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Vitamin supplementation and nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding

The developing baby in the womb is completely dependent on its mother for its nutrient supply, so the quality of the maternal diet is extremely important During pregnancy, increased intake is required...

Decisions around vaccination

‘We can't change the past but this vaccine will change people's futures’ These were the words of Kelly Mellor, whose daughter contracted meningococcal disease when she was 11 months old, quoted in a...

Compassionate Connections: Turning rhetoric into reality

Woman-centred care, person-centred care, relationship-based care, personalised care, the 6 Cs including compassionate care—these are all central values of modern maternity policy in the UK The words...

Considering the needs of migrant women

Unless they have gone to great lengths to avoid any news media in recent weeks, it is highly unlikely that anyone in the UK will be unaware of the current influx of refugees to Europe, primarily from...

Preparing for an OSCE

The assessment of clinical skills competencies is an essential part of the midwifery curriculum to ensure women's safety in the clinical environment An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)...

Research roundup: September 2015

Telephone-based peer support for postnatal depression Postnatal depression is a major concern for both mother and baby A new study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing suggests that...

Additions to the public health evidence-base

Public health is a fundamental aspect of the midwife's role. Regular contact with women and their families during pregnancy and the immediate postnatal period offers a crucial opportunity to maximise...

Supervision: Phoenix from the ashes

We are all aware there are going to be changes to statutory supervision of midwifery following recommendations from recent inquiries and reviews. To date, there is no formal decision as to how the...

Handwashing and infections

In May 1847, Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis (1818–1865) showed by experiment that handwashing could prevent infections (Noakes et al, 2008) He instigated a hand-washing regime at the maternity clinic of the...

Risk of venous thromboembolism during pregnancy and birth

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the leading cause of direct maternal deaths in the UK (Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), 2015) A report published by MBRRACE-UK (Mothers and...

Caesarean section by maternal request

The emergence of caesarean section by maternal request (CSMR) as a concept is closely related to a shift in the perception of childbirth from a physiological process to a medical one, as has occurred...

The acceptability of case-finding questions to identify perinatal depression

Perinatal depression has been defined as encompassing ‘major and minor depressive episodes that occur either during pregnancy or within the first 12 months after delivery’ (Gavin et al, 2005: 1071),...

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