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A guide to becoming a family — Bonding before birth
94 Midwifery w o m e n relinquishing a baby for adoption. Chapter Three considers what makes loss connected with childbearing different from other types of bereavement whilst discussing all aspects o f loss from infertility (loss o f a potential child) to handicap (loss of a normal child). Later chapters adopt a sympathetic approach to caring for the grieving parents and the immediate family, the place for bereavement counselling and the role o f support groups. N o r are professional carets forgotten with excellent chapters on grief in the neonatal unit, staff grieving, and support. The book ends by considering the particular problems related to infection with HIV and AIDS and the implications of the loss for future childbearing. I would recommend this book to all who work with childbearing w o m e n and I feel that it should be required reading for all midwifery students. Louise I. Silverton BSc, MSc, RM, M T D
The Social Context of Health and Health Work LindaJ. Jones MacMillan, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0 333 55156 7. Pricefo14.99 Linda Jones's textbook is a valuable asset to any library, or as an aid to student midwives on sociological elements of their courses. I must emphasise that it is a textbook and best used as a supplement to taught courses; otherwise I expect students will struggle with the dense writing style. This is not to say that the book is not clearly written or informative; on the contrary, the book is packed with up-to-date topics and research. As a sociologist with experience of teaching sociology to midwives, I found the chosen topics well suited to the task. They covered sociological theory, the family, community, class, poverty, gender, race, age, power and politics, firmly focusing on the particular needs o f health professionals. The chapters are laid out in a well defined and concise manner and are enhanced by well-labelled diagrams, good referencing and some useful exercises at the end o f each section. The main drawback for midwives is that although the book is supposedly aimed at all health workers, it is nevertheless strongly biased towards the needs of nurses. Indeed, there is only one paragraph which directly discusses the social context o f midwifery. Also, in order to understand the social context of the U K health and health work, the use o f international comparisons would be valuable. For overseas readers this lack o f comparison could be sorely missed. However, for midwives on U K
courses, this book is a gold mine to get them through sociology courses and they will also learn a great deal about the social contexts in which they work. Thomas D. Cockburn BSocSc, MPhi!
Vulliamy's The Newborn Child 7 Peter G. B. Johnson Churchill Livingstone, 1994, 7th edn. ISBN 0 443048 894. Price~17.95 This new edition is aimed at student midwives and also at junior doctors who are embarking on a first neonatal job. With this in mind, the book, though o f good quality and with a logical progression through from intra-uterine to extra-uterine and neonatal life, tries to cover most aspects o f management but unfortunately fails in many. It seems an inappropriate volume in which to cover principles o f intensive neonatal care; many books are dedicated specifically to this topic and, as a result, this reference is very superficial with procedures and ~echniques described far too briefly to be o f value. The management o f the preterm baby in the delivery room is also far too important a topic to be discussed in such brief form. It would have been helpful to have contained relevant and up-to-date information on the care o f the baby born to drug-dependent w o m e n or to the HIV positive woman, instead of on the care of a baby born to a diabetic woman - who, with modern obstetric care, is more stable and consequently the baby has fewer problems. The colour plates featured would be more powerful if they had been placed appropriately through the text rather than as a block to be flicked over at the front o f the book. Figure 2:2 is an insensitive and inaccurate picture of most babies with spina bifida, whilst a black and white photograph of traumatic cyanosis is o f little use! This book, whilst easy to read, does contain some inaccuracies and tries to cover topics which require much more depth. It may give student midwives an insight into neonatal care but would be an inappropriate reference manual for junior doctors and neonatal nurses requiring in-depth knowledge and information. Susan M. Bretherick RGN, RSCN
A Guide to Becoming a Family Bonding Before Birth Leni Schwartz Ligo Press Boston, 199I, 1st edn. ISBN 1 879041 049. Price ~,10.99 This book brings together many theories which
Book reviews
lead to an assumption that conscious thought commences during intra-uterine life, and may be influenced by parental thoughts. There is acknowledgement that parental actions and the environment are influential, but the main emphasis is on initiating emotional bonding during pregnancy. The b o o k is easy to read, well presented and thought-provoking, but tends to be rather more subjective than analytical o f other people's findings. Although research is mentioned, it is not used to substantiate the author's personal observations. This is a b o o k w h i c h may be used by p r o fessionals to add an extra dimension to pare n t / i n f a n t relationships and to raise as a discussion topic. Erica Marian Hamer BEd, RGN, RM, MTD
