Designed to meet the needs of today's students, Lowdermilk's Maternity Nursing, 8th edition addresses the fundamentals of maternity nursing in a concise, focused presentation. Integrating the importance of understanding family, culture, and health promotion into the continuum of care, it also includes integration of community-based care to emphasize that nursing care takes place in many settings. Maternity Nursing focuses on childbearing issues and concerns, including care of the newborn, but also addresses wellness promotion and management of common women's health problems. Nursing process information has been streamlined and put in box format to help you easily identify information on major diseases and conditions. Nursing Alerts highlight critical information that must be considered in providing safe patient care. Highlighted emergency procedures offer quick reference for critical situations. Cultural Considerations boxes introduce you to customs and beliefs of different cultures that may affect the way you care for patients and families. Community Activity boxes focus on maternal and newborn activities when caring for families outside the clinical setting. Includes case studies of real-life situations with corresponding critical thinking questions. Nursing Care Plans provide specific guidelines and rationales for delivering effective nursing care. Media icons alert you to related electronic features, integrating content from the Evolve companion website with the textbook. Evidence-Based Practice boxes have been updated, researched and reformatted to help you focus on current research.Recognizes the nurse's need to integrate the family in the care of the mother and newborn.New and updated information to reflect current nursing research.