midwifery
The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit
In this article Kirstin Webster, ANNP and NMPA Neonatal Clinical Fellow, presents an overview of the recently published National Maternity and Perinatal Audit annual clinical report. Highlighting key findings and recommendations for improvements in clinical care and data quality. She also provides an update on other recent activities and developments......
Compassion is our name: Birmingham doula charity supports vulnerable women
In 2018, two friends put their dreams into action. Hope Plumb, a doula and personal trainer/fitness instructor, and Amelia Sommers, a doula and dance movement psychotherapist, had been dreaming up a way to support isolated and vulnerable women in Birmingham through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. After months of......
Developing antenatal education resources on severe perinatal mental illness
Postpartum Psychosis is a severe postnatal mental illness affecting around 1 in 500 women. Naomi Gilbert, Campaigns & Policy Coordinator for the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis points out that few parents are informed about the signs of the condition during antenatal education. She describes some of the concerns and......
Understanding the Healthy Start and Best Start Foods schemes
In recent months the Healthy start and Best start food schemes have moved to being digital. Many eligible families are not receiving the benefits. Dr Jenny Hall explains the scheme for midwives to share with those who need them. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Understanding the Healthy Start and Best Start Foods schemes In......
Midwifery Student Retention – the critical months
Midwifery Student Retention – the critical months These are critical months for midwifery student retention. As year-end approaches, among challenging news headlines and serious morale issues in the profession, what can we do to lift engagement and motivate staff and students to stay and refresh? Student engagement and retention are......
Overturn of Roe vs Wade: what happens now?
In this article Dr Jenny Hall, Midwifery editor for the Maternity and midwifery forum, reflects on the overturn of the abortion law Roe vs Wade in the constitution of the United States (US) and the potential impact. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Overturn of Roe vs Wade: what happens now? This......
Developing an identity as a midwife: an impossible task?
Becoming a midwife is time of evolving and developing! In this article Nicole Rajan-Brown, Third-year student midwife, University of Salford and Editor-in-Chief, The Student Midwife Journal shares some helpful tips of how to step through this minefield and develop a personal midwifery identity. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Developing an identity......
What’s in a word? The importance of language in midwifery care
Over many years there has been questioning of the use of language across maternity services, particularly in relation to birth. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) undertook a widely consultative project to establish the best choice of language that would provide clarity. Dr Mary Ross-Davie, Director of Midwifery at NHS......
Midwifery Continuity of care: Imperative to Change
Developing maternity services to provide continuity of care is national policy across the four countries of the United Kingdom. In this article Trixie McAree, National lead for Continuity of Carer with Alana Hunt, regional lead for Continuity East of England, they explore the background for this policy and how the......