Globally, an estimated one in five women aged 20 years or older is obese, defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m2 (Ng et al, 2014) It is becoming increasingly common for pregnant women to have...
There has been much research in recent years into midwifery-led models of maternity care, and this has produced considerable evidence that it can significantly improve outcomes for mothers and their...
As rates of anxiety, tocophobia and post-traumatic stress syndrome increase, there is a need for health professionals to reflect, review and rethink how women could be better prepared for labour and...
Perineal trauma and its consequences are important areas for women's health and wellbeing. Many women throughout the world will sustain some degree of perineal and vaginal injury during childbirth....
Epilepsy is the most common neurological disease to be found during pregnancy, and has a significant risk of morbidity and mortality to the woman and the developing fetus (Borgelt et al, 2016; Knight...
Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disorder in which insulin production or action is insufficient, resulting in hyperglycaemia Insulin is produced in pancreatic beta (b) cells and is required for the...
Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) (2008, 2017a; 2017b) and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) (2014a) recommends vitamin D...
Midwives will be aware that pregnant women are reflective of the society in which they live This incudes the prevalence of medical conditions; therefore, it is useful to set the context for asthma as...
The safest mode of birth for a breech-presenting fetus has been a topic for debate among researchers and clinicians for decades (Walker, 2012; Evans, 2013; Odent, 2013; Homer et al, 2015) Women with a...
Thyroid disorders are prevalent in women of childbearing age and may therefore present during pregnancy Awareness of the implications of thyroid disorders in pregnancy is therefore essential to ensure...
Jaundice in the newborn is usually normal. It is caused by the breakdown of red blood cells, which, as a result of newborn transitional physiology, results in the build-up of bilirubin in the infant's...
Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific, multisystem disorder that affects 3-5% of all pregnancies (Phillips and Boyd, 2016; Story and Chappell, 2017) It can affect many organs, including the kidneys,...
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