Perinatal Nursing & Adolescent Psychiatry

Maternal Nursing

Maternal-child nursing refers to a framework of health care provided for child-bearing women and their families. Maternal-child nursing strives to approach the birth process as a natural life event rather than a medical procedure. This field of nursing includes both prenatal care to pregnant women and health care to mothers and their newborn infants. This health care also extends to the entire family.

A maternal-child nurse is often cross trained. They must retain skills and knowledge that allow them to assist the patient during the entire hospital stay. The maternal-child nurse serves in roles related to labor, delivery, recovery, operational, postpartum and management of high-risk pregnancies. Specific roles they may perform include fetal monitoring, assisting in cesarean delivery and identifying postpartum complications.