Sheila Kitzinger

Sheila Helena Elizabeth Kitzinger MBE (born March 29, 1929 in Taunton, Somerset) is a British natural childbirth activist and author on childbirth and pregnancy. She is a social anthropologist specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and the parenting of babies and young children. Although she lectures on midwifery she has never been a midwife. She campaigns for women to have the information they need to make choices about childbirth.

She is honorary professor at Thames Valley University and teaches the MA in midwifery in the Wolfson School of Health Sciences. She also teaches workshops on the social anthropology of birth and breastfeeding.

She is a strong believer that all women who are not at high risk should be given the choice to benefit from a home birth. She is a keen writer and 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.