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What influences women to stop or continue breastfeeding? A thematic analysis

Breastfeeding is a natural form of infant feeding, but not all women breastfeed, and those who do may not necessarily feed for the recommended length of time (Feenstra et al, 2018) It is advised that...

Can continuity bring birth back to women and normality back to midwives?

There has been much research in recent years into midwifery-led models of maternity care, and this has produced considerable evidence that it can significantly improve outcomes for mothers and their...

Pain management in labour and childbirth: Going back to basics

As rates of anxiety, tocophobia and post-traumatic stress syndrome increase, there is a need for health professionals to reflect, review and rethink how women could be better prepared for labour and...

Donor milk: Science and sensitivity

American humourist Oliver Herford once described charity as ‘the sterilised milk of human kindness’ Yet for more than a century the milk of human kindness has—quite literally—been used for charitable...

Care in crisis

I have long had an interest in working for an organisation like Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) (MSF) As a child, I would devour my grandparents' copies of National Geographic...

New years

New Year is a man-made concept, but nonetheless it is important as a way of marking progress through time, as well as enabling the celebration of birthdays and anniversaries January sees the start of...

Actions speak louder than words

Just a few weeks into his new role as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock unveiled his first major initiative: a consultation with health professionals (Department of Health,...

IVF: A case of ‘less is more’?

Last month was the 40th anniversary of the first IVF birth Louise Brown was born in Oldham General Hospital in 1978 (BBC, 2018) Since then, more than 300 000 babies have been born as a result of IVF...

Clemency for Hungarian homebirth midwife Ágnes Geréb

Previous articles in this series (Symon 2010; 2012) have noted how women in some other countries, even within the European Union, do not enjoy the same legal rights and protections as women in the UK...

Supporting failing students: How collaboration is key

At the University of Northampton, the role of the midwife teacher/academic in clinical practice assessment is to advise and support mentors, with the ultimate decision on whether the student is...

How do modern parents deal with cultural beliefs about breastfeeding? A qualitative study

Background Cultural beliefs strongly affect the practice of breastfeeding. Interpretations of cultural beliefs change over time, particularly among modern parents; however, knowledge of these changes...

Communication with health professionals: The views of pregnant women with a raised BMI

Women with a raised body mass index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2 have an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications and adverse outcomes (Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries, 2010) For most adults,...

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