The brand new instalment in the top 10 bestselling Cornish Midwife series!It’s the most wonderful time of the year… But for single mum and busy midwife Nadia, it’s quickly turning into her worst Christmas ever. Her marriage is over, and whilst her husband has moved on, Nadia finds herself back home, squashed into her mum’s spare room with her two small children. They might not be a perfect family anymore, but Nadia is determined to make this Christmas special for them. Dr Hamish Spencer totally understands Nadia’s pain. As a fellow single parent, he’s struggling to cope with a rebellious teen daughter and a precocious six-year-old! Perhaps if he and Nadia join forces, they could make this Christmas slightly more memorable for everyone? The last thing Nadia wants is a new man in her life, but she’d definitely like lovely Hamish as a friend. But Christmas has a way of melting the hardest of hearts and maybe a kiss under the mistletoe could change everything? Praise for The Cornish Midwife Series: 'Stunning setting, wonderful characters, and oozing with warmth. A triumph from Jo Bartlett.' Jessica Redland 'Perfectly written and set in the beating heart of a community, this story is a wonderful slice of Cornish escapism.' Helen J Rolfe “I absolutely love the Cornish Midwife series, especially being an aspiring midwife from Cornwall. Despite being fiction, these books never fail to motivate me to carry on studying when things get tough and really become The Cornish Midwife myself.” Tegan from Reading with Tegs (book blogger and trainee midwife) “I get so absorbed in the books from the Cornish Midwife series, I can’t put them down. The characters are like my colleagues, a tight group of people who love the job they do. The stories are truly captivating and make me feel like I am working alongside the characters, as the series mirrors my working life as a Midwifery Care Assistant so well.” Sandra Twyman, Midwifery Care Assistant and avid reader

New addition to the popular Midwifery Essentials series which continues to help readers understand and master a range of core issues safely and with confidence! Written by leading midwifery academics, each book in the series provides a user-friendly source of information which has been fully updated throughout to reflect the latest evidence-base for current practice. Now with an improved design to make learning as easy as possible, each paperback in the series focuses on the importance of communication and contemporary women-centred care and presents helpful 'scenarios' to encourage debate and reflection. The Midwifery Essentials series is ideal for all midwives - whether qualified or in training - and is also helpful to nurses and HCAs working in the maternity environment. Provides a useful, friendly source of information Strong focus on contemporary women-centred care Designed to stimulate debate and reflection upon current practice, local policies and procedures Scenarios enable practitioners to understand the context of maternity care and explore their role in safe and effective service provision Helpful 'jigsaw' approach enables readers to explore specific topics from a variety of perspectives e.g. consent, safety and health promotion Explains the professional and legal issues surrounding clinical procedures Chapters designed to be read as a 'standalone' or in succession Emphasises the crucial role of effective communication

This pocket-sized book, presented in an easy-to-follow format, is designed as a tool for students and professionals to carry in any setting, providing a quick reference guide to antenatal care and related anatomy and physiology. Used as a platform for wider reading, this text is an ideal reference point for any student or professional involved with the care of childbearing women.

Discover the top 10 bestselling Cornish Midwives series!Midwife Izzy is devastated to learn that her beloved grandmother is dying. Abandoned as a baby by her own mother, her grandparents have been the only family Izzy has ever known and she wants to spend every last precious moment with them. New locum vicar, Noah, is a wonderful support – kind, considerate and always there for Izzy whenever she needs a shoulder to cry on. But secretly Noah is battling his own doubts about his faith – how can he offer Izzy comfort if he doesn’t truly believe his own words? When Izzy and Noah are brought together to support grieving parents, Noah reaches breaking point. He can't stay in Port Agnes and live a lie. But Izzy is adamant it’s the only place she can be…. Will love find a way or will Izzy's hopes of a future be dashed? Praise for The Cornish Midwife Series: 'Stunning setting, wonderful characters, and oozing with warmth. A triumph from Jo Bartlett.' Jessica Redland 'Perfectly written and set in the beating heart of a community, this story is a wonderful slice of Cornish escapism.' Helen J Rolfe “I absolutely love the Cornish Midwife series, especially being an aspiring midwife from Cornwall. Despite being fiction, these books never fail to motivate me to carry on studying when things get tough and really become The Cornish Midwife myself.” Tegan from Reading with Tegs (book blogger and trainee midwife) “I get so absorbed in the books from the Cornish Midwife series, I can’t put them down. The characters are like my colleagues, a tight group of people who love the job they do. The stories are truly captivating and make me feel like I am working alongside the characters, as the series mirrors my working life as a Midwifery Care Assistant so well.” Sandra Twyman, Midwifery Care Assistant and avid reader

Starting at the turn of the century, most African American midwives in the South were gradually excluded from reproductive health care. Gertrude Fraser shows how physicians, public health personnel, and state legislators mounted a campaign ostensibly to improve maternal and infant health, especially in rural areas. They brought traditional midwives under the control of a supervisory body, and eventually eliminated them. In the writings and programs produced by these physicians and public health officials, Fraser finds a universe of ideas about race, gender, the relationship of medicine to society, and the status of the South in the national political and social economies.

