MIDWIVES IN PROVIDING HEALTH-CARE FOR PREGNANT-WOMEN WITH HISTORIES OF ABUSE

Presented in this article is a unique model of collaborative health ca re practice between advance practice psychiatric nurses and certified nurse midwives in providing health care for pregnant women with histor ies of abuse, Women who have been sexually abused as children tend to have more problems during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum Four spec ific areas of mental health concerns have been identified: depression, dissociation, maternal/infant adjustment, and sexual adjustment in co uples, Coordinated treatment plans allows for various physical and psy chological interventions that are appropriate to the stage and prepara tion for childbirth and for after the delivery. Copyright (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company