The fluid balance observed postnatally on normal pregnancies, pregnancies with preeclampsia, and on pregnancies with oedema and proteinuria

Introduction It is observed that delivery does not completely eliminate the risk of developing symptoms of preeclampsia, as well as its impending complications. The postpartum period is often associated with a high risk of developing preeclampsia, eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Yet, there is neither an established standard, nor specific guidelines for peripartum fluid management. Our purpose is to study during the first four days of the postpartum period the differences in fluid balance on: normal pregnancies, pregnancies with preeclampsia and pregnancies with oedema and proteinuria. Methods The setting was the Gaia private maternity clinic in Athens, where 100 women in the postpartum period took part in the study and were requested to fill in a data collection-sheet, specially developed for the study. They were recruited between January 2014 and November 2014 and were divided into three groups. Group I consisted of all normal pregnancies, Group II those with oedema and proteinuria, and Group III those with preeclampsia. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the women and fetuses were initially recorded. Subsequently, daily records of fluid balance, as well as body weight, were kept for four days after labor. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the demographic data of the sampled women. We compared the fluid balances among the three groups using t-test association and one-way Anova. Results The mean age of the women was 32.48±4.38 years. Out of a total of 100 women, 59 of them had a normal pregnancy (Group I), 24 developed oedema and proteinuria (Group II) and 17 developed preeclampsia (Group III). All three groups had a positive fluid balance on the first day postpartum and only the first group had a negative cumulative fluid balance from the second day postpartum and onwards. The second group despite having started to discard a small volume of fluid, from the second day postpartum, the balance remained positive throughout the next two days. The third group however, had a negative fluid balance only during the fourth day after labor. Conclusions ur results indicate a difference in the kinetics of fluids in women with preeclampsia, compared to those that had a normal pregnancy and postpartum period. Consequently, there appears to be a need for more rational management and follow up on fluid balance throughout labor

Maternal and neonatal outcomes for women giving birth after previous cesarean

Introduction Rising rates of caesarean section (CS) is an issue of particular concern. Recently, there has been research supporting Vaginal Births After Caesarean (VBAC), which is controversial. In Greece, over half of births in the country are by CS, placing Greece among countries with the highest CS rates. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and the factors associated with VBACs and to compare the maternal/neonatal outcomes with a ‘non-caesarean’ control group. Methods The data were evaluated and retrospectively gathered on archived singleton births, from medical records of a midwifery-led team, between May 2006 and May 2013. The target group of the study included mothers with a previous CS, who had a second birth. The sample consisted of 71 VBAC women and 583 who had normal spontaneous vaginal delivery (NSVD) as the ‘non-caesarean’ control group. Results The duration of labour was longer for the VBACs compared with first-time mothers who gave birth naturally (for duration 481–720 min, 27% vs 10.3%, respectively), episiotomy was more common for VBAC (20.7% vs 7.9%), and epidural analgesia was more often for VBAC (68.4% vs 10%). The percentage of 1-min Apgar score in the range 0–7 in the VBAC group was 5%, and there was no significant difference in women who had NSVD (3.6%). The Apgar score in the 5th minute was always above 8 for both groups. Conclusions Severe maternal and neonatal complications are infrequent, and therefore the necessity arises for further continuous studies to ascertain the safety of VBAC

