastfeeding of children of different ages)
- Infants with physical disabilities (Down syndrome, neurological disorders, cleft lip, cleft palate)
- premature birth
- Asphyxia or reflux
- weaning
As you can see, the role of midwives goes far beyond what we imagined. Understanding this can make it easier when we need it most.
