Love and Midwifery

Diane Ménage Diane is a midwife with a life-long interest in women’s health and well-being. Throughout her career her focus has always been on providing individualised evidence-based care through relationships. As a midwife she has worked clinically in hospital settings, community midwifery and independent practice. She completed her PhD research on Women’s Lived Experience of Compassionate Midwifery at Coventry University (UK) in 2018. She has written extensively for midwifery journals, contributed to book chapters and she co-authored the textbook An Introduction to Research for Midwives, 4th Edition. Diane is a part-time lecturer in Midwifery at De Montfort University. In her role as a midwifery educator, she is passionate about embedding compassion and self-compassion into midwifery education. Jenny Patterson As a midwife since 2007, Jenny has worked within the UK NHS and independently. Jenny has a particular interest in traumatic birth experiences and Jenny’s PhD thesis explored Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in women post childbirth (PTSD-PC). Jenny has been part of an international group of midwives, midwifery researchers and lecturers that explored midwives’ needs regarding stress and trauma across the UK and Ireland. Following completion of trauma management training, Jenny has led workshops for women and midwives. Jenny has published several midwifery journal articles, contributed to a few book chapters and presented in the UK and Europe. Jenny currently lectures in midwifery at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland, UK. Current research interests include exploring how maternity care providers and interpreters can best collaborate to provide high quality care for women whose first language is not that of the country in which they are receiving maternity care.

Introduction, Part One: Love in Context, 1: What do we mean by love?, 2: Love and the humanisation of childbirth, 3: Why we need to talk about love in midwifery, Part Two: Love in Practice , 4: Love as Touch, 5: Love as Actions, 6: Love as Words, 7: Love as Time, 8: Love as Gift, Part Three: Love in the Profession, 9: Love for Self: controversies and word games, 10: Love and Colleagues: sustaining wellbeing in the workplace through social connections, 11: Love in Midwifery Leadership, 12: Love in Midwifery Education, 13: Love and Professional Issues in Midwifery, Conclusion: Strength, growth and transformation, Index