Pursuing the Birth Machine: The Search for Appropriate Birth Technology Marsden Wagner Ace Graphics, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0646168371. Price :£12.50 This is an excellent b o o k for both midwives and obstetricians. It presents both models o f perinatal Care, social and biological and in many Western countries where the biological model predominates it highlights the alternative. The author convened a series o f international conferences where the participants were people involved in all aspects o f perinatal care. The aim o f these consensus meetings was to assess and evalute the technology used in caring for mothers, babies and their families before, during and after childbirth. Today, the process o f childbirth has become very expensive,and the meetings questioned whether this expense is justified. Despite the technology the mortality and morbidity rates have become fairly static and so there must be other causes which can be addressed further reducing the rates. The delegates showed that an important aspect o f childbirth was the social model and in countries where this has been used there have been improved outcomes. This b o o k shows the areas discussed and the research papers used to form arguments for and against certain aspects o f care. These are both up to date and accurately referenced. Alternatively the meetings highlighted aspects o f care where there has been little research undertaken but the technology has been taken onboard and widely used without evaluation. It then poses the question as to whether a trial would be ethical in that some women/babies would be denied the technology. R e c o m -
95
mendations for care are given and the place for both social and biological models. It is a b o o k that is essential for all midwives to read and would benefit many obstetricians to perhaps see that there is an alternative view. Karen Connolly RN, RN, ADM
Understanding Obstetric Ultrasound Jean Proud Booksfor Midwives Press, 1994. ISBN t 898507 031. Price :£12.95 This paperback has been written by a midwife with 15 years' experience in ultrasound scanning. It incorporates some o f the issues which have concerned midwives in recent years, especially with the escalation in the use o f ultrasound scans, along with clear descriptions o f the various uses o f ultrasound in obstetrics. The discussion o f safety issues and ethical considerations in ultrasound scanning should encourage midwives to reflect on its use/abuse and enable them to give unbiased advice to women. The most important issue is that w o m e n are given a choice, and they must be in possession o f all relevant information so that it is an informed choice. This should apply to all ultrasound scans, whether routine or selective. The overall presentation is good, with clear, well-labelled illustrations and each chapter is very well referenced. It would be a useful addition to any college library, especially for the use o f student midwives, but may seem rather over-priced to the individual practitioner. There are some publishing errors on pages 22, 30 and 48. Elizabeth Amle Rainey RGN, RM, DMAS, R C N T
Exploring Physiology Christopher J. Goodall Churchill Livingstone, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0 443 048177. Price :£9.95 This is an 'interactive w o r k b o o k ' for nurses which aims to help students to acquire the knowledge and understanding o f physiology that underpins their education according to Project 2000 ( U K C C 1986). T o achieve this aim the text is presented in the form o f a p r o gramme o f student-centred learning designed to support the gaining o f factual information from lectures and other more conventional sources. Used properly this w o r k b o o k will provide an excellent grounding in physiology for both the C o m m o n Foundation Programme and some o f the branch programmes
The Social Context of Health and Health Work LindaJ. Jones MacMillan, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0 333 55156 7. Pricefo14.99 Linda Jones's textbook is a valuable asset to any library, or as an aid to student midwives on sociological elements of their courses. I must emphasise that it is a textbook and best used as a supplement to taught courses; otherwise I expect students will struggle with the dense writing style. This is not to say that the book is not clearly written or informative; on the contrary, the book is packed with up-to-date topics and research. As a sociologist with experience of teaching sociology to midwives, I found the chosen topics well suited to the task. They covered sociological theory, the family, community, class, poverty, gender, race, age, power and politics, firmly focusing on the particular needs o f health professionals. The chapters are laid out in a well defined and concise manner and are enhanced by well-labelled diagrams, good referencing and some useful exercises at the end o f each section. The main drawback for midwives is that although the book is supposedly aimed at all health workers, it is nevertheless strongly biased towards the needs of nurses. Indeed, there is only one paragraph which directly discusses the social context o f midwifery. Also, in order to understand the social context of the U K health and health work, the use o f international comparisons would be valuable. For overseas readers this lack o f comparison could be sorely missed. However, for midwives on U K
courses, this book is a gold mine to get them through sociology courses and they will also learn a great deal about the social contexts in which they work. Thomas D. Cockburn BSocSc, MPhi!
Vulliamy's The Newborn Child 7 Peter G. B. Johnson Churchill Livingstone, 1994, 7th edn. ISBN 0 443048 894. Price~17.95 This new edition is aimed at student midwives and also at junior doctors who are embarking on a first neonatal job. With this in mind, the book, though o f good quality and with a logical progression through from intra-uterine to extra-uterine and neonatal life, tries to cover most aspects o f management but unfortunately fails in many. It seems an inappropriate volume in which to cover principles o f intensive neonatal care; many books are dedicated specifically to this topic and, as a result, this reference is very superficial with procedures and ~echniques described far too briefly to be o f value. The management o f the preterm baby in the delivery room is also far too important a topic to be discussed in such brief form. It would have been helpful to have contained relevant and up-to-date information on the care o f the baby born to drug-dependent w o m e n or to the HIV positive woman, instead of on the care of a baby born to a diabetic woman - who, with modern obstetric care, is more stable and consequently the baby has fewer problems. The colour plates featured would be more powerful if they had been placed appropriately through the text rather than as a block to be flicked over at the front o f the book. Figure 2:2 is an insensitive and inaccurate picture of most babies with spina bifida, whilst a black and white photograph of traumatic cyanosis is o f little use! This book, whilst easy to read, does contain some inaccuracies and tries to cover topics which require much more depth. It may give student midwives an insight into neonatal care but would be an inappropriate reference manual for junior doctors and neonatal nurses requiring in-depth knowledge and information. Susan M. Bretherick RGN, RSCN
A Guide to Becoming a Family Bonding Before Birth Leni Schwartz Ligo Press Boston, 199I, 1st edn. ISBN 1 879041 049. Price ~,10.99 This book brings together many theories which
Book reviews
lead to an assumption that conscious thought commences during intra-uterine life, and may be influenced by parental thoughts. There is acknowledgement that parental actions and the environment are influential, but the main emphasis is on initiating emotional bonding during pregnancy. The b o o k is easy to read, well presented and thought-provoking, but tends to be rather more subjective than analytical o f other people's findings. Although research is mentioned, it is not used to substantiate the author's personal observations. This is a b o o k w h i c h may be used by p r o fessionals to add an extra dimension to pare n t / i n f a n t relationships and to raise as a discussion topic. Erica Marian Hamer BEd, RGN, RM, MTD
Pursuing the Birth Machine: The Search for Appropriate Birth Technology Marsden Wagner Ace Graphics, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0646168371. Price :£12.50 This is an excellent b o o k for both midwives and obstetricians. It presents both models o f perinatal Care, social and biological and in many Western countries where the biological model predominates it highlights the alternative. The author convened a series o f international conferences where the participants were people involved in all aspects o f perinatal care. The aim o f these consensus meetings was to assess and evalute the technology used in caring for mothers, babies and their families before, during and after childbirth. Today, the process o f childbirth has become very expensive,and the meetings questioned whether this expense is justified. Despite the technology the mortality and morbidity rates have become fairly static and so there must be other causes which can be addressed further reducing the rates. The delegates showed that an important aspect o f childbirth was the social model and in countries where this has been used there have been improved outcomes. This b o o k shows the areas discussed and the research papers used to form arguments for and against certain aspects o f care. These are both up to date and accurately referenced. Alternatively the meetings highlighted aspects o f care where there has been little research undertaken but the technology has been taken onboard and widely used without evaluation. It then poses the question as to whether a trial would be ethical in that some women/babies would be denied the technology. R e c o m -
95
mendations for care are given and the place for both social and biological models. It is a b o o k that is essential for all midwives to read and would benefit many obstetricians to perhaps see that there is an alternative view. Karen Connolly RN, RN, ADM
Understanding Obstetric Ultrasound Jean Proud Booksfor Midwives Press, 1994. ISBN t 898507 031. Price :£12.95 This paperback has been written by a midwife with 15 years' experience in ultrasound scanning. It incorporates some o f the issues which have concerned midwives in recent years, especially with the escalation in the use o f ultrasound scans, along with clear descriptions o f the various uses o f ultrasound in obstetrics. The discussion o f safety issues and ethical considerations in ultrasound scanning should encourage midwives to reflect on its use/abuse and enable them to give unbiased advice to women. The most important issue is that w o m e n are given a choice, and they must be in possession o f all relevant information so that it is an informed choice. This should apply to all ultrasound scans, whether routine or selective. The overall presentation is good, with clear, well-labelled illustrations and each chapter is very well referenced. It would be a useful addition to any college library, especially for the use o f student midwives, but may seem rather over-priced to the individual practitioner. There are some publishing errors on pages 22, 30 and 48. Elizabeth Amle Rainey RGN, RM, DMAS, R C N T
Exploring Physiology Christopher J. Goodall Churchill Livingstone, 1994, 1st edn. ISBN 0 443 048177. Price :£9.95 This is an 'interactive w o r k b o o k ' for nurses which aims to help students to acquire the knowledge and understanding o f physiology that underpins their education according to Project 2000 ( U K C C 1986). T o achieve this aim the text is presented in the form o f a p r o gramme o f student-centred learning designed to support the gaining o f factual information from lectures and other more conventional sources. Used properly this w o r k b o o k will provide an excellent grounding in physiology for both the C o m m o n Foundation Programme and some o f the branch programmes