Active Management of Labour

This manual encompasses a comprehensive approach to the management of labour . Based on the simple proposition that effective uterine action is the key to normal delivery, Active Management of Labour covers all aspects of delivery for the primagravida with vertex presentation and single fetus.The first section of the book includes chapters covering the need to distinguish between first and all subsequent births, between induction of labour and acceleration of labour, and to the fact that obstetrical abnomalities must always be excluded before consideration can be given to the management of labour as a distict entity. Later chapters define the basic parameters of labour, and the rules governing the use of oxytocin are are included. Coverage also includes the causes of abnormal labour, maternal stress and how to deal with it, induction, effacement and dilation, caesarean section rates, and cerebral palsy. There is also a chapter on organisation of a busy delivery unit, where medical efficiency and human compassion must co-exist.The second section of the book comprises a series of visual case records , each selected to illustrate one important aspect of labour, and accompanied by an explanatory note. These records are of great educational value. Finally, the third section of the book contains a summary of the clinical material which passed through the national Maternity Hospital during the years when Active management of labour became standard practice. Active Management of Labour provides an accessible and practical guide for obstericians and midwives as well as anaesthetists and the auxiliary staff of maternity units. 28 succinct and practical chapters covering all aspects of labour28 records of labour graphically representing each areaadvice on managementsuitable for the team approach of midwife and obstetricianunique book from the Dublin Maternity Hospital definitive resource for the normal birth