This manual encompasses a comprehensive approach to the management of labour . Based on the simple proposition that effective uterine action is the key to normal delivery, Active Management of Labour covers all aspects of delivery for the primagravida with vertex presentation and single foetus. The first section of the book includes chapters covering the need to distinguish between first and all subsequent births, between induction of labour and acceleration of labour, and to the fact that obstetrical abnomalities must always be excluded before consideration can be given to the management of labour as a distict entity. Later chapters define the basic parameters of labour, and the rules governing the use of oxytocin are are included. Coverage also includes the causes of abnormal labour, maternal stress and how to deal with it, induction, effacement and dilation, caesarean section rates, and cerebral palsy. There is also a chapter on organisation of a busy delivery unit, where medical efficiency and human compassion must co-exist.
