Obstetrics is the branch of medicine concerned with the management of childbirth. The ultimate goal of all workers in the field of obstetrics is to assist a mother to produce a healthy baby, with a minimum of danger and discomfort to both. Pregnancy is defined as the condition of being "with child." To understand pregnancy, we must know how it begins, how the fetus grows in the uterus, and how it affects the mother.

Today, more than ever before nurses play a central role in the planning for and the experience of birth, and in how families feel about the experience afterwards. You, as a practical nurse, should be knowledgeable of all aspects of maternal nursing. And, by applying this knowledge you will develop skills and experience in providing quality nursing care.

Subcourse Components: The subcourse instructional material consists of the following:

Introduction

Universal Body Substance Precautions

Lesson 1, Reproductive Anatomy and Physiology.

Lesson 2, Embryology and Fetal Development.

Lesson 3, Diagnosis of Pregnancy.

Lesson 4, Psychologic Needs During Pregnancy.

Lesson 5, Physiologic Changes During Pregnancy.

Lesson 6, Prenatal Care During Pregnancy.

Lesson 7, Personal Hygiene and Care During Pregnancy.

Lesson 8, Minor Discomforts of Pregnancy.

Lesson 9, Patient Education During Pregnancy.

Lesson 10, Fetal Positions and Adaptations.

Glossary

Study Suggestions:

Here are some suggestions that may be helpful to you in completing this subcourse:

--Read and study each lesson carefully.

--Complete the subcourse lesson by lesson. After completing each lesson, work the exercises at the end of the lesson, marking your answers in this booklet.

--After completing each set of lesson exercises, compare your answers with those on the solution sheet that follows the exercises. If you have answered an exercise incorrectly, check the reference cited after the answer on the solution sheet to determine why your response was not the correct one.

Credit Awarded:

To receive credit hours, you must be officially enrolled and complete an examination furnished by the Nonresident Instruction Branch at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Upon successful completion of the examination for this subcourse, you will be awarded 13 credit hours.

You can enroll by going to the web site http://atrrs.army.mil  and enrolling under "Self Development" (School Code 555).

A listing of correspondence courses and subcourses available through the Nonresident Instruction Section is found in Chapter 4 of DA Pamphlet 350-59, Army Correspondence Course Program Catalog. The DA PAM is available at the following website: http://www.usapa.army.mil/pdffiles/p350-59.pdf.