Despite the World Health Organization ([WHO], 2015) consensus that rate of caesarean section (c-section) should be between 10%–15%, because higher percentages are not associated with a reduction in...
The newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) is a screening programme delivered by Public Health England ([PHE], 2019), consisting of screening of the eyes, heart, hips, and testes (in male...
Pregnancy and childbirth are described as transitional phases or existential thresholds that childbearing women have to cross These events are multifaceted experiences with many dimensions, unique for...
The booking appointment is the first antenatal appointment a woman has with her midwife At this appointment, women are offered screening for numerous conditions, including Down syndrome It is vital...
Women use different terms to describe distress in relation to a poor childbirth experience Whereas some women consider it as having been negative, others feel their birth was traumatic (Creedy et al,...
Human milk is acknowledged to be the optimum source of nutrition for infants, while also being beneficial to maternal health (Victora et al, 2016) As such, the World Health Organization ([WHO], 2019)...
Maintenance of smoking cessation after pregnancy remains a challenge, with many women who quit during pregnancy relapsing by six months (Logan et al, 2017) Factors relating to relapse postnatally are...
All pregnant women in England, Wales and Scotland are offered screening for Down syndrome at their first antenatal (booking) appointment with their midwife (UK National Screening Committee [UK NSC],...
In England, Wales and Scotland, all pregnant women are routinely offered antenatal screening for Down syndrome (DS) at the booking appointment, according to the UK National Screening Committee...
The landscape of women presenting for care in pregnancy now compared to the 1970s is vastly different thanks in part to the development of technologies which support women with comorbidities,...
It is a woman's right to make an informed choice regarding where she wishes to give birth (Birthrights, 2013) Globally, it is recommended that women's individual health needs should be taken into...
Mental health disorders are among the most common morbidities experienced during the perinatal period (Megnin-Viggars et al, 2015) These disorders may be pre-existent or they may develop during the...
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