BOOKS AND RESOURCES
The PROFESSION OF MIDWIFERY
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Mind Body Connections

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Key Resources for Midwifery Books and Resources

Alphabetical Listing of Books about Midwifery

Arditti, Rita. Women as Objects: Science and Sexual Politics. Science for the People, Sept. 1974.
Arms, Suzanne. Immaculate Deception. 1975. One of the classics that helped change the practices of birthing in the USA.

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Arms, Suzanne. Giving Birth: Challenges & Choices. Suzanne's newest video and her other books are available from her website: http://www.birthingthefuture.com/

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Arms, Suzanne. Immaculate Deception II--A Fresh Look at Childbirth. 1994. Discusses what the problems are with childbirth today and discusses the wisdom of the natural process of birth. ISBN=0890876339

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Armstrong, Penny, and Cheryl Feldman. A Midwife's Story. 1986. A nurse-midwife learns much about birth and life in her work with the Amish in Pennsylvania. ISBN=0804101787
0890879346_m.gif (7244 bytes) Baldwin, Rahima, Special Delivery.

This is a lovely book for anyone planning a home birth. It's a classic in the midwifery and birthing community. ISBN: 0890879346 

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Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care: Blackwell Science, Inc.
http://www.blackwell-science.com/usa/jnlist.htm
You can review a free issue from their web site.

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Bohjalian, Chris. Midwives. Harmony Books, 1997.A fictitious trial of a midwife.

ISBN=0375706771

0684842319_m.gif (14523 bytes) Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Our Bodies, Ourselves for the New Century: A Book by and for Women.

ISBN=0684842319

Bradford, Nikki, The Miraculous World of Your Unborn Baby.  This book offers up pictures into the womb. Along with beautiful photos and illustrations the author provides us with very informative information about everything from genetics to the amazing newborn.  A quote from the introduction by David B. Chamberlain says it all: "In only a brief span of years, the old view that babies were virtually deaf, dumb, and blind has been replaced with the view that sensory development in the womb is rapid, voluntary motion comes early, and prenates are in constant interaction with their parents--shaping the future day by day. Babies as yet unborn are listening and learning."(p 7).ISBN:0809229285.
Conrad, Peter and Kern, Rochelle, eds. The Sociology of Health and Illness: Critical Perspectives. 2nd Ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1986.

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Courter, Gay. The Midwife. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1981. A novel about the roots of midwifery from Prussia to the United States. ISBN=0451156234

Courter, Gay. The Midwife's Advice. Penguin. 1992. Paperback 1994. A sequel to The Midwife. A novel about the relationships of women, birthing and family planning in the United States. 

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Cushman,Karen. The Midwife's Apprentice. HarperTrophy 1995 (1996 Newbery Award). A great children's book about midwives and self-esteem. 

ISBN=0395692296

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Davis, Elizabeth. Heart and Hands. 2nd. Edition. Celestial Arts, 1992. A Midwife's guide to pregnancy, childbirth and the art and science of midwifery. 

ISBN: 0890878382

0520084314_m.gif (8681 bytes)Davis-Floyd, Robbie. Birth as an American Rite of Passage. 1992. A feminist analysis of childbirth rites in American culture, and offers insightful interviews with women and health care providers. This book provides great insight into the differences between the medical model and the midwifery model in the United States. Ms Davis-Floyd reveals why many women are comfortable with technology and why other women choose midwifery care. Visit Ms. Davis-Floyd's Web site for a snapshot of the book.  A very relevant book of our time.  HB ISBN: 0520074394  ISBN:0520084314

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Diamant, Anita, The Red Tent

A charming old testament story of midwives and the Red Tent.

ISBN=0312169787

Donnison, Jean. Midwives and Medical Men: A History of Inter-Professional Rivalries and Women's Rights. Schocken books, 1977.
Edwards, Margot and Waldorf , Mary. Reclaiming Birth: History and Heroines of American Childbirth Reform. The Crossing Press, 1984
Ehrenreich, Barbara and English, Derdre. Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers. The Feminist Press, 1973. 
0965987302_m.gif (14240 bytes)England, Pam. CNM, MA and Horowitz, Rob, PhD, Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation. Partera Press.1998.  This is a wonderful addition to the childbirth preparation library. The focus in on the empowerment of women and the takeing charge of the birth experience. There is an excellent chapter on pushing, and also about the impact of nurses on the laboring women. A truly joyful addition to a pregnant woman's library. ISBN=0965987302.
http://www.birthpower.com/index.htm

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Enkin, Murray, Keirse, Marc J.N.C., Renfrew, Mary and Neilson, James. 2nd Edition. A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. Oxford University Press, 1995.

