Home Visit Assignment- Postpartum Mother

Home Visit Assignment- Postpartum Mother
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Home Visit Assignment- Postpartum Mother
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021), slightly less than 4 million babies are born each year. The postpartum period starts after delivery and ends when the mother's body resumes its pre-pregnant state. The period is often between 6 and 8 weeks. During this time, the mother undergoes numerous changes, both emotionally and physically. The mother learns how to handle the changes that accompany being a new mum. At the same time, the partner and other close family members learn how to care for the newborn and operate as a changed family unit. The birth of a child can trigger powerful emotions, from anxiety to fear. While postpartum can be exciting, it can bring many complications, as the mother tries to adjust to the numerous changes (Murphey et al., 2017). Most new mothers experience difficulty sleeping, mood swings, and crying spells within the first two or three days after giving birth. However, some mums have a more severe and long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression.
Because of the risks that postpartum presents to new mothers, it is crucial for nurses to care for them through home visits. Home visit programs offer structured visits by healthcare professionals to high-risk expectant mothers or those with young children. Through home visits, families access health checkups, parental guidance, and screenings, among other healthcare services. Nurses and other paraprofessionals can monitor the children's developmental milestones while offering a supportive environment to families. During and after pregnancy, home visits are critical in enhancing maternal health (Ichikawa, Fujiwara & Nakay, 2015). They assist mothers in improving dietary requirements, minimizing stress levels, and dealing with drug abuse among other issues.
In recognizing the essence of home visits, this paper demonstrates the process of undertaking nurse visits using virtual means. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the interactions that nurses can have with new mothers in the home setting. In this paper, a postpartum mother and baby for home visit experience were chosen. The nurse was doing a visit for a cousin's friend who lives nearby. The mother had her second child, who is a girl, on May 15, 2021. Her husband is Canadian, and she is American, and they live separately for now. However, the mother has her family as the support system. The nurse conducted a total of three home visits.
Home Visit One
Because of the current social distancing restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the home visit was virtual. The home visit was conducted on Mary (not her real name) is a 28year old mother of two children who live in Minnesota. The nurse introduced herself to Mary and shared her professional experience. The plan for the visit was established as offering professional health support to Mary and the two children. The nurse requested verbal permission to continue with the intended visit, which was granted. Mary agreed to participate in the visit and provide any relevant information to the nurse. An authorization form was presented, which Mary signed. The nurse emphasized that the information shared would be maintained confidentially. It would not be shared with unauthorized third parties. Any personally identifiable information was removed, and instead, a pseudo name was used to hide the subject's identity. The nurse informed the patient that participation in the study was optional and that she could choose to exist anytime she felt uncomfortable. Since the nurse could not meet with the client one-on-one, the individual's name, phone number, and email address on the signature line were obtained.
The nurse conducted a family assessment. Mary is a 28-year-old mother of two children. She has a son born on April 29, 2019, Son 4/29/19, and a daughter born on May 15, 2021. Mary is married to a Canadian husband, who is currently in Canada. The husband plans to move to the U.S. after accomplishing a few things in Canada to be with his family. Mary lives with her parents and siblings. No one in the household is not biologically related to her. While Mary does not live with the extended family, she has aunties, one uncle, and their children, whom she considers very close and talks to them. Despite living in different states with extended family, she often meets them over holidays. Mary is very close to her husband and discusses issues with him. She is also close to her young sister, whom she considers her best friend and often confides in her.
Mary is an African American. She is an elementary teacher from Kindergarten to third grade. She does not have problems with money since she has a constant income as a teacher. All her siblings are educated, and a majority of them have professional jobs. One of Mary's sisters is a medical doctor, the young sister is a nurse, and two of her brothers are engineers. Mary subscribes to the Islam faith. She prays five times a day, fasts, and gives alms. When Mary is stressed, her religion helps her to deal with the issue. She is a firm believer that everything that happens to you in life is for a reason. Also, when having a slight problem, she often thinks about individuals who have it worse than she does and thanks to God for His favors upon her life. Mary is extremely comfortable in her neighborhood. However, she occasionally encounters some ignorant individuals who call her names just because of being African American. This does not bother Mary very much because she believes that every community has good and bad people.
Evaluation of the First Visit
The first visit was a success. The nurse managed to establish and maintain a caring relationship with the mother. Mary reached out and appreciated that the nurse took the time to understand her challenges. The nurse demonstrated trust, respect, and empathy, which are critical during home visits. As a result, Mary was open about her issues because she trusted that the nurse had the best intentions. The nurse established that Mary has strong family support. Although the husband is away, he keeps in touch with Mary and offers her emotional and financial support. The family members have been supportive throughout, which has allowed Mary to overcome some of the common challenges facing new mothers.
The nurse established that Mary faces various health challenges. Firstly, it not easy for her to bring out the children with the husband away from home. Although they talk most of the time over the phone and face time, she would be happier with her husband. Meanwhile, the husband is planning to relocate within the next six months, which would be helpful. Initially, she would visit her husband in Canada twice a year. In the meantime, this is not possible because of the two children, and especially the infant. Secondly, there is a lot of responsibility on Mary, especially not that the husband is away. She has to take care of the children all on her own. There are times she gets upset and cries, but she always gets assistance from family. Mary loves her children deeply as she is concerned about their welfare. She cannot imagine how life would be without the two children. Mary has to get up early in the morning to feed the infant and the other child. She prepares breakfast while the infant sleeps and makes an effort to complete her chores on time. Thirdly, Mary struggles to have a perfect work-life balance. On the one hand, she has to take care of the two children and ensure they are healthy. On the other hand, she has to ensure that her teaching career progresses. Luckily, Mary works four days in the school, which allows her to create more time for the family. The school is also close to her neighborhood; hence she can spend more time with the children. The overwhelming responsibility exposes her to the risk of postpartum depression. Lastly, Mary had a C-section with both of her children in less than two years. Hence, she is at risk of infection.
The nurse utilized Jean Watson's "Theory of Human Caring." The theory holds that patient care should involve personal interactions with patients. Watson's theory further demonstrates that nursing should promote health and care for patients (Pajnkihar, Štiglic & Vrbnjak, 2017). Caring remains central to nursi...