Midwives, which in Spain are specialized health professionals, have, in addition to the functions they perform in childbirth care, others that, in our health system, perform in primary care and that they are of enormous importance for women's reproductive health. Pregnant women and recent mothers maintain intense contact with them and represent the first link in the chain that will provide us with health care in this process.
The attention to the pregnant by the midwife, in collaboration with doctors and nursing services, it is essential. All of them will work to detect risk factors that may harm the mother or the baby.
They also usually provide visits or courses that are organized in health centers, where they talk about food, hygiene, sexuality, safety, health in pregnancy. Also, in the childbirth preparation courses, they explain to the mothers how birth is developed and the medical interventions that might be necessary, also teaching some simple relaxation and breathing techniques.
After delivery they visit women and perform a general recognition of their status and advise them of measures to recover in the postpartum period. They also report on baby care and parenting techniques, being essential for women to have information and help with their breastfeeding.
In addition to this they are responsible for perform cytologies, inform about contraceptive methods, be advisors in the climacteric and coordinate efforts to detect cervical cancer.
Recently, however, they are in the Community of Madrid, with a worrying situation, it has been decided that they will no longer be the professionals who will be responsible for cytology. From his point of view, this diminishes the quality of care that Madrid women will receive, since it is the midwives who have received specific training to attend to women's reproductive health and during these visits they intervene in sexual health, prevention of injuries of the pelvic floor, menopause and family planning. They collect signatures on their website so that cytologies are still carried out by midwives.
I think the care of midwives in primary care It is essential for women, of any age, to continue to be guaranteed adequate and specialized health care.
