What is an Obstetrician?

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Obstetrics (from the Latin obstare, "to stand by") is the surgical specialty dealing with the care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal. Midwifery is the non-surgical equivalent. Veterinary obstetrics is the same concept for veterinary medicine.
The miracle of birth and the giving of life through delivering babies is what draws many obstetricians to this important career. Obstetricians, often trained as gynecologists or dubbed OB/GYN, for the mix of the titles, give specialized medical treatment and advice related to the female reproductive system, and care for women during pregnancy and childbirth. Much of their work involves caring for women who have difficult or complicated pregnancies.
In obstetric practice, an obstetrician or midwife sees a pregnant woman on a regular basis to check the progress of the pregnancy, to verify the absence of ex-novo disease, to monitor the state of preexisting disease and its possible effect on the ongoing pregnancy. A woman's schedule of antenatal appointment varies according to the presence of risk factors, such as diabetes, and local resources.
Some of the clinically and statistically more important risk factors that must be systematically excluded, especially in advancing pregnancy, are pre-eclampsia, abnormal placentation, abnormal fetal presentation and intrauterine growth restriction. For example, to identify pre-eclampsia, blood-pressure and albuminuria (level of urine protein) are checked at every opportunity.
Placenta praevia must be excluded (PP = low lying placenta that, at least partially, obstructs the birth canal and therefore warrants elective caesarean delivery); this can only be achieved with the use of an ultrasound scan. However, early placenta praevia is not alarming; this is because as the uterus grows along the pregnancy, the placenta may still move away. A placenta praevia is of clinical significance as from the 28th week of gestation. The current management includes a caesarean section. The type of caesarean section is determined by the position (anterior or posterior) of the placenta.
In late pregnancy fetal presentation must be established: cephalic presentation (head first) is the norm but the fetus may present feet-first or buttocks-first (breech), side-on (transverse), or at an angle (oblique presentation).
Intrauterine growth restriction is a general designation where the fetus is smaller than expected when compared to its gestational age (in this case, fetal growth parameters show a tendency to drop off from the 50th percentile eventually falling below the 10th percentile, when plotted on a fetal growth chart).[citation needed] Causes can be intrinsic (to the fetus) or extrinsic (maternal or placental problems).They diagnose and closely monitor women during their pregnancies and offer advice for healthy living during their nine-month term. They are also responsible for diagnosing any abnormalities with the fetus or in the woman's health during pregnancy and the delivery stage. The birthing process, long considered to be one of the most ancient and sacred medical arts, involves everything from the initial diagnoses to the post-natal process. Pregnant women must visit the obstetrician regularly for ultrasounds, and other planning and health consultations. Parents often create a birth plan with the obstetrician (a written agreement) that outlines the type of birth they wish to have, who they want to be in the room and what types of painkillers they wish to take or not take.Most obstetricians also work in the gynecology field that studies and monitors the female organs. They perform routine pap smears, diagnose sexually transmitted diseases, cancers of the reproductive organs, and perform serious operations, such as hysterectomies. With this said, not all obstetricians are OB/GYNs, however the majority specialize in both areas, as it is important to focus on all areas of women's health. Also, when in residency or internship, most students study both obstetrics and gynecology and get the opportunity to choose. Obstetricians may also specialize in one of the following subspecialties: critical care medicine, gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine or reproductive endocrinology. In critical care medicine, obstetricians diagnose, treat and support female patients with multiple organ dysfunction. Gynecologic oncologists provide consultation and comprehensive management of patients with gynecologic cancer. Those who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine care for women with high-risk pregnancies, while reproductive endocrinology specialists manage complex problems relating to infertility. How common are miscarriages first trimester?symptoms and treatments
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