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.

As women continue to bear children, all parents should ask the following question: How can a woman fulfill her unique responsibility as mother to her child when prevailing parenting practices deny the importance of breastfeeding and maternal care? Maternal care is now thought to be impractical and a luxury for those who can afford it. Thus, many women need to defend their right and responsibility to care for even the youngest of babies. Dr. Kawasaki, a pediatrician and stay-at-home mother of two, asserts in Mothering with Breastfeeding and Maternal Care that current attitudes toward mothering have not evolved naturally. Over the course of a century, child-rearing experts, sociologists, and feminists have made systematic efforts to undermine the importance of a woman's role in the home. Dr. Kawasaki offers compelling reasons for parents to think seriously about the unique role women play in their children's lives, particularly in early childhood. She argues that the priceless benefits of breastfeeding and hands-on maternal care help to ensure the optimal growth and development of young babies and children.

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.

The Model Chapter on Infant and Young Child Feeding is intended for use in basic training of health professionals. It describes essential knowledge and basic skills that every health professional who works with mothers and young children should master. The Model Chapter can be used by teachers and students as a complement to textbooks or as a concise reference manual.

Kangaroo mother care is a method of care of preterm infants which involves infants being carried, usually by the mother, with skin-to-skin contact. This guide is intended for health professionals responsible for the care of low-birth-weight and preterm infants. Designed to be adapted to local conditions, it provides guidance on how to organize services at the referral level and on what is needed to provide effective kangaroo mother care.

Master the essentials of maternity and pediatric nursing with this comprehensive, all-in-one text! Maternal Child Nursing Care, 7th Edition covers the issues and concerns of women during their childbearing years and children during their developing years. It uses a family-centered, problem-solving approach to patient care, with guidelines supported by evidence-based practice. New to this edition is an emphasis on clinical judgment skills and a new chapter on children with integumentary dysfunction. Written by a team of experts led by Shannon E. Perry and Marilyn J. Hockenberry, this book provides the accurate information you need to succeed in the classroom, the clinical setting, and on the Next Generation NCLEX-RN® examination. - Focus on the family throughout the text emphasizes the influence of the entire family in health and illness. - Expert authors of the market-leading maternity and pediatric nursing textbooks combine to ensure delivery of the most accurate, up-to-date content. - Information on victims of sexual abuse as parents and human trafficking helps prepare students to handle these delicate issues. - Nursing Alerts highlight critical information that could lead to deteriorating or emergency situations. - Guidelines boxes outline nursing procedures in an easy-to-follow format. - Evidence-Based Practice boxes include findings from recent clinical studies. - Emergency Treatment boxes describe the signs and symptoms of emergency situations and provide step-by-step interventions. - Atraumatic Care boxes teach students how to manage pain and provide competent care to pediatric patients with the least amount of physical or psychological stress. - Community Focus boxes emphasize community issues, provide resources and guidance, and illustrate nursing care in a variety of settings. - Patient Teaching boxes highlight important information nurses need to communicate to patients and families. - Cultural Considerations boxes describe beliefs and practices relating to pregnancy, labor and birth, parenting, and women's health. - Family-Centered Care boxes draw attention to the needs or concerns of families that students should consider to provide family-centered care.