Disorders of puerperium Flashcards
What does puerperium mean?
The time from the delivery of the placenta to 6 weeks after the birth
When is the post-natal period?
When midwife care is mandatory
Usually until 10 days after the birth, but can be more if midwife feels its necessary
Why is skin-to-skin contact so important?
It helps regulate the baby’s temperature and breathing
And it calms them
What are some common minor post-natal problems mothers get?
Infection Minor post-partum haemorrhage Fatigue Anaemia Backache Mastitis Urinary stress incontinence Baby blues
When do women usually get baby blues, and why?
Usually around day 3 as hormones are changing
What is mastitis?
Inflammation of breast tissue usually caused by infection or stasis of milk
What are some serious problems that post-natal women can get?
Sepsis Severe post-partum haemorrhage Eclampsia Uterine prolapse Thrombosis Breast abscess Depression/psychosis
Eclampsia only occurs before birth. True or false?
False
It often happens post-birth
After birth the uterus shrinks back down to normal size, how quickly does it do this? Approx how big is it normally?
About 1cm per day
About the size of a fist
There are different ways of categorising maternal death, define:
- direct
- indirect
- coincidental
Direct: death relating to obstetric complications of pregnancy, labour and puerperium
Indirect: death from pre-existing disease
Coincidental: unrelated cause
What’s the official definition of maternal death?
Death of a woman during pregnancy and puerperium (up to 6 weeks after birth)
What are the investigations and management that should be done for anyone with suspected sepsis.
(There’s a mnemonic)
BUFALO Blood cultures Urine output Fluids Antibiotics Lactate Oxygen therapy
