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The maternal socio‐demographic and biophysical details should be assessed. Age must be noted, particularly in the teenage primigravida, as additional health promotion and education by the examiner may be necessary upon completion of the examination. Early and recent evidence suggests that upper and lower margins of maternal age are adversely related to prenatal and perinatal outcome (PHE 2019a). Bornstein et al. (2006) explore this relationship, concluding that varied age groups have differing parenting abilities. Nevertheless, the teenage mothers may require more intensive health promotion advice for themselves, possibly their partners and their newborn infants.

A raised body mass index (BMI) can influence general health and may also indicate the family unit's dietary habits. A positive relationship exists between a raised BMI and complications of pregnancy including diabetes, hypertensive disease and thromboembolic disorders (Bhattacharya et al. 2007; NICE 2010; RCOG 2018). Pregnancy outcome can be affected, resulting in macrosomia, shoulder dystocia at delivery and hypoglycaemia of the newborn (Kalk et al. 2009; Khashan and Kenny 2009). Maternity units must have a policy in place for the prevention, detection and treatment of neonatal hypoglycaemia to identify those newborns most at risk (BAPM 2017).