Pregnancy & Birth Sourcebook (Health Reference)

Some of the discomforts pregnant women endure are normal, but other problems can be serious -- even life threatening. These include gestational diabetes, hypertension, preeclampsia, and disorders of the placenta. Some women with pre-exisitng conditions, such as asthma, sickle cell anemia, lupus, breast cancer, Hodgkin's Disease, and AIDS, require special care to decrease the risk of childbirth and to improve infant health.

Pregnancy and Birth Sourcebook provides authoritative material to help women understand, prevent, detect, treat, and cope with the broad array of health concerns particular to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. This information will help women plan for pregnancy, implement a program of prenatal care, and prepare for childbirth. Material in the book will also help them distinguish between the normal discomforts of pregnancy and the symptoms that may signal serious problems.