Immunization is one of the most effective ways to prevent infectious diseases. However, vaccination rates are suboptimal in the United States. Obstetric providers are critical in influencing vaccine decision making among pregnant women, as trust between a patient and provider may facilitate willingness to accept vaccination. Little is known about…

This article concerns knowledge negotiations as an aspect of interactional power in three-way interaction between Arabic-speaking women, Swedish-speaking midwives and interpreters in Swedish antenatal care. The notion of epistemic stance is used to investigate how all three participants negotiate knowledge, and how this affects the ongoing…

It is important to examine women's experiences in the infertility process, as being a woman is perceived as a concept that overlaps with motherhood, and the woman herself is exposed to physical pain during the treatment. In this research, which was carried out with a phenomenological pattern, one of the qualitative methods, the experiences of…

Background and Objectives: Episiotomy is a surgical incision done during the last stages of labor and delivery to expand the opening of the vagina to prevent tearing of the perineum during the delivery of the baby. The objectives of this study are to estimate episiotomy and perineal injury rate, indication for episiotomy and their association with…

Objective: To examine how student midwives in higher education learn to become competent and confident woman-centred practitioners. Design: Participant observation study using a 'buddy' approach. Setting: Bachelor of Midwifery students in one higher education institution in the Netherlands Methods: First-year student midwives followed one woman…

Purpose: The role of a structured program of exercise training on the low-risk pregnancy in Iranian women undergoing "in vitro" fertilization (IVF) based on the reduction of gestational diabetes was examined. Method: A comparative quasi-experimental clinical trial with 170 IVF-pregnant women in two intervention and control groups was…

Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness (BP/CR) program has been promoted in Nepal to equip pregnant women with obstetric knowledge so as to motivate them to seek professional care. Using a prospective design of 701 pregnant women of more than 5 months gestation in a central hills district of Nepal, we evaluated if having obstetric knowledge…

Background: Adverse birth outcomes are more common among adolescent versus adult mothers, but little is known about school-based services that may improve birth outcomes in this group. Methods: Data from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were analyzed. Girls and women who gave birth to singleton live infants…

Midwives play a pivotal role in women's health in the face of increased deaths related to backyard abortions. Since the commencement in South Africa of the Name of the Act No. 92 of 1996 that allows abortion services, there has been a moral divide among healthcare workers in South Africa. This article reflects the opinions of preregistration…

With Boston serving as a hub of both educational and medical excellence, it's no wonder that New England has a high reputation to uphold in both of these areas. However, Boston and the rest of the region lack a specific degree program that is putting New England below the radars of potential midwives. Certified nurse-midwifery is a popular field…

In this guided inquiry, students explore the complex hormonal regulation of the female reproductive cycle using inexpensive ovulation and pregnancy detection kits that are readily available over the counter. This hands-on activity engages students in the practice of doing science as highlighted by the "National Science Education Standards." The…

We examined the continuation of community-organized and financed emergency transport systems implemented by the Community-Based Reproductive Health Project (CBRHP) from 1998 to 2000 in two rural districts in Tanzania. The CBRHP was a multipronged program, one component of which focused on affordable transport to health facilities from the…

Objective: The study objective was to determine whether medical students' attendance at a rehabilitation residence for pregnant women with substance-use disorders yielded changes in their attitudes and comfort levels in providing care to this population. Methods: This randomized educational trial involved 96 consecutive medical students during…

As different competencies or professional backgrounds may affect the quality of program implementation, staffing is a critical issue in home visiting. In this study, N = 430 women received home visits delivered either by a tandem of a midwife and a social worker or by only one home visitor (primarily midwives, continuous model). The groups were…

Maternity care in Ireland has been described as a "testament to the strength and influence of the medical profession" (Mc Kee 1986: 192). A review of maternity and gynaecology services in the Dublin area in 2004 revealed that "no participant...thought that the maternity services were women centred at the time" (Women's Health…