For many years there has been growing concern about the culture of fear that is penetrating maternity services throughout the world, and that the fear felt by maternity care workers is directly and indirectly being transferred to the women and families they serve. The consequences of fear includes increased risk of defensive practice, where the woman and her family become potential enemies to those providing her care. In addition, the prevailing risk management and 'tick box' culture in maternity services encourages maternity workers to give priority to the records instead of the childbearing woman. These factors contribute to the dissatisfaction felt by those using and providing maternity services, and the apparent lack of kindness and respect. There is however increasing evidence that kindness, compassion and mutual respect improves efficiency, effectiveness, experience and staff morale within healthcare settings. The Roar Behind the Silence provides information, inspiration and practical suggestions to support maternity care workers, policy makers, and maternity care funders across the world in their quest to deliver sensitive, compassionate and high quality maternity services.
The book highlights examples of good practice, and practical tools for making change happen, using evidence and stories where appropriate. Edited by Sheena Byrom & Soo Downe, with contributions by Hana Ruth Abel, Maria Helena Bastos, Dean Beaumont, Dianne Bowser, Anna Byrom, Sheena Byrom, Penny Campling, Michael Clift, Hannah Dahlen, Raymond de Vries, Soo Downe, Ngai Fen Cheung, Julie Frohlich, Kathryn Guttridge, Jennifer Hall, Shelagh Heneghan, Milli Hill, Billie Hunter, Mavis Kirkham, Mande Limbu, Amali Lokugamage, Kerstin Uvnas Moberg, Mercedes Perez-Botella, Gill Phillips, Elizabeth Prochaska, Progress Theatre Group, Rineke Schram, Anna Ternovszky, Lucie Warren and Robin Youngson.
Sheena Byrom has been a midwife since the 1970s, and latterly as a consultant midwife and head of midwifery. She writes and lectures regularly on childbirth and midwifery related topics, and is the joint owner of all4maternity.com an online learning platform for maternity workers, incorporating The Practising Midwife journal. Sheena received an OBE for services to midwifery in 2011, and has been awarded two honorary doctorates in 2016 and 2018.
Her first book, Catching Babies, was published in 2011 to rave reviews.
You can follow Sheena on Twitter and visit her website here.
Soo is a Professor of Midwifery Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK (https://www.uclan.ac.uk/staff_profiles/professor_soo_downe.php). Her specific focus is the normal physiology of childbirth, including the processes which can maximise normal birth. She is the Chair of the International Birth Research and Action Association (IBRAA) which builds on the EU funded BIRTH network, involving over 120 scientists and activists in 33 countries. She has worked on WHO guidelines, and has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers and books. She was awarded an OBE in 2011.
