• Perinatal nurses care for all aspects of women's health, including pregnancy.pregnancy on red image by starush from Fotolia.com
  
  Perinatal nurses offer health care and assistance to women and their families at all stages of the childbearing process, including before, during and after childbirth. As specialists in women's health, perinatal nurses teach mothers about childbirth options, pre-natal and post-natal health, coach women through delivery and educate mothers on how to connect with their infants. Careers in perinatal nursing address all issues of childbirth (see Reference 1).
  
  

Midwifery

• Established in the United States during the 1920s, the practice of midwifery has benefited many women and families, especially those at risk of poor health due to age, class, education, ethnicity or location. Qualified midwives include Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) and Certified Midwives (CMs). All midwives perform gynaecologic and maternity care by assisting in labor and birth. Midwives empower women by teaching them how to take control of their bodies and medical care. In some states, midwives are also certified in writing prescriptions. Many work in women's homes, hospitals, health clinics or doctor's offices. Some midwives also teach at the university level, in faculties of nursing, public health, medicine and allied health (see Reference 2).
  
  

Pediatrics

• Responsible for providing health care to infants, children and adolescents, pediatric nurses are trained for a multitude of tasks. They conduct physical assessments, including measuring blood pressure, listening to heart rhythms, and taking blood and urine samples. Pediatric nurses use test results to diagnose illnesses and administer the appropriate treatment and medication. They also counsel families, using data from medical records and diagnostic tests to make the appropriate decisions for a patient's care and teach families how to continue the patient's treatment at home (see Reference 3).
  
  

Neonatal Nursing

• These nurses occupy three categories. The first category consists of nurses caring for healthy infants and teaching mothers how to care for newborns after leaving the hospital. The second category consists of nurses who care for ill or premature newborns who cannot yet leave the hospital. These nurses care for all the infant's needs, including administering medication, providing oxygen and offering emotional support. The third category of neonatal nurses care for the most critical cases housed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). NICU nurses perform challenging duties that are essential to the infant's survival (see Reference 4).
  
  

Obstetrics

• Experts in women's reproductive health, obstetric nurses administer care and treatment to women during all stages of reproductive health. They teach women about reproductive issues, beginning from the onset of menstruation until menopause and beyond. Obstetric nurses provide health care to women during pregnancy and assist with labor and childbirth. Like midwives, obstetric nurses assist women as they learn to become mothers (see Reference 5).