Anthropologist and author, Sheila Kitzinger, was seen as a pioneer of the natural birth movement and rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s by arguing that mothers, as opposed to medical professionals. should be the sole focus during childbirth.
Born in 1929, Sheila's research, which focused on midwifery and childhood, was lauded and she was ultimately made an MBE in 1982.
Praising Sheila for her contribution to the field, Dame Jenni Murray said: "Sheila came along and said there are a few women who have difficult pregnancies and need emergency treatment, but for the majority of women it is a perfectly normal and natural process and we need to give them back the confidence to trust their own bodies and do it in the way that they feel instinctively."
Opening up about her mother's beliefs, Sheila's eldest daughter Celia said: "As I was growing up I learnt from her campaigns for freedom and choice in childbirth that passionate and committed individuals can create social change."
Speaking to The Independent, Sheila's husband opened up about his wife's death, saying: "She passed away very calmly last night in her own bed."
Our thoughts go out to Sheila's family and friends at this difficult time.
