 PAIN IN CHILDBEARING
Margaret Yerby (Ed)
Review by Joanna Gray
This book provides the reader with a comprehensive understanding of pain associated with childbearing. The book is unusual in its approach because it is so wide ranging and recognises that pain may be caused by many physiological and psychosocial factors. The contributors to this book have identified the importance of the midwife being 'with woman' as a means of assisting her with managing her childbirth pain.
Each chapter is set out clearly and provides a short annotated bibliography and an extensive reference list. The chapters are presented in an easy to read format and the use of headings makes it quite easy for the reader to find information.
Readers who are looking for a more physiological understanding of pain in childbearing may find this book inadequate for their needs, although the comprehensive reference lists would enable the reader to source this information if required. The approach to this book is not as technical as one might expect, but does provide a more qualitative understanding of pain in childbirth.
The best feature of Pain in Childbearing would be in the variety of topics covered which include: pain relief - past and present; physiology of labour pain; psychology of pain in normal labour; fetal pain and neonatal pain and its management. The chapters on fetal and neonatal pain are particularly important as they provide a wider understanding of the needs of both mother and baby.
The contributors to this book are a combination of academic and clinical midwives, giving the book a strong clinical as well as research focus. The book also provides chapters on both traditional forms of pain management in childbirth and alternative therapies. Sociocultural, moral and legal aspects of pain management are also discussed which again allow the reader to gain a broad understanding of issues.
Pain in Childbearing would be useful to a beginning practitioner who is interested in gaining a broad understanding of pain management of childbirth. Further reading could then be easily accessed using the annotated bibliographies and reference lists.
Joanna Gray MNsg
Charles Sturt University.
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