The evidence surrounding the skills and approaches to support good birth has grown exponentially over the last two decades, but so too have the obstacles facing women and midwives who strive to achieve good birth.This new book critically explores the complex issues surrounding contemporary childbirth practices in a climate which is ever more medicalised amidst greater insecurity at broad social and political levels. The authors offer a rigorous, and thought-provoking, analysis of c...

Arguing that contemporary maternity services provide a toxic environment both in which to practise and to give birth, this book looks at how we can change this. Its aim is promoting the best possible experiences of childbearing, and confident, strengthening and loving contexts for new parenthood.Designed to create awareness about the professional and political realities which enmesh maternity care, this inspiring volume features an in-depth and research-oriented analysis of the cha...

By the early 2000s, women in Ireland were arguably freer than any past generation to shape their sexual lives amidst the social freedoms of a globalised society. The Salley Gardens presents reflections from seventy-three heterosexual young women on growing up, forming sexual relationships and some becoming mothers in the last years of the «Celtic Tiger». The authors explore their hope and despair about what it means to be a woman, to use their agency, within the inescapable tensio...

Wolf shifter and fashion designer Zane Bellamy has a secret: he's "face-blind," unable to recognize people easily no matter how often he's seen them.Victoria Hawthorne has a secret, too, but if she's learned anything from teaching first graders, it's that the best way to keep a secret is to not tell anybody. She and Zane have that in common . . . but absolutely nothing else.Haute couture collides with ordinary life when Vicki wins a dress design by Zane himself. She knocks ...

Wolf shifter and carpenter Jake Rowly left his home town of Virtue straight out of high school and never planned to return. But a broken heart sends him back into the fold, because if there's one thing Virtue doesn't have, it's any chance of romantic complications. Then he meets newcomer Mabs Brannigan, and realizes fate has brought him home again . . .All single mother Mabs Brannigan wants is a safe, friendly place to raise her young son. When a distant relative leaves her a falli...

American photographer Tara Lynch has never wanted anything more than to visit Ireland—but her itinerary didn't include chasing peacocks around a wildlife park! On the other hand, it didn't include meeting a tall, handsome Irishman and falling head over heels for him in a heartbeat, either, so it might be time for Tara to re-think what makes a perfect holiday.Peacock shifter Declan McCarthy, a local artist, certainly didn't expect to meet his fated mate during an afternoon ...

If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen . . .Chef Charlee has spent a lifetime trying to outrun her difficult past. A head chef job in a small town might be the start of something new—but she never expected the boss to be more sizzling hot than anything she's ever cooked! But keeping her mind on the job is the only choice.If only she would stop imagining the kitchen counter as a great place for a steamy rendezvous . . . (No! You prepare food on...

Lion shifter Elliott Harkness is in Ireland for the dream vacation of a lifetime—and helping the Shamrock Safari Wildlife Park do some fundraising! After all, it's not often that a shifter gets to display his animal form in public, and being the 'lion on loan' means Elliott can show off while doing some good for the underfunded park.Aoife Gallagher loves her education and outreach job at the Safari Park, but there's something weird going on. Bringing new animals into a zoo...

Sarah is looking for love under the covers . . . of a good book!As a small-town librarian, Sarah has her hands full with projects that range from running an in-library day care to planning her best friend's wedding. Romance is a complication she doesn't need . . . until he walks in.Archivist Matthew is a big-city bear shifter looking forward to a quiet, short-term project in Virtue before heading to his dream job in New York. He didn't count on Vir...

What is the reality of being a midwife in the twenty-first century? What is it like to help and support women throughout pregnancy and childbirth and into motherhood? What roles can midwives play in society?This new edition of the popular text, Becoming a Midwife, explores what it is to be a midwife, looking at the factors that make midwifery such a special profession, as well as some of the challenges. The fully updated chapters cover a variety of settings and several dif...

With contributions from a range of leading international authors, this 'stop and make you think' book explores the many contemporary issues surrounding emotion work in reproductive healthcare. The editors, forerunners in their field, have brought together both theoretical and clinical aspects to challenge readers to consider the significance of this important topic in their day-to-day work.Using examples of maternity care and infertility settings from the UK and beyond, and with an...

"...It is well-written and well-referenced...this is an important, innovative, enjoyable textbook which can be highly recommended for use in undergraduate and postgraduate sociology courses on health related subjects, and which will be of value in courses on women's studies and gender. It will also be of interest to inquiring health care practitioners of whatever persuasion." - Sociology "This book takes a bold step in pointing new directions for sociological and social-historical studies ...