Maternal and Child Health Overview

Maternal and Child Health Introduction

• Promotes health and disease prevention, aiming for a healthy future generation.
• Provides support for families during the stressful periods of childbearing and childrearing.
• Acknowledges personal, cultural, and spiritual beliefs affecting maternal and child health.

Global Health Goals

• Millennium Development Goals (MDGs):

  • Focus on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
  • Aim for universal primary education and gender equality.
  • Targets include reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.
  • Address global health issues like HIV/AIDS and malaria.
  • Promote environmental sustainability and global partnerships.

• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

  • Emphasize eliminating poverty and hunger while ensuring good health and well-being.
  • Advance quality education, gender equality, and access to clean water and sanitation.
  • Promote economic growth and infrastructure innovation.
  • Advocate for reduced inequalities, sustainable communities, and climate action.

Maternal Satisfaction Factors

• Outcomes: Delivery outcomes are crucial for satisfaction.
• Structure: Importance of physical environment, cleanliness, available resources, and supplies.
• Access and Cost: Consideration of healthcare accessibility and affordability.
• Process: Focus on prompt service, interpersonal care, and emotional support among providers.

Goals of Maternal and Child Health (MCH)

• Aim for optimal health of women and newborns throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
• Ensure children grow within loving family environments, equipped with health supervision and proper nutrition.
• Emphasize healthy living education for both mothers and children.

Philosophies of MCH Nursing

• Primary Goal: Promote and maintain family health, focusing on mothers and newborns.
• Core Philosophies:
  • Family-centered care approach.
  • Community involvement in health promotion.
  • Evidence-based practices guiding care.
• Nurses play a vital role in supporting family health and well-being.

Role of a Maternal and Child Health Nurse

• Views families as partners in care provision.
• Protects the rights of all family members, including unborn children.
• Engages in high levels of independent nursing functions, particularly in teaching and counseling.

Female Reproductive System Overview

• Females have a finite supply of egg cells, unlike continuous sperm production in males.
• Early life development involves migration and differentiation of germ cells into oogonia.

Ovaries

• Ovaries are solid structures (approximately 2 cm long, 1 cm wide) developing from embryonic tissue near the kidneys.
• Major functions include ovulation and the maturation of egg cells.

Oocyte Development

• Oogonia undergo mitosis; approximately 7 million primary oocytes form by the fifth month of fetal development.
• Most oocytes degenerate (atresia) by birth, with about 1 million remaining, reducing to 400,000 at puberty.
• Only about 400-500 oocytes mature during a woman’s reproductive life.

Follicle Development

• Each ovarian follicle contains an immature egg oocyte, surrounded by a layer of follicle cells.
• Follicle maturation is stimulated by FSH from the pituitary gland.
• Thecal and granulosa cells collaborate to produce estrogen.
• Zona pellucida forms a protective layer around the developing egg.