UNLABELLED In our institution we have used antenatal training in self-hypnosis for over three years as a tool to provide relaxation, anxiolysis and analgesia for women in labour. To assess the effects of hypnotherapy, we prospectively collected data related to the use of hypnosis in preparation for childbirth, and compared the birth outcomes of women experiencing antenatal hypnosis with parity ...

Administration of antenatal corticosteroids to pregnant women with imminent delivery of a newborn at 24 to 34 weeks of gestation represents one of the most important advances in perinatal medicine in the past 25 years1,2. A single course of antenatal steroid has been associated with a decrease in acute neonatal systemic morbidity and mortality after preterm birth reducing the risk of respirator...

BACKGROUND While many Ghanaian adolescents encounter sexual and reproductive health problems, their usage of services remains low. A social learning intervention, incorporating environment, motivation, education, and self-efficacy to change behaviour, was implemented in a low-income district of northern Ghana to increase adolescent services usage. This study aimed to assess the impact of this i...

As part of an operations research project aimed at improving outpatient services in Kenya, the quality of care in Kiambu District Hospital's antenatal clinic was monitored in 1974-76 with particular emphasis on the identification of high risk women. Of the 270 patients studied, 57 (21%) were considered by midwives to be at no risk in terms of their pregnancy and 213 (79%) were considered at ri...

The authors estimated the prevalence of heart malformation during the first year of life, using five data sets with varying degrees of completeness from two English regional health authorities. These areas covered a total population of 6,872,000. Analysis was carried out using capture-recapture methods, including log-linear modeling, on data collected between June 1993 and August 1994. A large ...

Background. On 8 November 2013, supertyphoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines, severely disrupting health service delivery. Reestablishment of essential services for birthing mothers and their newborns became high priority. Methodology. Following a baseline assessment, an Essential Intrapartum and Newborn Care (EINC) training package was implemented and posttraining assessments (1 and 3 ...

BACKGROUND Thousands of women and newborns still die preventable deaths from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications in poor settings. Delivery with a skilled birth attendant is a vital intervention for saving lives. Yet many women, particularly where maternal mortality ratios are highest, do not have a skilled birth attendant at delivery. In Uganda, only 58 % of women deliver in a healt...

BACKGROUND The purpose of antenatal care is to monitor and improve the wellbeing of the mother and foetus. The World Health Organization recommends risk-oriented strategy that includes: (i) routine care to all women, (ii) additional care for women with moderately severe diseases and complications, (iii) specialised obstetrical and neonatal care for women with severe diseases and complications. ...