A must read for all women.

It’s time for a childbirth revolution.

The modern approach to maternity care fails women, families and care providers with outdated practices that centre the needs of institutions rather than individuals.

In this book, Rachel Reed weaves history, science and research with the experiences of women and care providers to create a holistic, evidence-based framework for understanding birth. Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage requires us to recognise that mothers own the power and expertise when it comes to birthing their babies. Whether you are a parent, care provider or educator, this book will transform how you think and feel about childbirth.

Chapters

Part One: The Weft

1. Herstory: an overview of the herstory of childbirth from early humans to the emergence of modern maternity systems.

2. The legacy: how the legacy of herstory continues to influence the modern cultural landscape of childbirth.

3. Blood mysteries: an exploration of women’s bodily rites of passage and how they are interrelated with the childbirth experience.

4. Childbirth as a rite of passage: key elements of childbirth as a rite of passage and the role of care providers (setting the scene for Part Two).

Part Two: The Weave

5. Preparation: pregnancy and cultivating self-trust for birth

6. Separation: early labour and releasing the external world

7. Liminality: labour, betwixt and between, and transition

8. Emergence: birthing the baby and witnessing body wisdom

9. Integration: birthing the placenta and mother-baby enchantment

10. Medical birth rites: how to centre the woman when her childbirth rite of passage includes medical intervention.