Essential Midwifery Practice: Intrapartum Care

The contributions from experts in the field include discussion of the evolution of intrapartum care and debates about childbirth education, as well as looking at birth environments, labour rhythms, working with pain, complementary therapies and labour and sexuality. It is an invaluable guide for all midwives.

• Evidence-based, bringing you fully up-to-date with the latest research
• Comprehensive and holistic examination of normal birth practice, outlining the current state of knowledge and skills
• Written by key experts coming together for the first time

Intrapartum Care has undergone profound changes over the past 50 years. Essential Midwifery Practice: Intrapartum Care takes a broad sweep to examine these changes and their intersection with midwifery, in particular their impact on the midwife’s role during labour and birth. It is an invaluable guide for all midwives.

Essential Midwifery Practice: Intrapartum Care addresses a wide range of topics including the evolution of Intrapartum care, debates about knowledge and childbirth education. It looks at birth environments, labour rhythms, working with pain, normal birth, unusual labours and complementary therapies. Written by key experts, this unique and diverse text will bring readers right up-to-date with the latest research and reflection in their specialist fields, and provide guidance on best practice.

Denis Walsh was born and brought up in Queensland but trained as a midwife in Leicester, UK.   His PhD was on the Birth Centre model and is now Associate Professor in Midwifery at the University of Nottingham.  He lectures on evidence and skills for normal birth internationally and is widely published on midwifery issues and normal birth.

Soo Downe spent 15 years working as a midwife in various clinical, research, and project development roles at Derby City General Hospital. She is now the Professor of Midwifery Studies at UCLan, where she leads the  Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) group. She set up, and now coordinates, the annual international normal birth research conference series. Her main research focus is the nature of, and culture around, normal birth.