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Case studies and analysis on events affecting the world of midwifery, including online-only stories and features from Midwives magazine.

 

Latest features

Open access: Recent features are available to all site visitors.


  • RCM Annual Midwifery Awards 2012: The winnersThis compendium presents the best in our profession, with projects to inspire you and vision for you to emulate. Here are the winners.
  • Delivering in the age of super-diversityA quarter of babies born in the UK today have a migrant mother, yet a study by the University of Birmingham has revealed substantial inequalities in the care these women receive. Dave Newall and Dr Jenny Phillimore discuss the findings.
  • The age of virtual learningVirtual reality websites are no longer the preserve of computer game addicts. Jenny Bailey, winner of innovation in midwifery at the RCM 2012 awards, reveals how she set up an online midwifery unit to help students with roleplay exercises.
  • Travelling into the unknownWith the drive to ensure mothers-to-be are given options for where they give birth, is the possibility of transfer from home or midwife-led unit discouraging women? Rob Dabrowski investigates.
  • Core strengthHilary Lumsden explains how the University of Wolverhampton embedded NIPE guidelines into the core of its pre-registration midwifery curriculum, leading to a unique course that benefits mother and baby as well as students.
  • Times have changed for the worseJane Kelly isn't a midwife. She's a witness to the care her daughters-in-law received in today's NHS. Here are her thoughts.
  • Only 74,000 to goStuart Bonar gives an update on the RCM's e-petition and a midwifery-related EDM, the launch of the RCM's parliamentary panel and the State of maternity services report.
  • Midwife memoirs hit the small screenActor and television star Pam Ferris talks to Rob Dabrowski about her experience of starring in the BBC's acclaimed 'Call the Midwife' series.
  • Midwife-led care is safe in IrelandComparison of midwife-led and consultant-led care of healthy women at low risk of childbirth complications in the Republic of Ireland: a randomised trial.
  • Where to from here?A hard choice lies ahead on pensions. Negotiations have achieved a significant improvement in the accrual rate, plus protection for workers closest to retirement. But this could be lost if unions reject the offer to hold out for movement on contributions or retirement age.
  • A day in the life of a labour ward coordinatorI work for Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust. The trust's maternity service covers a fairly large geographical area supporting around 4500 to 4800 births per year.
  • For the recordCarolyn Deegan outlines the approach devised by the midwifery department at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust following Lord Darzi's recommendation that all care should be measurable.
  • Maternity Matters in CamdenFor the London borough of Camden, a needs assessment was the first step to providing quality maternity care that meets local needs.
  • How to perform a stretch and sweepSupervisor of midwives and University of Chester's senior lecturer Kim Gibbon provides a step-by-step guide to membrane sweeping.
  • Down with the kidsMore than 70,000 mothers across Britain suffer from postnatal depression each year, as a report from 4children has found that half of them suffer in silence, with far-reaching repercussions for themselves, their children and their families. The charity's Attila Kulcsar reports.
  • All part of the equationDr Rod Jones uses a tried and tested formula to show the vital link between size and occupancy in maternity units and the implications this has for care standards.
  • Blue days for the NHSPolitically it's a tough time for midwifery, with staff shortages and controversial health reforms looming large on the horizon. Rob Dabrowski asks Andy Burnham about the burning issues.
  • 75 years of maternity careThe Barratt Maternity Home in Northampton opened in 1936. Northampton General Hospital's archive volunteer Sue Longworth explores the history of a facility that owes its existence to philanthropy.
  • A day in the life of a consultant midwife for infant feedingA day in the life of consultant midwife for infant feeding Dr Val Finigan.
  • An elusive idealDoes midwifery training adequately prepare midwives to give expectant mothers advice in antenatal classes, asks University of West London student Maddie Saunders.
  • A call for a Day of ActionWith meaningful NHS pension talks stifled, the RCM and other trade unions are planning to send a powerful and determined message to the government.
  • Promoting lifelong learningThe RCM union learning project has been running for more than two years now, successfully building networks and encouraging continual learning in the workplace. Here are some highlights of what has been achieved so far.
  • New parliamentary panel to launchThe RCM's Stuart Bonar on his hopes for the new maternity panel, and the publication of the first annual State of maternity services report.
  • Effectively realising changeLessons from the The King's Fund's Safer Births Improvement Programme can be applied to affect other large-scale changes for good, explains Vinice Thomas, service improvement lead on the project.
  • How to perform an examination of the placentaUniversity of Chester's deputy head of midwifery and reproductive health Jane Harris outlines the key points of this procedure.
  • Evidence Based Midwifery Abstracts: December 2011 Themed issue: African researchEvidence Based Midwifery is the RCM's quarterly journal featuring in-depth academic research. Here is the summary of contents from the most recent issue, December 2011.
  • The use of video during birthPaper - Perceptions of women, nurses, midwives and doctors about the use of video during birth to improve quality of care: focus group discussions.
  • Dying for a cigaretteCarbon monoxide kills, but awareness about exposure and its effects is poor. Carmel O'Gorman, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust's smoking and pregnancy coordinator, explores routine testing and best practice.
  • Filling the knowledge gapThe Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust has trained its senior midwives to better cope with the rigours of leadership and management. Carmen Cross details the training programme and its outcomes.
  • Mind over matter: minimising pain in labourMother and doula Nicole Croft believes educating women about the mechanics of labour is key to minimising their pain.
  • The big bump gets its message acrossNHS Lanarkshire's Maureen McSherry and Stephanie Ferguson explain the thinking behind the team's successful DVD.
  • The RCM's new ePortfolio for membersA new online portal stores, and can display, all your CPD, study notes, CV and reflective diary in one place.
  • Delivering chart successAlana Watson has swapped her scrubs for the microphone and tells Rob Dabrowski about her move from midwifery to the top of the pops.
  • How to prepare powdered infant formulaMaternity support worker Laura Cruickshank believes women should be given the correct advice and evidence-based information about all choices of infant-feeding.
