Publisher's Synopsis
No woman has an 'uneventful pregnancy' - a phrase which is commonly heard in western medical birth settings in the UK. Each woman births her child within a social context of her own. Midwives and other health care professionals need to have a deep understanding of the various lives childbearing women live in order to support them insightfully and practise in a nuanced manner. This edition, has been revised, updated and enlarged to provide an essential understanding of the different lives women live and in which they birth their children.