Conception, pregnancy and birth... are the most amazing events in any couple's life. There's such a lot of information to absorb, so I have written what I hope is a practical and accessible guide for you to dip into throughout your pregnancy, helping you and your partner to navigate your way smoothly into parenthood. Book jacket.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

Widely accepted as the definitive guide to pregnancy andchildbirth, Dr. Miriam Stoppard’s Conception, Pregnancy, and Birth has sold well over a million copies since it was firstpublished. This new edition has not only been given a completely new look with stunning new photography but it has also been updated and re-written with 20-25 percent new material. New information will cover the latest developments in pregnancy and birth, from up-to-date research on how your stress levels can affect your unborn baby to new developments in delivering your baby.

Examines the separate needs of mother and baby during every stage of pregnancy and childbirth.

Many newly pregnant women believe mothering begins after the baby is born. As a result, their pregnancy is spent preparing the baby's room, buying a crib, and even attending childbirth classes. All of these activities are valuable and help to prepare for this new life, but what about before the baby is born? The Wonder Within You takes you on a journey that weaves scientific studies, dozens of interviews with mothers, and storytelling into a fascinating account of life inside the womb. An obstetrician loads each chapter with advice. A sonographer gives incredible 3 and 4-D snapshots (available online) and stories from her 25 years of watching babies grow in utero. Each chapter includes week-by-week developmental information, findings from recent neonatal studies, and even nutritional advice all designed to nurture a healthy baby. The Wonder Within You also serves as a weekly journal for expectant mothers to chronicle her own baby's journey to life outside the womb. It's a keepsake baby book that begins before birth. The Wonder Within You will help moms meet the real needs of the growing pre-born baby. Sonograms, dietary and medical advice, and stories from experienced moms are combined to encourage 40 weeks of prenatal parenting designed with a joy for the journey in mind.

Follow the amazing journey of the earliest stages of human life, with month-by-month development shown in unprecedented detail. The complex concepts and processes of emerging life are demystified with clear, jargon-free text, while exclusive 3-D images, extraordinary photographs, and detailed illustrations illuminate every aspect of human pregnancy. The largest section of the book examines the development of the baby in the womb and the parallel changes in the mother's body. Special 3-D art, illustrations, scans, and photographs show exactly how a baby changes and grows during pregnancy and how the female body adapts to carry it. A section on labor and birth explains these processes with step-by-step illustrations and easy-to-grasp text. The Science of Pregnancy also looks at the nature of human pregnancy, including how it evolved, and explores the anatomy and physiology of both the male and female reproductive systems. The mysteries of DNA and genetics are unraveled and explained in clear, illustrated detail, including patterns of inheritance and the interplay of genes and environment. Also provides straightforward, illustrated information on possible problems before, during, and after birth.

The placenta is fascinating and complex. Basically foreign to the maternal body, it can be thought of as an organ transplanted onto the mother's host tissue. As such it embodies all the principles of tissue acceptance and rejection. Many of the risks of pregnancy and labor have now been eliminated and the placenta is likely to be at the root of many of the dangers to the unborn child that remain. A breakdown of the relationship between the placenta and the maternal tissue may turn out to be the cause of the majority of early lost pregnancies.

Children are the foundation of the United States, and supporting them is a key component of building a successful future. However, millions of children face health inequities that compromise their development, well-being, and long-term outcomes, despite substantial scientific evidence about how those adversities contribute to poor health. Advancements in neurobiological and socio-behavioral science show that critical biological systems develop in the prenatal through early childhood periods, and neurobiological development is extremely responsive to environmental influences during these stages. Consequently, social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors significantly affect a child's health ecosystem and ability to thrive throughout adulthood. Vibrant and Healthy Kids: Aligning Science, Practice, and Policy to Advance Health Equity builds upon and updates research from Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity (2017) and From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (2000). This report provides a brief overview of stressors that affect childhood development and health, a framework for applying current brain and development science to the real world, a roadmap for implementing tailored interventions, and recommendations about improving systems to better align with our understanding of the significant impact of health equity.

This guide provides a full range of updated, evidence-based norms and standards that will enable health care providers to give high quality care during pregnancy, delivery and in the postpartum period, considering the needs of the mother and her newborn baby. All recommendations are for skilled attendants working at the primary level of health care, either at the facility or in the community. They apply to all women attending antenatal care, in delivery, postpartum or post abortion care, or who come for emergency care, and to all newborns at birth and during the first week of life (or later) for routine and emergency care. This guide is a guide for clinical decision-making. It facilitates the collection; analysis, classification and use of relevant information by suggesting key questions, essential observations and/or examinations, and recommending appropriate research-based interventions. It promotes the early detection of complications and the initiation of early and appropriate treatment, including time referral, if necessary. Correct use of this guide should help reduce high maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates prevalent in many parts of the developing world, thereby making pregnancy and childbirth safer.