Over the last ten years, pregnancy has not only become more complicated for many women, but the traditional provision of general intensive care units has been reduced. To bridge this gap, critical care units, usually staffed by midwives, have been set up in many maternity units. This textbook is an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this emerging area of practice. Critical Care Assessment by Midwives also notably sets out a template for assessment of women that will enable early identification of deteriorating health. Serious illness can arise subsequent to an emergency, a pre-existing illness or a complication of pregnancy but can also occur in the context of what appears to be a low risk pregnancy. For this reason, all midwives need to be skilled in assessment that facilitates timely, appropriate referrals and saves lives. It covers: ABCDE assessment tailored for midwives; assessment of cardiac conditions; aassessment of respiratory conditions; assessment of neurological conditions; pre-eclampsia; haemorrhage; shock, including hypovolaemia, sepsis and anaphylaxis; haemodynamic monitoring; fluid replacement and balance; ketoacidosis, hypoglycaemia and sickle cell crisis. Covering the context of care, relevant pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, specific assessment in detail, relevant drugs, assessment of the fetus, summaries of management, psychosocial support and the specific professional responsibilities of the midwife, this is an essential guide for all midwives and midwifery students.

Postpartum depression has become a more recognized mental illness over the past decade as a result of education and increased awareness. Traumatic childbirth, however, is still often overlooked, resulting in a scarcity of information for health professionals. This is in spite of up to 34% of new mothers reporting experiencing a traumatic childbirth and prevalence rates rising for high risk mothers, such as those who experience stillbirth or who had very low birth weight infants.

This ground-breaking book brings together an academic, a clinician and a birth trauma activist. Each chapter discusses current research, women s stories, the common themes in the stories and the implications of these for practice, clinical case studies and a clinician s insights and recommendations for care. Topics covered include: mothers perspectives, fathers perspectives, the impact on breastfeeding, the impact on subsequent births, PTSD after childbirth and EMDR treatment for PTSD.

This book is a valuable resource for health professionals who come into contact with new mothers, providing the most current and accurate information on traumatic childbirth. It also presents mothers experiences in a manner that is accessible to women, their partners, and families.

Decision-making pervades all aspects of midwifery practice across the world. Midwifery is informed by a number of decision-making theories, but it is sometimes difficult to marry these theories with practice. This book provides a comprehensive exploration of decision-making for midwives irrespective of where in the world they practice or in which model of care. The first part critically reviews decision-making theories, including the Enhancing Decision-making Assessment in Midwifery (EDAM) tool, and their relevance to midwifery. It explores the links between midwifery governance, including professional regulation and the law, risk and safety and decision-making as well as how critical thinking and reflection are essential elements of decision-making. It then goes on to present a number of diverse case studies, demonstrating how they interrelate to and impact upon optimal midwifery decision-making. Each chapter presents examples that show how the theory translates into practice and includes activities to reinforce learning points. Bringing together a diverse range of contributors, this volume will be essential reading for midwifery students, practising midwives and midwifery academics.

How to be a Nurse or Midwife Leader is an indispensable guide for all nurses and midwives who wish to develop and improve their practice as leaders. Written in collaboration with the NHS Leadership Academy, this practical book draws on the real experience of over 10,000 nurses and midwives to bring leadership dilemmas to life in specific situations. Key learning features include: * How to develop your self-awareness * How to develop your personal impact and presence * How to survive and thrive * How to get your message across * How to get the best out of others * How to work with and lead other professionals and patients * How to have courageous conversations * How to balance conflicting demands and needs Containing exercises and reflective questions to help apply theory to leadership practice, How to be a Nurse or Midwife Leader is an ideal companion for all nurses and midwives, whether you are newly qualified, or stepping into a team leader role.

Highlighting aspects of birth often taken for granted, ignored or left silenced, this book questions the art and meaning of childbirth. Addressing spirituality in and around the start of life from a variety of thought-provoking perspectives, it examines the apparent paradox of impersonal biomedical-technocratic systems operating alongside the meaningful experiences encountered by those involved. Themes covered include: Notions of holism and spirituality, culture, religion and spirituality Childbirth significance at societal level Spiritual care in maternity care provision Birth environment, mood, space and place Spiritual experience of all those involved, including health professionals Spiritual experience when birth is complex and challenging When birth and death are juxtaposed. Although there is considerable literature on spirituality at the end of life, this is the only book that draws together a global and multidisciplinary selection of academic researchers and practitioners to reflect on spirituality at the start of life. Each chapter explores the relevant theoretical background and makes links to practice, using case studies from research and practice. The chapters conclude by discussing: how spiritual care is, and should be, provided in this context; what practice approaches are beneficial; cross-cultural perspectives; and future directions for research. It is an important read for all those interested in childbirth, maternity care, social science perspectives on health and illness, and spirituality.

