Medical Conditions Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth

Book excerpt: Midwives are encountering more and more women whose pregnancies are complicated by medical conditions, including cardiac disease, obesity and diabetes. This new edition is completely up-to-date and offers highly practical solutions for everyday midwifery practice, acknowledging the importance of promoting normality where possible. This text includes physiology, explanations of conditions and principles of care for preconception, pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Each chapter brings together the basic knowledge of a condition and how it changes during pregnancy in an integrated and accessible way, including a new chapter dedicated to obesity. Explanations of laboratory tests, diagnostic tests, common drugs and illustrative colour pictures are included in relevant chapters. Medical Conditions Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth is a vital guide for student midwives, as well as a useful reference for practising midwives.