This book is about the documented effects of care given and received during pregnancy and childbirth. ISBN=0192623249

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Fleischman, Paul. The Borning Room. HarperKeypoint, 1991(1991 golden Kite Award Honor Book for Fiction. From an innovative, highly talented novelist and poet a quiet cycle of episodes from the life of Georgina Lott, born on her father's Ohio farm in 1851 and eventually revealed to be narrating from her deathbed in the same little room, 67 years later. Meanwhile, other births and deaths have occurred there in the 'borning room'. ISBN=0064470997

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Gaskin, Ina May. Spiritual Midwifery. The Farm. A classic, originaly published in 1978. Contains many birth stories as well as more technical information for parents and midwives. Revised in 1980 and 1990.ISBN=0913990639

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Goer, Henci. Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities Bergin & Garvey, 1995. Discusses issues facing expectant parents and supports issues with research abstracts. A compact, accurate and understandable reference. ISBN=0-89789-242-9.

Visit Donna's Web Site for more information and an entire chapter on Episiotomy: http://www.efn.org/~djz/birth/obmyth/

Gordon, Linda. Woman's Body, Woman's Right: A Social History of Birth Control in America. New York: Grossman, 1977.
Graham, Harvey. Eternal Eve, the History of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Doubleday & Company, 1951.
Jacobs, Sandra and the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Having Your Baby with a Nurse-Midwife : Everything You Need to Know to Make an Informed Decision.1993. Explains for expectant parents and professionals what a nurse midwife is.
Janssen, Holt, Patricia A, and Myers, Susan J License "Midwife-Attended, Out-of -Hospital Births in Washington State: Are They Safe? " Birth 1994: 21(3):141-148. 
Kitzinger, Sheila. Homebirth. 1991. A commonsense guide to the alternatives to giving birth in the hospital. Discusses how to plan a birth in a setting where the laboring woman is in control. Evaluates the risks of homebirth and puts them into perspective.
Kitzinger, Sheila. The Midwife Challenge. Pandora, 1991. Describes midwifery worldwide from a historical perspective.
Kitzinger, Shiela. The Experience of Childbirth. 3rd Edition. Penguin Books. 1972. Another classic about midwifery and childbirth, one of the first written in the 1970's which began the new understanding of the value of childbirth education.

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Korte, Diana The VBAC Companion: The Expectant Mother's Guide to Vaginal Birth After Cesarean. Harvard Common Press. 1997. ISBN: 1558321284 

See Pat's Book Reveiw of this bookThanks, Diana for sending the review copy of this book. I recommend it to everyone.

Hubbard, Ruth, Mary Sue Henifin and Barbara Fried (eds.), Women Looking at Biology Looking at Women. Boston: G.K. Hall and Co., 1979. Read especially pp 163-84 by Marilyn Grossman and Pauline Bart "Taking men out of menopause."
Leep, Nicky, and Hunter, Billie. The Midwife's Tale. The untold story ofbooks.gif (3866 bytes) birth in the 1920's , 1930's and 1940's in Britain. Challenges assumptions about home birth and the midwifery profession. Relates the attitudes and experiences of our mothers, grand-mothers and great-grandmothers in the areas of sex, contraception, abortion, work and motherhood.
Lefeber-Mans, Yvonne H. F. Midwives Without Training: Practices, and beliefs of traditional birth attendants in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Van Gorcum & Comp. BV (PO Box 43, 9400 AA Assen, the Netherlands. 1994. Intended for anyone interested in the practices and beliefs of the traditional midwives, especially birth attendants, obstetricians and medical anthropologists
Midwifery Today. Getting an Education: Paths to Becoming a Midwife 1995 (Midwifery Today, PO Box 2672 Eugene, OR, 97402. USA. * (503) 344-7438* (800) 743-0974* Fax: (503) 344- 1422* E-Mail: Midwifery@aol.com) Explores the many ways to becoming a midwife, and working with the birthing community. Presents personal stories of midwives and how they accomplished their goals of becoming a midwife.
Midwifery Today International Exchange Network: Directory 1995 (Midwifery Today, PO Box 2672 Eugene OR, 97402 USA* (503)344-7438*(800) 743-0974* Fax (503)344-1422* E-mail: mailto:midwifery@aol.com Also available it the Publication International Midwife. The main non-internet link to international midwifery.
Midwifery Today World Wide Web Page: http://www.efn.org/~djz/birth/MT/MTindex.html has links to various articles and other information provided by Midwifery Today. The related What's New http://www.efn.org/~djz/birth/birthnew.html is the place to check first for updated and new versions of the sci.med.midwifery FAQ, new birthing related resources and an on-line Directory of e-mail addresses of midwives worldwide. (Managed by Donna Dolezal Zelzer djz@efn.org
Mitford, Jessica. The American Way of Birth. The Penguin Group, 1993. Explores the conventional and alternative methods of giving birth and the cost of having a child.

