Journal of midwifery & women's health
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J Midwifery Womens Health · May 2020
Nitrous Oxide Use During Labor: Satisfaction, Adverse Effects, and Predictors of Conversion to Neuraxial Analgesia.
Women desire safe and effective choices for pain management during labor. Currently, neuraxial and opioid analgesia are the most common methods used in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate demographic characteristics, safety, and satisfaction in a cohort of parturients who used inhaled nitrous oxide (N2 O) analgesia and to determine predictors of conversion from N2 O to neuraxial analgesia. ⋯ Understanding predictors of conversion from inhaled N2 O to neuraxial analgesia may assist perinatal care providers in their discussions with women about analgesia options during labor. N2 O is a useful, safe option for labor analgesia in the United States.
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J Midwifery Womens Health · Jan 2020
ReviewWomen's Contraceptive Perceptions, Beliefs, and Attitudes: An Integrative Review of Qualitative Research.
Unintended pregnancy rates will remain high until researchers explore the lived experience of women's relationships with contraception. This integrative review examines the extant qualitative literature on women's contraception to illuminate common themes in women's perspectives through the lens of the feminist poststructuralist framework. ⋯ Using a feminist poststructuralist framework to examine women's contraceptive perceptions illuminates and magnifies the many ways in which contraceptive beliefs and use are dependent on gender roles and power dynamics. Gaps in knowledge specific to older women and exploration of women's subjectivity should be addressed. Clinicians should evaluate the power structures inherent to their practice while providing woman-focused, evidence-based contraceptive education.
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J Midwifery Womens Health · Nov 2019
ReviewRacism, Bias, and Discrimination as Modifiable Barriers to Breastfeeding for African American Women: A Scoping Review of the Literature.
Although breastfeeding has been shown to improve health outcomes for infants, African American women initiate and continue breastfeeding at lower rates than women from other racial groups. This scoping review was conducted to assess the effect racism, bias, and discrimination have on breastfeeding care, support, and outcomes for African American women. ⋯ Racism, bias, and discrimination are modifiable barriers that adversely affect breastfeeding among African American women. Researchers and health care providers are encouraged to consider the effect of racism, bias, and discrimination on breastfeeding care, support, and outcomes.
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J Midwifery Womens Health · Sep 2019
The Experience and Motivations of Midwives of Color in Minnesota: Nothing for Us Without Us.
Racial disparities in birth outcomes originate with a confluence of factors including social determinants of health, toxic stress, structural racism, and barriers to engaging, high-quality perinatal care. Historically and currently, midwives are disproportionately white, and attention to the racial and ethnic diversity of midwives is an increasing focus in birth equity efforts. This qualitative study helps fill the gap in literature by assessing the perspectives and motivations of midwives of color. ⋯ Findings suggest that midwives of color maintain a critical analysis of and commitment to eliminating racial perinatal inequities. Their motivation to provide racially concordant care elicits an urgency in current efforts to recruit and train more midwives of color, recognizing the current lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the field. Understanding how to support the work of equity-minded midwives of color may help to improve access to racially concordant health care providers and care that better meets the unique needs of African American individuals.
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Herpes zoster (shingles) is the reactivation of dormant varicella zoster virus in individuals who previously experienced varicella infection or vaccination. Herpes zoster can occur in pregnancy, although it is rare. This case report describes the clinical presentation and diagnosis of herpes zoster and reviews current recommendations for treatment. Preventative measures and the role of immunization are discussed in addition to clinical implications for intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care to guide practitioners in caring for women experiencing or exposed to herpes zoster in pregnancy.