About the Author

Dr Sara Wickham PhD, RM, MA, PGCert, BA(Hons) is a midwife, educator, writer and researcher who works independently, dividing her working time between speaking, writing, blogging, facilitating workshops, creating resources for midwives, birth workers and women and undertaking a wide variety of consultancy projects and advisory activities.Sara's career has been varied and includes twenty years of experience as a midwife, lecturer and researcher. She is the author/editor of seventeen books, has lectured in more than twenty countries, edited midwifery journals and provides consultancy services for midwifery and health-related organisations around the world.Sara can be found online at www.sarawickham.com, www.facebook.com/saramidwife and www.instagram.com/drsarawickham

Reviews

"This is such a vitally important book. With her brilliant brain and extensive experience, Dr Sara Wickham has pulled together and clearly interpreted the complex evidence about induction of labour. This book provides clarity about why increasing numbers of women are having their labours induced, and the problems with current guideline recommendations. It also offers suggestions about what we can all do to reclaim the parameters of normal and support women to birth in their own time. Anyone who cares about women and their experiences of birth needs this book." - Dr Rachel Reed, midwife and researcher. "Sara can 'think outside of the box' in such a way that few others can. Sara asks questions that others haven't considered and she isn't afraid to challenge our perceptions and to ask us not to take things for granted and accept the perceived norm, without careful and thoughtful analysis of the rationale and, crucially, the evidence. Sara also has the rare ability, not only to process complex research-based evidence and data herself, but to translate and explain them in such a way that they become easily understandable and make complete sense, even to the least research-minded among us. The amount of reliable, useful and powerful information in this book is, quite simply, staggering!" - Julie Frohlich, consultant midwife.
"This book by the fabulous Sara Wickham is so needed right now. It couldn't be more timely. For women being advised to accept an induction, it's an absolute must read. This book provides you - as a woman, partner, midwife or birth worker - with the information you need to question routine and unnecessary induction of labour and get the detailed, accurate information you need to be able to make the right decision about going ahead with an induction or waiting for labour to start. Sara has managed to collect together all the research on the topic, analyse it and present it in such an accessible way. This book is a giant and will be much read over the coming months and years." - Dr Nadine Edwards.
"I will be buying copies of this book for all my pregnant friends. While over 30% of women are being medically induced every woman needs to inform herself of the implications of accepting or declining a very likely offer of induction and really understand what is involved. Sara Wickham's book is accessible, clear, and accurate: exactly what is needed." - Gill Boden.