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...

The development of midwifery education in Brunei Darussalam

The contemporary definition of a midwife is greatly influenced by international organisations In 1972, the International Confederation of Midwives' (ICM) definition of a midwife was formally accepted...

Are midwives ready for revalidation?

From April 2016 the only way midwives and nurses will be able to renew their registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will be through a process called revalidation, the purpose of...

What do service users want and who cares?

The word midwife originates from Middle English: probably from the obsolete preposition mid meaning ‘with’ and wife in the archaic sense of meaning ‘woman’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2015) The current...

Optimal Care in Childbirth: The case for a physiological approach

Optimal Care in Childbirth: The case for a physiological approach ...

Stamping out inequality

New figures out last month reporting the small decline in the percentage of women smoking at the time of birth make for an encouraging read. The latest Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of...

Giving every baby an equal chance

This report of perinatal deaths demonstrates once again that social economic determinants of health must be taken into account if we are to give every baby an equal chance, not only to survive but...

Early intervention programmes for mental health from the NSPCC: Part 2

Early interventions for antenatal mental health difficulties Midwives have a critical role to play in not only identifying women with mental health difficulties but also in referring them on to...

‘What's it like being a male midwife?’

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...

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...

Creating a culture of ‘safe normality’: Developing a new inner city alongside midwifery unit

In the UK, the majority of maternity care is provided through obstetric units (OUs) (accounting for approximately 93% of births)

Transition to midwifery: Collaborative working between university and maternity services

The first few months’ experiences of a newly qualified midwife's first post have an impact on the individual's confidence and the overall quality of the maternity service offered to the women and...