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Clinical Practice

Vaginal birth after caesarean: how NICE guidelines can inform midwifery practice

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ([NICE], 2019a) published new intrapartum care guidelines for women with existing medical conditions or obstetric complications and their babies...

Congenital heart disease: issues with screening at the newborn physical examination

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant cause of infant death and accounts for between 3-75% of deaths in infancy in the developed world (Singh et al, 2014) For this reason, screening for CHD...

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...

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...

Managing women in pregnancy after bariatric surgery: the midwife as the co-ordinator of care

Obesity is graded according to a BMI measurement >35 kg/m2 Morbid obesity is classified as a BMI measurement >40 kg/m2 (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2014) It is predicted...

Sharing the decision about VBAC: introducing the ARCS-V motivational learning model

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2015a) estimates that in the UK, 249−291% of births are by caesarean section, despite evidence illustrating that caesarean section rates greater than 10% fail to...

Diabetes, pregnancy and mental health: a tricky triad

Diabetes is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and encompasses gestational diabetes mellitus, which is diagnosed during pregnancy; and pre-existing diabetes, which includes type 1...

Diabetes in pregnancy: a practical guide for midwives

The incidence of diabetes mellitus is increasing, alongside the increased prevalence of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, older age at conception and younger age at onset of type 2 diabetes, meaning that...

Caring for women with chronic hypertension

Hypertension in pregnancy affects approximately 10% of women The reported incidence varies between studies, but it is estimated that 13-3% of pregnant women will have chronic hypertension (Sibai,...

Chiropractic care of the pregnant woman and neonate

Chiropractic practice is based on the theory that alterations to the biomechanics of the spinal and extraspinal structures, such as the cranial and mandible bones, can lead to altered neural signals...

Pregnancy-specific health anxiety: symptom or diagnosis?

Anxiety is an innate human response to situations that cause fear, worry or concern It is experienced cognitively, emotionally and somatically Certain levels of anxiety are expected and typical when...

Physical activity in pregnancy: practical advice for women who run

Running is embraced globally as a pastime to keep fit and health, and yet there is little information for midwives to give to women runners Running is, according to Audickas (2017), the most common...

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