Abstract
In this fifth article in the 19th Midwifery basics series on the humanisation of birth, Elizabeth Newnham looks at policy and practice documents – specifically on epidural and water use – in the ethnographic study site featured in Towards the humanisation of birth. She examines how social beliefs, which run broad and deep and are often unquestioned, affect science, policy and practice. By putting two documents side by side – information pamphlets for women about epidural analgesia and waterbirth – she makes these dominant discourses visible, and discusses them in relation to practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 14-17 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Practising Midwife |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2020 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Epidural analgesia
- humanisation of childbirth
- water immersion
- childbirth
- midwifery
