Contents: Foundations for nursing care of childbearing families: Maternity care today -- The Nurse's role in maternity and women's health care -- Ethical, social and legal issues -- Reproductive anatomy and physiology -- Hereditary and environmental influences on childbearing -- The Family before birth: Conception and prenatal development -- Physiologic adaptations to pregnancy -- Nutrition for childbearing -- Antepartal fetal assessment -- Perinatal education -- The family during birth: Processes of birth -- Nursing care during labor and birth -- Intrapartum fetal surveillance -- Pain management during childbirth -- Nursing care during obstetric procedures -- The family following birth: Postpartum physiologic adaptations -- Postpartum psychosocial adaptations -- Normal newborn: Processes of adaptations -- Assessment of the normal newborn -- Care of the normal newborn -- Infant feeding -- Home care of the infant -- Families at risk during the childbearing period: The childbearing family with special needs -- Complications of pregnancy -- Concurrent disorders during pregnancy -- Intrapartum complications -- Postpartum maternal complications -- High risk newborn: Complications associated with gestational age and development -- High risk newborn: Acquired and congenital conditions -- Other reproductive issues: Family planning -- Infertility -- Women's health care.