Perinatal period

WikiDoc Resources for Perinatal period

Articles

Most recent articles on Perinatal period

Most cited articles on Perinatal period

Review articles on Perinatal period

Articles on Perinatal period in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Perinatal period

Images of Perinatal period

Photos of Perinatal period

Podcasts & MP3s on Perinatal period

Videos on Perinatal period

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Perinatal period

Bandolier on Perinatal period

TRIP on Perinatal period

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Perinatal period at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Perinatal period

Clinical Trials on Perinatal period at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Perinatal period

NICE Guidance on Perinatal period

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Perinatal period

CDC on Perinatal period

Books

Books on Perinatal period

News

Perinatal period in the news

Be alerted to news on Perinatal period

News trends on Perinatal period

Commentary

Blogs on Perinatal period

Definitions

Definitions of Perinatal period

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Perinatal period

Discussion groups on Perinatal period

Patient Handouts on Perinatal period

Directions to Hospitals Treating Perinatal period

Risk calculators and risk factors for Perinatal period

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Perinatal period

Causes & Risk Factors for Perinatal period

Diagnostic studies for Perinatal period

Treatment of Perinatal period

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Perinatal period

International

Perinatal period en Espanol

Perinatal period en Francais

Business

Perinatal period in the Marketplace

Patents on Perinatal period

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Perinatal period

## Overview

[edit | edit source]

Perinatal defines the period occurring around the time of birth (5 months before and 1 month after). The perinatal period commences at 22 completed weeks (154 days) of gestation (the time when birth weight is normally 500 g), and ends seven completed days after birth. (WHO - World Health Organization).

In relation to perinatal period breastfeeding is one of the most important thing to remember. Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a woman's breasts. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. Experimental evidence suggests that, with few exceptions, human breast milk is the best source of nourishment for human infants. Experts still disagree about how long breastfeeding should continue to gain the most benefit, and how much extra risk is involved in using breast milk substitutes.

An infant may be breastfed by its own mother or by another lactating female, a wet nurse. Breast milk may be expressed and fed to a baby through a bottle, and pasteurized donor human milk may also be used. Breast milk substitutes are available for mothers or families who cannot or prefer not to breastfeed their children. While there are conflicting studies about the relative value of breast milk substitutes, the use of commercial infant formulas is acknowledged to be inferior to breastfeeding for both full term and premature infants. In many countries, artificial feeding is associated with a greater mortality from diarrhoea in infants but where there is clean water, many consider artificial feeding to be acceptable.

Governmental strategies and international initiatives promote breastfeeding as the best method of feeding infants in their first year and beyond. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also promote breastfeeding.

## See also

[edit | edit source]

* Obstetrics
* Postnatal

Template:WH Template:WS