The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

nonprofit membership organization. The stated purpose of AWHONN is to promote the health of women and newborns.AWHONN.org
/ref>

History

AWHONN became a separate and independent organization in 1993.Nurse Zone
/ref> Using the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) guidelines correctly can make staffing the safest possible. When these staffing guidelines are followed appropriately they allow for quality care and more time for the nurse to spend at the bedside with the patient. The experience and skill mix of the nurses on the labor and delivery unit is another critical element of safe staffing. Nurses in labor and delivery units should have one patient to care for if the woman is having her labor induced or has chosen a birthing plan without pain medication or an epidural. Two nurses should be at every birth, one to care for the mom and the other to care for the baby. As far as post partum and mother baby units, the ratio is one nurse for every 3-4 couplets (mom and a baby) as long as they are all considered "stable".

Sections and Chapters

There are 51 AWHONN Sections (one for each state, plus one that represents members in the US Armed Forces). Within each section, there are local chapters.

Activities

Standards and Guidelines

AWHONN publishes S''tandards for Professional Nursing Practice in the Care of Women and Newborns''. These standards define the roles, functions and competencies of nurses caring for women and newborns and delineate the various roles and behaviors for which the professional nurse is accountable.Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. (2009). Standards for professional nursing practice in the care of women and newborns (7th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. AWHONN also publishes multiple

evidence-based nursing Evidence-based nursing (EBN) is an approach to making quality decisions and providing nursing care based upon personal clinical expertise in combination with the most current, relevant research available on the topic. This approach is using evid ...

guidelines for use by nurses caring for women and newborns. These evidence-based guidelines cover topics like fetal heart rate monitoring,

labor induction Labor induction is the process or treatment that stimulates childbirth and delivery. Inducing (starting) labor can be accomplished with pharmaceutical or non-pharmaceutical methods. In Western countries, it is estimated that one-quarter of pregnan ...

, neonatal skin care, care of the late preterm infant,

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...

HPV Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the '' Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and re ...

counseling, neonatal

hyperbilirubinemia Bilirubin (BR) (Latin for "red bile") is a red-orange compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down heme in vertebrates. This catabolism is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the ...

, nursing staffing,Advance for Nurses
/ref> and care of the patient in the

second stage of labor Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births globally ...

Legislative Programs

AWHONN works with members of Federal, State, and local governments to advocate for the health of women and newborns. AWHONN also provides education for nurses on how to become involved in the legislative process.

Publications

Professional Journals: *'' Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing'' (''JOGNN'') *''Nursing for Women's Health'' Consumer Publications and Websites: *''Healthy Mom & Baby''
Health4mom.org

Coalitions and Collaborations

AWHONN collaborates with other healthcare organizations that support health promotion and improvement for women and newborns. *

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The ''Eunice Kennedy Shriver'' National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It supports and conducts research aime ...

*Coalition for Patients' Rights *Partnership to End Cervical Cancer *Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief (ANSR) Alliance *

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...

(Go Red for Women Campaign) *

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is the third largest Institute of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. It is tasked with allocating about $3.6 billion in FY 2020 in tax revenue to ...

(The Heart Truth Campaign)

Research

AWHONN awards small research grants to members conducting research activities that are consistent with its mission.

References

{{Authority control Nursing organizations in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Washington, D.C.