11.10 Love and Humanising Childbirth

This will be a conversation between Lesley Page, an experienced midwife who has worked to humanise childbirth over many years, and Clare Wardhaugh whose life has been committed to authentic lived spirituality and an understanding of love and its practice. Clare and Lesley are working together on a chapter for a forthcoming book, Midwifery and Love. They are exploring insights from their different perspectives to illuminate the importance of love to our lives and love in midwifery practice. The start of life, pregnancy, labour and birth and the early weeks of life is a critical and sensitive period in which the transcendent growth of love, attachment and strong family relationships may be supported or disturbed. Midwifery is vital to ensuring the growth of love and commitment is supported rather than undermined at the start to life. We hope that through this conversation midwives and others listening will be inspired to think about what love means and reflect on the place of love in their practice and in the systems and culture in which they work. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald, Editor; Mayes Midwifery, Host, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals Contribution from: Professor Lesley Page CBE, Academic & Midwife; Former President, Royal College of Midwives Clare Wardhaugh Supported by MATFLIX: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://matflix.co.uk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mmf.eventbrite.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Watch the live stream: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live