Midwifery

More than 6,000 women told us what they wanted for their next pregnancy and birth. Here's what they said

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Pregnancy, Life, Hope, Woman, Birth trauma, Pain, Medicare, Midwifery, Trauma center, Post-traumatic stress disorder, City, Trauma, Birth control, Nursing

Many want to see the same one or two midwives throughout, and want to choose where they give birth.

Key Points: 
  • Many want to see the same one or two midwives throughout, and want to choose where they give birth.
  • This is what thousands of Australian women told us when we asked if they would do anything differently if they had another baby.

What we did

    • As part of that, we asked women, “Would you do anything different if you were to have another baby?” A total of 6,101 women left comments.
    • More than 85% of comments were from women who said they’d do things differently the next time around.

‘Next time I’ll be ready’

    • For example, there were more than 500 comments from women who would try to avoid having their next labour started manually, known as an induction of labour.
    • A woman from Western Australia, who ended up having a caesarean, said:
      I would 100% opt for no induction.
    • Read more:
      Too many healthy women are having their labour induced for no identified medical reason, our study shows

‘I want a specific birth experience’


    This was the second largest category (28.5% of comments). Here, most women said they wanted their next birth to be a vaginal birth (1,735 comments) and some would opt for a caesarean (438 comments). Of the women wanting a vaginal birth, 1,021 comments related to wanting the next birth at home.

    Read more:
    Explainer: what are women's options for giving birth?

‘I want a specific model of care’

    • This ranged from a more supportive partner, hiring a doula and choosing their care provider.
    • Some 17.8% of all comments, the next-largest group, identified a specific model of maternity care.
    • Women wanted to access a more supportive model that would respect their choices and wishes.
    • Midwifery continuity of care is available now in many public hospitals and is commonly called midwifery group practice or caseload midwifery.

‘I want better access’

    • They said they wished they had access to more local maternity services and equitable access to models that offer continuity of care and homebirth, such as private midwives.
    • A woman from a remote town in New South Wales said:
      If I ever fell pregnant again.
    • With many maternity units in rural and remote areas shutting down, women are forced to travel big distances and have fewer maternity care options than women who give birth in cities.

‘I don’t want to change anything’


    Some 10.2% of comments were from women who didn’t want to change anything the next time around. Of these, just under half (47%) were from women who received midwifery continuity of care. This is significant as midwifery continuity of care only represent 15% of maternity models in Australia.

Why are birth experiences important?

    • We’ve shown that many women who reflect on their experience of pregnancy and birth wish they had made different decisions and wish they had a more positive experience to look back on.
    • A negative birth experience can lead to birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.

What happens next?

    • So it’s time to act if we are to avoid the type of experiences highlighted during the current NSW Select Committee on Birth Trauma.
    • Read more:
      1 in 10 women report disrespectful or abusive care in childbirth

      Hazel Keedle is affiliated with the Australian College of Midwives.

Six pregnancy terms you probably won't hear again, including 'high risk' and 'failed'

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Uncertainty, Royal college, Pregnancy, Failure, Health care, Woman, Language, Medicine, Midwife, History, Midwifery, Mother, Oxytocin, Pain, Man, Pleasure, Miscarriage, Nursing, Logic, Health, Trauma, Safety, Birth control, Medical device

As time goes by, new terms are adopted while others are abandoned.

Key Points: 
  • As time goes by, new terms are adopted while others are abandoned.
  • In midwifery, there should always be a strong emphasis on the language we use, particularly in pregnancy.
  • In 2020, the Royal College of Midwives launched an initiative to discover the impact language has on women.

1. Delivery


    The term “birth” has now been accepted, rather than the term “delivery”, which has commonly been used in the past. Women and health professionals also wanted accurate, specific descriptions as far as possible to describe what had happened in the labour and birth. For example, “birth with forceps” or “birth with ventouse”. This also includes “caesarean birth”.

2. Low risk / high risk


    “Universal care needs” is being used rather than “low risk”. While “additional care needs” is now the preferred term for “high risk”. The word “risk” is associated with uncertainty and it is vital that women feel comfortable and confident during their pregnancy.

