Informed Is Best

From one drama to another

Three years and five months ago, I embarked on what would become the most remarkable journey of my life to date-I started my training to become a midwife

Why Breastfeeding Grief And Trauma Matter

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...

Fathers staying overnight at the maternity ward?

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)...

A box of memories

The Sands memory box is a tool for midwives, and those supporting bereaved parents, to provide sensitive opportunities to begin the lifelong process of acknowledging and remembering their baby

Influenza and pregnancy

Pregnant women are at higher risk of developing complications following influenza, particularly in their second and third trimesters, due to their altered immunity and physiological adaptations...

Fathers' perinatal mental health

Around 10 years ago, there was little discussion around the incidence of postnatal depression Statistics by Cox et al (1987) demonstrated that at least 1 in 10 mothers suffered from it and this was...

Pulse oximetry screening

Critical congenital heart defects (CCHDs) affect around 2 in 1 000 newborns, and babies with CCHD often have low blood oxygen concentrations, which can be measured by non-invasive pulse oximetry (PO)...

The establishment of breastfeeding in the small-for-gestational-age baby

The term small for gestational age (SGA) refers to an infant born with a birthweight ‘lower than expected for a given duration of gestation’ (Tudehope et al, 2013) More specifically, it applies to...

How to have the ‘ideal’ Down syndrome screening discussion at antenatal appointments

This is the fourth in a series of papers. The previous papers inform midwifery practice by providing insight into whether, to what extent and how cognitive status influences understanding of Down...