| CODE | MID5000 | ||||||
| TITLE | Normal Childbirth - Evidence and Debate | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 10 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Midwifery | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study unit is targeted to students with advanced practical experience in the field of Midwifery. It will contest the normality of childbirth, its evidence and debate; it explores the wider range of normal childbirth that is unique to individual mothers and babies, whilst challenging the assumptions underpinning current beliefs and attitudes around this controversial area of childbirth. It will address the midwife's professional responsibilities in developing expertise in skills, based on professional, legal, ethical and employment responsibility and accountability. Such issues will explore in depth ways of seeing the role and control of pain in normal birth, the empowerment of women, birth and spirituality. Other issues analyse the aspects of normality from the women stories to midwives' practices and the reconstruction of 'normal birth'. Finally, the debate of risk and safety in maternity care practices and discourse are addressed against weighing the evidence of promoting normal birth. Study-unit Aims The study unit aims to explore implications of the new way of seeing normal birth; to explore the controversial issues of risk and choice in maternity care; how risk is perceived and analyzed, how choices are made and how tensions are resolved when there is disagreement between professionals and parents; to understand the theoretical underpinnings of effective leadership, expertise and collaborative ways of working within a maternity care setting. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Recognise the value and the need to build alliances between health professionals working in maternity care settings and the childbearing women, partners and their families - Be familiar with the major impact about the change needs within maternity care locally and overseas - Demonstrate sound knowledge of the nature of birth and the debate of normal birth versus the process of hospitalisation and medical intervention. - Be knowledgeable about the evidence promoted in the media and the predominant concerns of society at large with regards to childbirth 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Develop expertise in skills, based on professional, legal, ethical and employment responsibility and accountability - Develop and support skills in maximising physiological birth as a strategy to decrease unnecessary intervention, questioning the practices and definitions of 'normalcy of birth' - Enhance midwives' skills in their commitment to supporting women and families - Align collaborative relationship between professionals and lay groups who support childbearing women Main Text/s and any supplementary readings - Downe, S., Byrom, S., Simpson, L. (2011) Essential Midwifery Practice: Leadership, Expertise and Collaborative Working. Wiley-Blackwell - Symon, A. (2006) Risk and Choice in Maternity Care. An International Perspective. Churchill Livingstone. Elsevier - Marshall, E., Raynor, M. (2010) Advanced Skills in Midwifery Practice. Churchill Livingstone. Elsevier - Downe, S. (2009) Normal Childbirth. Evidence and Debate. 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone. Elsevier - Walsh, D. (2007) Evidence-based Care for Normal Labour and Birth. A Guide for midwives. Routledge. London & New York. - Fahy, K., Foureur, M. Hastie, C. (2008) Birth Territory and Midwifery Guardianship. Theory for Practice, Education and Research. Butterworth Heinemann. Elsevier - Kirkham, M. (2004) Informed Choice in Maternity Care. Palgrave. Macmillan. - Kitzinger, S. (2005) The Politics of Birth. Elsevier. Butterworth Heinemann. - Mander, R., Fleming, V. (2002) Failure to Progress. The Contraction of the Midwifery Profession. Routledge. London & New York. All books can be found at the Health Science Library |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Ind Study, Practicum, Seminar & Tutorial | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Rita Borg Xuereb Jean Calleja Agius |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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