Handbook

This course, designed for postgraduate study, aims to provide up to date information on postnatal care of the mother and her newborn baby. A specific emphasis of this course will be on common conditions that affect the mother and newborn in this period, including screening and preventative health. It is likely to be most relevant to primary care clinicians, nurses and midwives, counsellors and obstetricians. The following topics will be covered during this course:

• Postnatal care of the mother
• Routine Care and Common Problems in the First Six Weeks
• Newborn Screening and Preventative Health
• Lactation & Breast Feeding
• Substance Abuse and Drug Use in Pregnancy
• SIDS and Sleep

 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course students should be able to:

• Recognise the serious and common conditions that may affect a mother and newborn after birth and confidently discuss methods of screening, diagnosis and management of these conditions.
• Provide competent, evidence-based advice to mothers regarding the benefits of breastfeeding and critically evaluate the appropriateness of alternative sources of infant nutrition.
• Explain the risk factors for SIDS and outline the evidence for risk prevention strategies.
• Describe the potential impact of maternal substance abuse and drug use during pregnancy and apply this knowledge to situations likely to be encountered in clinical practice.