Sheila Kitzinger
Encyclopedia
Sheila Helena Elizabeth Kitzinger MBE
(born 29 March 1929 in Taunton
, Somerset
) is a British
natural childbirth
activist and author on childbirth
and pregnancy
. She is a social anthropologist specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and the parenting of babies and young children. Although she lectures on midwifery she has never been a midwife
. She campaigns for women to have the information they need to make choices about childbirth.
She is honorary professor at Thames Valley University
and teaches the MA in midwifery
in the Wolfson School of Health Sciences. She also teaches workshops on the social anthropology
of birth and breastfeeding
.
She is a strong believer that all women who are not at high risk should be given the choice to benefit from a home birth
. She is a keen writer and her books cover women's experiences of antenatal care, birth plans, induction
of labour, epidural
s, episiotomy
, hospital care in childbirth, children's experiences of being present at birth and post traumatic stress following childbirth.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(born 29 March 1929 in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
natural childbirth
Natural childbirth
Natural Childbirth is a philosophy of childbirth that is based on the notion that women who are adequately prepared are innately able to give birth without routine medical interventions. Natural childbirth arose in opposition to the techno-medical model of childbirth that has recently gained...
activist and author on childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
and pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
. She is a social anthropologist specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and the parenting of babies and young children. Although she lectures on midwifery she has never been a midwife
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
. She campaigns for women to have the information they need to make choices about childbirth.
She is honorary professor at Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University
The University of West London is a public university based in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in Ealing and Brentford, London, and Reading, Berkshire....
and teaches the MA in midwifery
Midwifery
Midwifery is a health care profession in which providers offer care to childbearing women during pregnancy, labour and birth, and during the postpartum period. They also help care for the newborn and assist the mother with breastfeeding....
in the Wolfson School of Health Sciences. She also teaches workshops on the social anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
of birth and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...
.
She is a strong believer that all women who are not at high risk should be given the choice to benefit from a home birth
Home birth
A home birth in developed countries is an attended or an unattended childbirth in a non-clinical setting, typically using natural childbirth methods, that takes place in a residence rather than in a hospital or a birth centre, and usually attended by a midwife or lay attendant with expertise in...
. She is a keen writer and her books cover women's experiences of antenatal care, birth plans, induction
Induction (birth)
Labor induction is a method of artificially or prematurely stimulating childbirth in a woman.-Indications:Common suggested reasons for induction include:* Postterm pregnancy, i.e. if the pregnancy has gone past the 42 week mark....
of labour, epidural
Epidural
The term epidural is often short for epidural analgesia, a form of regional analgesia involving injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space...
s, episiotomy
Episiotomy
An episiotomy , also known as perineotomy, is a surgically planned incision on the perineum and the posterior vaginal wall during second stage of labor. The incision, which can be midline or at an angle from the posterior end of the vulva, is performed under local anaesthetic , and is sutured...
, hospital care in childbirth, children's experiences of being present at birth and post traumatic stress following childbirth.