Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to N A Bowers.
The infertile couple invests tremendous amounts of time, money, and physical and emotional energy in attempting to conceive. When these couples experience early pregnancy loss, their grief can be profound. The emotional aspects of such pregnancy losses and specific nursing interventions are presented.
An explosion in multiple birth rates has generated record numbers of multiple pregnancies and infants. Obstetric and neonatal nurses and those in related practice areas, such as reproductive endocrinology, perinatal education, home health, and lactation services, need special knowledge and resources to provide optimal care for these high-risk families. Multiple birth families have a number of unique health care problems that require directed nursing interventions throughout the perinatal continuum.
Prenatal care of multiple pregnancy presents a variety of nursing challenges. Specialized care, beginning in early pregnancy, can have a significant impact on the outcome for mothers and neonates. Dramatically increasing roles for advanced technology in the care of multifetal pregnancies must be balanced with families' needs for education and support.
Intrapartum management of multiple pregnancy presents many challenges for obstetric nurses. Optimal care often is complicated by prematurity, low and very low birth weights, and the unique circumstances of the delivery of multiple neonates. Higher perinatal mortality for multiple pregnancies continues to complicate delivery outcome. Nurses need special knowledge and skills to provide care for women with a variety of high-risk conditions in rapidly changing situations.