Mary and Elmer fifth child, Melvin, was born 6 weeks prematurely and is 1-month old. Sarah, age 13, Martin, age 12, and Wayne, age 8, attend the Amish elementary school located 1 mile from their home. Lucille, age 4, is staying with Marys sister and her family for a week because baby Melvin has been having respiratory problems, and their physician told the family he will need to be hospitalized if he does not get better within 2 days.
1. Choose two or three areas of prenatal care that you would want to discuss with Mary, and then write brief notes about what you know and/or need to learn about Amish values to discuss perinatal care in a way that is culturally congruent.
Discuss three Amish values, beliefs, or practices to consider when preparing to do prenatal education classes with Amish patients.
Amish Values and Perinatal care
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Amish Values and Perinatal care
Introduction
Having a healthy pregnancy is one of the best ways to enhance a healthy birth. Prenatal care is the healthcare women receive while pregnant. Getting early and regular care improves the chances of having a healthy pregnancy (NIH, 2017). Prenatal care can help prevent pregnancy complications. Through the care, health care providers can inform expectant women about the important measures they need to take to protect themselves and their children from different kinds of risks. For instance, adhering to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and voiding exposure to cigarettes and other harmful substances can reduce the risk of problems during pregnancy. Once the person visits a hospital for the first time, the doctor should provide her with a schedule for her prenatal visits (NIH, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to suggest areas of prenatal care to discuss based on the case study as well as three Amish values or practices critical when preparing prenatal care educational program.
Areas of Prenatal Care to Discuss with Mary
The first area of prenatal care to discuss include a family planning strategy. This might be a hard decision to make since many Amish families do not practice conventional family planning to manage the size of their families (Dyer, 2017). The best thing to do as a healthcare provider is to inform the couple about the issue and let them decide. New knowledge includes whether the Amish family has their traditional ways of family planning. It is important to discuss with Mary how contraceptives work, including the benefits and possible problems. The second area would include the importance of adherence to the follow-up care schedule and medical services. Amish families have varied perceptions of health and illnesses (Dyer, 2017). Amish families lack adequate preventive practices. Consistency in the care schedule will prevent further complications and improve the child’s health (Dyer, 2017). What needs to be learned from the couple is whether they would allow their child to be hospitalized for effective and comprehensive treatment.
Three Amish Values, Beliefs, Or Practices to Consider When Preparing a Prenatal Care Education with Amish Patients
It is important to consider some Amish beliefs and practices when conducting prenatal care educational programs. The first Amish belief is about birth control. The belief is that babies are God-given as special gifts (Dyer, 2017). The Amish people, therefore, do not encourage birth control because they believe it interfered with God’s plan. Therefore, it would be important to find a proper approach when addressing birth control. The second Amish practice of concern is the poor adherence to prenatal care visits (Dyer, 2017). Amish customs and beliefs do not encourage women to seek prenatal care during and after their pregnancy. They prefer lay midwives and home deliveries which lead to increased cases of pregnancy and child complications. The third issue to consider is their belief that men should be present and involved in the delivery (Dyer, 2017). It is critical to inform the women that nurses will assist their husbands to be present inside the delivery room.
Conclusion
Having a healthy pregnancy is the objective of every expectant woman. Getting early and regular prenatal care is the most effective way of preventing complications during pregnancy. Some of the areas of prenatal care to discuss with patients include birth control and the importance of adherence to the follow-up care schedule and medical services. Amish beliefs to consider when educating Amish people are those around birth control, adherence to prenatal care visits, and delivery processes.
References
Dyer, M. (2017). Nursing immersion learning experience in Amish country: finding the truth behind the image. MOJ Clinical & Medical Case, 7(2), 204-205. http://medcraveonline.com/MOJCR/MOJCR-07-00197.pdf
NIH. (2017). What is prenatal care and why is it important? https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo/prenatal-care