Category: Postpartum Care

Saving Women’s Lives

by Jennifer Doyle

As we close out Women’s History Month, and I want to take this moment to discuss an issue that is not only dear to my heart but also takes the lives of more than 700 women each year—maternal mortality.

A maternal death is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within one year of the end of pregnancy. The death is determined to be pregnancy-related if the cause of death is related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.

Of the 5,259 deaths within a year of pregnancy completion that occurred during 2011–2013 and were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38.2% were found to be pregnancy-related. In the United States, more than half of all maternal deaths occur after birth—often after discharge from the hospital. This doesn’t have to happen. In fact, at least half of all pregnancy-related deaths are preventable when the warning signs of pregnancy or childbirth complications emerge and a mom can get the timely care she needs from her healthcare providers. The reality is that many women do not receive consistent messages or adequate guidance on identifying the warning signs of complications, or instructions about when, and where to obtain necessary medical attention.

AWHONN has created specific instructions for acting on these warning signs called “SAVE YOUR LIFE: Get Care for These POST-BIRTH Warning Signs.” Here are the specific signs you should watch for and act on during the first year after birth:

  • Pain in your chest
  • Obstructed breathing or shortness of breath
  • Seizures
  • Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
  • Bleeding that is soaking through one pad/hour, or blood clots the size of an egg or bigger
  • Incision that is not healing
  • Red or swollen leg that is painful or warm to touch
  • Temperature of 100.4 °F or higher
  • Headache that does not improve, even after taking medicine, or a bad headache with vision changes

For moms: If you are experiencing any of these post-birth warning signs, contact your health care provider or go to the nearest urgent care or hospital as soon as possible. For serious and potentially life threatening warning signs like pain in your chest, obstructed breathing, seizures, or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, call 911. Let all responders know that you gave birth within the past year.

Recognizing and acting on these warning signs and complications that can lead to a mom’s death or injury is essential to reducing maternal deaths in the United States. Share this information with pregnant women you care for. AWHONN is committed to working together with nurses and moms to reduce maternal mortality rates. Let’s help women to be aware and to recognize the signs of post-birth complications in order to begin reversing this alarming trend.

Additional resources:

Jennifer Doyle is the 2018 AWHONN President and a women’s health nurse practitioner with nearly 25 years of experience in obstetrics. She is the APN of the Women’s Service Line at Summa Health in Akron, OH, as well as faculty and coordinator of the WHNP program at Kent State University in Kent, OH.

Disparities in Maternal Mortality

Black women are 243% more likely than white women to die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Propublica, a collaborative of investigative journalists. One national study of 5 medical complications that commonly cause maternal death and injury determined black women were 2-3 times more likely to die than white women who had the same complications.

These truly alarming numbers are why during Black History Month and beyond the nurses of AWHONN want healthcare providers and moms alike to learn and share post-birth warning signs that have been shown to help new moms and their caregivers recognize potential problems and get the help they need—perhaps even saving their lives.

AWHONN has created specific instructions for acting on these warning signs called “SAVE YOUR LIFE: Get Care for these POST-BIRTH Warning Signs.” Here are the specific signs women should watch for and act on during the first year after birth:

  • Pain in your chest
  • Obstructed breathing or shortness of breath
  • Seizures
  • Thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby
  • Bleeding that is soaking through one pad/hour, or blood clots the size of an egg or bigger
  • Incision that is not healing
  • Red or swollen leg that is painful or warm to touch
  • Temperature of 100.4 °F or higher
  • Headache that does not improve, even after taking medicine, or bad headache with vision changes

If you are experiencing any of these post-birth warning signs, contact your healthcare provider or go to the nearest urgent care or hospital as soon as possible. For serious and potentially life-threatening warning signs like pain in your chest, obstructed breathing, or seizures, or if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or your baby, call 911. Let all responders know that you’ve just given birth within the past year.

