family health

I am currently a student CNM and have found Varney's to offer a great insight to the scientific end of Midwifery. However, I feel that Ms. Varney neglects the beautiful and spiritual side of providing Midwifery care. Although I found her text to be comprehensive in certain aspects of theory and rationale of Nurse-Midwifery I was disappointed that such a classic Midwifery text would leave out the wholistic focus of Midwifery. It is a book I refer to often, but I place it alongside my William's Obstetrics and Gabbe's text. I was hoping to place it among Spiritual Midwifery, Heart and Hands, Frye's Holistic Midwifery, and many countless others that place the primary focus on sharing with women. I am glad that I purchased the text for my library and found it helpful, but it was certainly not what I expected. I feel that certain sections of this text whould not be included (ie. Circumcision for one could feel that the author of this chapter believes wholeheartedly in the practice of routine circumcision). I did not expect such brutality in a Midwifery text.

I have always found Varney to be useful and easy to read, especially in comparison to Speroff or Gabbe. I think that this book was never intended to be the definitive text on home birth. If a midwife's interest lies in homebirth, seek out books that cater to that option. I found the skills sections especially helpful. It isn't Varney's job to unite midwives, her primary job is to educate. You can not teach the spirit of midwife through a book, that's where mentoring comes into play. This is certainly a must have for all practicing midwives, regardless of educational background.

I am impressed by Varney's vast knowledge of hospital procedures as they relate to midwifery care. However, I found this to be "textbook" as a very boring read. Her information did not really cover the practice outside the hospital setting as thoroughly as would be needed for someone praticing in that setting. Her information would be most appreciated by the CNM and the L&D nurse - a great resource for them.