In the current economic climate when families are struggling with everything from employment to food it is incredibly heart warming to know that a dedicated band of midwives are coming to the end of the beginning of their long standing battle to improve the UK maternity services. Campaigning for normal birth The Independent Midwifery Association (IMA) has ...
Tag Archive: Home Birth
Birthright by Betsey Dewey
I give enormous credit to anyone willing to stand up and shout about their positive birth experience and their views promoting natural childbirth and doubly so in America where the maternity care situation is significantly more dire than in the UK. It puts the UK in a good light, which if you think the UK ...
Call The Midwife
Last night was the first in a series dramatising the writings of Jennifer Worth based on her experience of being a midwife in the 1950s and '60s in the East End of London. As green as she was when she first arrived I doubt even a seasoned midwife from any era would have been ...
The Birthplace cohort study: health outcomes by planned place of birth
What is the Birthplace cohort study? This 2 year English study (April 2008-2010) looked at 64538 low-risk births involving 90% of all midwifery units in England to consider the safety, cost-effectiveness and availability of current maternity services in the 4 available locations: hospital obstetric units (OU), alongside midwifery units (AMU), freestanding midwifery units (FMU) (collectively ...
Diary of a free range pregnancy: Birth
My Uber parenting day Got up, had irregular twinges through morning, had friend for brunch, put toddler down for nap, told friends coming to tea to come, continued twinging lying on the sofa, farmed toddler out to neighbours for tea, told friends coming for tea not to come, birthed baby, champagne and sausages for supper, in ...
Diary of a free range pregnancy: What is free range care?
Understanding Husband took a slightly weary sigh when I announced that I wanted to have another home birth, no scans, minimal engagement with the NHS and to ask a Dear Friend (who is an Independent Midwife) to care for me. The point of compromise was that I would have the anomaly scan (between ...
Want a second opinion? Get it yourself!
Seek and ye shall find Occasions may arise when you want to do your own research into maternity issues. You may want to expand your knowledge or challenge someone elses' view. In the past few years there has been an explosion in the use of the phrase 'evidence-based care' which means that all care is (should ...