antenatal care, postnatal care, gentle birth and Leboyer
The study day , held at TORCH in Oxford, in May 2016 focused on the twentieth-century birth experience, encompassing antenatal preparation for family life, Leboyer’s theories of gentle birth, and developments in postnatal care. It also included presentations on the RCM’s oral history collection and from the midwifery adviser to ‘Call the Midwife’. We were fortunate to have a star line-up of specialists in each of the area, and their rich presentations brought very lively discussions with the audience, which was evenly balanced between healthcare professionals (especially midwives) and non-practitioner researchers.
Programme for the Study Day
- Welcome (Valerie Worth-Stylianou, University of Oxford and Janette Allotey, University of Manchester),
- Presentation on ‘Revisiting The Midwife’s Tale: an oral history collection at the Royal College of Midwives’ by Carly Randall, (Archivist, RCOG)
- Dr Marie-France Morel (Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris): ‘Gentle birth: Leboyer’s theories and subsequent changes to how babies were birthed in France in the 1970s’
- Professor Mary Nolan (University of Worcester) ‘Birth and Parent Education post Dr Spock, 1970-2016: striving to build parents' confidence rather than destroy it’
- Professor Debra Bick (King’s College London): ‘'Context, culture and contribution of postnatal care over the last century: a missed opportunity for women's health'
- Terri Coates (midwifery adviser for ‘Call the Midwife’): ‘Call the midwife: communicating the art of midwifery though a BBC period drama’
- Concluding remarks
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