3. Normal

    • The new preferred term, “spontaneous vaginal birth”, covers spontaneous labour without significant medical interventions such as induction and oxytocin.
    • It also covers spontaneous vaginal birth without the need for instruments, such as forceps.

4. Emergency caesarean


    The new overarching term for an operative caesarean section is “caesarean birth”. This replaces the word “emergency”, which is a term that may cause alarm. The term “unplanned caesarean birth” is now preferred over “emergency caesarean”.

5. Incompetent cervix


    “Incompetent cervix” has connotations of personal failure. So, the preferred term is now “cervical insufficiency”.

6. Failure / failed

    • During the Re:Birth project, women were keen to share how terms such as “failure to progress” can contribute to feelings of failure and trauma.
    • We can apply the same logic to terms such as “failed induction” or “failed homebirth”.
    • “Induction of labour, with delay and followed by operative birth” and “transfer in during planned homebirth” are favoured, respectively.

'Dirty red': how periods have been stigmatised through history to the modern day

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Association, Technology, Endometriosis, Male, Poverty, University, Kotex, Elder, Bee, Health, Atmosphere, Tree, World War I, Woman, Research, Fruit, History, Pain, Midwifery, Plant, Man, Human, Menstruation, Advertising, Tampax, Blood, Pleasure, Miscarriage, Mouse, Ageing, Good Housekeeping, Corruption, AD, Stigmata, Social media, Birth control, Prefabrication

The answer, I believe, lies in the pervasive culture of shame that has long surrounded menstruation, stifling open dialogue around the subject.

Key Points: 
  • The answer, I believe, lies in the pervasive culture of shame that has long surrounded menstruation, stifling open dialogue around the subject.
  • So, I embarked on a research project with a team of colleagues at the University of Leeds into the history of menstrual stigma.
  • What we’ve discovered so far are examples of stigma and shame surrounding periods from many thousands of years ago through to the modern day.

Not a new problem

    • This passage asserts that women (along with anything they lie or sit on) become “unclean” during menstruation.
    • If a non-menstruating person touches either the menstrual blood, or anything the woman has touched, they too will become unclean.
    • He writes that crops “will wither and die”, and bees “will forsake their hives if touched by a menstruous woman”.

From history to today

    • Some 70 years later, in 2020, Tampax was criticised for advertising tampons that “open silently for full discretion”.
    • Read more:
      Solving period poverty is about more than just making products free

      Another example of the stigmatisation of menstruation can be seen in the long history of euphemisms.

    • A similar study from 1975 discussed 128 menstrual euphemisms, many of which are still used today (such as “Aunt Flo” and “on the rag”).

The harms of stigma

    • This long history of menstrual stigma continues to inform contemporary culture, having a negative effect on people who menstruate today.
    • In 2021, a group of researchers concluded that feelings of stigma and shame perpetuate the expectation that people should hide their menstruation.

What can we do?

    • But there are numerous small actions each of us can take, which collectively can make a significant difference.
    • First of all, we can all (irrespective of age, gender or sexuality) embrace open conversations about menstruation.
    • We need to tackle period poverty, ensure access to clean water and private toilets, and encourage employers to develop positive menstrual policies.

International Confederation of Midwives to Host Thousands of Delegates at Its 33rd Triennial Congress in Bali

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Pregnancy, Accreditation, Education, ICM, Culture, International Confederation of Midwives, Woman, Midwifery, Congress, Beauty, Nature, Knowledge, Growth, WHO, World Health Organization, Nursing, Midwife

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, June 8, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is excited to announce that the 33rd ICM Triennial Congress will take place in Bali from 11-14 June 2023.

Key Points: 
  • THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS, June 8, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is excited to announce that the 33rd ICM Triennial Congress will take place in Bali from 11-14 June 2023.
  • Indonesian Midwives participate in the 33rd ICM Triennial Council meeting in Bali.
  • For more information about the 33rd ICM Triennial Congress, please visit the Congress website at https://midwives2023.org/.
  • Submit a request for accreditation of media representatives at the link below:
    The International Confederation of Midwives is an international, accredited non-governmental organisation that supports, represents and works to strengthen professional associations of midwives throughout the world.

