BACKGROUND Prenatal and postnatal visits are two effective interventions for protection and promotion of maternal health by reducing maternal mortality and improving the quality of birth. There is limited nationally representative data regarding the changes of prenatal and postnatal visits since the latest health system reform initiated in 2009 in Shaanxi, China. The aim of this study was to ex...

In Bangladesh, like many other developing countries among the major underlying factors leading to poor maternal situation include very low percentages of women actually seek professional medical assistance for pregnancy related care, deliveries and complications. This paper employs statistical methods to identify the factors associated with modes of delivery assistance in Bangladesh. To reach o...

Meditation is important in facilitating health. Pregnancy health has been shown to have significant consequences for infant behaviors. In view of limited studies on meditation and infant temperament, this study aims to explore the effects of prenatal meditation on these aspects. The conceptual framework was based on the postulation of positive relationships between prenatal meditation and infan...

BACKGROUND Exposure to prenatal stress is associated with later adverse health and adjustment outcomes. This is generally presumed to arise through early environmentally mediated programming effects on the foetus. However, associations could arise through factors that influence mothers' characteristics and behaviour during pregnancy which are inherited by offspring. METHOD A 'prenatal cross-f...

OBJECTIVES There is evidence that health care during pregnancy is a crucial component in ensuring a safe delivery. Because the infant mortality rate in Costa Rica is almost half the rate of Panama, the researchers tested the hypothesis that women in Costa Rica are more knowledgeable about prenatal health care than women in neighboring Panama. METHODS A multiple-choice survey was used to evalu...

BACKGROUND Neonatal death accounts for one fifth of all under-five mortality in Uganda. Suboptimal newborn care practices resulting from hypothermia, poor hygiene and delayed initiation of breastfeeding are leading predisposing factors. Evidence suggests focused educational prenatal care messages to mitigate these problems. However, there is a paucity of data on the interaction between the serv...

Background: Understanding the physiological and psycho-social effects of pregnancy through Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) will enable health care providers to identify and treat any adverse outcomes, and provide support to women seeking fertility treatments. The aim of this paper was to review studies describing prenatal care in pregnancy through ARTs. Methods: A systematic search o...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to test the requirement of "local independence" in the newly developed "Maternal Health Literacy" (MaHeLi) composite scale measuring health literacy in pregnant adolescents attending antenatal care. METHODS The 20-item scale was administered to 384 adolescents aged 15-19 years attending antenatal care in Uganda during the period July-Decem...

Introduction: Quality of life is individuals’ perception of their status in life in the context of the culture and value systems they live in. Pregnancy has a great impact on mothers and their quality of life. Prenatal classes provide mothers with information about pregnancy, labor process and newborn care. Objective:The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of prenata...