Chapter 13 Common Medical Disorders Associated with Pregnancy Cardiac disease In most pregnancies, heart disease is diagnosed before pregnancy. There is, however, a small but significant group of women who…
Chapter 12 Problems of Pregnancy Abdominal pain in pregnancy Abdominal pain is a common complaint in pregnancy. It is probably suffered by all women at some stage, and therefore presents…
Chapter 9 Antenatal Care Aim of antenatal care The aim is to monitor the progress of pregnancy in order to support maternal health and normal fetal development. The midwife critically…
Chapter 35 Jaundice and Infection Jaundice is the yellow discoloration of the skin and sclera that results from raised levels of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinaemia). Conjugation of bilirubin Bilirubin…
Chapter 15 Sexually Transmissible and Reproductive Tract Infections in Pregnancy Trends in sexual health Trends of particular concern are the high rates of and increase in sexually transmitted infection (STI)…
Chapter 7 Change and Adaptation in Pregnancy Physiological changes in the reproductive system The body of the uterus After conception, the uterus develops to provide a nutritive and protective environment…
Chapter 31 Recognising the Ill Baby Assessment of the infant Immediately after birth, all infants should be examined for any gross congenital abnormalities or evidence of birth trauma. They should…
Chapter 27 The Baby at Birth A newborn baby’s survival is dependent on adaptations in cardiopulmonary circulation and other physiological adjustments to replace placental function and maintain homeostasis. Birth is…
Chapter 34 Congenital Abnormalities Definition and causes By definition, a congenital abnormality is any defect in form, structure or function that is present at birth. Identifiable defects can be categorised…
Chapter 17 The First Stage of Labour Normal labour is spontaneous in onset between 37 and 42 weeks’ gestation with the fetus presenting by the vertex, culminating in a healthy…
