SECTION 1: CONTEXT -- The Australian and New Zealand context -- Contemporary Australian and New Zealand midwifery and maternity services -- Human rights in childbirth -- Fear, risk and safety in maternity care -- Sustainability and ecosystem approach to health -- Midwifery as primary healthcare -- Birthplace and birth space -- Ways of looking at evidence and measurement

SECTION 2: THE WOMAN -- Social and environmental determinants of health -- Midwives working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women -- Locating Maori as Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the midwifery partnership -- Options for women around fertility and reproduction

SECTION 3: THE MIDWIFE -- Professional frameworks for practice in Australia and New Zealand -- Legal frameworks for practice in Australia and New Zealand -- Ethical frameworks for practice -- Supporting midwives, supporting each other

SECTION 4: PRACTISING PARTNERSHIP -- Midwifery partnership -- Working in collaboration -- Promoting physiological birth

Now in its 5th edition Midwifery Preparation for Practice continues to present a global model of midwifery best practice that is supported by a range of examples from the Australian, New Zealand and international midwifery contexts. Endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives and the New Zealand College of Midwives the text continues to reinforce the established principles of midwifery philosophy and practice - that of midwives working in partnership with women, in woman-centred models or midwife-led care. This focus is what sets this text apart from other physiology-based midwifery texts, making it a highly valued resource for students and practicing midwives alike. The highly esteemed team of editors once again lead a group of internationally recognised leaders in midwifery to share their knowledge and expertise in midwifery practice, education, research and regulation across Australia, New Zealand and internationally