Understanding the vulnerability of a baby's skin to help treat and prevent nappy rash

The first breath taken within seconds of birth is a vital role allowing the lungs to fill with air (Kenner and Lott, 2014)—signifying the moment the baby is now living in a gaseous (air) environment...

The importance of terminology when discussing risks in pregnancy

Dear Editor, I read with interest the article titled, ‘How do risk management principles fit with the reality of clinical midwifery?’ by Evette Sebastien Roberts published in the British Journal of...

Talking about smoking cessation with postnatal women: exploring midwives' experiences

Maintenance of smoking cessation after pregnancy remains a challenge, with many women who quit during pregnancy relapsing by six months (Logan et al, 2017) Factors relating to relapse postnatally are...

Influence of midwife communication on women's understanding of Down syndrome screening information

All pregnant women in England, Wales and Scotland are offered screening for Down syndrome at their first antenatal (booking) appointment with their midwife (UK National Screening Committee [UK NSC],...

Fairy tale midwifery ten years on: facilitating the transition to newly qualified midwife

Seminal work (Kramer, 1974) indicated that newly qualified practitioners experience a reality shock on initiation of first post, which is supported by subsequent literature (Maben and Macleod-Clark,...

Genetic risk assessment and haemoglobinopathy counselling: two case studies

The role of the antenatal and newborn (ANNB) coordinator is to work as part of a team to deliver the six ANNB programmes commissioned by the NHS, with oversight and quality assurance provided by...

Learning from loss for professionals and parents

‘They/them’ in the birth room

New research is required to understand the needs of transgender people in the birth room

Rainbow Trust neonatal care

Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is an organisation that supports families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness It employs Family Support Workers who work with individual...

Congenital heart disease: issues with screening at the newborn physical examination

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a significant cause of infant death and accounts for between 3-75% of deaths in infancy in the developed world (Singh et al, 2014) For this reason, screening for CHD...

Vaginal birth after caesarean: how NICE guidelines can inform midwifery practice

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ([NICE], 2019a) published new intrapartum care guidelines for women with existing medical conditions or obstetric complications and their babies...

A new tool to assess understanding of Down syndrome screening information presented by midwives

In England, Wales and Scotland, all pregnant women are routinely offered antenatal screening for Down syndrome (DS) at the booking appointment, according to the UK National Screening Committee...