Recognizing and acting on these warning signs and complications that can lead to a mom’s death or injury is essential to reducing maternal deaths in the United States. Currently, maternal mortality rates—the number of women dying during or within 1 year of childbirth—are increasing, climbing 27% to 24 maternal deaths per 100,000 births since 2000. In the United States, more than half of all maternal deaths occur after birth—often after discharge from the hospital. This doesn’t have to happen.

For black moms, it’s even bleaker. Black mothers in the United States die during or within 1 year of giving birth at 3-4 times the rate of white mothers. This difference in maternal deaths and injury among black women is a serious issue that needs our action. At least half of all pregnancy-related deaths are preventable when the warning signs of pregnancy or childbirth complications emerge and a mom can get the timely care she needs from her healthcare providers.

Share this information with other nurses and pregnant women you care for so that moms and nurses can work to reduce maternal mortality rates, especially the higher rates among black women. Together, we can help women recognize the signs of a post-birth problem to prevent unnecessary injury or death.

Mary Elizabeth Elkordy is the Communications and Public Relations Manager for the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric & Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN).

Child Passenger Safety “What Every New Parent Should Know”

By Kerry S Foligno, RN MSN CPSI

We have all been at the baby shower when the parents-to-be  open the biggest box in the room and the crowd cheers! “Ooooh I love the color”, “Check out the cup holders”—“It matches the stroller perfectly”. In my head I’m saying “I hope they keep the receipt!” The truth is not every car seat fits every car. And not all parents’ needs fit all car seat.

Here are the facts. Seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly (Safe Kids Worldwide).  Unfortunately as our new parents are walking out the door of the hospital while embracing one of the most stressful times of their life they realize that car seat installation is not a joke. As nurses, educators and parents we agree that learning happens most effectively when done in a calm, comfortable environment. Our program appropriately titled CPS Safety at Memorial Hospital West started with staff members recognizing a lack of research-based information available for parents and families about child passenger safety. We were very aware, though, of the overwhelming amount of information on convenience features and style and color choices for car seats. To begin we enlisted the help and support of our administrative team. With their involvement we were able to get approval for our first nurse to attend a certification class to become a certified car seat technician. We were able to start community seat inspection stations as additional nurses in our family birthplace department became certified. Our technicians now include registered nurses, social workers, community liaisons and patient care assistants from multiple departments of the hospital.

I am fortunate to work for Memorial Healthcare System that recognizes the importance of education for our community. We incorporate child passenger safety education in many settings. Within my hospital, which is a 384 bed delivering hospital, we have safety classes for families in the community, daily education classes for our inpatients and a car seat inspection station that all incorporate the importance of child passenger safety.

About Child Passenger Safety Education

The child passenger safety education includes classroom information and hands on instruction on car seat installation, how to properly put a child into the car seat and review of other safety concerns. We provide parents and families with information on how to choose the right car seat for their child and the  location where the car seat should be installed within their vehicle. We use teaching equipment that simulates a seat in a car and demonstrate how to properly install a child car seat. We empower our families to educate themselves utilizing the instruction manuals from the car seats and the owner’s manuals from their cars.

The goal is to provide families with multiple opportunities to be educated on decisions about restraining their new baby or older sibling. If they have the opportunity to participate in any of these programs, they are better prepared for that day of discharge from the hospital and their first car ride home. We are also aware that the opportunity for education at the bedside makes for easier transition to correct installation at curbside by the parents.

Community Feedback

The feedback from our community is overwhelmingly one success story after another and a multitude of appreciative emotions. Parents-to-be, grandparents with visiting grandchildren, fellow staff and patients have all benefitted from our hospital-based community program. Grandparents have told us how “impressed” their own children were with the seat installation and correct education that they received. New parents have overwhelmingly expressed their gratitude with sighs of relief that their newborn is traveling home safely.

I am hoping this has inspired all of you to pursue child passenger safety education in your workplace and community. A great place to start is to make research-based information about car seat installation available to your colleagues and to parents and families.

