Abdominal palpation—a core skill

My mind starts to wander to the days spent training and the basic midwifery skills taught to the midwives in the health centres The two health centres I taught at were in remote ‘kebeles’ (villages)...

Fathers staying overnight at the maternity ward?

Supporting the next generation

As student midwives, we all come across a real variety of cases It is, arguably, the sole purpose of our large number of Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)-stipulated placement hours; to experience...

Why Breastfeeding Grief And Trauma Matter

A life worth living

When my son Tom was a day old and a paediatrician expressed concern that he may have Down syndrome, I was absolutely devastated I felt my world fall apart and the bond of unconditional maternal love I...

Learning to be a midwife

I am in the midst of my eighth week working as a newly qualified midwife I'm not going to lie to you and say that it has been easy, but it also hasn't been quite as difficult as I thought it would...

British Journal of Midwifery peer reviewers 2019

Every issue of the British Journal of Midwifery is dependent on an essential team of peer reviewers to bring our readers the very best midwifery research and clinical content Peer reviewers play an...

Reflecting on #16DaysofActivism2019

During November and December 2019, I was delighted to see so much activity around the international ‘16 Days of Activism’ campaign to end violence against women and girls This years' theme was ‘Orange...

The impact of birth-related injury and pain on breastfeeding outcomes

Human milk is acknowledged to be the optimum source of nutrition for infants, while also being beneficial to maternal health (Victora et al, 2016) As such, the World Health Organization ([WHO], 2019)...

It's up to us

Primiparous women's narratives of confidence in the perinatal period

Pregnancy and childbirth are described as transitional phases or existential thresholds that childbearing women have to cross These events are multifaceted experiences with many dimensions, unique for...

The influence of women's cognitive status on their understanding of Down syndrome screening

The booking appointment is the first antenatal appointment a woman has with her midwife At this appointment, women are offered screening for numerous conditions, including Down syndrome It is vital...