Maternal and Child Health Nursing Overview

Maternal and Child Health Nursing

• Nursing specialty focusing on pregnancy and childbirth
• 800 women die daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth
• 6.6 million children die before age 5, with 5 million dying in the first year of life
• Leading causes of maternal mortality include HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
• COVID-19 disrupted family planning and maternal/newborn health services globally

Maternal Mortality

• Main causes include complications during labor and delivery, high blood pressure during pregnancy, postpartum hemorrhage, and pregnancy loss
• High risk clients include those with abortions, incompetent cervix, ectopic pregnancies, hyperemesis gravidarum, gestational trophoblastic disease, placenta previa, placental abruption, or pregnancy-induced hypertension
• Causes of complications include infections, trauma, genetic defects, and biochemical incompatibility

Infant Mortality

• Top ten causes include bacterial sepsis, pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, congenital heart defects, premature birth, low birth weight, congenital pneumonia, and neonatal aspiration syndrome

Types of Abortion

• Medical abortion: Uses pills (mifepristone and misoprostol)
• Suction abortion/vacuum aspiration: Removes the embryo or fetus
• D&C (dilation and curettage): Recommended after 14 weeks of pregnancy (24 week is typically the upper limit of what could be considered induction)
• Induction abortion: Used after the 24th week of pregnancy
• Late-term abortion: Performed late in pregnancy
• Spontaneous abortion: Pregnancy loss before 20 weeks, possible causes include infection, structural abnormality of uterus, or other factors

Diagnosing and Treating Gestational Trophoblastic Disease (GTD)

• GTD is a group of rare tumors that develop during early pregnancy
• Diagnostic methods include internal pelvic exam, pap test/smear, transvaginal ultrasound, spinal tap, CT scans, and chest x-rays
• Treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy

Early Pregnancy Complications

• Ectopic pregnancy: Fertilized egg implants outside the uterus
• Hyperemesis gravidarum: Extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
• Methotrexate: Medication to stop fertilized egg growth, shouldn't damage fallopian tubes
• Hydatidiform moles (Molar pregnancies): Overproduction of trophoblast tissue
  • Partial: Fertilized egg contains maternal DNA, but double paternal DNA
  • Complete: Fertilized egg has maternal DNA
• Gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN): Cancerous tumors
  • Choriocarcinoma: Forms inside uterus
  • Invasive mole: Abnormal mass grows into uterus muscle
  • Placental-site trophoblastic tumor: Develops where placental attaches to uterine wall
  • Epithelioid trophoblastic: Similar progression to placental-site trophoblastic

Prenatal Testing

• Blood tests used to assess hormone and substance levels affected by GTD
• Urinalysis to monitor sugar, protein, bacteria, and hormone levels

Other High-Risk Conditions

• Intrauterine hypoxia & birth asphyxia
• Congenital malformations, diarrhea, gastroenteritis (infectious origin)

Explore the critical aspects of maternal and child health nursing, with a focus on the alarming statistics surrounding maternal and infant mortality. This quiz covers the main causes of death during pregnancy and childbirth, along with factors affecting maternal newborn health services. Test your knowledge on the complexities of this vital nursing specialty.