Around 1/200 births in the UK result in stillbirth and about 1/400 infants die within the first 4 weeks of life (Office for National Statistics, 2015) Those women who experience perinatal loss (as a...
The use of unnecessary interventions in labour and birth continues to rise A rate of > 19% is seen as medically unnecessary by the World Health Organization (WHO) (Gibbons et al, 2010); in Europe,...
Informed decision-making enables women to make choices that reflect their own beliefs and preferences and is at the heart of provision of woman-centred care There is evidence that women want...
In the UK, approximately one fifth of women aged 16–40 years are obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) and half of all women are either obese or overweight (Buchwald et al, 2009) Obesity is a...
Skills drills are the accepted format by which health professionals, including midwives, learn and maintain the skills to manage a range of obstetric emergencies (Rogers, 2007) It has been suggested...
Teenage mothers are a vulnerable group in maternity services, owing to factors including poor health and social exclusion (Department for Education and Skills, 2006) They often have poorer obstetric...
Clinical audit has been regarded as a valuable asset to examine existing practices with an aim to improve quality of health care in future (Johnston et al, 2000) Rising rates of caesarean section...
Ankyloglossia, or tongue tie, is a congenital abnormality characterised by a short frenulum, which may restrict tongue motility It is usually asymptomatic, but in some cases may cause problems during...
Women's health after childbirth is attracting a more appropriate level of consideration than it has in the past (Vanderkruik et al, 2013) The incidence and prevalence of postpartum health issues...
Experiencing childbirth as a traumatic event is a factor that has been highlighted as contributing to poorer psychological outcomes for mothers Up to 30% of women in the UK experience childbirth as a...
Breastfeeding is accepted as the optimum way to nourish babies (World Health Organization (WHO), 2016), with proven health benefits for both babies and mothers (Renfrew et al, 2012; Victora et al,...
There is increasing literature to suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may address a variety of psychological problems (eg Grossman et al, 2004; Dimidjian and Goodman, 2009; Duncan and...
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