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Research

Perinatal deaths of migrant mothers: Adverse outcomes from unrecognised risks and substandard care factors

Stillbirth rates in the UK have consistently been among the highest in Europe (Flenady et al, 2011) One contributory factor may be the heterogeneity of the UK population, including the raised...

Antenatal parenting support for vulnerable women

Social adversity and poor maternal mental health during pregnancy can have long-term adverse effects on children's health, social, educational and economic outcomes (O'Connor et al, 2002; Olivier et...

Homebirth in England: Factors that impact on job satisfaction for community midwives

Homebirth rates in England have been persistently low for more than 5 decades, with just 23% of women giving birth at home in 2013 (Office for National Statistics, 2014)

Midwives' approaches to early pushing urge in labour

Early pushing urge (EPU) is defined as the perception of the irresistible urge to push by the labouring woman before full cervical dilatation, confirmed by vaginal examination Although different...

The acceptability of case-finding questions to identify perinatal depression

Perinatal depression has been defined as encompassing ‘major and minor depressive episodes that occur either during pregnancy or within the first 12 months after delivery’ (Gavin et al, 2005: 1071),...

Routine screening of women having caesarean section for MRSA: Ritual or rational?

Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (also known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) is a growing problem throughout the world, and although originally associated with...

Attitudes to immunisation in pregnancy among women in the UK targeted by such programmes

The ability to safely and effectively vaccinate in pregnancy offers important protection to both pregnant women and their babies in utero and from birth against potentially serious infectious diseases...

A national online survey of UK maternity unit service provision for women with fear of birth

There is no agreed definition on what fear of birth (FoB) is, largely due to the differences in its diagnostic testing (Haines et al, 2011) However, Areskog (1982: 263) defined severe FoB in women who...

Women's perceptions of perineal repair as an aspect of normal childbirth

In the UK 85% of vaginal deliveries will result in a woman sustaining some degree of perineal trauma, of which two thirds will require suturing (Bick et al, 2010) Simple perineal trauma is classified...

Healing identity by telling childbirth stories on the internet

Childbirth is challenging and while there is a reliance on experts such as midwives and doctors to provide education in the rules for birth (Cheyney, 2011), informal sources of information regarding...

Pregnant women's reactions to routine CO monitoring in the antenatal clinic

Carbon monoxide (CO), a colourless, odourless and poisonous gas, is a waste product of cigarette smoking CO monitoring is an immediate and non-invasive method of determining smoking status (National...

Female pelvic shape: Distinct types or nebulous cloud?

For well over 50 years, students of midwifery, obstetrics, gynaecology and related professions have been taught the Caldwell-Moloy classification of the female pelvis While recognising variation and...

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