The management of labor and delivery requires skilled physical diagnosis to make the most refined diagnostic judgments. It demands the synthesis of several simultaneously acquired lines of diagnostic evidence to balance the risks of intervention and watchful expectancy. During labor, fetal information must be constantly integrated with facts about the mother to determine the probability that a normal vaginal delivery will ensue or whether pharmacologic or surgical intervention will be necessary to optimize safety.  Fundamental clinical skills provide the bedrock on which technology can be best applied. Labor and Delivery Care: A Practical Guide supports and reinforces the acquisition of the practical obstetric skills needed for aiding a successful birth.  Beginning with the most important element of successful labor care, communicating with the patient, the authors guide you through normal delivery routines and examination techniques. They then address the best approaches to the full range of challenges that can arise during labor and delivery. Throughout, the 15 chapters provide concise practical guidance with: algorithmic decision trees clinical management tips detailed drawings Labor and Delivery Care: A Practical Guide provides a thorough tour–de–force of the practical obstetric skills needed for best and safest practice based on clinical experience and evidence.