Now in its 3rd edition, Lecture Notes: Obstetrics and Gynaecology has been extensively revised and updated to provide a concise and practical introduction to obstetrics and gynaecology for medical students and junior doctors. Starting with a section on basic science, the text is divided into six sections that explain female health needs and their management from the early years to old age. The self-assessment section is now a separate chapter, and includes Extended Matching Questions (EMQs), scenarios for practical history taking for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Part 1 looks at female reproductive anatomy and physiology. Part 2 covers the puberty and menstrual problems of young women, sub-fertility, pregnancy prevention, and sexual problems. Part 3 examines the reproductive years including pregnancy and childbirth. Part 4 covers the mature woman including menstrual problems of the older woman and pelvic pain. Part 5 discusses the older woman including the menopause, incontinence and malignancy including breast cancer. Part 6 demonstrates the importance of public health statistics on the provision of services in obstetrics and gynaecology. Now in two-colour throughout, with a new colour plate section, Lecture Notes: Obstetrics and Gynaecology covers the core material needed for O&G courses, written specifically for medical students, nursing students, junior doctors on the Foundation Programme and the first two years of specialist training, midwives, and GPs.

Most aged in India are experiencing a highly protracted death in hospitals, entangled in tubes and machines. Such 'medicalised death' entails huge psychological, social and financial costs for both patients and their caregivers. There are also many who are dying in abject neglect. However, Government response to end-of-life care has been almost negligible and there is an acute information deficit on dying matters. This book examines different settings where elderly die, including hospitals, family homes and palliative set-ups. The discourse is set in the backdrop of international attempts to restructure and reconfigure the health delivery system for ageing population. It makes critical commentaries on global developments, offers state-of-art reviews of recent advances, substantiates and corroborates facts by personal narratives and case histories. The book overcomes a segmental understanding of the field by weaving various sociological, medical, legal and cultural issues together. Finally, the authors critically examine biomedicine's potential to meet the complex needs of the dying elderly. In an attempt to bring cultural sensitivity in end-of-life care, they explore the lost Indic 'art of dying' which has the potential to de- medicalise death. Increasing public sensitivity to poor dying conditions of the elderly in India and facilitating changes to improve care systems, this book also demonstrates the limitations of the western specialization of death. It will be of interest to academics in the field of Medical Sociology/Anthropology, Medicine, Palliative care, Public Health and Social Work, Social Policy and Asian Studies.

Supporting Women to Give Birth at Home describes and discusses the main challenges and issues that midwives and maternity services encounter when preparing for and attending a home birth. To ensure that a home birth is a real option for women, midwives need to be able to believe in a woman's ability to give birth at home and to promote this birth option, providing evidence-based information about benefits and risks. This practical guide will help midwives to have the necessary skills, resources and confidence to support homebirth. The book includes: the present birth choices a woman has the implications homebirth has upon midwifery practice how midwives can prepare and support women and their families the midwife's role and responsibilities national and local policies, guidelines and available resources pain management options With a range of recent home birth case studies brought together in the final chapter, this accessible text provides a valuable insight into those considering homebirth. Supporting Women to Give Birth at Home will be of interest to students studying issues around normal birth and will be an important resource for clinically based midwives, in particular community based midwives, home birth midwifery teams, independent midwives, and all who are interested in homebirth as a genuine choice.

Qualitative research, particularly phenomenology, is increasingly popular as a method for midwifery and health-related research. These approaches enable rich and detailed explanations to be uncovered and bring experience to life. Important recommendations and practice- based implications may then be raised and debated for future use. This book brings together a range of phenomenological methods and insights into one accessible text.

Illustrated with plenty of examples of successful phenomenological research, Qualitative Research in Midwifery and Childbirth keeps the focus applied to midwifery and childbirth and makes clear the links to practice throughout. The book introduces three key phenomenological approaches - descriptive, interpretive and the life world - and includes a comparative chapter which discusses the differences between these varied perspectives and methods. Each chapter focuses on how these approaches are used within midwifery research. The remaining chapters present a number of different research projects. These demonstrate how different phenomenological approaches have been used to explore and uncover experiences of childbirth and maternity as well as offering important insights into how women experience different facets of the birth experience during the antenatal, intra-partum and postnatal period.

