An accomplished nurse and former interim director of obstetrics, Judith Abraham has spent more than three decades working for hospitals and health care organizations in Wyoming and Illinois. Throughout her career in both Illinois and Wyoming, Judith Abraham has held membership in the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN). A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit group, AWHONN stands out as one of the largest organizations devoted to the health of women and newborns. Through networking opportunities, research grants, and clinical resources, AWHONN enhances the professional profiles of its members and, in doing so, improves the nursing profession.One of AWHONN’s primary goals is to provide ongoing education and training to its members. Though the organization does not maintain professional certification programs, it does offer a rich array of continuing nursing education (CNE) options. In-person offerings include courses on fetal heart monitoring and obstetric patient safety, with certificates of completion provided to participants who successfully fulfill the course requirements. Individuals also have an opportunity to take courses remotely through the AWHONN Online Learning Center (OLC). In addition to designated courses on topics such as critical care obstetrics education, the OLC features webinars throughout the year on a variety of changing topics.
A nurse with experience in Wyoming and Illinois, Judith Abraham received Nurse of the Year honors from the Chicago Sun-Times in 2004 for her work to save a mother and child. She most recently served as the interim director of Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital in Thermopolis, Wyoming. Continuously dedicated to providing high-quality care to delivering mothers, Judith Abraham draws on an in-depth knowledge of what makes a pregnancy high-risk.A clinical team may classify a pregnancy as high-risk if there is danger to the mother, the baby, or both. Certain mothers are high-risk due to a preexisting condition, such as a personal history of diabetes, heart problems, or chronic high blood pressure. Women who are older than 35 or younger than 17 qualify as high-risk, as well.Other risk factors relate specifically to the expectant mother's prior history with pregnancy. Those who have miscarried three or more times are at high risk, as are those who experienced such dangers as preterm labor or preeclampsia in a prior pregnancy. Relatedly, those who have had repeat Caesareans sections or other pelvic surgeries are at high risk.In terms of the present condition of a pregnancy, women who are carrying two or more babies are classifiable as high-risk. The same is true of women whose unborn infants have received a diagnosis of a genetic or medical condition.Women who have an active infection, such as HIV, are at high risk of problems during pregnancy. Certain other medications and health conditions may put a woman at high risk as well. Prenatal care plays a vital role in identifying these conditions, while providing the monitoring that improves a woman's chances of a healthy birth.
