What is the reality of being a midwife in the twenty-first century? What is it like to help and support women throughout pregnancy and childbirth and into motherhood? What roles can midwives play in society?
This new edition of the popular text, Becoming a Midwife, explores what it is to be a midwife, looking at the factors that make midwifery such a special profession, as well as some of the challenges. The fully updated chapters cover a variety of settings and several different stages in a woman’s pregnancy, including stories from midwives working in hospitals and in the community, as managers, supervisors and educators, and as men, women, mothers and birth activists. All chapters are narrated by contributors who introduce their own theme, recount a vignette that throws light on their understandings of midwifery and reasons for becoming (or not becoming) a midwife and any subsequent career moves. Backed up by commentaries and drawing together these insights, the editors show what it means to be a midwife today.
Suitable for those contemplating a career in midwifery and providing an opportunity for reflection for more experienced midwives, this thought-provoking book is an invaluable contribution to midwifery.
Introduction: Choosing Midwifery and Being a Midwife Rosemary Mander & Valerie Fleming Part 1: The Scope of Midwifery 1. Studying Midwifery Kirsty Darroch & Valerie Fleming 2. Midwifery Care in the Community During the Woman’s Pregnancy Yvonne Fontein 3. Midwifery Care with the Woman in Labour in an Institution Miranda Page 4. Midwifery Care of the Mother and Baby at Home Allison Ewing Part 2: The Midwife and the Wider Environment 5. Midwives and Perinatal Mental Health Eleanor Forrest 6. The Supervisor of Midwives and the Manager Jean Duerden 7. The Academic Midwife Rosemary Mander 8. The Midwife as a Researcher Ans Luyben 9. The Global Midwife Valerie Fleming 10. The Independent and Non-NHS Midwife Nessa Mchugh 11. A Male Midwife’s Perspective Denis Walsh 12. Do Women Care if Their Midwife has had Children? Carrie Macintosh 13. The Midwife Who is an Author Penny Curtis 14. On Not Becoming a Midwife: The Role of the Birth Activist Nadine Edwards 15. The Ex-Midwife Elaine Haycock-Stuart 16. Conclusion Valerie Fleming & Rosemary Mander
Biography
Rosemary Mander is Emeritus Professor of Midwifery at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Valerie Fleming is Professor of Midwifery at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland.
