Main description:

This is a helpful and practical guide that explores the latest research and evidence, drawing out what is known about the effectiveness of care in normal labour and birth. It highlights where the evidence is compelling and discusses its application where women question its relevance to them and where the practitioner's expertise leads them to challenge it. Written by an experienced practising midwife, the book is structured in an accessible way so that each chapter gives background and context for the particular clinical topic, and provides a discussion of the research to date. Practice recommendations are then generated from the evidence and form the last section of each chapter. This is an essential text containing up-to-date and relevant information to help all student and practising midwives keep abreast of the evidence surrounding normal birth and ensure their practice takes full advantage of it.

Contents:

1. Evidence: the New Orthodoxy 2. Contextualising Current Childbirth Care 3. Birth Setting and Environment 4. Labour, Stages and Time 5. The Paradox of Labour Pain 6. New Directions in Complementary Therapies 7. Movement and Posture Updated 8. Second Stage: the Last Frontier of Medicalisation 9. Reclaiming Third Stage 10. The Power of the Pelvic Floor 11. Rehabilitating the Physiology of Childbirth: A Sacred Quest 12. From Evidence to Practice