Description
Placing compassion at the heart of our care
Respectful Maternity Practices for Labour, Birth and the Postnatal Period is a must-read for obstetricians, doctors, midwives, nurses and students seeking to enhance their knowledge and clinical practice. It’s more than a textbook: it’s a call to action, fostering compassion and ensuring that every woman and baby receives the respectful, high-quality care they deserve.
This book distinguishes itself by moving beyond a purely clinical, fact-delivery model. It combines robust, evidence-based information with a culturally aware and highly accessible writing style, making it not just an informative resource, but also an inspiring guide for all maternity caregivers.
With a global perspective and deep respect for cultural diversity, this book explores how maternity care can—and must—uphold the autonomy, voices and lived experiences of all those giving birth. Through real-world examples and actionable strategies, the book challenges harmful norms and equips caregivers with the tools to cultivate safety and trust in every birth setting.
- Spans the full spectrum of care environments, from intimate home settings to hospitals nestled in the jungle, to large, resource-rich medical facilities
- Dr. Shawn Walker, a leading expert in the field, contributes a vital section on physiological breech birth
- Vivid photographs are used throughout, to enhance understanding and provide clear visual guidance for safe practice
- An invaluable, free online section provides editable resources for use in practice
Rooted in dignity, empathy and human rights, this essential guide offers a thoughtful and practical framework for ensuring that every woman, baby and family receives respectful, compassionate care throughout labour, birth and the postnatal period.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE AUTHOR x
PREFACE/INTRODUCTION xi
ABOUT THE COMPANION WEBSITE xii
Section 1 Caregivers and Future-Caregivers 1
1 Our Responsibilities and Desires in Maternity Care 3
2 Hopes and Dreams for Maternity Care 6
3 Handover 11
4 Mentoring Future-Caregivers 15
Section 2 The Labour Room Environment 25
5 The Labour Room Environment 27
6 The Labour Room Environment –Our Impact 45
Section 3 Care During Labour and Birth 73
7 The Labour Room Welcome 75
8 Eating and Drinking in Labour 78
9 Mobility in Labour 81
10 Monitoring in Labour with Our Heads, Hearts and Hands 87
11 Caring for Women Experiencing Painful Contractions 108
12 When a Woman Feels the Urge to Push 121
13 Care During the Birth 131
14 Waterbirth 147
15 Breech – An Unusual Normal by Tanya Burchell and Dr. Shawn Walker 158
16 Vaginal Birth After Caesarean Section – The New Normal 194
17 Meconium: An Obstetric Hazard or a Friendly, Fellow Traveller? 201
18 Initial Care and Assessment of the Motherbaby Unit 212
19 Initial Care of Low-Birth-Weight Babies 224
20 Birth of the Placenta 229
21 Assessing and Repairing Perineal Trauma 242
Section 4 Complex Needs in Labour 249
22 Prelabour Rupture of Membranes 251
23 Preterm Labour and Birth 256
24 Labour Dystocia – Or a Labour that Extends Beyond the Allotted Time Given by Caregivers 263
25 Inducing Labour 284
26 Medical Challenges: Hypertension, Obstetric Cholestasis, Diabetes Mellitus, Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia 303
27 Caring for Women and Babies Experiencing Birth by Forceps or Vacuum 311
28 Caesarean Section 315
29 Tokophobia 327
Section 5 Postnatal Care 329
30 Compassionate Care for the Postnatal Motherbaby Unit 331
31 Breastfeeding 344
32 Hypoglycaemia, Hypothermia and Hypoxia 357
33 Neonatal Jaundice 365
Section 6 Prompt Care in a Critical, Obstetric Event 371
34 Maternal Sepsis 373
35 When a Baby Becomes Stuck 379
36 Cord Presentation and Prolapse 387
37 Postpartum Haemorrhage 390
38 Severe Pre-eclampsia, Eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome 397
39 Adult and Newborn Life Support 402
Section 7 When a Mother or Baby Dies 413
40 When a Mother or a Baby Dies 415
INDEX 427
