The forgotten women of gynaecology

The atrocities of slavery in the USA in the 1800s have been well documented, but the development of gynaecological techniques using female slaves has not had the same acknowledgement Within midwifery...

Sociological and psychological effects of stillbirth: theory, research, and midwifery

When a baby dies after 24 weeks gestation, it is defined as stillbirth (Tommy's, 2019) and, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2018), 3 200 babies are stillborn in the UK every year...

Chronic heart disease in pregnancy: exploring Marfan syndrome

Marfan syndrome (MFS) was first described by the French doctor Bernard JA Marfan in 1896 It is a hereditary autosomal dominant disorder of connective tissue and affects collagen and elastin in many...

An interpretative phenomenological study of midwives supporting home birth for women with complex needs

The landscape of women presenting for care in pregnancy now compared to the 1970s is vastly different thanks in part to the development of technologies which support women with comorbidities,...

‘We are just obsessed with risk’: healthcare providers' views on choice of place of birth for women

It is a woman's right to make an informed choice regarding where she wishes to give birth (Birthrights, 2013) Globally, it is recommended that women's individual health needs should be taken into...

Perinatal mental ill health: the experiences of women from ethnic minority groups

Mental health disorders are among the most common morbidities experienced during the perinatal period (Megnin-Viggars et al, 2015) These disorders may be pre-existent or they may develop during the...

Fairy tale midwifery 10 years on: re-evaluating the lived experiences of newly qualified midwives

At the point of registration, the newly qualified midwife (NQM) is a competent novice practitioner in low-risk midwifery care, and is expected to refine and develop skills and confidence in caring for...

The Scottish Clinical Supervision Model for midwives

The recent removal of statutory supervision for midwives has left maternity care managers with responsibility for ensuring that alternative processes of guidance are introduced to improve the quality...

Does ‘the bioscience problem’ need to be investigated within midwifery?

The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) define midwifery as working in partnership with women to provide holistic care which optimises normal biological mechanisms and cultural experiences...

Bullying: the issue in (and beyond) midwifery

A midwife's advice for new students

September is traditionally the time when the majority of new students start their programmes As a lecturer and midwife of many years, meeting people for the first time always makes me think back to...