Obstetrics: Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. Forewarned is forearmed

As obstetricians, we aim to provide care for our patients which improves outcomes for mothers, babies and the community as a whole. We know though that maternal morbidity, adverse outcomes and even mortality for mother and baby are sadly an all too frequent occurrence. Severe maternal morbidity is a much more common outcome than maternal mortality, and risk factors for severe maternal morbidity are increasing among those we see in antenatal clinics everyday.