Abstract
Pregnancy and birth are normal physiologic processes for most women. The current cesarean delivery rate of nearly 25% in the United States is a reflection of a higher than expected rate of medical intervention in the birth process. Unfortunately, modern medicine has been guilty of using a disease model for the management of pregnancy and birth, resulting in higher than expected rates of complications. At least 90% of women should have a normal birth outcome without medical intervention.1
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Odent M. Birth reborn. New York: Pantheon, 1984.
Wertz RW, Wertz DC. Lying-in: a history of childbirth in America. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989.
Gortmaker SL. The effects of prenatal care on the health of the newborn. Am J Publ Health 1979;69:653–60.
Dick-Read G. Childbirth without fear. 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1959.
Karmel M. Thank you, Dr. Lamaze. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1959.
Kitzinger S. The experience of childbirth. New York: Pelican, 1967.
Freeman R. Intrapartum fetal monitoring—a disappointing story. N Engl J Med 1990;322:624–6.
Banta HD, Thacker SB. The case for reassessment of health care technology JAMA 1990;264:235–40.
Larimore WL, Reynolds JL. Family practice maternity care in America: ruminations on reproducing an endangered species—family physicians who deliver babies. J Am Board Fam Pract 1994;7:478–88.
International Childbirth Education Association. Definition of family-centered maternity care. Int J Childbirth Educ 1987;2(1):4.
Scherger JE, Levitt C, Acheson LS, et al. Teaching family centered perinatal care in family medicine. Parts 1 and 2. Fam Med 1992;24:288–98,368–74.
Willett WC. Folic acid and neural tube defect: can’t we come to closure? Am J Public Health 1992;82:666–8.
Expert panel on the content of prenatal care: The content of prenatal care. Washington, DC: US Public Health Service, 1989.
Midmer OK. Does family-centered maternity care empower women? The development of woman-centered childbirth model. Fam Med 1992;24:216–21.
Nichols FH, Humenick SS. Childbirth education: practice, research and theory. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1988.
Scott JR, Rose NB. Effect of psychoprophylaxis (Lamaze preparation) on labor and delivery in primiparas. N Engl J Med 1976;294:1205–7.
US Preventive Services Task Force. Guide to clinical preventive services. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1989:289–95.
Volpe JJ. Effect of cocaine use on the fetus. N Engl J Med 1992;327:399–404.
Gjerdingen DK, Froberg DG, Fontaine P. The effects of social support on women’s health during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period. Fam Med 1991; 23:370–5.
Williamson HA, LeFevre M, Hector M. Association between life stress and serious perinatal complications. J Fam Pract 1989;29:489–96.
Rouse DJ, Goldenberg RL, Cliver SP, et al. Strategies for the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal sepsis: a decision analysis. Obstet Gynecol 1994;83:483–94.
Sacks DA, Abu-Fadil S, Greenspoon JS, et al. How reliable is the fifty-gram, one-hour glucose screening test? Am J Obstet Gynecol 1989;161:642–5.
Cunningham FG, Gilstrap LC. Maternal serum alpha-feto-protein screening. N Engl J Med 1991;325:55–6.
US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health: Diagnostic ultrasound imaging in pregnancy. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1984. NIH Publ No. 84–667.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Ultrasonography in pregnancy. Washington, DC: ACOG, 1993. ACOG Technical Bulletin No. 187.
Bucher H, Schmidt JG. Does routine ultrasound scanning improve outcome in pregnancy? Meta-analysis of various outcome measures. BMJ 1993;307:13–7.
Ewigman BG, Crane JP, Frigoletto FD, et al. Effect of prenatal ultrasound screening on perinatal outcome. N Engl J Med 1993;329:821–7.
Alexander S, Keirse JNC. Formal risk scoring during pregnancy. In: Chalmers I, Enkins M, Keirse JNC, editors. Effective care in pregnancy and childbirth. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989:345–64.
American Board of Family Practice. Normal pregnancy: reference guide 17. Lexington, KY: American Board of Family Practice, 1983.
Norman LA, Karp LE. Biophysical profile for antepartum fetal assessment. Am Fam Physician 1986;34(4):83–9.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Antepartum Fetal Surveillance. Washington, DC: ACOG, 1994. ACOG Technical Bulletin No. 188.
Friedman EA. Disordered labor: objective evaluation and management. J Fam Pract 1975;2:167–72.
McKay S, Mahan CS. Laboring patients need more freedom to move. Contemp Obstet Gynecol 1984;24(1):90–119.
Neilson JP. Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring during labor: information from randomized trials. Birth 1994;21(2):101–4.
Olsen R, Olsen C, Cox NS. Maternal birthing positions and perineal injury. J Fam Pract 1990;30:553–7.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring. Washington, DC: ACOG 1995. ACOG Technical Bulletin No. 207.
Kennell J, Klaus M, McGrath S, et al. Continuous emotional support during labor in a U.S. hospital. JAMA 1991;265: 2197–201.
Ramin SM, Grambling DR, Lucas MJ, et al. Randomized trial of epidural versus intravenous analgesia during labor. Obstet Gynecol 1995;86:783–9.
Johnson S, Rosenfeld JA. The effect of epidural anesthesia on the length of labor. J Fam Pract 1995;40:244–7.
Viscome C, Eisenach JC. Patient-controlled epidural analgesia during labor. Obstet Gynecol 1991;77:348–51.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Scherger, J.E., Elizondo, M.V. (1998). Normal Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery. In: Taylor, R.B., David, A.K., Johnson, T.A., Phillips, D.M., Scherger, J.E. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2947-4_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2947-4_11
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-2949-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2947-4
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive