Communication Skills for Midwives: Challenges in Everyday Practice

"This book is easy to read and has relevant content for student midwives, with inclusion of reflective activities which are clear and appropriate. I particularly like the vignette’s which are relevant and explore the challenges that midwives face. The script-like format of these adds a further layer to the narratives, and the inclusion of non-verbal communication as well is excellent. This will be an essential text for all student midwives."
Mary Beadle, Midwifery Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of Hull, UK

"Communication Skills for Midwives is a unique book that focuses not only on fundamental communication issues, but goes much further by including the many difficult and tricky issues experienced within contemporary midwifery practice. This much needed text provides detailed and comprehensive information which is reinforced by illustrations, vignettes and activities that engage the reader from the beginning. This is an excellent resource for students, practitioners and educators."
Nicky Clark, Lead Midwife for Education, University of Hull, UK

"This book covers many poignant examples of difficult and challenging communication that midwives face in everyday practice ... It covers both every day aspects of care such as facilitating choice and less common experiences like responding to domestic violence … This book is unique and would be good bedtime reading for any midwife!"
Tandy Deane-Grey, Senior Midwifery Lecturer, University of Hertfordshire, UK

"This comprehensive and reader friendly text ... utilises a variety of strategies to aid understanding and application to practice. Each chapter has clear aims to address a challenging situation that readers will readily identify with and provides an excellent mix of vignettes, reflective activities, text and diagrams to support the development of knowledge and skills ..."
Heather Passmore, Senior Lecturer, UCS, UK

This is the first book on communication skills to explore the more challenging contexts and circumstances that midwives encounter in practice. As these occur infrequently and often unexpectedly in the daily practice of many midwives, they may find it difficult to communicate effectively to alleviate the situation. Knowing what to say and how to say it is part of this dilemma.

The book uses case vignettes, reflective questions, illustrations, tools and techniques to provide the evidence base needed to cope effectively in a range of situations by offering support to enhance your communication skills.

Communication Skills for Midwives explores challenges relating to:

• Negotiating with others within inter-professional and inter-agency teams
• Working with minority groups
• Breaking significant news when labour threatens the life of a baby
• Telling parents that their baby has an abnormality
• Coping with loss and bereavement
• Addressing issues of domestic abuse

Importantly the book provides information on how thoughts and feelings may be expressed both through body language and in words. Taking a practical and problem solving approach, the book will help you to enhance your learning and improve interaction with your colleagues, the women you care for and their families.