To find out more information on how to become a certified technician, visit http://cert.safekids.org

Great resources include:

Kerry S Foligno MSN RN CLC
Kerry is a Registered Nurse with 30 years of experience including, Adult Surgical ICU/Trauma and Mother Baby. Currently she is at Memorial Hospital West Family Birthplace in Pembroke Pines, Florida working as a Perinatal Educator. Her passion is teaching. Her focus is moms to be, new moms and nursing students. She is a Certified Child Passenger Safety Instructor and coordinates the Car Seat program At Memorial West.

The Power of Touch & Infant Massage

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Lori Boggan, RN, Certified Infant Massage Instructor

The power of human touch is unmatched and irreplaceable.  It is an innate need of every human being, especially the infant.  I recently sat down and picked the brain of an expert in the field of infant massage.  Peter Walker, a London based physical therapist, who has been working with babies, children, and their parents for over 40 years. He travels the world and has trained nearly twenty thousand or more midwives, nurses, and other health professionals through his Developmental Baby Massage and Movement program. In his words “touch is the newborn’s first language-it is her prime means of communication and plays an essential role in the forming of early parent-child relationships.”  The following are just a few of the many benefits of touch and massage to both the infant and parents.

Skin to Skin

Study after study has shown the unbelievable benefits of placing an infant skin to skin with its parent.  The power of touch is evident from the first moments after birth when the infant is placed skin to skin. Remarkably, the infant’s temperature, heart rate, breathing, and blood sugar stabilize while being comforted on their mother or father’s chest.  Touch begins here.  A bond between parent and infant begins here.

Enhanced Immunity

The simple act of skin to skin with the mother sets forth an intricate orchestration of colonization and antibody formation that is transferred from mother to baby through the breastmilk.  A study done at John Hopkins University found a significant reduction of nosocomial infections in  infants massaged daily with sunflower seed oil however a Cochrane review of this practice published in 2016 found the evidence lacking that emollient therapy would prevent invasive infections and cautioned that more research was needed..

Hormonal Influence

Done regularly, massage may reduce the level of the stress hormone, cortisol circulating in an infant’s bloodstream.  In turn, it may increase the level of endorphins, the body’s natural opiates as well as oxytocin, the love hormone.  Both leave the infant with a sense of well being and further promote attachment between parent and child.

Colic & Gas Relief

The jury is still out on the exact the cause of colic.  Colic starts as early as the few weeks after birth and results in crying for long periods of time-particularly at night.  Massage may relieve a distressed and colicky baby.  Regular tummy time and massage of the stomach may ease gas, constipation, and aid in digestion.  It is best to avoid tummy time and massage directly after a feed.

Joint Flexibility & Increased Muscle Strength

 According to Peter, developmental massage, practiced according to his program “releases ‘physiologic flexion’ imposed by the fetal position from the time the infant spends in utero.  Gentle massage together with soft stretching can allow the infant to relax and coordinate their muscles to improve the circulation to their body’s extremities, open the chest to deepen their breathing volume, relax the tummy to assist digestion and disposition, and strengthen the muscles of the head, neck and back in preparation for (upright postures and movement).”

Develops Trust & Confidence

Infants learn through touch.  The gentle, reassuring hand of a parent teaches the infant early on that his or her needs will be met.  Touch and massage further foster a deep bond between infant and parent.  The infant learns to trust and the parent develops confidence in his or her ability to care for the infant.

Benefits to Parents

A 2011 study in the Journal of Perinatal Education found “participating fathers were helped by increasing their feelings of competence, role acceptance, spousal support, attachment, and health and by decreasing feelings of isolation and depression.”  Other studies have shown that mothers that massage their infants have improved mood and decreased symptoms of depression.

Educating Parents

Nurses and midwives at the bedside have an excellent opportunity to teach the benefits of skin to skin and massage.   Early education should start right at birth by encouraging immediate and regular skin to skin contact.  In addition, parents can be taught simple techniques as seen here.  It is best to use oil for massage so the hands move nicely against the skin. For sick or unstable infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care, teaching parents and family members the importance of touch in the form of a gentle hand is essential.  By simply placing and holding a steady hand over the infant that is confined to an incubator or radiant warmer, we are still able to convey trust and reassurance.  Early massage can begin when the infant is stable and willing.

