Sheila Kitzinger facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sheila Helena Elizabeth Kitzinger
Born	29 March 1929
Died	11 April 2015 (aged 86)
Known for	Childbirth Campaigner, Author, Feminist
Children	Celia Kitzinger

Sheila Helena Elizabeth Kitzinger MBE (March 29, 1929 – April 11, 2015) was a British writer and activist. She worked to improve how women experience childbirth and pregnancy. Sheila wrote over 20 books. She was known worldwide for her strong belief in helping women make their own choices about giving birth.

Sheila Kitzinger's Life and Work

Sheila Kitzinger was born in Taunton, England. She studied social anthropology, which is about human societies and cultures. She focused on how people experience pregnancy, childbirth, and raising babies.

Helping Families and Mothers

Sheila strongly believed that women should have all the information they need. This way, they could make good choices about their own childbirth. She was also a big supporter of breastfeeding. In 1958, she joined the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). This group helps parents with childbirth and early parenting. She worked there as a teacher and trainer.

Sheila also taught at universities. She held positions at the University of Edinburgh and the Open University. She was also an honorary professor at the University of West London. There, she taught students who were studying to become midwives. She also led workshops about the social side of birth and breastfeeding.

She wrote many articles and books. She was very active in teaching midwives in the UK and other countries. Sheila gave talks in many places, including the USA, Canada, Australia, and Japan. She also advised the International Childbirth Education Association.

Her Important Ideas About Birth

Sheila believed that women who were not at high risk should be able to choose a home birth. Her books talked about many different topics. These included women's experiences with breastfeeding and planning for birth. She also wrote about medical procedures like inducing labour and epidurals. She discussed how hospitals cared for women during birth. Sheila even wrote about children being present at birth. She also covered difficult feelings some women had after childbirth.

Some of her ideas were new and different for her time. Her book The Good Birth Guide (1979) helped change how people thought about birth. She believed that "Birth is a major life transition." She also said it was important for women to have control over their own bodies and babies.

In 1982, Sheila was given an MBE. This award recognized her important work in educating people about childbirth.

Later Life and Legacy

In the late 1980s, Sheila became an editor for a series of books called Issues in Women’s Health. One important book in this series was The Politics of Breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer.

Sheila Kitzinger passed away in 2015 from cancer. Her autobiography, A Passion for Birth: My Life: Anthropology, Family and Feminism, was published shortly after her death. She had five children. Her daughter, Celia Kitzinger, is also a well-known scholar and activist.