Despite the testing times maternity services face, midwives and students are continuing to transform the landscape of maternity care every day through inspiring projects and clinical innovations. In this article Dr Jenny Hall, MATFLIX and Maternity & Midwifery Forum Editor, encourages readers to contribute their own stories of inspiring projects, education initiatives and clinical improvements that are advancing the standards of our profession and shaping a brighter future for maternity care.
Amid the ongoing challenges and difficult headlines surrounding maternity services, I see midwives across the UK and around the world driving meaningful change every single day. On labour wards, in community clinics, classrooms, and research teams, midwives, students, and maternity professionals are leading inspiring projects and clinical improvements that often go unnoticed.
As the Editor for the Maternity & Midwifery Forum and MATFLIX, I am passionate about bringing these stories to light — and I am personally inviting you to add your voice to our platform.
Whether you are a midwife, student, support worker, educator, researcher, or part of a maternity charity, your perspective matters. By sharing your experience, you help us celebrate the positive impact of midwifery and inspire colleagues who may be facing similar challenges.
Why we want to hear from you
There is much to be concerned about in maternity services, and in recent years it has often felt as though our profession is taking a battering from negative press. Yet, in my role, I am privileged to see so much that is hopeful and meaningful. Every day, midwives and students are leading projects and clinical practice changes that make a real difference.
From my experience, midwives are natural storytellers. One of the greatest joys of my work as an educator and editor is encouraging authors to see their writing in print for the first time. I want to help you do the same.
The Maternity & Midwifery Forum is a dedicated space where your work can be shared widely with a community that understands and appreciates the realities of the job.
What we publish
If you follow our website, you’ll know we publish articles relevant to the entire maternity workforce. During term time, we release two new articles every week via our Thursday newsletter, which also keeps you updated on events like Midwifery Hour and our national festivals.
I am looking for a broad range of topics. To give you an idea of the variety we welcome, here are some of the brilliant pieces we have recently featured:
Midwifery Projects: You were held: a midwife photography project in complex safeguarding situations
Gaynor Morrison, Senior Lecturer, Kingston University and Sharon Bunford, Named Midwife for Safeguarding Vulnerable Women and Babies, Perinatal Mental Health and Teenage Services, PMA. Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical updates: How to help pregnant women and new mothers access free NHS prescriptions and support to buy healthy food and milk
NHS Business Services Authority
Ongoing Research projects: Investigating the prevention of anaemia in pregnancy to improve the health of mothers and babies
Professor David Churchill, obstetric lead for the PANDA programme
Practical information: Veganuary 2026: Raising a vegan baby or toddler requires careful planning
Dr Vicky Sibson, Director, First Steps Nutrition Trust
Political commentary: Can this be a good year for Maternity Services?
Neil Stewart, Editorial Director, Maternity & Midwifery Forum
Report updates: Reports and statistics: Things you may have missed
Dr Jenny Hall, Midwife educator, researcher and editor for MATFLIX and Maternity & Midwifery Forum
Midwifery Campaigns: Midwives’ working hours: an unseen national scandal
Leah Hazard, Midwife and Author
Reflection on conferences: Siaparto conference and birth centre professional visit
Dianne Garland, Freelance Midwife Founder Midwifeexpert.co.uk
Information on new publications: Love and Midwifery: changing the narrative
Jenny Patterson, Lecturer in Midwifery, Edinburgh Napier University & Diane Menage, Lecturer in Midwifery, De Montfort University, Leicester
Obstetrician commentary: Celebrating Nativity
Professor Andrew Weeks, Consultant Obstetrician, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, Professor of International Maternal Health, University of Liverpool
National statistic summaries: The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit – Induction of Labour snapshot audit
Dr Amar Karia, Obstetrics clinical fellow, NMPA
Midwifery Education: Midwifery education: a cause for concern
Nicky Clark, Freelance Midwife Educationalist
Charity campaigns: It’s a Motherf**er: Poor paternity leave is leaving new mums vulnerable
Rachel Grocott, CEO, Pregnant Then Screwed
Global stories: A Looming Crisis: Caesarean Section Clinics in Somalia Face Closure Due to Funding Gaps
Ahmed Abdi Abdulahi, New Ways Communications Officer, Somalia
Advances in science: The Generation Study: highlighting the vital role of midwives
Katie Handley, Clinical Lead for Maternal and Child Health, Genomics England
Research projects: Is the quality of maternity care related to the number of midwives and their workload?
Dr Lesley Turner, Lecturer in Midwifery, University of Southampton
Policy matters: The Nuts, Bolts and Pitfalls of Midwifery Continuity of Carer for maternity services
Professor Trixie McAree
Managing services: Developing Continuity of carer in a trust
Joanne Crawford
Personal reflections: Lessons from Call the Midwife for contemporary midwifery practice
Samuel Todd, Consultant Midwife, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Book reviews: Book review: Harry, Forever loved, Forever missed, Forever three
Gemma Cromwell, Registered Midwife
As you can see, the scope is wide. If it matters to maternity care, it matters to us.
How to get involved
You do not need to be an experienced writer to contribute. I especially love supporting first-time authors and students. If you have a project you’re proud of, a lesson learned in practice, or a reflection on a recent conference, we want to hear about it.
The Practical Details:
- Length: Articles are usually between 400 and 2,500 words.
- The Process: Once I receive your draft, our team will read and edit it. We always return the edited version to you for final confirmation before it goes live.
- Visuals: I highly encourage you to send photos to accompany your article (please ensure you have the necessary permissions).
- Links: To keep our articles easy to read, we prefer web links for references rather than long bibliographies. You are also welcome to link to your own professional web pages.
A personal message of encouragement
I truly believe that by sharing our stories, we can balance the narrative and shine a light on the incredible innovation happening in our profession.
If you would like more information or have a draft ready to send, please contact the team and me at: info@maternityandmidwifery.co.uk.
I have also recorded a short video to share some tips and encouragement for those of you thinking about picking up a pen (or opening a laptop!):
Watch: Dr Jenny Hall on writing for the Forum
I am so looking forward to hearing from you and reading your stories.
Dr Jenny Hall
Editor, Matflix and Maternity & Midwifery Forum
February 2026