Dr Sara Wickham is the author of eighteen books on pregnancy, birth, and related topics.
Her first book was published in 2001, and her most recent – Plus Size Pregnancy: what the evidence really says about higher BMI and birth – in 2023.
Please click on the relevant link for more information about each of Sara’s books.
To find out more about Sara’s books:
See my page on The Great British Bookshop, who will ship my books worldwide.
Visit Sara Wickham’s Amazon Author Page
See Sara Wickham’s books on Kobo
An important note about older books
Please be aware that some publishers are selling out-of-date paperback and kindle versions of books that Sara wrote some years ago on topical issues such as induction of labour and group B strep.
We have asked them to stop doing this because the information is no longer correct and newer versions are available but we unfortunately have no control over their ethics or actions.
If Sara has brought out an updated book, it’s because the evidence and/or guidance has changed.
We will always direct you to the newest versions on this website., and we urge you to look carefully at publication dates and covers and check that you are buying the latest edition of Sara’s books.
Sara’s classic books
Anti-D in Midwifery: Panacea or Paradox? was the very first book I wrote. it was first published in 2001. It has now been superseded by Anti-D Explained. For a long while, Anti-D in Midwifery was the only book that looked at anti-D (RhoGAM) and related issues. I asked why, if women’s bodies are designed to give birth without intervention for the majority of the time, anti-D was necessary? The book explored the paradox between physiological birth and the routine ‘need’ for anti-D. It highlights some interesting evidence which may throw light on this paradox. I often post updates on this topic on this website. In 2021, on the twentieth anniversary of this first book’s publication, I brought out Anti-D Explained. It’s not an update of Anti-D in Midwifery, but a brand new book which explains the issues for parents, professionals and birth workers.
Appraising Research into Childbirth: An Interactive Workbook is designed to help midwives, students and others to be able to navigate the maze of evidence-informed practice. It helps people make sense of the very different kinds of research that are published in midwifery, medical and related journals. The book includes the text of eight previously published research articles that present both qualitative and quantitative research studies. Chapter authors take the reader through the papers in a step-by-step fashion. This helps increase understanding as notes and questions on all elements of the research are included. We discuss everything from the methodology to the interpretation of the results. Tips, tools, discussions and checklists and a guide to statistics help to further demystify research.
Midwifery Best Practice
I edited the Midwifery Best Practice series for several years. We produced five volumes in total. And, to answer the question I am most commonly asked, all contain completely different material and are not updates of the same book! The books contain articles that were originally published in popular UK and US midwifery journals. These articles are grouped into themes. They are then supplemented with original articles and reflective summaries and questions written especially for these volumes.
Midwifery Best Practice 1 – 3
Each of the volumes contains sections relating to pregnancy, labour and birth and the postnatal / neonatal period. There is also a lovely varied collection of articles which come under the heading of ‘stories and reflection’. Each book then contains ‘hot topics. Midwifery: Best Practice, Volume 1 (pictured above) contains articles on choice, antenatal education, the third stage of labour, abuse and alternative therapies. In Midwifery: Best Practice, Volume 2, we included articles looking at normal birth, domestic violence, elements of risk and parenting.
The ‘focus on’ sections in Midwifery: Best Practice, Volume 3 include articles on the subjects of families, spirituality, alternative therapies and loss, bereavement and grief. Again, the core sections cover the key areas: women, midwives and choice, pregnancy, labour and birth, life after birth and stories and reflection. There is still so much to be learned from slightly older practice-based articles, especially for those who are learning midwifery or seeking knowledge to help them gain entry to a midwifery course.
Midwifery Best Practice 4 & 5
Some of the articles in these volumes have also become classics, and they were written at a really interesting time in the development of the midwifery literature. Midwifery: Best Practice, Volume 4 includes sections on diversity, building communities of women and birth centres. This volume includes articles by Ina May Gaskin on cervical recoil, Judy Mercer on umbilical cord clamping and Mavis Kirkham on birth centres.
Last but not least, we have Midwifery: Best Practice, Volume 5. This final volume contains collections of articles on the core topics. It then has collections of articles on the birthing environment, women, midwives and risk, holistic health and international working and stories.
A request from us
Please support creators 
It isn’t legal to lend books if you’re running a business, and it can harm the ability of artists, writers and other creators to make an income from their own work if you do. If your clients can’t afford to buy a book, please ask them to borrow it from a public library, as public libraries pay authors when they loan their books. Loads more info here.
Book FAQs
If you want to discuss buying multiple copies of one or more of Sara’s books, contact us by replying to any of our newsletter emails. We will try to help or put you in touch with someone who can.
Many of our website pages share links to buy books from Amazon. These are affiliate links. If you buy books using these links, Amazon gives us a few pennies each time at no additional cost to you. Any money that we receive from this goes towards our Birth Information Project.
We totally understand that some people don’t want to use Amazon. Many other online bookshops carry Sara’s books too. We especially love The Great British Bookshop, who stock all of Sara’s books and will post worldwide.
You can also ask any indie bookstore to get one in for you, by giving them the ISBN, which you can find on Amazon or anywhere online that sells the book.
You can also visit Sara’s Amazon Author page.
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Books to help you become informed and make the decisions that are right for you…
