Sage Femme
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DURATION
3 years
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CONDITIONS
Bac and more
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DIPLOMA
Specialized Technician
The midwife (or maieutician for the rare men exercising this activity) accompanies pregnant women throughout the period of their pregnancy, from the first diagnosis to the post-natal follow-up, for seven days after childbirth.
Mission of the profession
Roles of the midwife
The midwife has great responsibilities, since it is she who ensures the complete follow-up of
pregnancies, at all its stages.
Here are its main missions:
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Ensure the medical follow-up of pregnant women and monitor the good progress of the pregnancy thanks to prenatal medical examinations, planned regularly until the birth of the child: ultrasounds, examinations of the uterus, measurements of the belly, listening to the heart of the baby...
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Animate childbirth preparation sessions (sophrology, swimming pool, yoga, etc.) and advise the future mother on postnatal care, breastfeeding or baby hygiene, especially for young mothers for whom it is the first pregnancy. Beyond her “technical” medical function, the midwife plays a preventive and awareness-raising role.
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Ensure deliveries, most of the time alone (in 70% of cases). She carefully monitors the progress of the “labor” from start to finish and will call on the gynecologist-obstetrician or the surgeon in the event of risks or complications (if, for example, a caesarean section proves necessary).
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Examine the newborn right after birth, checking his reflexes and monitoring his health. In the few days following the delivery, she provides medical follow-up for the infant and also watches over the health of the mother and her good recovery.
Required qualities
As with many hospital professions, midwifery can be very physically demanding and nerve-wracking. Since births can occur at any time and take place in the same day, the midwife must therefore follow sometimes high work rates. All with heavy responsibilities on your shoulders and knowing how to control your stress in the face of emergencies or unforeseen events during childbirth.
In addition, the midwife weaves a relationship of trust for almost nine months with the pregnant woman, and must always show moral support, be reassuring and pedagogical in the face of the questions and anxieties of the future mother, give advice knowledgeable and personalized. Finally, sometimes faced with very difficult situations, going as far as the death of the child, the midwife must be able to take a step back and maintain strong emotional stability whatever happens.
