BACKGROUND Low birth weight deliveries are major causes of a huge health burden on poor economies around the globe. It is even more worrisome in developing countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS The obstetric records of all low birth weight (LBW) deliveries were reviewed from 1 st June 2005 to 30 th May 2009. RESULTS The prevalence of LBW deliveries was 8.3%. Of the LBW babies, 68.4% were preterm...

BACKGROUND Integration of family planning services into HIV care was implemented in South Africa as a core strategy aimed at reducing unintended pregnancies among childbearing women living with HIV. However, it is unclear whether this strategy has made any significant impact at the population level. This paper describes the prevalence and correlates of self-reported unplanned pregnancy among HI...

MILK FEVER, also called parturient paresis and parturient hypocalcemia, is an aifection of cows occurring shortly after calving. It is characterized by paralysis of the motor and sensory nervous apparatus. Despite its name, milk fever usually is not accompanied by fever. There is always, however, a marked and rapid lowering of the blood calcium, so that the name "parturient hypocalcemia," which...

The process of haemostasis is complex and is further complicated in the parturient because of the physiological changes of pregnancy. Understanding these changes and the impact that they have on the safety profile of the anaesthetic options for labour and delivery is crucial to any anaesthetist caring for the parturient. This article analyses current theories on coagulation and reviews the phys...

Neonate-directed care is rare in non-avian reptiles, but female pitvipers attend their young for a period of time after birth. One of the primary functions of parental care is the protection of offspring from predators, and parents of diverse taxa are able to modulate their antipredator behavior in the presence of offspring. To test the hypothesis that the antipredator behavior of post-parturie...

Normal foetal growth and survival depends on proper development and function of the placenta. It serves to maintain a maternal-foetal interference for the exchange of blood gases, nutrients, and waste. The placenta has been described as a "diary of intrauterine life" and it may elucidate many aspects of intra uterine life. The aim of this study is to observe the histological and radiological ch...

The placenta is a distinctive organ, which facilitates the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus through placental microcirculation. Placenta potentially plays a key role in the etiology of developmental programming through its impact on nutrient transfer. Placental transport efficiency depends on a variety of parameters, including surface area for exchange, thickness of the placental mem...

OBJECTIVE To determine how parturient women tolerate the use of a perineal distensibility assessment technique using the EPI-NO device. METHODS An observational study with a total of 227 full-term parturient women was performed. During the evaluation with EPI-NO, parturient patients were asked about their sensation of discomfort. The degree of discomfort was measured using the Visual Analogue...

An investigation on the occurrence of peri-parturient rise in trichostrongylid nematode egg output in breeding ewes was carried out on a Ranch in the semi-arid area of Kajiado District in Kenya during the period May 1999-April 2000. During the study, 20 ewes randomly selected from the breeding stock and 20 un-mated female yearlings were monitored for faecal strongyle egg output every 3 weeks. A...