Exposure to active and passive smoking among Greek pregnant women

Introduction Active smoking and exposure to passive smoke are responsible for numerous adverse pregnancy outcomes for women and their infants. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions, attitudes, patterns of personal tobacco use and exposure to environmental smoke among a sample of pregnant women in Greece. Material and Methods A cross sectional survey was undertaken of 300 women identified from the perinatal care records of the Maternity Departments of two hospitals in Athens between February 2013 and May 2013. Data on active and passive maternal smoking status in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy, fetal and neonatal tobacco related complications, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke during pregnancy, quit attempts, behaviors towards avoiding passive smoking and beliefs towards smoking cessation during pregnancy were collected using self-administered questionnaires on the 3rd postnatal day. Women also completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Results Of 300 women recruited to the study 48 % reported tobacco use during the first trimester of pregnancy. Amongst participants who were tobacco users, 83.3 % reported making an attempt to quit but less than half (45.1 %) were successful. Among women who continued to smoke during pregnancy the majority (55.8 %) reported that they felt unable to quit, and 9.3 % reported that they considered smoking cessation was not an important health issue for them. Participants who continued to smoke during pregnancy were more likely to report fetal (χ2 = 11.41; df = 5; p < 0.05) and newborn complications (χ2 = 6.41; df = 2; p < 0.05), including preterm birth and low birth weight. Participants who reported that their partners were smokers were more likely to smoke throughout their pregnancy (χ2 = 14.62; df = 1; p < 0.001). High rates of second-hand smoke exposure were reported among both smoking and non-smoking women. Pregnant smokers had significantly higher levels of postnatal depressive and anxiety symptomatology, as measured using the EPDS, than non-smokers. Conclusions Of 300 women recruited to the study 48 % reported tobacco use during the first trimester of pregnancy. Amongst participants who were tobacco users, 83.3 % reported making an attempt to quit but less than half (45.1 %) were successful. Among women who continued to smoke during pregnancy the majority (55.8 %) reported that they felt unable to quit, and 9.3 % reported that they considered smoking cessation was not an important health issue for them. Participants who continued to smoke during pregnancy were more likely to report fetal (χ2 = 11.41; df = 5; p < 0.05) and newborn complications (χ2 = 6.41; df = 2; p < 0.05), including preterm birth and low birth weight. Participants who reported that their partners were smokers were more likely to smoke throughout their pregnancy (χ2 = 14.62; df = 1; p < 0.001). High rates of second-hand smoke exposure were reported among both smoking and non-smoking women. Pregnant smokers had significantly higher levels of postnatal depressive and anxiety symptomatology, as measured using the EPDS, than non-smokers

A survey for the readiness of Greek midwives for the adoption of evidence-based practice (EBP).

INTRODUCTION: The holistic approach of healthcare practice in midwifery demands the use of evidence-based practice (EBP) in all aspects of clinical care. Applying EBP in every day healthcare practice by midwives offers various significant benefits. The aim of the present study was to investigate and assess the knowledge and awareness of midwives in Greece with regard to EBP. METHODS: Data collection took place from October 2012 to January 2013 among midwifery staff within two national ’urban’ healthcare hospitals of Athens and the department of midwifery in the Athens Technological Institute. The sample consisted of 209 participants of which 109 were midwives and 100 student midwifes. Both were invited to complete a questionnaire specifically designed for the study. RESULTS: Only 43.5% of midwives declared awareness of the term EBP, while 36.4% had to search for general evidence about twice a month in order to support their role. The first source of information to support clinical practice was found to be ’asking colleagues’ (52.2%) followed by ’internet search in general’ (48.8%), but not in the EBP databases. In addition, 61.2% of respondents stated that EBP would definitely contribute to the provision of better quality midwifery care. CONCLUSIONS: For a successful implementation of EBP, it is required initially to train personnel to develop their abilities, to provide information on the way to use different data sources and encourage midwifery personnel to take initiatives and be part of the decision-making process

A pilot study of the Tobacco Treatment Guidelines for High-Risk Groups (TOB-G) for pregnant and postpartum women

Introduction An estimated 6-19% of women in Europe smoke during pregnancy. We conducted a pilot study to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of the clinical practice recommendations of the 2017 Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High-risk Groups (TOB-G) for Pregnant and Post-Partum Women in an outpatient obstetrics setting. Methods The guideline recommendations were tested in a sample of 67 pregnant women recruited from obstetrics outpatient visits. Pregnant women who smoked received three behavioural counselling sessions through a combination of face-to-face and telephone consultation by a midwife trained in the TOBG tobacco treatment recommendations. Smoking status was assessed at 1 and 6-months follow-up via self-report. Results Seventy-one percent of pregnant smokers screened agreed to participate in the counseling intervention. Pregnant women participants (mean age 31.73 years SD±6.09) smoked for an average of 12.2 (SD±6.55) years. Women reported smoking an average of 4.82 (SD±4.14) cigarettes per day with a 51% reporting smoking within 30 minutes of waking, an indicator of higher levels of nicotine addiction. Rates of smoking abstinence among pregnant women exposed to the counselling intervention were 43.9% and 45.6% at the 1 and 6-month follow-up respectively. Assuming missing data for women we were unable to reach for follow-up were active smokers, the quit rates were 26.9% and 38.8% at the 1 and 6-month follow-up respectively. Conclusions The counselling intervention delivered to pregnant women who smoke was feasible to implement in a manner that was consistent with the TOB-G guideline recommendations in an outpatient obstetrics setting and were associated with smoking abstinence among pregnant women sampled