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Poole, Catherine M., and Elizabeth A. Parr Choosing a Nurse-Midwife; Your Guide to Safe, Sensitive Care During Pregnancy and the Birth of Your Child

ISBN=0471584525

Montgomery, Anne. Having Children: The Best Resource to Help You Prepare. Resource Pathways, 1999, Second Edition.  This is an excellent resource for families and childbirth educators. Books, CD's and popular Web Sites are reviewed and rated by a team of qualified health professionals.  The topics covered are all of the things of interest to families planning or experiencing a pregnancy. I have the honor of knowing the Editor, Anne Montgomery, who was gracious enough to give me a review copy. I also know several of the individuals on the Advisory Team, and can see this is quite a team effort. ISBN:1892148064. 
Odent, Michel. Birth Reborn. Pantheon Books. New York, 1984 and 1990. A discussion of how childbirth can be and what women want it to be--and how mothers and babies both benefit. Physician Odent describes the clinic in Pithiviers and the success with childbirth by letting women be free to labor as they wish.
Population Reference Bureau, Inc. 1994: World Population Data Sheet: Demographic Data and Estimates for the Countries and Regions of the World. (Available from Population Reference Bureau, Inc., 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20009-5728 (202) 438-1100) Toll free # to become a PRB member is 1-800-877-9881 Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30am EST. 
0517703904_m.gif (6021 bytes) Payne, Niravi B. The Language of Fertility. ISBN:0517703904 This book describes a mind-body program that helps women and couples discover and work through some of the emotional and psychological barriers to fertility. The Whole Person Fertility Program is a program developed by the author to help women gain insight into the issues that might be preventing pregnancy.  Pat's Review
Posner, Judith. It's all in your head: feminist and medical models of menopause (strange bedfellows). Sex Roles. 5:170-190.

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Rooks, Judith Pence. Midwifery and Childbirth in America, 1997.

ISBN=1566395658

Rothman, Barbara Katz. In Labor: Women and Power in the Birthplace. 1991. Presents a systematic feminist analysis of not only how childbirth is managed in America but why it is managed the way it is.
Smith-Rosenberg, Carroll. The Hysterical Women: Sex Roles in Nineteenth Century America. Social Research. 39. Winter 1972: 652-78.
Steiger, Carolyn. Becoming a Midwife. Hoogan House Publishing, 1987. Presents a model for apprenticeship including clear definitions of the teacher-student relationship, description of responsibilities and an outline of a three phase program for becoming a midwife.

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Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher A Midwife's Tale. Vintage Books, New York, 1990. The life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary, 1785-1812. Depicts the family, medical. social, economic, and religious life of a midwife in pre-industrial New England.  ISBN=0679733760  Also released in 1997: A wonderful video: A Midwife's Tale: An American Experience. 

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Van Olphen-Fehr, Diary of a Midwife, 1998: Based on the author's years of experience as a nurse-midwife, this book shows how women with low-risk pregnancies can be cared for by a midwife, allowing them to take control of the birth process and avoid costly and traumatic interventions of drugs and surgery.  ISBN=0897895886

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Varney, Helen. Nurse Midwifery. 3rd Edition. Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1996. A comprehensive text for midwifery students. Extremely well organized, stressing the concept of understanding and recognizing the normal while screening for the abnormal. 

ISBN=0867207485

Weaver, Pam and Evans, Sharon K. Practical Skills Guide. Morningstar Publications. 1994. A textbook designed to test the skills of student midwives, either direct-entry or student nurse-midwives. Currently being used as a required text in the NARM national certification process. Covers over 100 skills in a step--by-step procedure format. Includes forms for documentation of experience.
Wertz, Richard W and Dorothy C. Lying In: A History of Childbirth in America. Schocken Books, 1977.
WHO, FIGO, ICM "DEFINITION OF THE MIDWIFE" as stated in the recently released document Reproductive Health Care: Midwifery--its role in Safe Motherhood and Beyond. World Health Organization, 1992.

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Weschler, Toni. Taking Charge of Your Fertility
ISBN: 0060950536
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