With an ever-evolving focus on a woman’s right to compassionate care before, during, and after childbirth, the demand for perinatal care in the US has increased dramatically. Rather than only offering care for the in-hospital birthing process, parents deserve complete support for the whole pregnancy journey from fertility to postpartum.
What if there were dedicated individuals who were trained in the care and needs of families before, during, and after birth? Perinatal care, midwives, and those working in maternal-child health systems are the solution for providing complete healthcare through the entire birth process.
Understanding Perinatal Care: More Than Just Medical Care
In the US, the usual systems of care lack the support that growing families need. 4.7 million women of childbearing age live in counties with limited access to maternity care, and over 50% of US counties have no maternity care providers at all. Traditional healthcare also contains deep-rooted barriers that inhibit total inclusivity.
Perinatal care, a comprehensive combination of prenatal, birth and postpartum care, involves care during the whole birthing year. Perinatal care also encompasses issues of infertility, going beyond typical medical attention to provide more holistic care for all aspects of maternal and child health. Midwives and maternal-child health workers are the driving force behind perinatal health improvement across the country.
The Role of Midwives in Perinatal Care
What is a Midwife?
Midwives focus on providing personalized care for parents with healthy pregnancies and low-intervention births. They fill many supportive roles for their clients, from delivering babies to providing compassionate care for every stage of the journey. Unlike a doula, they are qualified to provide medical care and treatment for their clients, and unlike OBGYNs they focus primarily on low-risk pregnancies and offer alternative birthing plans and at-home care. For a clear outline of the differences between midwives, doulas, and OBGYNs, check out our blog post.
What Does a Midwife Do?
From preconception to pregnancy to postpartum care after birth, midwives communicate with their clients to create personalized support for a healthy birthing process. They utilize their comprehensive clinical training and knowledge to provide care and encouragement alongside clients during their whole birthing year.
A midwife’s approach is unique in combining clinical knowledge with alternative care. Midwives have years of evidence-based expertise, and they work closely with the client to create a safe and comfortable space and provide complete perinatal care throughout the entire pregnancy.
Interested in learning more about becoming a midwife? Check out our MS in Midwifery program.
Making an Impact Through Maternal-Child Health Systems: Influence, Advocacy, and Action
While it is crucial to continually improve the ways that healthcare is provided to individuals during the childbearing year, it is also essential to look at the systems that influence the health of families. Changing systems requires specialized knowledge of how systems work and how they interlock with other systems.
Making change at the systems level often requires skills in organizing, education and advocacy. This valuable infrastructure around new families can change the landscape of maternal-child health.
Through these impactful systems, we can eliminate health inequities and transform perinatal care. If you’re interested in pursuing a career that impacts new families and reduces reproductive health disparities, Bastyr’s Master of Arts in Maternal-Child Health Systems offers research and leadership skills to make real change.
Influence a Better Future for Birthing People: Bastyr University
Bastyr University offers a variety of impactful programs revolving around perinatal care, from nutrition to maternal-child health systems to midwifery. Our programs include practical skills for a career in perinatal care as well as world-class faculty and evidence-based learning. Bastyr is an accredited university with rigorous educational standards, setting you up for certification and licensure options post-graduation.
