The complete textbook on complementary therapies in maternity care, this book addresses how midwives and other birth professionals can use or advise on complementary therapies for pregnant, labouring and new mothers. Almost 90% of women may be using complementary therapies during pregnancy and birth, and increasingly midwives and doulas incorporate therapies into their care of women, so it is vital that they and other professionals in the maternity care field are aware of safe and appropriate use based on contemporary evidence. Therapies covered include acupuncture, herbal medicine, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, yoga, massage and hypnosis. This complete guide to complementary therapies in pregnancy and childbirth covers safety, effectiveness, evidence, benefits and risks, legal, ethical and professional issues based on accurate and up-to-date research.

"Not of woman born, the Fortunate, the Unborn"—the terms designating those born by Caesarean section in medieval and Renaissance Europe were mysterious and ambiguous. Examining representations of Caesarean birth in legend and art and tracing its history in medical writing, Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski addresses the web of religious, ethical, and cultural questions concerning abdominal delivery in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Not of Woman Born increases our understanding of the history of the medical profession, of medical iconography, and of ideas surrounding "unnatural" childbirth. Blumenfeld-Kosinski compares texts and visual images in order to trace the evolution of Caesarean birth as it was perceived by the main actors involved—pregnant women, medical practitioners, and artistic or literary interpreters. Bringing together medical treatises and texts as well as hitherto unexplored primary sources such as manuscript illuminations, she provides a fresh perspective on attitudes toward pregnancy and birth in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; the meaning and consequences of medieval medicine for women as both patients and practitioners, and the professionalization of medicine. She discusses writings on Caesarean birth from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when Church Councils ordered midwives to perform the operation if a mother died during childbirth in order that the child might be baptized; to the fourteenth century, when the first medical text, Bernard of Gordon's Lilium medicinae, mentioned the operation; up to the gradual replacement of midwives by male surgeons in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Not of Woman Born offers the first close analysis of Frarnois Rousset's 1581 treatise on the operation as an example of sixteenth-century medical discourse. It also considers the ambiguous nature of Caesarean birth, drawing on accounts of such miraculous examples as the birth of the Antichrist. An appendix reviews the complex etymological history of the term "Caesarean section." Richly interdisciplinary, Not of Woman Born will enliven discussions of the controversial issues surrounding Caesarean delivery today. Medical, social, and cultural historians interested in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, historians, literary scholars, midwives, obstetricians, nurses, and others concerned with women's history will want to read it.

Nursing and midwifery are inspiring and amazing professions - but as you face the realities of juggling work, study and life, you may now be thinking 'what did I let myself in for'? This book is designed to help anyone who is struggling and needs a little (or a lot of) guidance. It's packed with useful information and practical exercises to help nursing and midwifery students cope with all the major sources of stress - including: juggling time succeeding in assignments and exams understanding what's expected in real life and on placements managing finances coping with stress applying for jobs and more Written by authors who have helped countless students from a wide range of backgrounds conquer their problems, this book will help you to succeed in your journey to becoming a registered nurse or midwife.

Nursing and midwifery are inspiring and amazing professions - but as you face the realities of juggling work, study and life, you may now be thinking 'what did I let myself in for'? This book is designed to help anyone who is struggling and needs a little (or a lot of) guidance. It's packed with useful information and practical exercises to help nursing and midwifery students cope with all the major sources of stress - including: juggling time succeeding in assignments and exams understanding what's expected in real life and on placements managing finances coping with stress applying for jobs and more Written by authors who have helped countless students from a wide range of backgrounds conquer their problems, this book will help you to succeed in your journey to becoming a registered nurse or midwife.

From 1950 until 2001, Lovie Beard Shelton practiced midwifery in eastern North Carolina homes, delivering some 4,000 babies to black, white, Mennonite, and hippie women; to those too poor to afford a hospital birth; and to a few rich enough to have any kind of delivery they pleased. Her life, which was about giving life, was conspicuously marked by loss, including the untimely death of her husband and the murder of her son. Lovie is a provocative chronicle of Shelton's life and work, which spanned enormous changes in midwifery and in the ways women give birth. In this artful exploration of documentary fieldwork, Lisa Yarger confronts the choices involved in producing an authentic portrait of a woman who is at once loner and self-styled folk hero. Fully embracing the difficulties of telling a true story, Yarger is able to get at the story of telling the story. As Lovie describes her calling, we meet a woman who sees herself working in partnership with God and who must wrestle with the question of what happens when a woman who has devoted her life to service, to doing God's work, ages out of usefulness. When I'm no longer a midwife, who am I? Facing retirement and a host of health issues, Lovie attempts to fit together the jagged pieces of her life as she prepares for one final home birth.

