Clinical Practice
Non-invasive prenatal testing for Down syndrome in general maternity services
For a woman hoping to start a family, discovering two lines on her urine pregnancy test may initiate profound excitement at a future vision of motherhood This is followed in the subsequent weeks by a...
Creating and maintaining compassionate relationships with bereaved parents after perinatal death
It is well recognised in the literature that the quality of the relationship between the midwife and the woman is central to the quality of care provided during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal...
Thalassaemia in pregnancy: Contemporary care for a timeless disease
Thalassaemia is one of the most common genetic blood disorders affecting women's ability to conceive and progress through a normal pregnancy and birth (Hanprasertpong et al, 2013) Currently, there are...
Paternal postnatal depression: How midwives can support families
Men's health is an important public health issue (Baker et al, 2014) Over the past 3 decades, the issue of men's health has moved from the margins to the centre of health discourse (Richardson, 2013)...
Micronutrients and the use of vitamin and mineral supplements during pregnancy and lactation
Optimal birth weight is often seen as the primary indicator of a positive pregnancy outcome, while a low birth weight or a baby born small for gestational age (SGA) is indicative of impaired fetal...
Bladder care in the context of motherhood: Ensuring holistic midwifery practice
The physiological processes of pregnancy and birth involve dramatic changes in the urogenital system, impacting women's bladder health in both the short and long term, and influencing psychological...
Pre-conception care for women with diabetes: A public health issue
Diabetes mellitus continues to be one of the most common pre-existing medical conditions to complicate pregnancy and carries considerable risks for both the woman and the fetus (McCance, 2011; Knight...
Successful tissue donation in the anencephalic baby
Anencephaly is a defect in the closure of the neural tube during the fourth week of gestation, occurring in 47/10 000 births (Collins et al, 2013) The neural tube is a narrow channel that folds and...
Urinary catheterisation: Indications and complications
Increasing numbers of women, either during the birth process or in the postnatal period, require an indwelling urinary catheter for a number of reasons This could be because the woman requires a...
Using the Valsalva technique during the second stage of labour
The Valsalva technique of directed pushing during the second stage of labour is a childbirth intervention that has long been common practice in Western culture (Petersen and Besuner, 1997; O'Connell...
Cell-free DNA fetal blood group testing for RhD-negative pregnant women: Implications for midwifery
Red cell (D) allo-immunisation is a complication of pregnancy that can occur when a pregnant woman does not have the D antigen on her red blood cells (RhD negative) but her fetus does (RhD positive)...
Common skin complaints in neonates
Alongside the midwife's role in antenatal care and during birth, responsibilities extend to some care of the newborn in the first few weeks of life, during which time a variety of skin problems may...
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