Designed for researchers and students undertaking research projects on midwifery and childbirth, this text includes contributions from a range of international and highly regarded phenomenological authors and researchers.

This straightforward guide to evidence-based practice helps you to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to challenge practice that is not underpinned by research and to increase your understanding of the processes involved in accessing, appraising, and synthesizing good quality research. Providing a basic introduction to both quantitative and qualitative research, Debra Evans explores how to find out "what works best", the impact of something, and what requires more research. Readers will also learn the basic rules used in study design and statistics presented in research articles and systematic reviews. Each simply written chapter includes relevant theory, diagrams and tables, case studies, exercises, boxed summaries, and further reading. Packed with examples from practice across the nursing fields and at different levels, this book is essential for nurses - both student and qualified - who want to increase their confidence when it comes to research appraisal and evidence-based practice processes.

In How to Run Reflective Practice Groups: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals, Arabella Kurtz explores the use of reflective practice in the modern healthcare context. Responding to the rapidly increasing demand for reflective practice groups in healthcare and drawing on her extensive experience as a facilitator and trainer, Kurtz presents a fully developed, eight-stage model: The Intersubjective Model of Reflective Practice Groups. The book offers a guide to the organisation, structure and delivery of group sessions, with useful suggestions for overcoming commonly-encountered problems and promoting empathic relationships with clients and colleagues. Clearly and accessibly written, using full situational examples for each stage of the presented model, How to Run Reflective Practice Groups offers a comprehensive guide to facilitating reflective practice in healthcare.

Selected as a Doody's Core Title for 2022! Essential for ob/gyn physicians, primary care physicians, and any health care provider working with pregnant or postpartum women, Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Reference Guide to Fetal and Neonatal Risk, 12th Edition, puts must-know information at your fingertips in seconds. An easy A-to-Z format lists more than 1,400 of the most commonly prescribed drugs taken during pregnancy and lactation, with detailed monographs designed to provide the most essential information on possible effects on the mother, embryo, fetus, and nursing infant. Each templated monograph includes: Generic US name (trade names in index) Risk factors Pharmacologic class Pregnancy and breastfeeding recommendations Pregnancy, fetal risk, and breastfeeding summaries Updated references NEW in the 12th Edition: 100 new drugs, with thorough updates of all existing drugs Subheadings with each review for faster reference List of cross-referenced combination drugs List of drugs contraindicated in breastfeeding women List of drugs contraindicated in pregnancy List of drugs that affect human development Quarterly updates, available online, to keep you at the forefront of the field Greatly improved eBook searchability Enrich Your eBook Reading Experience Read directly on your preferred device(s), such as computer, tablet, or smartphone. Easily convert to audiobook, powering your content with natural language text-to-speech.

Nurses typically go in to the profession of nursing because they want to "care" for patients, not knowing that the inherent stresses of the work environment put them at risk for developing psychological disorders such as burnout syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. Symptoms of these disorders are often debilitating and affect the nurse's functioning on both a personal and professional level. While environmental and/or organizational strategies are important to help combat stress, oftentimes the triggers experienced by nurses are non-modifiable including patient deaths, prolonging life in futile conditions, delivering post-mortem care and the feeling of contributing to a patient's pain and suffering. It is paramount that nurses enhance their ability to adapt to their work environment. Resilience is a multidimensional psychological characteristic that enables one to thrive in the face of adversity and bounce back from hardships and trauma. Importantly, resilience can be learned. Factors that promote resilience include attention to physical well-being and development of adaptive coping skills. This book provides the nurse, and the administrators who manage them, with an overview of the psychological disorders that are prevalent in their profession, first-person narratives from nurses who share traumatic and/or stressful situations that have impacted their career and provide detailed descriptions of promising coping strategies that can be used to mitigate symptoms of distress.

A midwife's heartwarming and inspirational true story Catching Babies is a moving account of an extraordinary career. It reveals the unique experiences that filled midwife Sheena Byrom's days as she looked after mums and dads and helped to bring their precious babies into the world. From her very first day as a nervous student nurse in Blackburn to the dedicated completion of her midwifery qualifications in Burnley, Sheena has never once looked back, enjoying a thirty-five-year career with the NHS. At the forefront of evolving medical practices, she was the first midwife to oversee a home water birth in her area, but also found herself at the centre of a traumatic delivery that tested her to her limits. Yet, whatever has come Sheena's way, ultimately, there are the strong mothers who taught her so much and the little miracles who have made every single moment as a midwife truly magical.

