British Journal Of Midwifery

698 mothers and babies, 38 390 nappy changes: what did we learn?

With the advent of disposable nappies and baby wet wipes, nappy area care may seem simple and straightforward. However, there are still unanswered questions about IDD such as why some babies seem more...

What is the significance of hearing a heart murmur during the newborn physical examination?

A critical literature review was chosen because, when conducted with rigour, this can establish what is known or unclear on a topic (Grant and Booth, 2009; Aveyard, 2014). A narrative synthesis...

J Marion Sims and the ‘forgotten women of gynaecology’

‘To the indomitable courage of these long-suffering women, more than to any one other single circumstance, is the world indebted for the results of these persevering efforts. Had they faltered, then...

More than a statistic: compassion in baby loss training

Baby loss and bereavement care is not something that is highly acknowledged within the statutory guidance within nursing and midwifery. The term ‘bereavement’ itself has no definitive explanation...

When Breastfeeding Sucks by Zainab Yate

When it comes to pregnancy, there are a lot of topics to discuss but one that gets swept under the table can be the negatives of breastfeeding. One such negative is aversion: when a mother feels...

Induced abortions in Pakistan: an afflicting challenge needing addressal

Unsafe abortion is one of the major causes of maternal mortality that accounts for approximately 4.7%–13.2% maternal deaths every year (Say et al, 2014). In developing countries, every year, nearly...

Ethnic health inequalities in the UK's maternity services: a systematic literature review

Maternal and infant mortality and morbidity have progressively declined in the last decade throughout the world (Moller et al, 2019), and there have been many improvements in the quality of maternity...

Understanding Mordel: obtaining informed consent for trisomy screening

Screening for fetal anomalies during the antenatal period remains a controversial issue in midwifery and reproductive health practice. The traditional ‘Down's syndrome’ antenatal screening pathway is...

A research midwife in a pandemic

In the heady adrenaline-infused days of early lockdown, time stood still, and the layers of our lives were stripped back. For health systems, the virus stuck, like a stick into a beehive..

Compassion and kindness

Significant among the dispiriting catalogue of midwifery and obstetric issues that were identified in the review of 250 maternity services cases at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, is...