Placing the mother on her left side can increase placental blood flow and increase the baby's oxygenation. Placing the mother on her right side, in Trendelenburg (head down), in the tripod position (sitting forward, hands on knees), or with her feet in the air is not of equal benefit. 

The postpartum assessment includes vital signs (blood pressure, pulse), fundus (location, height, consistency), lochia (color, volume), urinary output (measure first void), and bonding between the mother and infant. The postpartum assessment is valuable because it allows for nursing interventions at warning signs of postpartum complications, including infection, hemorrhage, and uterine atony. Stool assessment is not a vital part of the postpartum assessment because it does not lend information to the assessment of potential danger signs.

Thalassemia, an inherited autosomal recessive blood disorder, is characterized by an abnormal form of hemoglobin. Those of Mediterranean ancestry may be carriers of the disease and genetic counseling is recommended. African Americans are at risk for carrying the gene for sickle-cell disease, another inherited blood disorder that alters the form of hemoglobin. Nothern European descendants of Jewish ancestry are at risk for carrying Tay-Sachs disease, a rare, inherited nervous system disorder. Native Americans are not commonly at risk for passing on genetically inherited disorders.

Endometriosis will increases risk of both infertility and of miscarriage. This may be due to a paracrine effect as hormones are released locally by ectopic endometrial tissue, causing disruptions in hormone levels required for implantation and for sustaining an implanted embryo before the formation of the placenta.

In a study surveying 120 women with endometriosis, the prevalence of celiac disease, an autoimmune condition triggered by ingestion of gluten, was nearly four times higher than the general population. No association has been made between the presence of endometriosis and lactose intolerance or incidence of anaphylaxis.

Third nerve palsy (cranial nerve III, the oculomotor nerve) is the most common cranial mononeuropathy seen in diabetic patients. They will present with ptosis, dilated and fixed pupils, and an outward and slightly downward deviation of the eye. Bell's palsy involves unilateral facial paralysis as a result of damage to the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII). Cranial mononeuropathy VI is caused by damage to the abducens nerve (cranial nerve VI). Signs of damage include inability to laterally rotate the eye and/or double vision. Auditory neuropathy may be a result of damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII); the most pronounced symptom is loss of audition.

Wilson's disease is characterized by a defect of copper excretion, leading to copper overload and feedback inhibition of ceruloplasmin synthesis. This results in copper accumulation, primarily in the liver and the brain. Signs and symptoms include liver failure, cognitive deterioration, clumsiness, and changes in behavior. Symptoms often start in adolescence, but can start any time between 6-20 years old. Aceruloplasminemia is a rare condition of iron accumulation in the basal ganglia, retina, and liver. Hereditary hemochromatosis is also a disorder of iron accumulation, often caused by mutations in the HFE gene. Huntington disease is a genetic neurodegenerative disease unrelated to any mineral storage disorders.

The symptoms of alcohol withdrawal may include confusion, disorientation, and anxiety. Hypersomnolence or excessive sleep is not associated with this condition. Additional symptoms may include agitation, hypervigilance, tremor, rapid and irregular heart beat, hypertension, seizure, and hallucinations (mostly visual).

Approximately 80% of strokes are ischemic, either caused by thrombus or emboli. Hemorrhagic strokes only account for approximately 15% of all strokes, but are significantly more lethal and account for 30% of all stroke deaths. They involve the rupturing of a weakened blood vessel in the brain and subsequent bleeding in the surrounding areas. Transient ischemic attacks are not considered true strokes, and are often referred to as "mini strokes." 

The most common artery occluded in ischemic stroke is the middle cerebral artery, which supplies a large percentage of the frontal lobe and the lateral surface of the temporal and parietal lobes. Occlusion of this artery affects the motor and sensory areas of the face, throat, arm, hand and the areas for speech.