Unlocking Physiological Birth: The Untold Stories of Midwives and Women’s Choices

By Claire Feeley, this book delves into the experiences of midwives who support women in their pursuit of physiological birth, often outside of traditional guidelines. The author explores the impact of these choices on midwives themselves and examines how teams and organizations can either support or discourage women’s birth choices.

The Importance of Woman-Centred Care

The book begins by highlighting the significance of quality midwifery care, examining the current debates and exploring how hegemonic birth discourse and maternity practices have affected physiological birth rates and women’s wellbeing. Real-life examples demonstrate how midwives can facilitate a range of birthing decisions within mainstream midwifery services, promoting a shift in perspective from individual professional responsibility to collective responsibility.

The Polarized Experiences of Midwives

Midwives’ experiences of delivering care outside of guidelines are presented, revealing deeply polarized accounts of moral injury, job fulfillment, and everything in between. A new model is introduced to explore how a midwife’s socio-political working context can mediate or exacerbate the vulnerability, conflict, and stigmatization they may experience as a result of supporting alternative birth choices.

Supporting Women and Midwives

The book concludes by discussing the implications of the findings, highlighting the importance of developing team and organizational culture to better support women and midwives. Recommendations are made for a systems approach to improving maternity services, emphasizing the need for a collective effort to promote physiological birth and woman-centred care.

This thought-provoking read is essential for all midwives, future midwives, and those concerned with interprofessional issues around workforce development, sustainability, moral distress, and compassion in health and social care.

Product Details
Publisher: Routledge; 1st edition (February 28, 2023)
Language: English
Paperback: 178 pages
ISBN-10: 1032208279
ISBN-13: 978-1032208275