ABSTRACT

Midwifery: The Basics provides an engaging and authentic insight into the midwife’s world. It explores the role of the midwife as a clinician and professional, showing how midwives can support women both to achieve a healthy full-term pregnancy and a smooth transition to motherhood.

This book begins with a discussion of the context of birth and parenthood, placing midwifery in its broader social context. Topics covered include:

  • the midwife as an autonomous professional;
  • becoming a midwife;
  • pre-conceptual and antenatal care;
  • intrapartum care;
  • postnatal care; and
  • the specialist midwife.

Midwifery: The Basics uses the voices of mothers, fathers and midwives to illustrate the complex world of becoming, being and supporting parents. This is an essential introduction for students at undergraduate and A-Level who are approaching midwifery for the first time.

chapter 1|43 pages

The context of birth

chapter 2|33 pages

The roles of the midwife

chapter 3|33 pages

Midwifery – an evolutionary tale

chapter 4|18 pages

Becoming a midwife – a leap of faith

chapter 5|36 pages

Pre-conceptual and antenatal care

chapter 6|26 pages

Labour and birth care

chapter 7|25 pages

Postnatal care

chapter 8|25 pages

Midwife as specialist