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Fathers and breastfeeding: Attitudes, involvement and support

A plethora of literature has examined the factors behind low breastfeeding rates and has indicated that a mother's decision to breastfeed is associated with social, cultural, personal and...

Pain in labour and the intrapartum use of intramuscular opioids—how effective are they?

In order to consider how to work with pain in labour it is important to understand its function in labour and birth By understanding the physiological role of intrapartum pain, it is possible to...

The future of artificial wombs

In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), ectogenesis—growing embryos in artificial environments—thrives at the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre Here, ‘standardised’ individuals are...

The birth of our humanity

There is nothing so profound or influential in human life as the birth of a baby The start to life, people becoming parents, the family forming or reforming, will affect not only the individuals...

Sometimes we all need a little good news

Those who stay up-to-date with midwifery news will have noticed or, more likely, been unable to escape, the fact that the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) held its 31st triennial congress...

Surviving second year studies

This midwifery course is one of the hardest things I have ever done I am certain that midwifery is my passion, but the course is difficult and has taken a lot out of me I am coming to the end of my...

Compensation for psychiatric harm after a mismanaged birth

The High Court has recently awarded damages for psychiatric harm to a mother whose baby had become stuck in the birth canal and had suffered a hypoxic injury due to lack of oxygen, and the grandmother...

Learning by listening to women: A supervisor of midwives' initiative

In October 2013, two supervisors of midwives (SoMs) teams merged with the formation of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT)—a total of 21 SoMs Soon after, a ‘SoM clinic’ was created as a team...

The legal status of the fetus

The legal status of the fetus is one of the most controversial topics in medical ethics and law, and invokes a ‘tug of war’ between maternal autonomy and fetal claims Although English law is quite...

Damages awarded for ‘nervous shock’ at a birth

A recent court case heard a claim by a baby's mother and grandmother for damages relating to ‘nervous shock’ following a birth complicated by dystocia (RE and others v Calderdale, 2017) To claim such...

What's in a mnemonic?

In response to the article ‘Management of shoulder dystocia using the HELPERR mnemonic’ (2017), BJM, 25(4): 240-244, by Mary Huntley and Janice Dickson Smith, I would like to acknowledge the effort...

Maternity services in China and professional identity of the midwife

Last November, the author of this article had the opportunity to participate in a professional tour looking at midwifery services in China, enabled by a scholarship from the Florence Nightingale...

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