Skills for Midwifery Practice

Now with a new design, the ever popular Skills for Midwifery Practice continues to provide the ideal level of instruction and guidance for a wide range of clinical skills, each one of which is presented in a unique, template format to help make learning easy.

Step-by-step guidance is given on a range of topics including abdominal examination, taking of maternal and neonatal vital signs, infection control, mother and baby hygiene, elimination and drug administration. Childbearing and intrapartum skills are also extensively covered as are neonatal assessment and nutrition, principles of phlebotomy and intravenous therapy, moving and handling, wound management and CPR.

Skills for Midwifery Practice is invaluable to midwives in training, qualified midwives returning to practice, as well as other members of the obstetric healthcare team.

New to this edition

• New format - now with colour - makes learning even easier!
• Explores the use and significance of the Modified Early Obstetric Warning Scoring Chart
• Discusses advances in equipment usage including the application of sequential compression devices, temporal artery thermometers, and pulse oximetry in the early detection of critical congenital heart disease
• Contains advances in microbiology and infection control including the application and removal of gloves and the use of ANTT for each relevant procedure
• Physiology updates include an expanded section on normal and abnormal breathing patterns, the structure of the stratum corneum at birth and the factors that affect its barrier function, and neonatal reflexes present at birth
• Updated information regarding the use of the automated external defibrillator during maternal resuscitation, and the use of blended air and oxygen and pulse oximetry during neonatal resuscitation
• Care of the traumatised perineum - including expanded discussion of modern suture materials
• Recognition and management of complications associated with infusion therapy and epidural analgesia

Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 Principles of abdominal examination: during pregnancy and labour

Chapter 2 Principles of abdominal examination — during the postnatal period

Chapter 3 Assessment of maternal and neonatal vital signs — temperature measurement

Chapter 4 Assessment of maternal and neonatal vital signs - pulse measurement

Chapter 5 Assessment of maternal and neonatal vital signs - blood pressure measurement

Chapter 6 Assessment of maternal and neonatal vital signs - respiration

Chapter 7 Assessment of maternal and neonatal vital signs - neurological assessment

Chapter 8 Principles of infection control — standard precautions

Chapter 9 Principles of infection control - Hand hygiene

Chapter 10 Principles of infection control — principles of asepsis

Chapter 11 Principles of infection control - obtaining swabs

Chapter 12 Principles of hygiene needs — for the woman

Chapter 13 Principles of hygiene needs for the baby

Chapter 14 Principles of elimination management – micturition and catheterisation

Chapter 15 Principles of elimination management -urinalysis

Chapter 16 Principles of elimination management - defaecation

Chapter 17 Principles of elimination management — obtaining urinary and stool specimens

Chapter 18 Principles of drug administration — legal aspects, pharmacokinetics and anaphylaxis

Chapter 19 Principles of drug administration — oral administration

Chapter 20 Principles of drug administration — injection technique

Chapter 21 Principles of drug administration — administration of medicines per vaginam

Chapter 22 Principles of drug administration — administration of medicines per rectum (P.R.)

Chapter 23 Principles of drug administration: intravenous drug administration

Chapter 24 Principles of drug administration — inhalational analgesia: Entonox

Chapter 25 Principles of drug administration - epidural analgesia

Chapter 26 Principles of drug administration — transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation

Chapter 27 Facilitation of skills related to childbearing: optimal fetal positioning

Chapter 28 Facilitation of skills related to childbearing: Cusco speculum use

Chapter 29 Facilitation of skills related to childbearing: membrane sweep

Chapter 30 Principles of intrapartum skills - first-stage issues

Chapter 31 Principles of intrapartum skills: second stage issues

Chapter 32 Principles of intrapartum skills: third-stage issues

Chapter 33 Principles of intrapartum skills: examination of the placenta

Chapter 34 Principles of intrapartum skills: perineal repair

Chapter 35 Principles of intrapartum skills — management of birth at home

Chapter 36 Principles of intrapartum skills — management of labour and birth in water

Chapter 37 Assessment of the baby: assessment at birth

Chapter 38 Assessment of the baby - daily examination

Chapter 39 Assessment of the baby — capillary sampling

Chapter 40 Assessment of the baby: developmental dysplasia of the hips

Chapter 41 Principles of infant nutrition — breastfeeding

Chapter 42 Principles of infant nutrition — cup feeding

Chapter 43 Principles of infant nutrition –decontamination of feeding equipment

Chapter 44 Principles of infant nutrition — formula feeding

Chapter 45 Principles of infant nutrition — nasogastric feeding

Chapter 46 Principles of phlebotomy and intravenous therapy — maternal venepuncture

Chapter 47 Principles of phlebotomy and intravenous therapy — intravenous cannulation

Chapter 48 Principles of phlebotomy and intravenous therapy: intravenous infusion

Chapter 49 Principles of phlebotomy and intravenous infusion — blood transfusion

Chapter 50 Principles of manual handling

Chapter 51 Principles of perioperative skills

Chapter 52 Principles of wound management — healing and care

Chapter 53 Principles of restricted mobility management: pressure area careChapter 54 Principles of restricted mobility management: prevention of venous thromboembolism

Chapter 55 Principles of cardiopulmonary resuscitation: maternal resuscitation

Chapter 56 Principles of cardiopulmonary resuscitation: neonatal resuscitation