Arguing that contemporary maternity services provide a hostile environment both in which to practise and to give birth, this book looks at how we can change this to promote the best possible experiences for new parenthood.

Foreword The family experience of home birth Dervla Murphy 1. Introduction Nadine Edwards Rosemary Mander Jo Murphy-Lawless Part 1 The BPG Survey Introduction 2. The BPG Survey: the Results Rosemary Mander Jenny Patterson 3. The BPG Survey: working with the data Orla Donohoe 4. The BPG Survey: Fear Rosemary Mander & BPG 5. The BPG Survey: the NMC Code Rosemary Mander & BPG Part 2 Understanding Traumatic Experiences for Women, Midwives, Families and the Wider Community Introduction 6. Traumatic experiences of student midwives Sarah Davies and Liz Coldridge 7. The trauma women experience as the result of our current maternity services Nadine Edwards 8. When Midwives Become Other Helen Shallow 9. Fundamental Contradictions: the business model versus midwifery values Mavis Kirkham Part 3 Responding Practically and Politically to Change Our Troubled Birth Structures Introduction 10. Healing Ourselves as Midwives Jenny Patterson 11. Creating a community of support for pregnant women Nadine Edwards Bridget Sheeran 12. Performing the revolution, creating a counter-narrative on birth in Ireland Kate Harris 13. Documenting empowerment Anne-Marie Green 14. Using art to explore the materiality of birth Martina Hynan 15. Responding to maternal death: a collective challenges the state Jo Murphy-Lawless Part 4. Looking Ahead and Back 16. Conclusion: The way forward Nadine Edwards Rosemary Mander Jo Murphy-Lawless Afterword: Reflections on a life in midwifery Rosemary Mander