Peter sums it up perfectly, “from the very beginning, the mother should remain at the center of any “treatment” offered to her baby.  Most mothers want to hold their babies and establish skin to skin contact before the baby is removed, weighed, measured, bathed, or dressed.  From his mother’s womb into her arms, touch becomes the primal language of the newborn, and it is through holding and caressing that a baby is made to feel welcomed and loved.”

 

AWHONN Resources

Additional Resources

Lori is an American Neonatal Intensive Care nurse that has made her way to Sweden.  Her passion is maternal and infant education.  She incorporates her years of work in maternal and infant health with a passion for wellness through her Prenatal Yoga, Mommy & Me Yoga, and Developmental Infant Massage classes in Gothenburg, Sweden.  Follow her adventures on Instagram or through her nursing blog, Neonurse.

 

What You Need to Know About Light Bladder Leakage

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By Susan A Peck, RNC, MSN-APN

What do a 30 year old pregnant woman, a 67 year old who has 3 children – all delivered vaginally- and a 45 year who has never been pregnant have in common?  They are all experiencing light bladder leakage and each of them feels embarrassed to discuss it.  Bladder leakage is very common and can occur in any woman, of any age, and of any pregnancy status!

Light bladder leakage also known as urinary incontinence, is an involuntary loss of urine.  It is estimated to occur in up to 1 in 4 women.  The two most common types of incontinence include stress incontinence and urge incontinence, but some women can have a combination of both types.

  • Stress incontinence is the loss of urine (small or large amounts) from activities that cause pressure on your bladder such as coughing, running, jumping, or sneezing. It happens when the pelvic floor muscles- that support the bladder- weaken.  The weakened muscles can be caused by pregnancy, previous vaginal births, obesity or being overweight or chronic urinary tract infections.  Sometimes, incontinence may occur without any of these risk factors.
  • Urge incontinence is the frequent sudden need to urinate that often causes bladder contractions and the loss of small or moderate amounts of urine. It happens from bladder irritants such as caffeine or alcohol, excessive hydration, use of certain medications such as diuretics (water pills), or neurological conditions.  In some women, this may be called an overactive bladder.

As a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, I ask my patients about bladder leakage and incontinence- because most of the time they will not mention it to me first. Here are two stories which are very similar to real life cases I see every day.    The first was a 55 year old fitness instructor who has 3 children, all delivered vaginally.  She sees me once a year for her annual well woman exam and this year when I asked her if she had any bladder leakage, she said yes, that it just started about 6 months prior.  She was quite surprised by this because she teaches Pilates as well as Zumba and thought she had a pretty “strong core”.  But lately, in Zumba class she would feel dribbles of urine coming out.  She was embarrassed someone would see it on her pants, so she’s started to wear a pad to class, but hated exercising while wearing one. Patient B is 30 years old, a mother to a 2 year old son born via cesarean section and working full time.  When I asked her about incontinence, she told me that since her son was born, she leaks urine each time she coughs or sneezes and notices that it happens more when she drinks coffee – the caffeine she needs because of her busy life!  She was also quite surprised that the leakage is happening because “she is young and did not have a vaginal birth”.

Both of these women were surprised to know how common bladder leakage is, but very happy to know they are not alone.  During their pelvic examinations, I asked them to each perform a Kegel exercise- by contracting the pelvic floor- so that I could assess their pelvic floor tone.  The Patient A did the Kegel correctly, but had poor tone.  Patient B did not perform the Kegel correctly – instead she was bearing down/pushing out.  I routinely test my patients for their pelvic floor tone and at least 50% of the time, tone is poor, or the exercise is not performed correctly.

Below are some tips to help maintain good pelvic floor muscle tone, which is is critical to prevent or improve bladder leakage.

