The role of the community midwife differs dramatically from that of a hospital based practitioner but many midwifes entering this area of practice may not feel well equipped for this diverse experience. Community Midwifery Practice is the first text specifically tailored to meet the needs of community midwives, providing a practical, skills-based guide to improving and underpinning their day-to-day practice with an emphasis on ‘normal’ birth and the importance of developing relationships with the women they are charged with helping. This accessible text includes information on the broad range of skills required by midwives working in community settings, providing practical guidance on issues such as supporting women with HIV/AIDS, issues surrounding domestic abuse, perinatal mental health, and pelvic girdle pain. Community Midwifery Practice will provide all midwives who work in community placements with a comprehensive, accessible tool designed to assist them in all aspects of their practice.

This text presents a compilation of current practices that includes evidence-based, traditional, and empiric care from a wide variety of sources. Each Guideline moves through problem identification and treatment using a standardized format for day-to-day clinical practice with diverse populations. The Guidelines are currently in use by many practices as a way of meeting the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) recommendations, and are acceptable for collaborative practice with physician colleagues.

The delivery of high quality and equitable care for both mothers and newborns is complex and requires efforts across many sectors. The United States spends more on childbirth than any other country in the world, yet outcomes are worse than other high-resource countries, and even worse for Black and Native American women. There are a variety of factors that influence childbirth, including social determinants such as income, educational levels, access to care, financing, transportation, structural racism and geographic variability in birth settings. It is important to reevaluate the United States' approach to maternal and newborn care through the lens of these factors across multiple disciplines. Birth Settings in America: Outcomes, Quality, Access, and Choice reviews and evaluates maternal and newborn care in the United States, the epidemiology of social and clinical risks in pregnancy and childbirth, birth settings research, and access to and choice of birth settings.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery & Women's Health, Sixth Edition is an accessible and easy-to-use quick reference guide for midwives and women’s healthcare providers. Completely updated and revised to reflect the changing clinical environment, it offers current evidence-based practice, updated approaches, and opportunities for midwifery leadership in every practice setting. Also included are integrative, alternative, and complementary therapies.

Written by two of the professionís most prominent midwifery leaders, this authoritative history of midwifery in the United States, from the 1600s to the present, is distinguished by its vast breadth and depth. The book spans the historical evolution of midwives as respected, autonomous health care workers and midwifery as a profession, and considers the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities for this discipline as enduring motifs throughout the text. It surveys the roots of midwifery, the beginnings of professional practice, the founding of educational institutions and professional organizations, and entry pathways into the profession. Woven throughout the text are such themes as the close link between midwives and the communities in which they live, their view of pregnancy and birth as normal life events, their efforts to promote health and prevent illness, and their dedication to being with women wherever they may be and in whatever health condition and circumstances they may be in. The text examines the threats to midwifery past and present, such as the increasing medicalization of childbearing care, midwiferyís lack of a common identity based on education and practice standards, the mix of legal recognition, and reimbursement issues for midwifery practice. Illustrations and historical photos depict the many facets of midwifery, and engaging stories provide cultural and spiritual content. This is a ìmust-haveî for all midwives, historians, professional and educational institutions, and all those who share a passion for the history of midwifery and women. Key Features: Encompasses the most authoritative and comprehensive information available about the history of midwifery in the United States Considers the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities for midwifery Illustrated with historical photos and drawings Includes engaging stories filled with cultural and spiritual content, introductory quotes to each chapter, and plentiful chapter notes Written by two preeminent leaders in the field of midwifery