Practices... - Midwifery - Specific Activities of the Midwife

• Carry out physical examinations to ensure a healthy pregnancy
• Advise on and arrange necessary examinations for more complicated situations
• Provide education and preparation for childbirth including health care advice
• Care for the mother during labour and monitor the condition of the unborn baby by appropriate means
• Support and assist the woman during a normal vaginal birth
• Recognize warning signs or abnormality during pregnancy or birth which would need referral to an obstetrician
• Be prepared to carry out emergency procedures in the absence of an obstetrician
• Administer certain medications or pain relief
• Examine and care for the newborn infant
• Care for the woman after the birth for a period of six weeks, advising her on infant care and family planning