  • Meet the new RCM BoardAfter weeks of voting, the names of the new RCM board members have been announced and a new chapter in the RCM's governance begins. Here are the select 12...
  • Speaking from experienceThe 2009 cohort of the BSc midwifery programme at the Highland Campus of the University of Stirling respond to Laura Cox's article in Midwives Issue 2 2011, which highlighted the need to promote normal birth.
  • Financial pain reliefIn tough economic times, the work of charities such as the RCM's Benevolent Fund has never been so important, as Louise Hunt reports.
  • Helping the hardest to reachHow do you eliminate a disease globally? Wendy Golledge explores the challenges faced by the Pampers and UNICEF tetanus campaign as it works to protect mothers and babies in the poorest countries.
  • Culture shiftMidwives who trained abroad may have the necessary skills but there will be aspects of practice they're not used to. Sarah Church and Krystyna Grey outline a course that aims to familiarise them with the UK midwifery system.
  • Flu jab? There's no excuse not toFlu vaccine uptake among midwives is vital to ensure their health and that of mothers and newborn babies. Louise Hunt and Rob Dabrowski look at a new drive to increase the number of midwives having the jab.
  • Tread carefullyWinter weather can cause chaos on the roads, making the job of a community midwife far harder. Gareth Price looks at the innovative solution of one group of midwives and the impact that winter tyres can have.
  • Sign up for more midwivesThe RCM needs 100,000 signatures before parliament will consider debating the midwife shortage. This is our big chance, says Stuart Bonar.
  • Maternal sleep practices and stillbirth riskThe objective of this study, undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand, was to determine whether various sleep patterns, such as snoring and sleep position, are associated with the risk of late stillbirth.
  • Ignorance is bliss?Practising midwife Julie Spencer was shocked to discover that few people are aware that the anticoagulant heparin is derived from animal products, and began to question if it is right to administer it to women who avoid meat for ethical reasons.
  • A day in the life of a smoking in pregnancy specialistA day in the life of smoking in pregnancy specialist Vicky Almey.
  • Valued supportRichard Griffin examines the impact of the introduction of support workers in Scottish maternity services.
  • How to teach a mother the technique of hand expressingAssisting a mother to hand express effectively can help her overcome many challenges that may occur during her breastfeeding experience, says Janet Beech, infant-feeding co-ordinator at Countess of Chester NHS Foundation Trust.
  • It's all in the eyesPeter Scanlon and Joanne Harcombe describe the key factors surrounding diabetic retinopathy and tell midwives what they need to know about the screening process.
  • Picking and choosingTriage has been used successfully to manage admissions on emergency wards for years, but could the service work on a labour ward? Angela Wright, Kate Bickerstaffe and Kala Gangadaran report on the success of Plymouth maternity unit's pilot project, which was nominated for an RCM award.
  • Cracking GDM controversyA lack of knowledge about treating gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can often cause frustration among women and midwives. Zainab Jalloh-Conteh, midwife practitioner at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, looks at how we can achieve best practice in tackling this 'silent disease'.
  • Getting it right from the startEstablishing a Health Innovation and Education Cluster (HIEC) is helping to ensure that evidence-based practice is translated into frontline care, says Georgina Lessing-Turner, assistant director of the maternal and infant health and care theme of the Yorkshire and the Humber region HIEC.
  • Leadership... it starts with youThe RCM's annual event and Zepherina Veitch Memorial Lecture came from Wrexham this year. Emma Godfrey-Edwards outlines the key messages.
  • Feature: The maternity mazeStandalone MLUs seem the ideal solution in a move towards more midwife-led births, yet some trusts seem reluctant to invest in them. With report findings into different birth settings imminent, Alison Moore speculates about the future of these units.
  • Our breast effortsThe Wirral, the Isle of Man and Bridgend in Wales Just three of the areas that took part in this year's Breastfeeding Awareness Week. Carly Chynoweth spoke to the midwives and support workers who got involved.
  • Maternity REACTSA new course has been designed to improve obstetric care of the critically ill, says Helene Marshall, director of the Scottish Multi-Professional Maternity Development Programme.
  • Fighting for survivalWhen midwife Gillian Pearce visited a remote hospital in Uganda and discovered that babies were dying of hypothermia, she began helping to train staff in improving the survival chances of mothers and babies. Here's her story.
  • Viva midwives!News from the ICM congress 2011.
  • A new vision for health visitingThe new vision for health visiting in England is a great opportunity to improve health outcomes for children, families and communities. Jacque Gerrard, Pauline Watts and Rona McCandlish take a look.
  • Should you be the next RCM president?Elections for the post of RCM president are scheduled for this winter. The RCM is encouraging members who have the required qualities to consider standing.
  • NHS reforms in EnglandThe RCM's Stuart Bonar looks at the changes proposed by the DH following the report from the NHS Future Forum panel.
  • Evidence Based Midwifery Abstracts: June 2011Evidence Based Midwifery is the RCM's quarterly journal, which features in-depth academic research. This is a summary of contents from the most recent issue: June 2011.
  • Maternal and neonatal outcomes among obese womenPaper - Maternal and neonatal outcomes among obese women with weight gain below the new Institute of Medicine recommendations.
  • Returning to practice: a personal visionAfter an 11-year career break from midwifery, Mary Morse successfully completed an RCM return-to-practice programme this year. Although she felt prepared for the challenge, she has been surprised and encouraged by some of the changes within the industry.
  • Fire in her bellyThe RCM's Frances Day-Stirk has become the new president of the International Confederation of Midwives at a time of unprecedented opportunity for colleagues around the world, she tells Midwives.
  • A day in the life of a third-year student midwifeA day in the life of a third-year student midwife Camella Main.
  • A day in the life of an infant-feeding specialist midwifeA day in the life of infant-feeding specialist midwife Suzanne Barber.
  • Like-minded fellowThe former RCOG president talks to Gareth Price about long associations with midwifery and the principles of good teamwork on the labour ward.
  • The post-election landscapeThe RCM's Stuart Bonar takes stock of the main parties' gains and losses after the UK went to the polls in May.
  • Breastfeeding and child behaviour at five yearsPaper - Breastfeeding and child behaviour in the Millennium Cohort Study

