Integrated Maternal and Newborn Care Basic Skills Course ...

Reference Manual
Malaria
Susceptibility to malaria parasitemia is increased during
pregnancy, particularly in the primigravida or women in their
first malaria-exposed pregnancy. Malaria in pregnancy can
cause severe anemia, provoke an abortion, premature birth,
or the birth of a stillborn. Because placental sequestration of
malarial parasites can occur, newborns of women who have
suffered from malaria during pregnancy tend to be smaller,
weaker, and more vulnerable to infections.
Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTI) during pregnancy increase the risk of low birth weight infants and
prematurity . Neonatal problems that are associated with UTI include sepsis and pneumonia.
The risk of urinary tract infection on adverse perinatal outcomes is greatest among those with
the most severe infection of the kidney, known as pyelonephritis.
Syphilis
Untreated maternal syphilis increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, congenital
infection in the newborn, and neonatal mortality. Early detection and treatment is necessary to
halt the devastating effects of progressive syphilis in the woman and to prevent transmission to
her baby and her partner. The test for syphilis should be repeated in the third trimester if the
woman or her partner engages in risky sexual behavior.
HIV
Infection with HIV affects many aspects of antenatal care. A woman infected with HIV requires
additional care to keep her as healthy as possible, to prevent transmission to her baby and her
partner, to treat her HIV infection, and to link her to appropriate support and help her make
decisions about the future, including avoiding unintended pregnancies. The risk of mother-tochild
transmission (MTCT) of HIV is 15-45 percent; more than 90 percent of pediatric AIDS
cases are due to MTCT. Untreated maternal HIV can also result in increased incidence of
stillbirths and newborn deaths, low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation, and possibly
spontaneous abortion and preterm birth.
Diabetes
Uncontrolled diabetes during pregnancy can result in maternal morbidity and mortality and is
associated with an increase in perinatal/neonatal mortality. In addition, certain fetal anomalies
are more common in babies of diabetic mothers, and the larger size of babies born to diabetic
mothers may contribute to cephalopelvic disproportion, obstructed labor, and increased
occurrence of birth asphyxia and birth trauma. Finally, the baby of a diabetic mother is also at
increased risk for hypoglycemia, which may occur in the immediate postpartum period, and for
jaundice, which may develop during the early neonatal period.
Integrated maternal and newborn care
Basic skills course
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