Best Labour Possible? : Planning for Empowered Childbirth

This text includes a section on equal partnership in care, which offers definitions of partnership with GPs, midwives, obstetricians, independent midwives, and combination of carers, parameter setting, expectations and wishes, negotiating, confidentiality, trust and constraints.

The chapter concerning access to and types of care features information about NHS, private and independent care, points of contact and who to go to to find out availability and information, and a discussion of factors involved in choosing the place of birth.

The section dealing with antenatal preparation for labour includes attitudes and influences, types of health and exercise and what to be aware of, information and education - including NHS, private, NCT, birth centres and shared learning - and a birth plan. The chapter concerning labour features issues surrounding the onset of labour and established labour, including pain relief, assessment of and support/supporters, intervention in labour, continuous monitoring, malpresentation, failure to progress, induction of labour and the reasons why and how, birth - positions and environment - cutting the cord, having a sick baby, the 3rd stage, the significance of the cord, drugs and side effects, active or passive 3rd stage, the 4th stage, repair or not of perineal trauma, and decision making.

Case studies are also included in the text, together with debriefing and the benefits of discussing what happened and why.