This guide has been developed jointly by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and is designed for use by all personnel involved in the care of pregnant women, their foetuses, and their neonates.

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.

Within the continuum of reproductive health care, antenatal care provides a platform for important health-care functions, including health promotion, screening and diagnosis, and disease prevention. It has been established that, by implementing timely and appropriate evidence-based practices, antenatal care can save lives. Endorsed by the United Nations Secretary-General, this is a comprehensive WHO guideline on routine antenatal care for pregnant women and adolescent girls. It aims to complement existing WHO guidelines on the management of specific pregnancy-related complications. The guidance captures the complex nature of the antenatal care issues surrounding healthcare practices and delivery, and prioritizes person-centered health and well-being --- not only the prevention of death and morbidity --- in accordance with a human rights-based approach.

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.

The main aim of this practical Handbookis to strengthen counselling and communication skills of skilled attendants (SAs) and other health providers, helping them to effectively discuss with women, families and communities the key issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, postnatal and post-abortion care. Counselling for Maternal and Newborn Health Careis divided into three main sections. Part 1 is an introduction which describes the aims and objectives and the general layout of the Handbook. Part 2 describes the counselling process and outlines the six key steps to effective counselling. It explores the counselling context and factors that influence this context including the socio-economic, gender, and cultural environment. A series of guiding principles is introduced and specific counselling skills are outlined. Part 3 focuses on different maternal and newborn health topics, including general care in the home during pregnancy; birth and emergency planning; danger signs in pregnancy; post-abortion care; support during labor; postnatal care of the mother and newborn; family planning counselling; breastfeeding; women with HIV/AIDS; death and bereavement; women and violence; linking with the community. Each Session contains specific aims and objectives, clearly outlining the skills that will be developed and corresponding learning outcomes. Practical activities have been designed to encourage reflection, provoke discussions, build skills and ensure the local relevance of information. There is a review at the end of each session to ensure the SAs have understood the key points before they progress to subsequent sessions.

This practical handbook of prenatal and postpartum care is written for nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, graduate students, and practicing OB/GYN nurses. It includes coverage of history taking, physical exam, laboratory tests, health education, initial and return prenatal visits, postpartum period, and family planning. Focus is placed on physical and psychosocial well-being and health promotion. Special features include: Healthy Pregnancy Questions for differentiating between common discomforts and potential complications; Key Moments tables that summarize essential information for key gestational ages; and History Taking forms. Numerous appendices permit easy and quick reference. A must have reference for nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives.

Now in its thoroughly revised, updated Seventh Edition, this Spiral® Manual provides practical, easily accessible information on management of the pregnant patient. Major sections cover obstetric care, obstetric complications, maternal complications, fetal assessment, fetal complications, and neonatal care. This edition's chapters have a new consistent outline structure, more tables, and more figures. Coverage includes a new chapter on obstetric anesthesia and new information on drugs for cardiovascular, neurologic, and endocrine conditions, including oral agents for gestational diabetes. The chapter on genetic counseling has been completely rewritten. This edition also addresses controversies regarding surgical births and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC).

Portable and easy to consult, The Johns Hopkins Manual of Gynecology and Obstetrics is a trusted on-the-spot reference for virtually any issue you’ll encounter in obstetrics, high-risk obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, infertility, and gynecologic oncology. The updated 6th Edition has been reorganized for quick reference, and contains thoroughly revised information culled from the collective expertise of residents and attending physicians at The Johns Hopkins University.

​This easy to use text provides practitioners and researchers with a global view of current and emerging issues concerned with successful pregnancy outcomes and approaches that have been successful or show promise in ensuring a successful pregnancy. The fully updated and revised second edition expands its scope with topics not covered in the first edition including pregnancy and military service; sleep disorders during pregnancy; the gut microbiome during pregnancy and the newborn; requirement for vitamin D in pregnancy; the environment—contaminants and pregnancy; preeclampsia and new approaches to treatment; health disparities for whites, blacks, and teen pregnancies; depression in pregnancy—role of yoga; safe food handling for successful pregnancy outcome; relationship of epigenetics and diet in pregnancy; caffeine during pregnancy; polycystic ovary syndrome; US Hispanics and preterm births; celiac disease and pregnancy; cannabis use during pregnancy. The second edition of Handbook of Nutrition and Pregnancy will be a valuable resource for clinicians and other healthcare professionals who treat and counsel women of child-bearing age and pregnant women.

An official publication of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), Perinatal Nursing, Fourth Edition presents up-to-date information based on the most rigorous evidence and offers suggestions for best practices. This new edition of the authoritative, comprehensive text used by perinatal nurses worldwide features a wealth of new content to keep practice current. New chapters related to patient safety and the development of a highly reliable perinatal unit, inform nurses how to conduct team training and drills for obstetric emergencies, create checklists, and effectively handoff patients. It features expanded coverage of high-risk pregnancy, from bleeding in pregnancy to preterm labor and birth, diabetes, cardiac disease, pulmonary complications, multiple gestation, and maternal-fetal transport. An all-new chapter on obesity in pregnancy covers risks to the mother and fetus, care from preconception to postpartum, as well as bariatric surgery. An expanded chapter on newborn nutrition includes new sections on the infant feeding decision, benefits of breastfeeding, nutritional components, and preterm milk and lactation.