Philosophy of Maternidad La Luz
The philosophy of Maternidad La Luz is based on the principles of the midwifery
model of care. These principles acknowledge and recognize pregnancy and birth
as normal and important life events. The midwifery model of care includes: monitoring
the physical, physiological, and social well-being of the mother throughout
the childbearing cycle; providing the mother with individualized education,
counseling and prenatal care, and continuous support and assistance during labor,
delivery and the postpartum period; minimizing technological interventions;
and identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention. This
model not only provides good care for the birthing women and their babies, but
has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma and cesarean
section.
The understanding that midwives respect and support women so that they may
give birth safely, with power and dignity, is fundamental to Maternidad La Luz’s
philosophy of care. We respect the diversity of personal and cultural backgrounds
of women and their families, and strive to respond to women’s social,
emotional, spiritual and physical needs. We also believe women should have the
option of economical and cost effective health care.
We believe that women have a right to choose the place of their birth and to
birth in a safe, nurturing place assisted by caring attendants. Midwifery care
includes health education and counseling to enable women to make informed choices
and decisions. We encourage women to actively participate in their care throughout
pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.
We believe it is important to encourage and support women who have chosen to
be midwives, answering the need in our society to support women and their families,
through the natural, healthy process of pregnancy and childbirth. We believe
midwives are best taught the art and practice of midwifery by experienced midwives
from diverse backgrounds. We believe that the Midwives’ Alliance of North
America Core Competencies provide the student with a solid academic foundation.
Academic knowledge must be supported by experience. We believe student midwives
should have an ample opportunity for hands-on learning supported by classroom
opportunities. We believe that learning midwifery in an out-of-hospital birth
center prepares midwives to practice in both birth centers and in the home.
We believe midwifery education should be accessible to students of all economic
backgrounds.
We believe student midwives have much to offer midwifery through their commitment,
insights and life experience. We believe students benefit from exploring their
experiences and expressing their ideas. Their unique perspectives and program
evaluations help shape and improve the program at Maternidad La Luz.
We believe it is important for midwives to work together to assure the continuation
of the profession of midwifery. We believe that by supporting each other and
sharing knowledge and experience, midwives improve the care they provide to
women and their babies.
Maternidad La Luz agrees with the World Health Organization’s definition
of a midwife:
"A midwife is a person who is qualified to practice midwifery. She
is trained to give the necessary care and advice to women during pregnancy,
labor and the postnatal period, to conduct normal deliveries on her own responsibility,
and to care for the newly born infant as well as having training in gynecology
and child care. At all times she must be able to recognize the warning signs
of abnormal or potentially abnormal conditions which necessitate referral to
a doctor, and to carry out emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
She may practice in hospitals, health units or domiciliary services. In any
of these situations she has an important task in health education within the
family and community."
The Goals of Maternidad La Luz
Maternidad La Luz is a birth center and a midwifery school. The Birth Center
at Maternidad La Luz provides services for the El Paso/Juárez/Southern
New Mexico community. The Midwifery Program provides students from around the
world the academic foundation and clinical experience to become a midwife.
The Goals of the Birth Center
- To provide safe, affordable care by trained direct-entry midwives.
- To educate and empower women regarding childbirth based on the principles
of informed choice.
- To establish a well-organized, well-managed birth center that makes
an essential contribution to the community.
- To provide employment, job security and professional advancement for
well- trained midwives.
- To maintain a healthy workplace.
The Goals of the Midwifery Program
- To provide a strong academic foundation based on the Midwives’
Alliance of North America (MANA) Core Competencies, as stated in the learning
objectives of the course curriculum.
- To provide clinical experience necessary to meet the requirements for
certification by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM).
- To provide clinical experience based on a midwifery model using the
protocols and regulations of the Texas Birth Center law, the Texas Midwifery
Law and Maternidad La Luz Protocols.
- To provide an atmosphere where students can learn, gain confidence
in their skills and grow professionally as midwives.
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