CHAPTER 1: Perinatal terminology

• The stages of pregnancy
• Perinatal period
• Neonatal period
• Births and deaths
• Mortality rates
• Low birthweight rate

CHAPTER 2: Intrauterine growth and gestational age

• Intrauterine growth
• Prenatal period
• Postnatal period
• Estimation of gestational age
• Before birth
• After birth

CHAPTER 3: The physical examination

• Perinatal information
• Measurements
• Method of examination
• General appearance
• Head
• Face
• Ears
• Nose
• Eyes
• Buccal cavity
• Neck
• Chest
• Cardiovascular system
• Abdomen
• Umbilical cord
• Genitalia
• Anus
• Limbs
• Back
• Hips
• Skin
• Examination of the placenta

CHAPTER 4: Nursery care

• Routine care
• At birth
• After birth – immediate care
• After birth – continuing care
• Accommodation and equipment
• Nursery techniques
• Primary care
• Special care
• Aims
• Transference
• Benefits

CHAPTER 5: Breast-feeding

• Significance
• Promotion
• Structure and function of the breast
• Lactation
• Milk synthesis
• Milk drainage
• Maintenance of lactation
• Techniques of breast-feeding
• Feeding problems
• Milk banking
• Introduction of solids
• Termination of breast-feeding

CHAPTER 6: Artificial feeding

• Composition of cow milk
• Modification of cow milk
• Choice of product
• Preparation of feeds
• At home
• In hospital
• Fluid requirements
• Vitamins and iron
• Feeding techniques
• Weaning

CHAPTER 7: Disorders of maturation, growth and development

• The preterm infant
• Clinical features
• Management
• Body temperature
• Feeding
• Supplements
• Parenteral nutrition
• Prevention of infection
• Complications
• Discharge
• Prognosis
• Summary of essential care for small babies
• The underweight-for-gestation infant
• Intrinsic causes
• Extrinsic factors
• Management
• Prognosis
• The large-for-gestation infant
• Aetiology
• Complications
• Prognosis
• Multiple births
• Twins
• Complications

CHAPTER 8: Infection

• Protection against infection
• Specific factors
• General factors
• Types of infection
• Infections from the mother
• Infections from the birth canal
• Infections from the nursery
• Less common infections
• Isolation

CHAPTER 9: Jaundice

• Bilirubin physiology
• Causes of jaundice
• Clinical presentation of jaundice
• Physiological jaundice
• Pathological jaundice
• Early onset jaundice
• Excessive jaundice (after 36 hours)
• Prolonged jaundice (longer than
• 10 days
• Obstructive jaundice
• The treatment of jaundice

CHAPTER 10: Congenital abnormalities

• Types of abnormalities
• Malformation
• Disruption
• Deformation
• Genetic counselling
• Diagnosis of fetal abnormalities

CHAPTER 11: Neurological disorders

• Neurological examination
• Behaviour
• Motor function
• Reflexes
• Assessment of developmental
• milestones
• Developmental screening for large groups
• Congenital malformations
• Neural tube
• Acute insults to the brain
• Hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy
• Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)
• Cerebral oedema
• Intracranial bleeding
• Septic meningitis
• Seizures
• Birth trauma
• Intracranial bleeding
• Cervical cord
• Peripheral nerves
• Neuromuscular disorders
• The floppy baby
• The jittery baby
• Procedures
• Lumbar puncture
• Ultrasonography

CHAPTER 12: Special sense organ disorders

• Eye
• Sight
• Congenital abnormalities
• Infection
• Retinopathy of prematurity
• Ear
• Hearing
• Congenital abnormalities
• Infection
• Nose
• Smell
• Congenital abnormalities
• Infection

CHAPTER 13: Respiratory disorders

• Physiology of breathing
• Blood–gas exchange
• Oxygen carriage
• Carbon dioxide carriage
• Acid-base balance
• Asphyxia neonatorum
• Experimental asphyxia
• Fetal hypoxaemia
• Assessment of infant at birth
• Resuscitation procedure
• Techniques
• Resuscitation unit
• Respiratory distress
• Specific diseases
• Less common causes of respiratory
• Distress Apnoeic attacks
• Techniques
• Assisted ventilation
• Measurement of oxygen saturation
• (SaO2)

CHAPTER 14: Cardiovascular disorders

• Embryology
• The fetal circulation
• Heart rate and blood pressure
• Presentation of cardiovascular disease
• Congenital heart disease
• Cyanotic heart disease
• Acyanotic heart disease
• Outlook for congenital heart disease
• Other cardiac problems
• Cardiomyopathy
• Persistent pulmonary hypertension
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Treatment of heart failure

CHAPTER 15: Gastrointestinal disorders

• Physiology
• Stools
• Delay in passing stools
• Diarrhoea
• Constipation
• Vomiting
• Vomiting in the first 24 hours
• Vomiting in the first week
• Vomiting after several weeks
• Blood in vomitus or stool
• Congenital abnormalities
• Branchial disorders
• Disorders of the gut
• Specific abnormalities
• The rectum and anus
• The umbilicus
• Necrotising enterocolitis
• Infections

CHAPTER 16: Blood disorders

• Red blood cells
• Anaemia
• Polycythaemia
• Haemoglobin
• White blood cells
• Bacterial infection
• Other disorders of white cells
• Bleeding disorders
• Haemostasis
• Investigation of a bleeding disorder
• Platelet abnormalities
• Clotting defects
• Collection of blood samples

CHAPTER 17: Urogenital disorders

• Renal physiology
• Urine
• Congenital renal malformations
• Presentation
• Specific malformations
• Urinary tract infection
• Renal vein thrombosis
• Acute renal failure
• Genitalia – male
• Penis
• Testes
• Genitalia – female
• Labia
• Vagina
• Sex differentiation
• Sex development disorders

CHAPTER 18: Skin and tissue disorders

• Epidermis and dermis
• Miscellaneous features
• Congenital abnormalities
• Naevi (birthmarks)
• Vascular anomalies
• Pigmented naevi
• Trauma
• Tissue injuries of the scalp
• Infections
• Intrauterine infection
• Postnatal infection

CHAPTER 19: Metabolic and endocrine system disorders

• Glucose
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
• Thermoregulation
• Inherited metabolic disorders
• Specific metabolic diseases
• Endocrine system
• The adrenal gland
• The thyroid gland
• Thymus and parathyroids
• Infant of a diabetic mother

CHAPTER 20: Musculoskeletal disorders

• Skeletal malformations
• Chondrodystrophies
• Connective tissue disorders
• Limbs
• Digits
• Joints
• Muscles
• Fractures
• Skull
• Limbs
• Infections

CHAPTER 21: Miscellaneous problems

• Crying
• At birth
• After birth
• Pain relief
• Failure to thrive
• Food allergy
• Grief
• Ethical and moral issues

CHAPTER 22: Drugs and dosages

• Drugs given to the pregnant woman
• Drugs excreted in breast milk
• Drugs commonly used
• Method of prescription
• Drug tables