Birth Models That Work

by Davis-Floyd, Robbie; Barclay, Lesley; Daviss, Betty-anne; Tritten, Jan

• ISBN13: 9780520258914
• ISBN10: 0520258916
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-06
• Publisher: Univ of California Pr

Summary

This groundbreaking book takes us around the world in search of birth models that work in order to improve the standard of care for mothers and families everywhere. The contributors describe examples of maternity services from both developing countries and wealthy industrialized societies that apply the latest scientific evidence to support and facilitate normal physiological birth; deal appropriately with complications; and generate excellent birth outcomes--including psychological satisfaction for the mother. The book concludes with a description of the ideology that underlies all these working models--known internationally as the midwifery model of care.

Author Biography

Robbie E. Davis-Floyd is Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas, Austin, and Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology. She is author of Birth as an American Rite of Passage (second edition, UC Press), among other books. Lesley Barclay is Director and Professor at the Centre for Family Health and Midwifery at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Betty-Anne Daviss is a practicing midwife and Adjunct Professor at the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women's Studies at Carleton University. Jan Tritten is founder and editor-in-chief of Midwifery Today magazine.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Large-Scale Systems: National and Regional Models
The Dutch Obstetrical System: Vanguard of the Future in Maternity Care	p. 31
The New Zealand Maternity System: A Midwifery Renaissance	p. 55
The Ontario Midwifery Model of Care	p. 89
Samoan Midwives' Stories: Joinining Social and Professional Midwives in New Models of Birth	p. 119
Local Models in Developed Nations: Hospitals and Birth Centers
The Albany Midwifery Practice	p. 141
Small Really Is Beautiful: Tales from a Freestanding Birth Center in England	p. 159
Transforming the Culture of a Maternity Service: St George Hospital, Sydney, Australia	p. 187
Maternity Homes in Japan: Reservoirs of Normal Childbirth	p. 213
The Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center Model, Taos, New Mexico	p. 239
Local Models in Developing Nations: Traditional Midwives, Professional Midwives, and Obstetricians Working Together
Teamwork: An Obsterician, a Midwife, and a Doula in Brazil	p. 271
The CASA Hospital and Professional Midwifery School: An Education and Practice Model That Works	p. 305
Mercy in Action: Bringing Mother-and Baby-Friendly Birth Centers to the Philippines	p. 337
Making Models Work
Circles of Community: The CenteringPregnancy Group Prenatal Care Model	p. 365
Humanizing Childbirth to Reduce Maternal and Neonatal Mortality: A National Effort in Brazil	p. 385
"Orchestrating Normal": The Conduct of Midwifery in the United States	p. 415
Conclusion	p. 441
Contributors	p. 463
Index	p. 473
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