Optimal Birth: What, Why & How: A Reflective, Narrative Approach Based on Research Evidence (Fresh Heart Books for Better Birth) - Softcover

I thought I would peruse the book prior to a session to 3rd yr students on control. I must admit I was easily captivated. I found the narrative style of the book easy to read and the stories compelling. In fact, I found it difficult to put down. This is a useful book for all midwives and students... --A principal lecturer in midwifery

I have read the whole book and I am impressed. The content is practical, well organised and the overall impression is of a very personal, warm, respectful and humane approach of a very complex, highly personal and sometimes difficult subject. --Midwife and project manager for clinical quality & public health

I think the book is fantastic ... it's also great to have something so fresh, as I feel that a lot of the books out there say the same things. I also really appreciate it being written for practitioners. Many books written for mothers vilify staff somehow, so it's a welcome relief to be the intended audience and for that tension not to be there. --A student midwife

This is a book for midwives and other caregivers, who are interested in making birth as safe and as good as possible for all parties concerned, especially mother and baby. Originally called Optimal Birth: The What, The Why & The How (ISBN: 9781906619046), this new edition has full notes and references to research, it features more birth stories, many of them completely new, as well as lots of reflective questions so as to promote creative solutions. There are also plenty of additional sections, all of which were requested by people who reviewed the 1st edition. (While the 1st edition had only 132 pages, this 2nd edition has 684 pages! However, the style is still very upbeat and the new accounts and commentaries from professionals give an insight into all kinds of issues.) There is a special focus on: the midwife-mother relationship (Does it matter how well you get on? What happens if you don't?); communication, the use of words and silence (Do words and silence affect outcomes?); and the issue of control (Who should be in control? What are the implications of shifts in power?) A few hundred people have contributed or checked material, including midwives, obstetricians and other professionals. Overall, the book with its discussions of both RCTs and case studies considers statistics in the light of the very human side of birth. The reflective questions which feature throughout the book make it ideal for students and caregivers in the field of birth who are serious about improving their practice, not only for the sake of their clients, but also so as to improve their own job satisfaction.