Practising Midwife最新文献

In this article, Anita Johnson carried out an interview with Cathy Charles, a midwife and aquanatal teacher in Wiltshire, to explore the benefits of aquanatal exercise in pregnancy and the postnatal period; this is particularly pertinent at a time when there is a focus on mental wellbeing and rising obesity and caesarean section rates. Anita wanted a first-hand account from a midwife trained in water-based fitness and her experiences of delivering aquanatal classes to pregnant women. Following Anita's own experience of participating in the aquanatal class and Cathy's entertaining interview she hopes it may encourage midwives to promote this form of exercise and to pursue recognized training to deliver their own classes.

Phoebe Pallotti and Morag Forbes are two experienced midwives who volunteered for a charity that works for the health rights of people in immigration detentions. They both have other experience of this client group and they both hold diplomas in Tropical Midwifery. Over more than three years, Phoebe and Morag have been visiting and calling on pregnant women in immigration detention, most often in the infamous detention centre, Yarl's Wood, in Bedfordshire, where a recent Channel Four documentary was secretly filmed. The centre has a small health care facility, but there are no midwifery staff employed there, though women were often referred to the local maternity unit. This article explores the situations of the pregnant women who are detained in the UK and considers how they may better be supported.

I am a mother to four-year-old twin girls. Life since their birth has not been easy and postnatal depression has blighted our relationship. So, too, has it affected the relationship I have with friends, family, my husband, myself. My reasons for becoming a student midwife were numerous, but my experiences as a pregnant woman and a new mother were pivotal in that decision. Whilst screening tools are commended to detect postnatal depression, depression does not fit a scoring system neatly, and is experienced differently by everyone. In addition, women suffering may falsify results (I did) and may not consent to use of the tools. Women's subjective experience of pregnancy, birth and motherhood is crucial, and PND needs to be spoken about in the antenatal period in order to overcome the associated stigma and to encourage women's self-efficacy in reporting symptoms.

Cranial osteopathy is the gentles form on osteopathy and is particularly suitable for babies where it is used to address a range of problems. It relies on gentle touch and manipulation for both working diagnosis and appropriate management of tension patterns in order to release stresses and tensions throughout the whole body. First we will look at the basic principles underlying the discipline, then at how it can be used in practice for managing conditions such as colic and generally unsettled babies, torticollis, feeding challenges and constipation.

The provision of woman-centred care is at the heart of midwifery practice, and there appear to be increasing numbers of women choosing alternative forms of support for their childbearing journey. Women are often fearful of the experience of labour and birth, and in particular express concern about pain and its management; the literature shows that fear of childbearing is associated with increased pain (Leeman et al 2003). Although there are many pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to managing the pain of labour, these depend on availability, women's preferences, and on the woman's perception of their efficacy. This literature review focuses on the use of hypnosis, including complex programmes of antenatal preparation known as hypnobirthing, as a means of coping with the experience of labour and birth. A key word search of the literature was carried out to identify published research and literature on this topic. The articles chosen for critical review will be evaluated and explored.

Becoming a midwife is the 16th series of 'Midwifery basics' targeted at practicing midwives and midwifery students. The aim of these articles is to provide information to raise awareness of the impact of professionalism on women's experience, consider the implications for midwives' practice and encourage midwives to seed further information through a series of activities relating to the topic. In this second article of the series, Jancis Sheperd considers why professionalism in an issue in maintaining public confidence, why midwives need to demonstrate good health and good character and how applicants are selected for midwifery courses to meet these attributes.