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Literature Review

Mindfulness for men with pregnant partners: An integrative literature review (Part one)

The transition to parenthood for men is commonly described as both stressful and challenging (Genesoni and Tallandini, 2009; Leach et al, 2016)

Why is education for pelvic floor muscle exercises a neglected public health issue?

Pelvic floor muscle exercises are suggested as a method to improve pelvic muscle control in the antenatal and postnatal period (Dinc et al, 2009; Bo and Haakstad, 2011; Langeland-Wesnes and Lose,...

What can be done to raise midwives' awareness of female genital mutilation?

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is described by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016) as the partial or total removal of the external genitalia as well as other non-medical injury to this region...

Does extending time limits in the second stage of labour compromise maternal and neonatal outcomes?

The second stage of labour is defined as full cervical dilation until delivery of the baby In fact, it is so much more The woman embodies both physical strength and emotional vulnerability as with...

Fathers and breastfeeding: Attitudes, involvement and support

A plethora of literature has examined the factors behind low breastfeeding rates and has indicated that a mother's decision to breastfeed is associated with social, cultural, personal and...

Do psychosocial interventions have an impact on maternal perception of perinatal depression?

Perinatal mental health is a key issue in contemporary maternity care, with suicide continuing to be a leading cause of maternal death in the UK (Knight et al, 2014) The most recent Confidential...

Should midwives consider associated psychological factors when caring for women who are obese?

According to the Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE, 2010: xiii), ‘obesity is arguably the biggest challenge facing maternity services today’ Obesity is defined as having a body mass index...

Is frenotomy effective in improving breastfeeding in newborn babies with tongue-tie? A literature review

With the increasingly persuasive evidence that breastfeeding provides infants and mothers with significant health benefits (Oddy et al, 1999; Kull et al, 2002; UNICEF, 2010), midwives and other health...

Vaginal birth after caesarean or elective caesarean—What factors influence women's decisions?

Improving women's choice and control over their maternity care has been on the political agenda in the UK for over 20 years (Department of Health, 1993) An area where the issue of women's choice is...

Does antenatal education prepare fathers for their role as birth partners and for parenthood?

Historically, pregnancy and birth have been a predominantly female affair (Robertson, 2007; Caltabiano and Castiglioni, 2008), with limited reports of men being involved in the pregnancy or being...

Clinical handover on the labour ward: A narrative synthesis of the literature

Clinical handover has long been identified as a critical point in patient care Safety and quality are considered key concepts within the provision of services in modern society The publication in the...

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