Fraser also studies this experience through dialogues of memory. She interviews members of a rural Virginia African American community that included not just retired midwives and their descendants, but anyone who lived through this transformation in medical care--especially the women who gave birth at home attended by a midwife. She compares these narrations to those in contemporary medical journals and public health materials, discovering contradictions and ambivalence: was the midwife a figure of shame or pride? How did one distance oneself from what was now considered "superstitious" or "backward" and at the same time acknowledge and show pride in the former unquestioned authority of these beliefs and practices?

In an important contribution to African American studies and anthropology, "African American Midwifery in the South" brings new voices to the discourse on the hidden world of midwives and birthing.

Discover the the top 10 bestselling Cornish Midwives series! Midwife Jess knows she’ll never have a baby of her own, but she’s determined to still be a mum. So Jess decides to foster, providing love and support for children who desperately need it – something Jess never had as a child when she was in foster care. Jess loves caring for the precious babies who come into her life, but letting them go again breaks her heart every time - can she really be a mum after all? But then Jess finds a surprise on her doorstep – a newborn baby! As the search for the missing mum begins, Jess cares for the precious babe day and night. She desperately wants to reunite mum and baby, but knows that when the day comes, her own heart will shatter. Praise for Jo Bartlett: 'Stunning setting, wonderful characters, and oozing with warmth. A triumph from Jo Bartlett.' Jessica Redland 'Perfectly written and set in the beating heart of a community, this story is a wonderful slice of Cornish escapism.' Helen J Rolfe

Born in Ireland into a patrilineal inheritance system, Mary Holliday recognised early on that there was no future for her in the stanchly Church-controlled Ireland of the mid-20th Century. Her "best" prospects were an approved husband followed by decades of rampant baby making and domestic drudgery. Yet neither did she want to simply embark on a ship for America, like so many young Irish had done for so long. Faced with a love of her nation but a dread of the crippling economic realities of her time, she elected to follow her Aunt Alice's footsteps. As a first-born female of the family, she too, like Alice would become a nurse. Armed with this most portable of careers, the young Mary would forge her own way in the world and, as if to prove that the fate of Irish youth is to roam, she would eventually sail away from her Celtic home, first to Africa and then to Australia. This collection of stories tells of her journey, successfully navigating her way through life's adventures. In reading them, Mary hopes they will provide some joy, a sprinkle of laughter, a dose of inspiration and above all, a desire to be accommodating, flexible and tolerant in your own way through life. For if she has learnt one thing on her path, you never get far if you are not capable of, Adapting.

From the top 10 bestselling author of The Cornish Midwife. Perfect for fans of Call The Midwife.A secret love… As winter descends on the coastal town of Port Agnes, midwife Toni Samuels’ mood is as dark as the winter clouds that roll in. Toni loves her job as a midwife, but her private life is falling apart. Because Toni is keeping a secret– a relationship with fellow male midwife Bobby that no one can ever know about. A damaged hope… Kind and gorgeous, Bobby is a huge hit at the midwifery centre, but he’s tired of keeping his feelings for Toni a secret – of always coming second best. He knows that Toni’s past is painful, but unless she can be open with her feelings for him, he’s prepared to walk away from their love. Can love find a way? Toni loves Bobby and wishes things could be different between them. But torn between her past and a future with him, everything seems hopeless. Until fate hands Toni one last chance… Now Toni’s secret wish is in her hands…if only she can be brave enough to take a chance and make her dreams come true. An uplifting and escapist read, perfect for fans of Christie Barlow, Jessica Redland and Holly Martin! What readers are saying about The Cornish Midwife... 'I love second chance stories. I love returning home stories. So a book combining both is an absolute winner for me. The Cornish Midwife is simply gorgeous. Stunning setting, wonderful characters, and oozing with warmth. A triumph from Jo Bartlett and a cracking start to what promises to be a fabulous series' Jessica Redland 'Perfectly written and set in the beating heart of a community, this story is a wonderful slice of Cornish escapism.' Helen J Rolfe