Effects Of Pregnancy On Women And Babies - 1805 Words

Subtle or acute changes in pregnancy can threaten the successful journey to motherhood resulting in devastating consequences for women and babies (Lunau, 2014). Pre-eclampsia is the focus of this essay, a high risk condition experienced by a woman under my care. Her medical treatment will be contrasted with evidence-based information found in the reviewed literature. Risk assessment definition will be critiqued along with impact of this term on pregnant women. I will reflect on the care I provided and strategies that can enhance more sensible care. A pseudonym will be used to de-identify the woman complying with the code of professional conduct for midwives (2008). Discussion Maria was an 18 year old Aboriginal primigravida who at 36†¦show more content†¦(2014) argue that while understanding of pre-eclampsia has improve over the years the only effective treatment is the birth of the fetus and the placenta. However, immediate stabilization of the woman prior to termination of pregnancy is essential (Friedlander, 2008; Pennington, et al., 2012; Berzan, et al., 2014). Maria arrived at Alice Springs maternity unit complaining of headache; her blood pressure was 160/120mmhg measured manually. She had peripheral pitting oedema in her legs, proteinuria 4+, oliguria and elevated uric acid. Lisonkova and Joseph (2013) make a strong case that late-onset preeclampsia is associated with younger maternal age and nulliparity which correlated with the background of the woman under my care. While pre-eclampsia is generally diagnosed on the basis of hypertension and proteinuria (Pettit Brown, 2012), Lewis (2011) classify these parameters as inaccurate and non specific markers. The reasons come from two directions. First they are only present in 15-20% of all pregnant women (Lewis, 2011). Second, they are just two signs of progressive circulatory malfunction and inflammation of the placenta (Lewis, 2011). There seems to be general agreement that proteinuria and uric acid are poor predictors of maternal and fetal complication and they should not guide management (Steegers,