
Home Birth
- 1st Edition - July 15, 2023
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Editor: Anna-Marie Madeley
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 3 5 0 1 - 2
- eBook ISBN:9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 6 8 0 3 - 8
As the rate of homebirth increases in the UK, this important new book offers a basic, practical guide for anyone involved in the planning, resourcing and facilitation of safe an… Read more

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Request a sales quoteAs the rate of homebirth increases in the UK, this important new book offers a basic, practical guide for anyone involved in the planning, resourcing and facilitation of safe and respectful birth at home.
Blending both contemporary academic and clinical practice, this textbook covers the whole scope of home birth practice, from antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care, as well as management of emergencies at home and practical advice for managing transfer.
Facilitating a safe home birth requires a robust multidisciplinary team approach. Whatever your role in planning or attending a birth at home, and whether you are a student, practising midwife, paramedic or obstetrician, this resource will have something for you.
- Covers the whole scope of home birth practice, for each member the multidisciplinary team
- Written by leading experts from diverse backgrounds including midwives, paramedics, obstetricians and neonatal nurses from clinical practice, academia and education
- Presents balanced and unbiased contemporary evidence supporting birth at home
- Discusses effective care planning from developing a homebirth services, practical resources and skills, equipment planning and geographical considerations
- Covers important topics within midwifery including the rise of ‘freebirthing’, multidisciplinary team working and the care of women with complex biopsychosocial needs or from underrepresented communities
- Clearly identifies roles and responsibilities of the multidisciplinary team
- Suitable for midwifery students embarking on a home birth placement
- Cover image
- Title page
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Preface
- List of Contributors
- Acknowledgements
- List of Illustrations
- List of Tables
- 1. Homebirth – the evidence
- References
- 2. Homebirth in undergraduate, postgraduate, and clinical education
- Introduction
- Developing and sustaining the learning organisation
- Practicalities and content
- Adult learning
- Learning styles
- Resources
- Undergraduate midwifery education
- Postgraduate midwifery education: Commitment to lifelong learning
- Multidisciplinary education
- Using the experience of women to inform education
- Facilitating homebirth education for women/birthing people and their birth partners
- References
- 3. Planning for homebirth: Organisational considerations
- Commitment to providing the service culture trust philosophy
- Governance and guidelines
- Audit, monitoring, and continuous improvement
- Staffing and resource management
- Appropriate referrals and escalation
- Making the decision to have a homebirth
- Referral and risk assessment
- Record keeping
- Setting, environment, and equipment
- Communication
- References
- 4. Home alone – choosing freebirth
- What a ‘freebirth’ is and is not
- Who chooses to freebirth, and why?
- Legalities (in the UK)
- Supporting freebirth
- Conclusions
- References
- 5. First stage of labour at home
- Introduction
- Labour as a neurohormonal event
- The ‘stages’ of labour
- Care in the latent first stage of labour
- Care in established first stage of labour
- Birth companions
- Self-care
- Conclusion
- References
- 6. Second and third stages of labour at home
- Introduction
- Practical and equipment considerations
- Who will attend?
- The second stage of labour
- Fear, tension, pain
- Monitoring maternal wellbeing and progress
- Expulsive phase
- Midwifery care
- Monitoring and fetal wellbeing
- Optimal positioning and mobility
- Nutrition/hydration, analgesia, and comfort measures
- Duration of the second stage of labour
- The birth of the baby
- Perineal support during birth
- The third stage of labour
- Transfer considerations for handover wellbeing, handing over to teams
- References
- 7. Considerations for labour and birth in water at home
- Introduction
- Home birth specific considerations: Practicalities
- Organisational midwifery care and emergency preparedness
- Conclusion
- References
- 8. Physiological breech birth at home
- Background
- Individualised care planning
- Variations of breech presentation
- Normal breech physiology
- Recognising and minimising risk during labour
- Relieving obstructed labour
- Summary
- References
- 9. Postnatal care at home
- Principles of postnatal care following homebirth
- Immediate care of the postnatal woman
- Perineal care and suturing
- Immediate care of the neonate
- Feeding support
- Indications for transfer
- Conclusion
- References
- 10. Neonatal considerations for homebirth
- Introduction
- The cornerstones of neonatal management at home
- Systematic assessment
- Transporting a baby to hospital
- Optimal cord management
- ferences
- 11. Managing emergencies at home
- Introduction
- Human factors
- Maternal deterioration and collapse
- Suspected sepsis
- Cord prolapse
- Antepartum haemorrhage
- Newborn life support
- Classification according to initial assessment
- Conclusion
- References
- 12. Paramedic transfer and multidisciplinary working with ambulance services
- Introduction
- United Kingdom ambulance service
- Working with the emergency services – who is who?
- Community first responders (CFRs)
- Emergency care assistant (ECA)/emergency care support worker (ECSW)/ambulance care assistant (ACA)
- Associate ambulance practitioner (AAP)
- Technician
- Student paramedic (STP)
- Paramedic
- Advanced paramedic
- Critical care paramedic (CCP)
- Consultant paramedic
- Dual qualified practitioners
- Common equipment on vehicles
- Maternity equipment
- Maternity emergency drugs
- Newborn resuscitation equipment (Fig 12.2)
- Diagnostic equipment
- Manual handling equipment
- Personal protective equipment
- Understanding 999 and 111 call processes
- Indications for transfer
- Making the call
- Managing a transfer (transfer or emergency)
- Communication
- Medical acronyms
- Born before arrival
- Bed vs chair
- Baby born with the ambulance crew
- Mechanisms of normal birth
- Preterm birth
- Neonatal resuscitation
- Postpartum haemorrhage (PPH)
- Shoulder dystocia
- Breech birth
- Maternal collapse
- Special circumstances
- Supporting woman outside of guideline decisions
- Debrief following emergency
- Summary
- References
- 13. Homebirth in the presence of complex needs
- Introduction
- What do we mean by complex needs?
- Legalities in the United Kingdom
- Informed consent
- Guidelines
- Mental capacity
- Motivations for outside-of-guideline pregnancy and birth at home
- Practical support for complex homebirths
- Conclusions
- References
- 14. Reflective vignette
- Carolyn Rooth
- Clarak Haken
- Kat Hassell
- Meg Hill
- Samantha Phillis
- Index
- Edition: 1
- Published: July 15, 2023
- Imprint: Elsevier
- Language: English
- Paperback ISBN: 9780323935012
- eBook ISBN: 9780443268038