Maternity & Midwifery Forum

Maternity in the spotlight: HM The Queen’s Birthday honours

Debra
A number of HM The Queen’s honours were conferred on midwives and those linked to the maternity services this weekend. Jenny Hall tells you about them… _______________________________________________________________   Maternity in the spotlight: HM The Queen’s Birthday honours In the UK each year, on the date of the Queen’s “official birthday”,......

Personalised maternity care conference: Building on Ockendon

Debra
There is no question maternity services in the UK are experiencing struggles at this time. There is much that can, and needs to be, done to improve circumstances. In this article Dr Claire Feeley Lecturer (Research & Teaching)  from King’s College London provides views on the issues and discusses why......

Queen Elizabeth’s Royal births: transforming the monarchy

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This week the UK is celebrating 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne. In this article Dr Jenny Hall, Editor, MATFLIX briefly examines the births of the royal children in the context of the time, and challenges others to take up researching history. _______________________________________________________________ In this week in......

Black Maternity Matters: maternity care improvement project

Debra
Last week two important reports demonstrating racism across UK Maternity services were released. In this week’s article Ann Remmers, Maternal and Neonatal Clinical lead, West of England Academic Health Science Network, shares a co-produced project to improve the care of Black women in the South West Region. _______________________________________________________________    In......

The FiveXMore and Birthrights reports: individual and systemic racism

Debra
This week two key reports on the experiences of Black and Brown women and staff in maternity services has gathered much attention in the UK press this week. Dr Jenny Hall presents the content and considers the implications. _______________________________________________________________   Racism strongly exists in UK maternity services. The clarity of this......

Keep the faith and believe in the transformational power of midwifery: #MidwiferyinAbuDhabi is coming

Debra
Regular readers of the Forum will be aware we are following the progression of developments of a new undergraduate midwifery programme in UAE. In this third article (see the first here  second here ), Dr Maeve O’Connell, Midwife, Assistant Professor of midwifery, shares the next part of the journey. _______________________________________________________________......

Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands

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Midwives worldwide are struggling to meet the needs of women and babies. In this article Kay King, Executive Director of the White Ribbon Alliance UK shares the outcomes of the global Midwives’ Voices, Midwives’ Demands survey and campaign, pointing to what is wanted to improve care in the UK _______________________________________________________________......

Your little boy has hydrocephalus…

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Hydrocephalus is a serious condition which has implications for long-term effects. It needs to be recognised early. In this article Caroline Coates, Founder of Harry’s HAT (Hydrocephalus Awareness Trust), shares her story and guides midwives on the importance of the right care. _______________________________________________________________ Your little boy has hydrocephalus… What do......

My Uterus

Debra
Last week a leaked report indicated the US courts may overturn the right to have an abortion. In the article below Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, artist & midwife, reflects on this decision and on the importance of her uterus.    ________________________________________________________________   A recent report on the possible abandonment of the landmark......