This collection radiates beauty, honesty, and an authentic poetic voice that seems to overturn everything ugly in human experience. Tender portraits of family roots accompany a kaleidoscopic Strabane and touch on the anxiety of growing up in fraught political times.

Over the last ten years, pregnancy has not only become more complicated for many women, but the traditional provision of general intensive care units has been reduced. To bridge this gap, critical care units, usually staffed by midwives, have been set up in many maternity units. This textbook is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this emerging area of practice. Critical Care Assessment by Midwives also notably sets out a template for assessment of women that will enable early identification of deteriorating health. Serious illness can arise subsequent to an emergency, a pre-existing illness or a complication of pregnancy but can also occur in the context of what appears to be a low risk pregnancy. For this reason, all midwives need to be skilled in assessment that facilitates timely, appropriate referrals and saves lives. It covers: ABCDE assessment tailored for midwives; assessment of cardiac conditions; aassessment of respiratory conditions; assessment of neurological conditions; pre-eclampsia; haemorrhage; shock, including hypovolaemia, sepsis and anaphylaxis; haemodynamic monitoring; fluid replacement and balance; ketoacidosis, hypoglycaemia and sickle cell crisis. Covering the context of care, relevant pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, specific assessment in detail, relevant drugs, assessment of the fetus, summaries of management, psychosocial support and the specific professional responsibilities of the midwife, this is an essential guide for all midwives and midwifery students.

Midwives are encountering more and more women whose pregnancies are complicated by medical conditions, including cardiac disease, obesity and diabetes. This new edition is completely up-to-date and offers highly practical solutions for everyday midwifery practice, acknowledging the importance of promoting normality where possible. This text includes physiology, explanations of conditions and principles of care for preconception, pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Each chapter brings together the basic knowledge of a condition and how it changes during pregnancy in an integrated and accessible way, including a new chapter dedicated to obesity. Explanations of laboratory tests, diagnostic tests, common drugs and illustrative colour pictures are included in relevant chapters. Medical Conditions Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth is a vital guide for student midwives, as well as a useful reference for practising midwives.

Midwives are encountering more and more women whose pregnancies are complicated by medical conditions, including cardiac disease, obesity and diabetes. This new edition is completely up-to-date and offers highly practical solutions for everyday midwifery practice, acknowledging the importance of promoting normality where possible. This text includes physiology, explanations of conditions and principles of care for preconception, pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period. Each chapter brings together the basic knowledge of a condition and how it changes during pregnancy in an integrated and accessible way, including a new chapter dedicated to obesity. Explanations of laboratory tests, diagnostic tests, common drugs and illustrative colour pictures are included in relevant chapters. Medical Conditions Affecting Pregnancy and Childbirth is a vital guide for student midwives, as well as a useful reference for practising midwives.

Over the last ten years, pregnancy has not only become more complicated for many women, but the traditional provision of general intensive care units has been reduced. To bridge this gap, critical care units, usually staffed by midwives, have been set up in many maternity units. This textbook is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this emerging area of practice. Critical Care Assessment by Midwives also notably sets out a template for assessment of women that will enable early identification of deteriorating health. Serious illness can arise subsequent to an emergency, a pre-existing illness or a complication of pregnancy but can also occur in the context of what appears to be a low risk pregnancy. For this reason, all midwives need to be skilled in assessment that facilitates timely, appropriate referrals and saves lives. It covers: ABCDE assessment tailored for midwives; assessment of cardiac conditions; aassessment of respiratory conditions; assessment of neurological conditions; pre-eclampsia; haemorrhage; shock, including hypovolaemia, sepsis and anaphylaxis; haemodynamic monitoring; fluid replacement and balance; ketoacidosis, hypoglycaemia and sickle cell crisis. Covering the context of care, relevant pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, specific assessment in detail, relevant drugs, assessment of the fetus, summaries of management, psychosocial support and the specific professional responsibilities of the midwife, this is an essential guide for all midwives and midwifery students.

Eleven women went missing over the spring and summer of 1988 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, an old fishing port known as the Whaling City, where Moby Dick, Frederick Douglass, textile mills, and heroin-dealing represent just a few of the many threads in the community's diverse fabric. In Shallow Graves, investigative reporter Maureen Boyle tells the story of a case that has haunted New England for forty years. The Crimes: The skeletal remains of nine of the women, aged nineteen to thirty-six, were discovered near highways around New Bedford. Some had clearly been strangled, others were so badly decomposed that police were left to guess how they had died. The Victims: All the missing women had led troubled lives of drug addiction, prostitution, and domestic violence, including Nancy Paiva, whose sister was a hard-working employee of the City of New Bedford, and Debra Greenlaw DeMello, who came from a solidly middle-class family but fell into drugs and abusive relationships. In a bizarre twist, Paiva's clothes were found near DeMello's body. The Investigators: Massachusetts state troopers Maryann Dill and Jose Gonsalves were the two constants in a complex cast of city, county, and state cops and prosecutors. They knew the victims, the suspects, and the drug-and-crime-riddled streets of New Bedford. They were present at the beginning of the case and they stayed to the bitter end. The Suspects: Kenneth Ponte, a New Bedford attorney and deputy sheriff with an appetite for drugs and prostitutes, landed in the investigative crosshairs from the start. He was indicted by a grand jury in the murder of one of the victims, but those charges were later dropped. Anthony DeGrazia was a loner who appeared to fit the classic serial-killer profile: horrific childhood abuse, charming, charismatic, but prone to bursts of violence. He hunted prostitutes in the city by night and served at a Catholic church by day. Which of these two was the real killer? Or was it someone else entirely? Maureen Boyle first broke the story in 1988 and stayed with it for decades. In Shallow Graves she spins a riveting narrative about the crimes, the victims, the hunt for the killers, and the search for justice, all played out against the backdrop of an increasingly impoverished community beset by drugs and crime. Drawing on more than one hundred interviews, along with police reports, first-person accounts, and field reporting both during the killings and more recently, Shallow Graves brings the reader behind the scenes of the investigation, onto the streets of the city, and into the homes of the families still hoping for answers.

This full-colour book provides midwives with highly practical, readily accessible information on the wide range of infections affecting pregnancy and childbirth. It comprehensively outlines the vital role of the midwife in infection, including prevention, identification of high-risk individuals, educational opportunities, signs and symptoms, sample collection, screening and ongoing care.

Designed to enhance the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to perform effectively in urgent or emergency situations that can occur in a hospital, at a birth centre or at home, this fully updated third edition provides an accessible resource for all practising midwives. With contributions from highly experienced midwives, this practical handbook incorporates an all-new chapter on serious infections and continues to provide key, up-to-date information on high-risk medical and obstetric situations. It also covers relevant information on litigation and the conclusions arising from the reports from the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths. Emergencies Around Childbirth is essential reading for practising and trainee midwives, and those who teach them.