Maternity & Midwifery Forum

childbirth

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

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

Mental Health and Stress in Maternity

Paul
The UK Health and Social Care Secretary announced new plans for better mental health and wellbeing care for NHS midwives, based on the HEE report on the mental health and wellbeing of NHS staff and learners.  In her extremely popular presentation to the Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Dr Sally......
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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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Midwifery Sector News

The Case for Parental Voices in Perinatal Mortality Review

Paul
Watching the start of the “infected Blood Enquiry” into the 1970s contaminated blood products scandal which had such devastating effect on the haemophiliac community and others is hard. 3000 died. The Enquiry started with heart rending testimonials from those affected, and the relatives of the dead.  The Grenfell Enquiry started......
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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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Midwifery Sector News

The Politics of Midwifery

Paul
Dr Helen Shallow presents on the politics of midwifery.  A timely reminder of the struggles midwives have had to introduce  entitlements and choices for mothers, now commonplace, like birthing balls or waterbirth pools.  It is hard to imagine that these were contested and resisted. A look around the world at......
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Videos

Meet the Author – Leah Hazard, Midwife and Author of Hard Pushed

Paul
Midwife and Author Leah Hazard discusses her new book “Hard Pushed” at the London Maternity & Midwifery Festival 2019. Hard Pushed will be published in May 2019. Get your copy here: https://bit.ly/2SXZWEx Our Maternity & Midwifery Festivals are free to attend, regional professional development forums for healthcare practitioners wishing to......
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