Normal birth or spontaneous vertex delivery?

The declining normal birth rate and increasing Caesarean Section (CS) rates have been a worldwide cause for concern and debate for two decades. In the United Kingdom (UK) normal birth rates have fallen from 70 per cent in the 1970s to 46.7 per cent in 2009 (Birth Choice UK 2011). As normal birth rates continue to fall, researchers and advocates of normality are focusing on the midwife's role in response to this decline. The language and definitions used to classify normality and normal birth are contentious issues leading to confusion for midwives and women. This paper seeks to contribute to the debates around defining and promoting normality.