Maternity & Midwifery Forum

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Midwifery Sector News

How to deal with stress and build resilience within the healthcare profession through laughter!

Paul
LOL Laughterworks first presented – or perhaps performed – at the Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival in 2019 but were such a hit that they quickly became a fixture! Laughter is clinically proven to help alleviate depression, anxiety and stress – and best of all, a fake laugh is as......
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Midwifery Sector News

“You shouldn’t have to feel you’re pushing your pregnancy aside…”

Paul
“Even when you account for ethnicity, substance misuse, smoking – an out-of-home [situation] or housing instability leads to a low birth-weight baby.”   Being pregnant whilst homeless throws up a unique set of challenges. Pregnant women who become homeless have priority need for accommodation, according to government guidance, but problems......
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Midwifery Sector News

Optimizing the use of Caesarean Section

Paul
In October 2018, The Lancet published an epidemiological report   on global use of caesarean sections – it put the UK figure at just over 26% of all births.  This comes, perhaps not coincidentally, at a time when tokophobia (the extreme fear of birth) seems to be on the rise.......
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Midwifery Sector News

Getting it right the first time – Holding on to labour

Paul
Many pregnant women – especially those who have given birth before – have an innate sense of when they’ve gone into labour ‘for real’.  However, if they show up to the labour ward of their local or chosen hospital too soon, they run the risk of being sent home where......
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Midwifery Sector News

“We felt so in awe of [our midwife]… We felt that she was so special.”

Paul
We’ve all heard of ‘Continuity of Carer’ in midwifery – it is a key component of the NHS’ move towards Better Births. Not so long ago, the (private) continuity of care service Neighbourhood Midwives in Walthamstow made the news when it closed unexpectedly, to the consternation of many expectant parents. ......
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Midwifery Sector News

Normal Birth…What’s going on?

Paul
In most contexts, ‘normal’ is a boring word – but within the world of maternity and midwifery it is a contentious one. Between them, Sheena Byrom OBE and Professor Soo Downe OBE have some 75 years of experience in midwifery practise.  Many of those years have been spent actively researching......
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Midwifery Sector News

How can all women be given the choice and the options? 

Paul
In a week of fevered speculation about how Archie, the son of the Duchess of Sussex’s was to be born it was clear that, whatever finally happened, whether it was a home birth or at the private Portland Hospital, the Duchess had informed choice and the infrastructure to make it......
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Videos

Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland Maternity Voices Partnership our journey so far

Paul
Jasmine Cajee, Midwife Programme Support Officer Better Births, Leicester Maternity Voices City Clinical Commissioning Group, gives a presentation on “Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutlands Maternity Voices Partnership: Our journey so far” at the Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival 2019. Our Maternity & Midwifery Festivals are free to attend, regional professional development......
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Midwifery Sector News

The changing practice of midwifery

Paul
To the public the practice of midwifery seems timeless with a steady story of progress, increased knowledge and professional practice with added support from modern medicine, science and surgery. A steady straight line of improvement in mortality, clinical practice and understanding.  But that is not the case.  Modern maternity practices,......
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Videos

Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone – Helena White

Paul
Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone – Helena White, Midwife, The African Maternity Link from Narrowcast Media Group on Vimeo. Helena White, Midwife, The African Maternity Link gives a presentation discussing “Improving birth outcomes through education and training in Sierra Leone” at the London Maternity &......
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