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Supportive Care and Midwifery" explores the increasingly powerful movement to utilize support during childbearing. Support is examined at various levels including personal interaction, clinical practice and management, and policy making. The book critically analyses the current situation from an international perspective and considers support by and for those involved in maternity care.

The book reflects Rosemary Mander's active research orientation as well as academic background. The research base is crucial throughout, and is most evident in the author's account of her own study. The origins, uses and misuses of research evidence emerge as fundamental; the political implications of these phenomena also become apparent as the argument develops. The author concludes by looking to the future and anticipating the development of support for the childbearing woman.

This text can be used to address discrete and specific support-related issues, as well as being read in its entirety to follow the unfolding of a powerful and persuasive argument.

Key features:
Emphasises evidence-based practice
Critically analyses the phenomena
Focuses on the woman's experience
Accessible and reader-friendly"

Supportive Care and Midwifery" is essential reading for midwives in training and for post-registration students on undergraduate programmes. It is also a valuable text for post-graduate students, practicing midwives, service providers and health visitors.

Kind, honest and open communication is at the heart of midwifery care and maternity practice, and is vital in providing safe, person-centred care. This new book explores communication in midwifery from a range of perspectives and across different settings. It considers the theoretical and practical dimensions of communication, including how and why we communicate and who we communicate with. It uses case studies and practical examples to put ideas into real-world context and to explore topic areas in ways which are thought-provoking, accessible and useful to practitioners. Above all, Communication in Midwifery supports midwives in developing their theoretical understanding around communication and building a practical toolkit of ideas and strategies for use in a range of settings and with diverse groups of people. It helps midwives and other caregivers in navigating the nuanced and complex situations they encounter every day where clear, honest and collaborative communication is vital. Covers communication in pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period; the use of written, verbal and non-verbal approaches; and complex scenarios where communication may be challenging, such as diverse groups, trauma and loss Explores new methods of communicating, including the use of the internet and social media, and their benefits and challenges Highlights the importance of communication between professions and ways this can be enhanced Covers contemporary issues of consent, risk and safety in maternity care Useful at all stages of a midwife's career from undergraduate to qualified midwife

This book is a comprehensive and detailed study of early modern midwives in seventeenth-century London. Until quite recently, midwives, as a group, have been dismissed by historians as being inadequately educated and trained for the task of child delivery. The Midwives of Seventeenth-Century London rejects these claims by exploring the midwives' training and their licensing in an unofficial apprenticeship by the Church. Dr Evenden also offers an accurate depiction of the midwives in their socioeconomic context by examining a wide range of seventeenth-century sources. This expansive study not only recovers the names of almost one thousand women who worked as midwives in the twelve London parishes, but also brings to light details about their spouses, their families and their associates.

Beyond Self-Care for Helping Professionals is an innovative guide to professional self-care focused not just on avoiding the consequences of failing to take care of oneself, but on optimal health and positive psychology. This new volume builds upon the Expressive Therapies Continuum to introduce the Life Enrichment Model, a strengths-based model that encourages mindful participation in a broad array of enriching experiences. By enabling therapists and other Helping Professionals to develop a rich emotional, intellectual, and creative foundation to their lives and clinical practices, this guide sets a new standard for self-care in the helping professions.

When hospital-trained midwife Penny Armstrong takes on a job delivering the babies of the Amish, she encounters a way of life deeply rooted in the earth. As she renews her respect for nature, she discovers an approach to giving birth which would change her life forever. A gripping first-hand account of Armstrong's journey from student midwife in Glasgow to running her own practice in rural Pennsylvania, A Midwife's Story is a life-affirming book that never fails to enlighten, inform and surprise. Honest and ultimately very moving, it is inspirational reading for everyone interested in the art and humanity of midwifery.

A young midwife's account of her training in the Midlands in the 1950s. A SUNDAY TIMES bestseller. It's 1957, and in a shattered post-war world, life goes on. Dot, a pupil midwife, negotiates the streets on her trusty old bicycle - come rain or shine - to help women in need. Living and working under the supervision of the strict Mrs O'Reilly, she must complete her training with twelve deliveries: there's Mrs Wardle who lives in a seedy slum; the eighth Clarke baby, born in an unusual place; the superstitious Wests, desperate for a boy; baby Murphy who is received with laughter; and brothel-worker Mrs Maloney. Amid lectures, textbooks and university dances, Dot must saddle up at any time of the day and night to attend deliveries. But just when she thinks she's got the measure of the job, fate deals her an unexpected hand...

