Birth Crisis

<p>One new mother in twenty is diagnosed with traumatic stress after childbirth. In <em>Birth Crisis</em> Sheila Kitzinger explores the disempowerment and anxiety experienced by these women. Key topics discussed include: </p><ul> <li>increasing intervention in pregnancy </li> <li>the shift in emphasis from relationships to technology in childbirth</li> <li>how family, friends and professional caregivers can reach out to traumatized mothers</li> <li>how women can work through stress to understand themselves more deeply and grow in emotional maturity</li> <li>how care and the medical system needs to be changed.</li> </ul><p><em>Birth Crisis</em> draws on mothers' voices and real-life experiences to explore the suffering after childbirth which has, until now, been brushed under the carpet. It is a fascinating and useful resource for student and practising midwives, all health professionals, and women and their families who want to learn how to overcome a traumatic birth. </p> <p>1. Introduction 2. Birth Contrasts 3. Pain 4. Institutional Power in a High-Tech Birth Culture 5. Sexual Abuse and Birth 6. Nightmares, Flash-Backs, Panic Attacks 7. 'If Only I Hadn't...' 8. The Baby 9. The Partner 10. Making Sense of the Birth Experience 11. The Next Pregnancy</p>