The NHS relies on nurses from poorer countries to fill jobs – here's how to tackle this problem

Retrieved on: 
Friday, July 14, 2023
Workforce, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Pressure, Education, A&E, Nursing, Policy, World Health Organization, OECD, World, Research, World Bank, Midwifery, Movement, Government, Opinion polling on the United Kingdom rejoining the European Union (2020–present), Student, Intention, Risk, WHO, NHS, Family

This is a problem because when nurses leave countries that already have workforce shortages, healthcare in those countries inevitably suffers.

Key Points: 
  • This is a problem because when nurses leave countries that already have workforce shortages, healthcare in those countries inevitably suffers.
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified more than 50 countries where exporting nurses is putting their healthcare systems at risk.

Not a new trend

    • Some 91% of the overseas nurses registered to practice in the UK in 2021-2022 came from these seven countries.
    • Given this, and the underdeveloped state of their healthcare systems, recruiting nurses even from these countries is not a straightforward ethical proposition.
    • Even Japan, a country that has traditionally been wary of immigration, is now recruiting nurses from Indonesia and the Philippines.
    • This means that the UK is in competition with other rich countries for nurses and other healthcare workers.

What’s the solution?

    • However, this is not as simple as funding additional places at university for students to study nursing.
    • Student nurses need supervised practice as part of their education, and the NHS has a limited capacity to absorb students, especially given the pressure the system is under.
    • It takes at least three years to train a nurse, and longer before they can take on complex roles like advanced nurse practitioner.
    • They are currently frameworks for the development of more detailed policy but do not contain specific targets for recruitment numbers.

The NHS workforce plan is a good start – but a lot of detail is missing

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 3, 2023
Workforce, Technology, Education, Health, Nursing, Speech, Culture, Leadership, Perception, University, Hope, COVID, Radiology, Government, Dental hygienist, Midwifery, School, Pharmacist, Student, Population, Patient, Dental care, Knowledge, Growth, AI, NHS, Health care, Dentistry

A long-term workforce plan for the NHS – which the UK government promised four and a half years ago – has finally been unveiled.

Key Points: 
  • A long-term workforce plan for the NHS – which the UK government promised four and a half years ago – has finally been unveiled.
  • The ambitious plan sets out a 15-year strategy to address the increasing demand for healthcare and decreasing supply of healthcare professionals in England.
  • An investment of more than £2.4 billion has been agreed to fund a 27% increase in training places by 2028-29.
  • The total NHS workforce would grow from 1.4 million in 2021-22 to around 2.3 million in 2036-37.
  • The plan acknowledges the importance of retaining workers, offering them more flexibility, and improving the culture and leadership in the NHS.

More detail needed

    • Much more detail is needed on how the plan will be implemented and what measures will be used to judge its success.
    • The emphasis of the plan is on boosting the quantity of staff and services.
    • The plan acknowledges that NHS staff are working in highly pressured environments and many are exhausted since the COVID pandemic.
    • The recent nursing strikes are not only about pay but also poor working conditions and lack of support and leadership.

Clinical placement

    • The availability of clinical placements during training is a major obstacle to this ambitious expansion plan, mainly due to the shortage of experienced staff to supervise students.
    • This shortage of experienced supervisory staff means that clinical placements are notoriously hard to find and universities are sometimes forced to cut target placement numbers, despite the need, because of a lack of capacity.
    • And in 25 years, at the NHS’s 100th anniversary, the NHS workforce will hopefully meet the healthcare needs of the population.

Bastyr University Graduates Expand Health Care Workforce When America Needs it Most

Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 26, 2023
Bastyr University, WA, Curriculum, Abdirahman Farole, Ageing, CLC, Medicine, Research, Doctor of Philosophy, Student, Public health, Metabolism, Nature, LM, Benaroya Hall, CPM, Liberty Station, San Diego, Health, Nursing, Management, Acupuncture, Nutrition, Psychology, Midwifery

KENMORE, Wash., June 26, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bastyr University, with campuses in Kenmore Washington and San Diego California, celebrates graduation for 218 mostly doctorate and master's degree students.

