Maternity & Midwifery Forum

better birth

Midwifery Feature Articles Midwifery News

Volunteering on the Poland-Ukraine border

Debra
It is 10 weeks since we have been hearing of the conflict in Ukraine.  As we enter the week celebrating the International Day of the Midwife it is fitting that we share this poignant article written by midwife Wanda (Wendy) Warrington from Bury, Lancashire. She describes the traumatic experiences of......
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Midwifery Feature Articles Midwifery News

Midwifery: the joy and the struggle

Debra
In recent months, and over the past few years, there has been a lot to challenge midwives across the world. In this week of the International Day of the Midwife, Mary Renfrew, Professor Emeritus, University of Dundee, reaches out to students and newly qualified midwives, encouraging us all to reflect......
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Midwifery Feature Articles Midwifery News

Gestational Diabetes in Black and Asian communities: creation of a pregnancy recipe book

Debra
There is currently a public health concern around the increase of Type 2 diabetes in the UK after gestational diabetes. In this article Laura Bridle, perinatal mental health midwife at Guys and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust, describes the development of a culturally sensitive recipe book to aid prevention across......
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Midwifery Feature Articles Midwifery News

Silence is Never Golden- Midwives and women speaking out

Debra
In the recent Ockenden report about a UK maternity trust it was pointed out that midwives and staff had been prevented from speaking out. In this article Kathryn Gutteridge, Consultant Midwife and psychotherapist, discusses the issues of speaking out in the current health climate.   Silence is Never Golden- Midwives......
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Midwifery Feature Articles Midwifery News

Humanising childbirth in the aftermath of the Final Ockenden Report

Debra
Humanising childbirth in the aftermath of the Final Ockenden Report: continuity of relationship and listening to women, partners, and families Standing back, taking a considered view, and thinking about how we might build on the Final Report of the Ockenden Review to put women, their babies, and families at the......
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Midwifery Sector News

“It’s not really about safety, it’s about fear.” – Normal Birth… what’s going on?

Paul
Disproportionate levels of bullying and racism in obstetrics and gynaecology
Across the world, rates of caesarean section and other interventions in labour and birth are on the rise. Worryingly, however, birth outcomes for mothers and babies are not improving in a clearly correlative way. In fact, maternal mortality in the USA has risen in recent years despite the country having......
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Videos

Implementing Better Births

Paul
Implementing Better Births – Baroness Julia Cumberlege CBE from Narrowcast Media Group on Vimeo. Baroness Julia Cumberlege CBE, Chair of the National Maternity Review; Chair of the All Party Health Group and Former UK Minister gives a presentation discussing Implementing Better Births at the International Maternity Expo 2019. Find out......
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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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