  • Kegel exercises are the easiest way to strengthen these muscles, as well as pilates exercises which focus on strengthening the core. Here is a link from the Mayo Clinic to assure you’re practicing them correctly.
  • Weight loss is very important in the management of bladder leakage. Even just a 5-10 lb loss can relieve some abdominal pressure against the bladder.
  • Try to reduce exposure to bladder irritants such as caffeine and alcohol and to not let your bladder get too full – even during busy days!
  • For some women, referral to a physical therapist that specializes in pelvic floor physical therapy can also be very helpful. Yes, there are physical therapists that specialize in this important muscle group!  In situations where these conservative measures do not help sufficiently, there are urogynecologist physicians – who are gynecologists who have a sub-specialty in pelvic floor medicine- who may offer other treatments including surgery.

Light bladder leakage is a common complaint among women of all ages.  If you are experiencing this, please mention it to your nurse or health care provider, if they don’t ask about it first.  Many women believe it is a normal part of ageing or a normal consequence of pregnancies or childbirth – but there are ways to help, so do not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable bringing up the subject and asking for help.

RRWJMS20150428

Susan A. Peck, RNC, MSN, APN is a practicing Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. For 20 years, Ms. Peck’s career has focused on women’s health care, first as a labor and delivery staff nurse and for the last 16 years as an Advanced Practice Nurse. She currently works in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology within Summit Medical Group, a large multi-specialty practice group in Northern New Jersey.

Ms. Peck’s areas of expertise include contraception, osteoporosis, general gynecology and prenatal care. She has spoken at several national and state conferences including the AWHONN National Convention.

The Cornucopia of Contraception

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by, Susan A Peck, RNC, MSN-APN

In 2000, as a new Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, the provision of contraception to my patients was actually pretty simple.  Most every woman who wanted hormonal contraception used the pill, and there were only a handful of brand name oral contraceptives that we all knew and regularly used.

Shortly thereafter, in 2001, the contraceptive patch and the contraceptive vaginal ring were approved by the FDA.  These other two options quickly became competitors to the oral contraceptive market and gave patients and clinicians more choice, and ways to avoid the sometimes daunting responsibility of daily pill intake.

In the background was the IUD – only ParaGard and Mirena were available at that time.  Still holding on to the worries of the unsafe IUDs of the 1970s and 1980s, most women and clinicians were not supportive of these devices at that time – fortunately that has dramatically changed!  In 2013, the Skyla IUD became available and the Liletta IUD followed in 2015.  And let’s not forget about the contraceptive implant, Implanon (now Nexplanon) that was approved in 2006.

Barrier methods have also always been accessible to women, such as condoms (male and female) and various spermicidal formulations, as well as the diaphragm – did you know the “old” diaphragm is no longer available, but that there is a new one, Caya?

So, when we consider all of these options, and factor in the complexity of some women’s medical conditions or social practices, how can women’s health clinicians consider not only which method might be most acceptable to a woman, but also which method is the safest??  There certainly is a lot to keep track of with all of today’s contraceptive choices.  And if a woman does not use her method correctly, what can a clinician advise?

Fortunately, the CDC has recently published two documents, the 2016 US Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use (MEC) and the 2016 Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (SPR).  The references are invaluable for any clinician who is providing contraception to women.  I have a copy of both at my desk in my office and even after 16 years of practice, I regularly rely on their guidance to make the best, safest recommendations about contraceptive choices for my patients.

I’d like to tell you about two recent patients, for which both references helped guide my decision making. 

First, Jennifer, a 32 year old woman living with multiple sclerosis, has used oral contraceptives successfully for five years.  She enjoys the regular, very light periods she has with the pill, and is a very responsible pill taker – never misses one!  But, this year, when I see her for her annual exam, I learn that her MS has unfortunately taken a turn for the worse.  She is currently in a wheelchair more the 50% of the time and her mobility is greatly limited.  She is very hopeful that this period of immobility will be short lived – there is a new MS drug she is starting next month.  So, I begin to wonder whether an oral contraceptive is the best, safest method for Jennifer.  I use my 2016 MEC App on my phone and determine that due to her immobility related to MS (increased chance of hypercoagulable state) it may be time to change methods.  She and I discuss all options and she decides on the Mirena IUD.  Not only is she pleased with a long term method, she feels more comfortable knowing she is safe – it is one less thing she has to worry about.