Key Points: 
  • Bastyr University issues 96 naturopathic doctorates for the June 2023 graduating class, and graduate degrees in Acupuncture, Midwifery, Nutrition, Psychology, and Public Health.
  • KENMORE, Wash., June 26, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bastyr University, with campuses in Kenmore Washington and San Diego California, celebrates graduation for 218 mostly doctorate and master's degree students.
  • Bastyr University is a nonprofit, private university offering doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate degrees, with a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural health and medicine.
  • Recognized globally for its rigorous curriculum and strong research, Bastyr University has campuses in Kenmore, Washington, and San Diego, California.

Circularity First welcomes new Finance Director Selina Kavanagh

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 9, 2023
Hatred, Carbon, Midwifery, Growth, Statistics, Woman, Love, Management, Nursing

POYNTON, United Kingdom, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- 'If I could have written myself a role, this would be it': Circularity First welcomes new Finance Director Selina Kavanagh with a less than linear career path into technology

Key Points: 
  • 'If I could have written myself a role, this would be it': Circularity First welcomes new Finance Director Selina Kavanagh with a less than linear career path into technology
    POYNTON, United Kingdom, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- 'If I could have written myself a role, this would be it': Circularity First welcomes new Finance Director Selina Kavanagh with a less than linear career path into technology
    Selina Kavanagh began her career as a midwife before 'finding her groove' in finance and entering the corporate world.
  • In her newest role, she is committed to delivering financial health and growth to sustainable IT pioneer Circularity First.
  • A bona fide geek who admits she loves a spreadsheet and can't enjoy a holiday without solving logic puzzles by the pool, finance is what makes Selina tick.
  • Selina is proud to channel her ambition into driving Circularity First's sustainability agenda.

Frontier Nursing University President Dr. Susan Stone to Transition to Distinguished Chair of Midwifery

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 17, 2023
National academy, FNU, CNM, Nurse practitioner, FAAN, American College of Nurse-Midwives, Distinguishing, Frontier Nursing University, American Academy of Nursing, Student, American Academy, Education, Public health, Growth, Frontier, American College, DNP, Rock (geology), American Public Health Association, Medicine, Nursing, Midwifery

Versailles, Kentucky, Feb. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontier Nursing University (FNU) announced that university President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, will transition into a new role as the university’s appointed Distinguished Chair of Midwifery.

Key Points: 
  • Versailles, Kentucky, Feb. 17, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Frontier Nursing University (FNU) announced that university President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, will transition into a new role as the university’s appointed Distinguished Chair of Midwifery.
  • The Board of Directors is very pleased to have her continued service to the university as she assumes the Distinguished Chair of Midwifery.”
    Dr. Stone succeeds past Distinguished Chair of Midwifery Dr. Eunice (Kitty) Ernst, who passed away in December 2021.
  • Appointed by the FNU Board of Directors, the purpose of this Chair is to promote midwifery both nationally and internationally.
  • “Susan Stone has left a legacy of growth and transformation at Frontier,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN.

Latest Information about Medication Safety in Breastmilk Now Easily Accessible via New LactRx App

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Unitary state, United States National Library of Medicine, HRSA, Vaccine, Pregnancy, Pharmacy, Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Organization, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, University of California, San Diego, OTIS, Teratology, National library, NLM, Government, Obstetrics, Doctor of Pharmacy, HHS, Pediatrics, Health, Genetics, Nursing, Genetic counseling, Midwifery, CDC, Child, Chambers, UC, MPH, Gynaecology, Public, Birth control, Online shopping, Doctor of Philosophy

BRENTWOOD, Tenn., Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), through its public-facing service known as MotherToBaby, launches LactRx, a free app providing current information on the use of medications, vaccines, diagnostic agents & drugs of misuse during breastfeeding. The LactRx app provides easy access to the LactMed database, a resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Key Points: 
  • The LactRx app provides easy access to the LactMed database, a resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
  • Because of this, she saw it as an opportunity for MotherToBaby to help build and host a new app with all of the LactMed information.
  • "The NLM made the decision to continue supporting web access to LactMed, and to discontinue support for its app.
  • Information presented in the LactRx app is not intended to be a substitute for professional judgment.