Midwifery and Sexuality

ISBN-13: 9783031184345 / Angielski / Miękka / 2024

Sam Geuens;Ana Polona Mivsek;Woet L Gianotten

Opis

This first open-access book on midwifery and sexuality integrates sexual health into the care for the pregnant and postpartum couple. It addresses sexuality and intimacy from an education and  prevention perspective instead of just focusing on treating problems, aiming to foster the development of  sexual well-being and happy couplehood. The need for such a book stems from the very limited attention given to this health area in the daily practice of most midwives and related healthcare professionals.  Whereas pregnant women,  tend to have many questions about the safety of sexual contact, they almost never openly raise those questions, hoping that the professional will initiate that conversation. Since sexuality is also virtually absent from most midwifery curricula, the book services as well as a textbook for upcoming maternity professionals  Sexuality and intimacy are essential elements in the bonding of the couple and the parents-to-be.  That process can be seriously hampered by sexual problems due to mutual misunderstanding, fear and sexual troubles (especially when the natural processes of conceiving, pregnancy and delivery are disturbed).  In this phase of life, disruption of intimacy, sexuality and sexual relationship is a significant risk factor for developing couple and family problems.   In building a close relationship with the couple through frequent, intense, longstanding contact, the midwife acquires a perfect position to address sexuality and intimacy.  With 36 authors from 14 countries, the book comprises five modules: 1.  Sexuality; 2.  Sexual aspects of the various phases of reproduction when things develop  without complications; 3.  Sexual aspects when those same phases deviate from physiology; 4.  Special topics on sexuality relevant to daily midwifery practice; 5.  Teaching, learning, skills and competencies with regard to sexuality. This new practical textbook guides healthcare professionals such as midwives, obstetricians, gynaecologists, nurses, general practitioners, pelvic floor therapists, etc., by offering both basic knowledge and skills on sexual health and wellbeing, combined with modern sexological knowledge, such as the entirely new topic of sexual aspects of preconception care.

Spis treści

chaptersSexuality and Midwifery 0-1 General introductioneditors Mod. 1 Basic Information 1-1 Introductioneditors 1-2 Sexuality redefined. BE 1-3 Relevant sexual anatomy, physiology and endocrinologySI 1-4 How sex works BE 1-5 How / when sex isn't workingBE 1-6 The health benefits of sexuality NL1-7 Talking sexuality. BE
Mod. 2 Nature taking its course 2-1 Introductioneditors 2-2 Sexual aspects of getting pregnant (conception and preconception)NL 2-3 Sexual aspects of pregnancyNL 2-4 Sexual aspects of labour / deliveryAUSE2-5 Sexual aspects of post partum and the first year of young parenthoodUK 2-6 Sexual aspects of breast and lactationNLNL2-7 Sexual aspects of the female pelvic floorNLNL
Mod. 3 Nature losing its way 3-1 Introductioneditors 3-2 Sexual aspects of fertility disturbancesCH 3-3 Sexual aspects of high-risk and complicated pregnancyUS 3-4 Sexual aspects of labour / delivery induced traumaSISI3-5 Sexual aspects of problems PP & in the first year of young parenthoodBE 3-6 Sexual aspects of problematic lactationNLBE3-7 Sexual aspects of pelvic floor disturbancesNL3-8 Sexual aspects of mental health disturbances in pregnancy & PPNL3-9 Sexual aspects of physical health disturbances in pregnancy & PPNL
Mod. 4 Special Topics 4-1 Introductioneditors 4-2 Sexual aspects of contraceptionCH 4-3 Sex aspects of pregnancy & pp in non-mainstream orientation (lesbian)DKNO4-4 Male experience(s)BE 3.5004-5 Relevant (sexual) aspects of cultural differencesBE 4-6 Sexual effects of trauma experience on pregnancy and labourBE 4-7 Relevant aspects of female genital mutilationFR/BE Mod. 5 Skills, adaptations, etc 5-1 Introduction editors 5-2 Teaching and learning ; skillsSI 5-3 Relevant midwife competences in regard to sexualityBE 5-4 Various sexual consequences of interventions in midwifery practiceNZ 5-5 How sexual problems are managed (by other professionals)BE 5-6 Sex.effects of various medication / drugs used in midwifery practice BE

O autorze

Sam Geuens became a clinical sexologist by chance. He started his University career studying Moral Sciences with a particular interest in semantics - the way people use words and play with their meaning. He quickly realised that particularly sexuality and intimacy are wrought with semantic pitfalls and miscommunication. So, after finishing his ethics degree, he studied clinical sexology, added psychotherapy and started working with people and couples experiencing various relation and sexual difficulties. He practiced both in the Netherlands and in the UK (Wales) before finding his way to Flemish institutionalised healthcare.

Ever since he has been practicing medical sexology within hospital settings.Still many hospitals did and do not yet have departments geared to treating sexual difficulties, so he winded up founding outpatient sexology clinics at the hospitals in Herentals, Hasselt and Heusden-Zolder, where he is still counselling patients/couples with various sexual problems today.

Working in this intersection of gynaecology, urology, psychiatry and endocrinology has convinced him that the healthcare systems has a long way to go if we really want to take people's sexual health and wellbeing seriously. Wanting to contribute to such a brighter sexual health future, he is active as a board member for both the Flemish Society for Sexology and the European Federation for Sexology, helping to get sexology and sexual health the attention it deserves in Flanders and the rest of Europe.

Almost ten years ago, he came to midwifery in a rather suiting way. Standing in the hallway of his hometown's maternity ward, having just become a father for the second time, he got a phone call from the University's head of Midwifery telling him that he got a job lecturing their midwifery bachelor students.

Since then, his primary focus has been training aspiring midwives at the PXL University College in Hasselt-Belgium, teaching them on psychology and mental health related to reproduction & early childhood development, sexual health & wellbeing, communication & counselling skills and deontology & clinical ethics. Aspiring midwives are always a thrilling and engaging bunch of students, eager to learn and develop themselves.

He hopes this new textbook on Sexuality & Midwifery can help his colleagues to integrate sexuality into their midwifery programs, help practicing midwives to take up the sexual wellbeing of their clients and educate his fellow sexologists on all thing regarding sexuality and childwish, pregnancy and young parenthood.

A. Polona Mivsek decided to become a midwife when she was 5 years old, when her brother was born and she had the privilege of meeting her mother's birthing assistant. It was exactly the year when midwifery education was abolished in Slovenia. So, without the opportunity to fulfil her dreams, she went to gymnasium. In the last year, when she was deciding on my professional future, midwifery education was revived and University of Ljubljana was accepting first generation of midwifery students. She would say she was called to become a midwife.

In 2000 she graduated as first bachelor of midwifery in Slovenia, got a job in the delivery room of a maternity hospital in Ljubljana, but my curiosity was not yet satisfied. Therefore she decided to apply for a MSc in midwifery. And since this was not possible in Slovenia, I headed to Scotland, where she met her mentor, an aspiring midwifery researcher who became her role model. She opened the door into science for her and literally changed her life.

A few years later, she began to teach at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences in the Department of Midwifery. The following ten years were a hectic time - she