My next patient is Mary, a 20 year old healthy college student who tells me that she wants to use the contraceptive implant, Nexplanon.  She is going back to school out of state in two days, and would really like to have the implant inserted today.  In the past, some clinicians have traditionally preferred to insert LARC methods during a woman’s menstrual period to “make sure she is not pregnant”.  However, this is often cumbersome for scheduling and delays an opportunity to provide effective contraception.  So, I use my 2016 SPR and review the section ‘how to be reasonably certain a woman is not pregnant’.  I determine that since Mary has consistently and correctly used condoms since her last period, it is safe to assume she is not pregnant. After receiving her informed consent, I safely place the Nexplanon and she is able to return to college with a highly effective long term method of contraception.

It is important to remember that in nearly all situations the use of a birth control method is safer than an unintended pregnancy. These CDC resources are invaluable guides for clinicians so we can be confident our contraceptive recommendations are based on the latest evidence.  Both the MEC and the SPR are available free – of- charge with the option of downloading an APP for your device.

Tell your colleagues and have these references close at hand!

RRWJMS20150428

Susan A. Peck, RNC, MSN, APN is a practicing Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. For 20 years, Ms. Peck’s career has focused on women’s health care, first as a labor and delivery staff nurse and for the last 16 years as an Advanced Practice Nurse. She currently works in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology within Summit Medical Group, a large multi-specialty practice group in Northern New Jersey.

Ms. Peck’s areas of expertise include contraception, osteoporosis, general gynecology and prenatal care. She has spoken at several national and state conferences including the AWHONN National Convention.

 

 

 

Five Easy Steps to Save Lives and Promote Healthy Families

by, Donna Weeks

It’s staggering to think that 54 to 93 percent of maternal deaths related to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) could be avoided.

So what can we do on our units to reduce the number of women with complications, or even death, from an obstetrical hemorrhage?

I have taken part in many discussions about high tech simulation and drills, and we are always asking ourselves:

  • How can we have effective drills without a simulation lab and simulation models?
  • Can low tech simulation play a beneficial role in decreasing obstetrical hemorrhage?

I recently took part in a pilot program that the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)  trialed on postpartum hemorrhage risk assessments, evidence-based oxytocin orders, and hemorrhage drills and debriefing based upon a variety of settings.

Here are a few ideas that I have implemented without utilizing a simulation lab. These easy suggestions may help every obstetrical unit  raise awareness of obstetrical hemorrhage and contribute to decreased maternal morbidity and mortality.

First, have a mock code on your unit using your own crash cart.  You may be surprised to find out how many nurses are uncomfortable with finding key items in your crash cart.  Use a pillow to simulate a gravid uterus and have one nurse demonstrate left uterine displacement while other nurses deliver compressions and ventilations.  Additional nurses may find supplies, IVs, and medications in the code cart.

Second, devise a scavenger hunt and ask your staff to find the closest location of items needed during an obstetrical hemorrhage.  In many units the OB techs check the hemorrhage cart and the nurses may be less familiar with the items on the cart.  They may be leaving the room to get supplies and medications that are already on the cart.  In a true emergency this will use up valuable time.

Third, consider efficiencies. Do you have your medications locked in a Pyxis or Omnicell?  Do nurses have to remove the uterotonics one at a time? Due to the awareness raised by our hospital’s participation in AWHONNs postpartum hemorrhage project,  the day after our medication administration system was installed our pharmacy was notified that we needed a postpartum hemorrhage kit.  Now with one selection we retrieve ergonovine maleate (methergine), misoprostol (cytotec), carboprost (hemabate) and oxytocin (pitocin).

Fourth, how do you drill? What about drills in an empty patient room?  Have a drill in a patient room with nothing more than a mannequin.  Change the scenarios and include the less common situations.  With a type and screen being completed on most admitted labor and delivery patients it is not common to be ordering uncrossedmatched blood.  I use a scenario that includes a woman presenting to L&D with an obvious hemorrhage. This scenario presents the opportunity to review how and when to retrieve uncrossmatched blood.  What is your procedure?  Is there special paperwork or forms?  During one drill we strongly stressed the time element including how quickly we could generate a medical record number and how much time would be lost if an OB tech was sent for the blood. In our institution uncrossmatched blood may only be released to a physician or nurse.  Take the scenario further and include your massive transfusion protocol.  Review when and how to initiate the protocol.

