Sheila Kitzinger

Sheila Helena Elizabeth Kitzinger MBE (29 March 1929 – 11 April 2015) was a British natural childbirth activist and author on childbirth and pregnancy.

Kitzinger was born in Taunton, Somerset. She was a social anthropologist specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and the parenting of babies and young children. Although she lectured on midwifery she was never a midwife. She campaigned for women to have the information they need to make choices about childbirth.

She was honorary professor at University of West London, where she taught the MA in midwifery in the Wolfson School of Health Sciences. She also taught workshops on the social anthropology of birth and breastfeeding.

She was a strong believer that all women who are not at high risk should be given the choice to benefit from a home birth. Her books cover women's experiences of antenatal care, birth plans, induction of labour, epidurals, episiotomy, hospital care in childbirth, children's experiences of being present at birth and post traumatic stress following childbirth.

Kitzinger died in Oxfordshire after a short illness.

...
Wikipedia