Back on the ward

This year, British Journal of Midwifery (BJM) celebrates 25 years of publication, having provided those who work in women's health and maternity services with a wealth of clinical, professional and...

Pre-eclampsia: Pathophysiology, screening and prophylaxis

Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific, multisystem disorder that affects 3-5% of all pregnancies (Phillips and Boyd, 2016; Story and Chappell, 2017) It can affect many organs, including the kidneys,...

Introducing a preterm surveillance clinic to manage high-risk women

Preterm birth, or birth before 37 weeks gestation, is known to cause short and long term problems Preterm babies are more at risk of developmental problems and disorders; a risk known to lessen with...

Parents' experiences of clinical care during second trimester miscarriage

Background Second trimester miscarriage is defined as pregnancy loss after 12 weeks and before 24 weeks gestation. The care that parents receive has been shown to greatly influence the woman's...

Women's experience of their sexual function during pregnancy and after childbirth: a qualitative survey

Women's sexual function is a multifaceted phenomenon that mirrors psychological, physiological, sociocultural, inter- and intra-personal influences, including the health of the whole body and internal...

Are women empowered to make decisions about the use of antidepressants in pregnancy?

Depression and anxiety are two of the most common health problems in pregnancy in the UK, affecting 12% and 13% of women, respectively (Heron et al, 2004; Gavin et al, 2005; Vesga-Lopez et al, 2008)...

Embedding evidence-based practice within the pre-registration midwifery curriculum

Research and evidence-based midwifery practice are essential in order to drive the profession forward and deliver safe, effective, women-centred care Evidence-based practice is not a new concept, but...

Restorative supervision for student midwives: The professional midwifery advocate in the classroom

Flexibility for independent midwives

I first heard about UK Birth Centres Ltd's Professional Risk and Indemnity Scheme for Midwives (PRISM) when it launched in February, directly through Private Midwives The scheme is one-of-a-kind and...

The issue of consent

One memory of my former career as a police officer sticks with me: stood in a soft play with a college who gently touched the member of staff and explained, ‘if I touch you without your consent, then...

Pay deal recognises the value of the NHS

Surely there can be no reader ignorant of the news that a pay deal for NHS staff was agreed, as the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) (2018) carefully phrased it, ‘in principle’ last month. Members of...

International Women's Day

Why, more than 100 years after it was first celebrated, do we still need to observe International Women's Day? Surely, as women make up more than half of the world's population, the need for it has...