Domestic violence as it relates to pregnacy (Option 2) Research Paper

Domestic violence as it relates to pregnacy (Option 2) - Research Paper Example Additionally, the roles through which I would be addressing this issue are also mentioned. Domestic Violence as it relates to Pregnancy Introduction Women have been experiencing domestic violence since the start of this world and its intensity has been noticed to increase especially during pregnancy. This leads to pre and post pregnancy complications which require immediate corrective actions under the supervision of an experienced nurse (Shah PS, 2010). As a professional nurse I once encountered a patient who was suffering from intense domestic violence for more than a year. Throughout the pregnancy period her husband practiced battering over her which ultimately led to poor health of both the baby and the mother. She had severe complications during her delivery which also resulted in improper development of her child. The child was significantly underweight and was highly sensitive to common diseases. The overall situation got even worst when the patient could not get the assistanc e of a satisfactory nurse. This example raises questions that what should be the role of nurses when they are particularly dealing with such patients? How domestic violence is related to pregnancy and what nursing care considerations are required? What are the possible impacts of battering over the patient, new born baby and the overall family setup? Finally, how I would be addressing all these issues in my future nursing career? An overview of domestic violence as it relates to pregnancy Domestic violence during pregnancy is also termed as the Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) which commonly occurs during pregnancy and ultimately ends in severe outcomes including high stress level during pregnancy, usage of drugs which further worsen the condition of mother and child, preterm delivery, significantly low weight child, susceptibility to infectious diseases and lower level of child care soon after delivery. This indicates that domestic violence is highly hazardous for pregnant women and its poor outcomes even intensify if violence continues after the child birth. Children who are raised in sadistic homes are naturally aggressive and practice the some behavior with their future partners as they have observed in their childhood. Domestic violence simply adds significant value to the overall treatment and care cost of pregnant women. The role of nurses is very crucial in this regard as they provide first hand care to such women and also look after their child in adverse conditions. It is the initial responsibility of nurses to identify such cases existing in the society and then provide them suitable guidance so as to end violence in their lives (LR, 2008). Nursing care considerations related to domestic violence assessment The question about domestic violence usually occurs when a patient shows substantial symptoms of battering, inadequate prenatal care, higher occurrence of high-risk behaviors, direct physical trauma, increased stress and postulated mechanisms (Sha h PS, 2010). Majority of women entering first time into the medical assistance clinics during their pregnancy period which is also their encounter to a medical professional require special attention and care from the health care service provider. Therefore, professionals who are in direct contact with pregnant women maintain a distinctive position in the society as they closely witness the marital