This book is a practical guide for medical practitioners as they navigate through breastfeeding problems that occur in day-to-day practice. If mothers have a breastfeeding complication they are often directed to their GP. In complex situations, medical staff will be making decisions around what treatment plan to follow and whether a mother can keep breastfeeding. In recent years there has been growing evidence that medical professionals often advise mothers to stop breastfeeding while undergoing treatment, when in reality this was not a necessary step. In a time when breastfeeding rates are decreasing, it is important that medical professionals give accurate advice and support a mother's choice to breastfeed if the situation allows it. A Guide to Supporting Breastfeeding for the Medical Profession includes contributions from a wide range of medical professionals and each chapter is written with the practitioner in mind. Contributors include GPs, paediatricians, neonatologists, lactation specialists and midwives. Doctors have a vital role to play in supporting and facilitating breastfeeding, and without the appropriate knowledge they can often inadvertently sabotage it. This book will be of interest to GPs and paediatricians as well as nurse prescribers, midwives and health visitors.

Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy builds on Bjoern Salomonsson's experiences as a psychoanalytic consultant working with parents and their babies. Emotional problems during the perinatal stages can arise and be observed and addressed by a skilled midwife, nurse or health visitor. Salomonsson has developed a method combining nurse supervision and therapeutic consultations which has lowered the thresholds for parents to come and talk with him. The brief consultations concern pregnant women, mother and baby, husband and wife, toddler and parent. The theoretical framework is psychoanalytic, but the mode of work is eclectic and adapted to the family's situation and its members' motivation. This book details such work, which can be applied globally; perinatal psychotherapy integrated with ordinary medical health care. It also explains how psychotherapy can be made more accessible to a larger population. Via detailed case presentations, the author takes the reader through pregnancy, childbirth and the first few years of life. He also brings in research studies emphasizing the importance of early interventions, with the aim of providing therapists with arguments for such work in everyday family health care. To further substantiate such arguments, the book ends with theoretical chapters and, finally, the author's vision of the future of a perinatal health care that integrates medical and psychological perspectives. Psychodynamic Interventions in Pregnancy and Infancy will appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists working in this area, as well as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers and medical personnel working with parents and infants.

Arguing that contemporary maternity services provide a toxic environment both in which to practise and to give birth, this book looks at how we can change this. Its aim is promoting the best possible experiences of childbearing, and confident, strengthening and loving contexts for new parenthood. Designed to create awareness about the professional and political realities which enmesh maternity care, this inspiring volume features an in-depth and research-oriented analysis of the challenges faced by contemporary maternity services. Recognising the frequently hostile environment in which midwives practise, the contributors go on to explore its impact on women and families, as well as on midwives themselves. They then look at woman-centred and community-based ways of contributing to a much better birthing experience for all. Important and relevant for all those with an interest in improving maternity care, this book is particularly suited to midwives - practising and student, doulas, birth educators and activists, policymakers and health service managers.

Yatdjuligin: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nursing and Midwifery Care introduces students to the fundamentals of health care of Indigenous Australians, encompassing the perspectives of both the client and the health practitioner. Written for all nurses and midwives, this book addresses the relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and mainstream health services and introduces readers to practice and research in a variety of healthcare contexts. This new edition has been fully updated to reflect current research and documentation, with an emphasis on cultural safety. Three new chapters cover Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing, social and emotional wellbeing in mainstream mental health services and quantitative research. Chapter content is complemented by case study scenarios, author reflections and reflection questions. These features illustrate historical and contemporary challenges, encourage students to reflect on their own attitudes and values, and provide strategies to deliver quality, person-centred health care.

Continuity of care in midwifery - the most traditional way of practising - has been overlooked for much of the last century but is re-emerging as an evidence-based model of care, one which is known to benefit women. This book is a vital companion to students and qualified midwives as continuity of care is integrated into midwifery education and services. A practical, easy-to-read guide to practising caseload midwifery, this book outlines the contemporary political and professional context for midwifery care, different models of care, and the evidence and outcomes associated with continuity of carer. It discusses the real-life concerns, challenges and opportunities of working closely with women throughout their pregnancy and birth, covering key issues such as risk assessment, consent, boundaries, time management, documentation, communication, burnout and decision-making. Supporting the development of midwives from students to newly qualified professionals and beyond, it ends with a chapter containing a range of resources for reference, including helpful tools and worksheets. Including vignettes from students, qualified midwives, and women and their partners, this book is designed for anyone new to practising midwifery continuity of care.