Supporting Physiological Birth Choices in Midwifery Practice: The Role of Workplace Culture, Politics and Ethics

This book explores the impact of midwives who support women's alternative birthing choices on themselves and how teams and organizations support or discourage these choices. It argues for a shift in perspective from individual professional responsibility to collective responsibility and provides real-life examples of how midwives can facilitate a range of birthing decisions within mainstream midwifery services. The findings reveal deeply polarised accounts from moral injury to job fulfillment and explore how socio-political working contexts can mediate or exacerbate vulnerability, conflict, and stigmatization. The book makes recommendations for a systems approach to improving maternity services.

Format: Hardback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 28 February 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the experiences of midwives who provide care to women who opt outside of guidelines in pursuit of physiological birth, shedding light on the impact on these midwives and exploring how teams and organizations support or discourage these women's birth choices. The author, Claire Feeley, aims to shift the perspective from individual professional responsibility to a broader collective responsibility for delivering woman-centered care.

The book begins by contextualizing the importance of quality midwifery care in the face of current debates that highlight the detrimental effects of hegemonic birth discourse and maternity practices on physiological birth rates and the well-being of women who choose to opt outside of maternity guidelines. Through real-life examples, the book showcases how midwives can facilitate a range of birthing decisions within mainstream midwifery services.

Furthermore, the book delves into the experiences of midwives who deliver care to these women, revealing deeply polarized accounts ranging from moral injury to job fulfillment. These accounts are then analyzed within a new model that explores how a midwives socio-political working context can significantly mediate or exacerbate the vulnerability, conflict, and stigmatization they may face as a result of supporting alternative birth choices.

The book concludes by exploring the implications of the findings, emphasizing the need for team and organizational culture to be developed to better support women and midwives. Recommendations are made for a systems approach to improving maternity services, aiming to enhance the experiences and outcomes of both women and midwives.

In conclusion, this book provides valuable insights into the experiences of midwives who support women's alternative birthing choices, shedding light on the challenges and complexities they face. It advocates for a shift in perspective towards a collective responsibility for delivering woman-centered care and offers recommendations for improving maternity services to better support women and midwives.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032208312