Older features

Member-only: Older Midwives features are available only to RCM members of Midwives subscribers.


  • My mother-in-law tells me what to doUniversity of Aberdeen's Bibha Simkhada and Maureen Porter and Bournemouth University's Edwin van Teijlingen explore some of the key issues surrounding the role of mothers-in-law in antenatal care decision-making in Nepal.
  • What is Barth syndrome?Repeated miscarriages or stillbirths of males may be due to Barth syndrome, according to Vanessa Garratt, Debbie Riddiford and the National Barth Syndrome Service's Colin Steward, Beverly Tsai-Goodman and Ruth Newbury-Ecob. But what is this syndrome and what role should midwives play in its diagnosis?
  • Working togetherThe NHS landscape is changing, but the importance of women and midwives working collaboratively to support breastfeeding remains, as Francesca Entwistle, Mary Renfrew, Alison Baum, Sue Ashmore and Janet Fyle explore.
  • How to help with positioning and attachmentHelping a mother get started is one key step in feeding, says Gillian Hughes, senior lecturer in midwifery at the University of Chester.
  • The way we wereThe 1960s may have marked the age of modern Britain, yet Ann Corsellis's early experiences working as a midwife - from hopping on the bus to attend home births to using drawers as makeshift cribs - show just how much things have changed in 50 years.

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