The value nurses and midwives hold

As the World Health Organization announced 2020 the year of the nurse and midwife, many influential organisations are rallying round to showcase the achievements of the professions and give a platform...

Volunteering with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

In August 2019, I left the NHS to volunteer as a midwife in Kutupalong refugee camp in the south of Bangladesh Approximately 909 000 Rohingya refugee are residing in 34 camps in Bangladesh's...

Non-invasive prenatal testing and decision-making

The phrase ‘tyranny of choice’ has been widely used in recent years to illustrate the increasing range of options that are available to consumers in the developed world But Suter (2018) uses the term...

Midwifery and the 2020 Nightingale bicentenary celebrations

Midwifery will be in the spotlight throughout 2020 as this year has been declared the international year of the nurse and midwife by the World Health Organization (WHO); the Nightingale bicentenary...

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)...

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...

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...

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...

Much to celebrate

Midwives in 2020: time to flourish and change perceptions

The international year of the midwife (and nurse) is nearly upon us Throughout the year 2020, the whole world will be focused upon our professions As such, we have an opportunity to shape how we...

Choice as the cornerstone of woman-centred care

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service ([BPAS], 2019a) sees over 80 000 women per year across Britain for reproductive healthcare services including abortion care, pregnancy counselling, miscarriage...

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...