Maternal, Infant and Child Health

Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks' gestational age. These babies are known as preemies.  Symptoms of preterm labor include uterine contractions which occur more often than every ten minutes. Premature infants are at greater risk for cerebral palsy, delays in development, hearing problems and sight problems. These risks are greater the earlier a baby is born.

Neonatal infections are infections of the neonate (newborn) acquired during prenatal development or in the first four weeks of life. Neonatal infections may be contracted by mother to child transmission, in the birth canal during childbirth, or contracted after birth. Some neonatal infections are apparent soon after delivery, while others may develop in the postnatal period. Some neonatal infections such as HIV, hepatitis B, and malaria do not become apparent until much later.

A person inherits a complete set of genes from each parent, as well as a vast array of cultural and socioeconomic experiences from his/her family. Family history is thought to be a good predictor of an individual’s disease risk because family members most closely represent the unique genomic and environmental interactions that an individual experiences

Epigenetics is the study of heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence. The Greek prefix epi in epigenetics implies features that are "on top of" or "in addition to" the traditional genetic basis for inheritance. Epigenetics most often denotes changes that affect gene activity and expression, but can also be used to describe any heritable phenotypic change.

Children’s health and safety is about more than just their physical wellbeing; it also refers to their whole welfare. This means that early childhood educators think about more than practical health and safety issues in their day-to-day work. They also recognize that children will have differing emotional support needs and therefore deal with each child differently, respecting their individual life contexts.

Abnormally invasive placenta, also known as morbidly adherent placenta, is a broad term that describes abnormal adherence of placenta to the underlying myometrium. Clinical risk factors include placenta previa and prior uterine surgery, including caesarean delivery. The diagnosis and management of women at risk is not only based on clinical parameters, but also driven by imaging, namely ultrasound and more recently magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging.

Premature babies are born before their bodies and organ systems have completely matured. These babies are often small, with low birth weight, and they may need help breathing, eating, fighting infection, and staying warm. Very premature babies, those born before 28 weeks, are especially vulnerable. Many of their organs may not be ready for life outside the mother's uterus and may be too immature to function well

Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to detect the movement of blood in vessels. It is used in pregnancy to study blood circulation in the baby, uterus and placenta. Using it in high-risk pregnancies, where there is concern about the baby's condition. However, its value as a screening tool in all pregnancies needs to be assessed as there is a possibility of unnecessary interventions and adverse effects.

Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) which is a surgical field.

Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.

Caesarean section, also known as C-section, or caesarean delivery, is the use of surgery to deliver babies. This may include obstructed labor, twin pregnancy and high blood pressure in the mother, breech birth, or problems with the placenta or umbilical cord. A caesarean delivery may be performed based upon the shape of the mother's pelvis or history of a previous C-section.

Prenatal nutrition has a strong influence on birth weight and further development of the infant. There was a study at the National Institution of Health which found that babies born from an obese mother have a higher probability to fail tests of fine motor skills which is the movement of small muscles such as the hands and fingers.

Maternal sepsis is a severe bacterial infection, usually of the uterus (womb), which can occur in pregnant women or more commonly, in the days following childbirth. Infection that occurs just after childbirth is also known as puerperal sepsis.Maternal sepsis was once a common cause of maternal death but is now rare due to improved hygiene standards and effective antibiotics.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of an infant is a brilliant yet exceptionally complex procedure. A child must make numerous physical changes in accordance with life outside the mother's body. Leaving the uterus implies that a child can never again rely upon the mother's course and placenta for essential physiologic capacities.

Numerous instances of baby blues preeclampsia are missed or ineffectively dealt with. Here and there hypertension proceeds and causes different issues, for example, inordinate liquid in the lungs or stroke. In different cases, new-beginning hypertension – what is called de novo hypertension.

Most ladies and even their human services suppliers don't know that a past filled with extreme preeclampsia, development limited children, and other pregnancy complications put them at higher hazard for coronary illness and stroke than other ladies without these intricacies.

Pediatrics is concerned not just about prompt administration of the evil youngster yet additionally long haul consequences for personal satisfaction, handicap and survival. Pediatricians are included with the counteractive action, early location, and the executives of issues including:-

Formative postponements and scatters

Behavioral issues

Mental scatters including gloom and anxiety

Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) is a sudden unexpected death of adolescents and adults, mainly during sleep. A sudden death in a young person can be caused by coronary illness, medication-related causes or other causes. Rare diseases called channelopathies may play a role such as long QT syndrome (LQTS), Brugada syndrome (BrS), CPVT, early repolarisation syndrome, mixed sodium channel disease, and short QT syndrome.

Modern prenatal diagnosis is a collaborative effort, often involving specialists from a number of different areas of medicine. At the Fetal-Maternal Center, you will have access to specialists from virtually every field of maternal, fetal, genetic, neonatal and surgical care. Tests including Three-Dimensional (3D) Ultrasound, Amniocentesis, Fetal Echocardiogram, Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ultrasound etc.

Modern prenatal diagnosis is a collaborative effort, often involving specialists from a number of different areas of medicine. At the Fetal-Maternal Center, you will have access to specialists from virtually every field of maternal, fetal, genetic, neonatal and surgical care. Tests including Three-Dimensional (3D) Ultrasound, Amniocentesis, Fetal Echocardiogram, Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ultrasound etc.