Abstract

With contributions from a range of leading international authors, this 'stop and make you think' book explores the many contemporary issues surrounding emotion work in reproductive healthcare. The editors, forerunners in their field, have brought together both theoretical and clinical aspects to challenge readers to consider the significance of this important topic in their day-to-day work.
Using examples of maternity care and infertility settings from the UK and beyond, and with an emphasis on personal reflection throughout, the book explores the subjects of:
• Emotional well-being
• Client-practitioner relationships
• Infertility
• Loss
• Breast feeding
• Motherhood
Emotions in Midwifery and Reproduction underlines the importance of emotions and how they are managed, experienced and negotiated in clinical settings, addressing issues that are frequently overlooked in the drive for efficiency and effectiveness in the health service. It is stimulating reading for all midwifery and nursing students and practitioners looking to understand their patients' and their own emotional needs.
 
BILLIE HUNTER is Professor of Midwifery at Swansea University, UK. She has published widely and is a regular conference speaker. She is the Chair of the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust.
 
RUTH DEERY is Reader in Midwifery at the University of Huddersfield. Her research focuses on the maternity services and women's health, with particular interests in service change, public policy and women's experiences of childbirth and midwives' experiences of the organisation of maternity care.
This is a book that deserves to be read from cover to cover.  Its 'political' message is clear: 'care for childbearing women is one example of larger cultural struggles over interpretations of human needs' - New Digest, NCT Professional Magazine