Part of the popular LPN Threads series, this market-leading text provides coverage of basic maternity and pediatric nursing in one convenient text. Material is presented with a logical and effective simple-to-complex and health-to-illness organization. With an emphasis on prevention, early recognition, and the family, this edition also includes enhanced coverage of antepartum care and a new full-color design. Comprehensive discussions are provided on family centered care, health promotion and illness prevention, women's health issues, and growth and development of the child and parent. Material is presented with a logical and effective simple-to-complex and health-to-illness organization. Key terms, objectives, tables, figures, and key points in every chapter make reading easier. Cultural considerations are integrated and discussed in all aspects of maternal-child care. Content on grief and loss is integrated throughout as applicable, illustrating the differences in understanding death at various ages and suggesting appropriate responses by the nurse. Multiple-choice review questions are included at the end of each chapter for immediate reinforcement of the chapter content, and to help students prepare for the NCLEX-PN. Nursing Tips throughout each chapter enhance retention by emphasizing important concepts. Maternity and pediatric specific skills and techniques are detailed throughout the text. A complete list of these skills has been added to the last page of the book for easy reference. An updated bibliography and reader reference list validate content and refer the reader to sources for more in-depth study. The most up-to-date information is featured - including the newest NANDA nursing diagnoses, standard precautions for immunization, and storage and use of products. The newest techniques and technology are presented - including the medibottle and phototherapy blanket. Health care reform trends such as Healthy People 2010 are considered. Content on antepartum care has been enhanced along with expanded women's health content. An easy-to-read style and full color design with new illustrations and photographs clarify key concepts and make the text more student-friendly. A new chapter on complementary and alternative therapies has been added. New charts in the antepartum and intrapartum chapters summarize the physiological and psychological changes experienced by the patient, and explain the necessary nursing interventions. Updated and clarified content on the growth and development of the child and the parent helps the reader provide guidance to the parent on how to help the child achieve Erikson's stages of child development. NIC and NOC with NANDA diagnoses are introduced. A list of online resources appears at the end of each chapter. Critical thinking exercises appear in each chapter with discussion points included in the Instructor's Manual. Tear-out patient teaching cards present maternity and pediatric teaching plans in both English and Spanish for use in clinical settings.