Lastly, practice quantification of blood loss until it becomes routine.  Use scales, work sheets, and a variety of scenarios to keep staff informed and interested.  These can be presented by a charge nurse on any shift without preplanning.  It is just one more way to keep obstetrical hemorrhage on the forefront of everyone’s mind.  The more awareness we raise the better chance we have of early recognition and intervention. The goal is to have a healthy mother and healthy family.

DonnaDonna is a Perinatal Clinical Specialist at JFK Medical Center in NJ.  She has always loved OB nursing and also enjoys teaching.  She is currently an adjunct instructor at Kaplan University and Walden University.  She was the Hospital Lead for AWHONN’s PPH Project.

 

 

Citations

Berg, C. J., Harper, M. A., Atkinson, S. M., Bell, E. A., Brown, H. L., Hage, M. L., . . . Callaghan, W. M. (2005). Preventability of pregnancy-related deaths: Results of a statewide review. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 106, 1228–1234.doi:10.1097/01.AOG.0000187894.71913.e8

California Department of Public Health. (2011). The California pregnancy-associated mortality review. Report from 2002 and 2003 maternal death reviews. Sacramento, CA: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cdph.ca.gov/data/statistics/Documents/MO-CA-PAMR-MaternalDeathReview-2002-03.pdf

Della Torre, M., Kilpatrick, S. J., Hibbard, J. U., Simonson, L., Scott, S., Koch, A., . . . Geller, S. E. (2011). Assessing preventability for obstetric hemorrhage. American Journal of Perinatology, 28(10), 753-760.doi:10.1055/s-0031-1280856

Resources

Get free postpartum hemorrhage resources from AWHONN.

Learn more about AWHONN’s Postpartum Hemorrhage Project

For more in-depth info and to learn more about how to reduce clinician errors associated with obstetric hemorrhage mortality and morbidity, join AWHONN’s newest implementation community on Postpartum Hemorrhage.

Standardizing Postpartum Oxytocin Administration

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by, Jennifer Doyle, MSN, WHNP-BC
Director, AWHONN Executive Board
APN, Women’s Service Line
Summa Health
Akron City Hospital
Akron, OH

Photo: Jennifer Doyle assessing and caring for fellow colleague Amy Burkett, MD, FACOG.

Somewhere in a Labor and Delivery unit, a woman gives birth.  A family is born. A nurse remains at the bedside.  A sentinel, who assesses, plans, and intervenes.  The nurse is equipped with knowledge and skills to holistically care for mom and baby.  The nurse’s primary focus is to promote bonding and breastfeeding. However, despite a safe birth, risk remains.  Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality.  It is often preventable.

As a labor and delivery staff nurse, there were countless occasions when I held vigil at the side of my patients after they gave birth.  I was prepared with an array of resources to treat PPH. In part, this included uterine massage, oxytocin, methylergometrine, carboprost, and misoprostol.   As a nurse caring for a woman in the immediate postpartum period, my goal was to assess maternal bleeding and avoid PPH, or treat early if it occurred.  I would often stand at the bedside, pondering how much oxytocin I should administer to this new mother, and for how long. Continue reading →

6 Tips For Postpartum Care for Mom “The Patient”

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by, Kristen Wesley “The Mom”

Kristen and IslaThere is a moment after labor when you realize that not only is your sweet little baby a patient, but that you are too. At least for me, that was something that hadn’t really registered. On the day that my little baby girl Isla was born I very quickly began to understand we would both need a ton of care in the hospital and at home.

You would think from all the books I read, articles I scoured, and the numerous second hand accounts from friends I received, it would have sunk in. But it just didn’t. It literally never occurred to me that I’d be a patient too during and after labor and birth. Continue reading →