Struggling to understand the language of research? Need to understand the basic principles and processes of research? Do you find it difficult to know how to apply research to clinical practice? This third edition of Introduction to Research for Midwives is the answer! In simple language, it explains the world of research both for those who must use it as part of evidence-based practice and those undertaking research. The content is particularly student-friendly and provides clear guidelines on critiquing research articles and producing successful reviews of the literature, with many tips on producing assignments that really work. All midwives and other health professionals will find this book invaluable in applying research to their own practice. No prior knowledge of research needed Written in a simple, practical style Applied to the context of evidence-based practice Comprehensive glossary of research terms Quantitative and qualitative research approaches clarified and illustrated Time-saving study skills highlighted Key points summaries for quick revision Clear emphasis on evidence-based practice All chapters include new material Major chapters extensively rewritten Up-to-date references and examples New research techniques included Glossary updated and simplified

We have written this book because the story it tells warrants a wide audience. We see the purpose of this book as informing discussion and decision-making around reconfigurations of maternity care, so that planning, communication, management and recruitment can be improved and shared vision articulated and understood.A" Throughout the world, women-centred care is gaining prominence in providing maternity care. Many birth centres open each year to meet this need - but at the same time, many close or are shelved. So why should the turnover in organisations that deliver such a vital service to women be so high, thwarting many midwives from practising as they would wish? This carefully researched and passionate book tells the story of a birth centre that did fail, and the painful but valuable lessons it presents for others. Many of the issues and behaviours illustrated - lack of leadership, support, vision and plain-dealing, and tensions between bureaucracy and women-centred care - will find resonance in maternity services and midwifery experiences in the UK and throughout the world. Tensions and Barriers in Improving Maternity Care is a vital and challenging resource for all midwives, managers and policy makers and shapers with an interest in maternity and women-centred care. "A remarkably detailed analysis of the politics of a birth centre trapped in a medicalised system that threatened and rapidly destroyed it. It is a vivid example of how autonomous midwifery is undermined by an organisational structure in which management focuses exclusively on one model of care." - From the Foreword by Sheila Kitzinger 'I would recommend this powerful book to all supervisors of midwives as it provides profound insights into the impact of loss and grief upon the midwives who are often left feeling isolated and vulnerable when dealing with difficult circumstances.' - Nessa McHugh, lecturer in midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, and leader of the Preparation and Practice of Supervisors of Midwives programme.

Since childbirth became a medicalized - and usually hospitalized - event a century ago, women's and families' psychosocial needs have been relegated to a somewhat peripheral role within the clinically focussed hierarchy of medical care. This text reinstates psychosocial issues as a primary focus of care, together with clinical excellence. Family-centred care is a familiar phrase in today's maternity services, with professional guidelines and hospital policies including the term in their care protocols; however, few definitions, and no specific standards, for family-centred care exist. While all caregivers and care services are likely to define their care as sensitive to women's needs, and family-centred, the actual implementation of a family-centred approach - despite it being a current fashion in care - is still inadequate. This book clearly defines family-centred perinatal care, and outlines how truly family-centred care can, and should, be implemented, and how, and where, this has been done.

Help your students prepare for effective maternity nursing practice! This updated 4th Edition of Susan Ricci s practical text provides students with the essential information they need to care for women and their families, and also to assist them in making the right choices safely, intelligently, and with confidence. With integrated case studies and nursing procedures throughout, the text takes a nursing process approach, builds on previously mastered content, and includes much that is new, including increased coverage of the cultural and global aspects of maternity and women s health care. KEY FEATURES Revised Unfolding Case Studies in every chapter, now paired with patient photos, give students an opportunity to apply concepts to real-life scenarios. Up-to-date Nursing Procedures provide clear, step-by-step explanations, along with illustrations of variations in nursing care, to help students master vital skills. New Bringing It All Together Case Studies begin in the end-of-chapter worksheets and unfold online, providing extended opportunities for students to connect learning to practice. New! Concept Mastery Alerts improve students understanding of potentially confusing topics as identified by Lippincott s Adaptive Learning Powered by prepU. Updated Teaching Guidelines, now with rationales, prepare students to educate families. Additional evidence-based research findings promote evidence-based maternity nursing practice and interventions. More than 700 NCLEX-Style Review Questions help students review important concepts and prepare for the NCLEX-RN. This leading content is also incorporated into Lippincott CoursePoint+, a dynamic learning solution that integrates this book s curriculum, adaptive learning tools, virtual simulations, real-time data reporting, and the latest evidence-based practice content together into one powerful student learning solution. Lippincott CoursePoint+ improves the nursing students critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to prepare them for practice. Learn more at www.NursingEducationSuccess.com/CoursePoint."