Fundamentals of Midwifery: A Textbook for Students (78 page)

Activity 8.5

Find out who are the key workers for safeguarding children and adults in the placement areas.

Access specific safeguarding information on the relevant Trust and Council websites, where the process for reporting concerns will be set out. This will include safeguarding boards for both children and adults.

Speak to a Supervisor of Midwives from the placement area and discuss with them the process for seeking advice about and reporting suspected abuse of both children and adults.

One of the key principles of all safeguarding whether that be children or adults is that it is everybody’s business, not just healthcare workers such as midwives but society as a whole.

One of the biggest challenges for new parents is adjusting to a new routine at night. UNICEF

Baby Friendly Initiative offers practical suggestions for parents and recommendations to promote safety with the aim of reducing the risks of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A guide has been written to help health professionals who will be using the

guide with new parents. It highlights the evidence underpinning the recommendations in the leaflet and offers guidance on discussing these issues; it is available to download or can be accessed online.

The current body of evidence overwhelmingly supports the following key messages, which should be conveyed to all parents when discussing bed-sharing (UNICEF UK 2013):

The safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot by your bed for the first 6 months.

Sleeping with your baby on a sofa puts your baby at greatest risk.

Your baby should not share a bed with anyone who is a smoker.
Further reading activityRead the guidelines midwives need to discuss with parents to reduce the risk of SIDS, from theUNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative website.[Available online] http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Baby_Friendly/Leaflets/HPs_Guide_to_Coping_AtNight_Final.pdf and http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Baby_Friendly/Leaflets/ caringatnight_web.pdfRead the following article [Available online] http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/5/e002299.full Carpenter, R., et al. (2013) Bed sharing when parents do not smoke: is there a risk of SIDS? An indi- vidual level analysis of five major case-control studies. BMJ Open. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-002299
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Postnatal exercise advice for new mothers‌
It is part of the midwife’s role and responsibilities to ensure the new mother is provided withrelevant information and advice regarding safe exercise in the postnatal period. Physiothera- pists working in maternity units are available for specialist advice to women; information is also available for health professionals and women from the Association of Chartered Physiothera- pists in Women’s Health. Readers are encouraged to access the recommendations and guide- lines available on the website.
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Activity 8.6 Access the information about postnatal exercise for women in the postnatal period [Availableonline] http://acpwh.csp.org.uk/publications/fit-safe-exercise-childbearing-year.
Other responsibilities of the midwife in the postnatal period
The midwife also needs to assess if the woman is rhesus negative and whether she requires theadministration of anti-D immunoglobulin in the postnatal period; it is imperative that this is administered within 72 hours of birth, if required. Appropriate blood samples from the mother and the baby’s cord will have been taken immediately after the birth to identify the blood groups and any potential antibody transfer (see Chapter 6: ‘Antenatal midwifery care’, where isoimmunisation is discussed in greater depth).The midwife will also need to evaluate whether the woman requires the MMR vaccine to prevent against measles, mumps, and rubella in the future.Methods and timing of resumption of contraception should be discussed within the first week of birth as recommended by (NICE 2006). Healthcare professionals advising women about contraceptive choices should be competent to discuss the methods available, the benefits and risks of different methods (see Chapter 12: ‘Contraception’, where methods are discussed in greater depth).
Key points

The postnatal period is a time of adaptation, encompassing many physical, emotional, socioeco-
nomic and life changing experiences for the mother and partner.

In the UK postnatal care provision is a fundamental part of maternity services.

Effective postnatal care is known to increase woman’s satisfaction and health outcomes.