I love this book so much I give a copy to every friend of mine that becomes pregnant. It is written in such readable and friendly terms and is not too overwhelming. Elizabeth Davis has set a high standar with this book. If someone asks me if they should read one book while pregnant waht would it be, this is it!

This is a fabulous beginning midwifery text. There is a broad spectrum of information, techniques and ideas. I especially appreciated the sections discussing the life of a midwife and more of the business aspects.
Thank you Elizabeth Davis for this wonderful book.

Within the first few lines of this book, it is clear that this has a very different feel from your `average' midwifery textbook: Elizabeth begins by talking about how women have helped each other give birth since the dawn of time and her words throughout the book focus on the social ~ rather than the medical ~ context of birth and midwifery. In fact, throughout the book, the woman remains the focus of the whole experience, something which might sound obvious but isn't always achieved in reality. The text is interspersed with quotes from women, practical suggestions and stories from her own experience, beautiful photographs and drawings which clearly show the positions of relevant organs while acknowledging that women and babies come in three dimensions (as opposed to the cross-sectional pictures which tend to characterise the more medically-focused textbooks).

Heart and Hands intersperses the clinical with the practical, social, psychological and spiritual, and key terms are in bold, which makes it easy to find what you are looking for and to scan a whole page for relevant information. There are fourteen appendices including suggestions for records / notes for different stages of childbearing, a birthkit list and a "postnatal instructions" handout.

It is noticeable that some aspects of this book have changed over time, so it is well worth taking a look at the new edition even if you have one of the older versions. For example, the book now incorporates more reference to research on key clinical topics (while managing to retain both the practical flavour and the emphasis on women's ways of knowing that have always made it popular with midwives) and Elizabeth herself reflects on how practice has moved on from the days when midwives tended to `overinvolve' themselves in labour. All in all, this is a lovely book which I am sure would soon become well loved (and probably quite tatty from repeated use!) in the hands of any midwife, doula, childbirth educator or pregnant woman!

Sara Wickham, author of "Midwifery: Best Practice"

As an unassisted homebirthing mother, I love this book. It gives a wonderful amount of information without giving too much. I have a copy of Williams Obstetrics and several other texts, but this is my favorite!

Elizabeth Davis's classic Heart and Hands just keeps getting better and better with each new edition as she strives to keep current with the craziness that is going on in obstetrical practice today. Geared toward midwives of all persuasions (CNM, CM, LM, DEM, etc.) some of whom may find themselves in a homebirth practice by default (as I did after completing midwifery school in 1980 and unable to secure hospital privileges until 1984), it's also essential reading for those pregnant couples who plan to give birth with a midwife in attendance. It is also an excellent resource for those who, because of their insurance, are destined to birth with doctors in hospitals but still want to be prepared with knowledge that will help them claim as much control as possible.
Beautiful photographs, exquisite drawings, and personal stories complement the appeal of this classic book that is destined, one hopes, never to go out of print.