Issues around labour and birth and the development of maternal infant attachment and bonding has been an area of interest to parents and also to midwives in supporting parents in their journey to parenthood.
In this session, we are joined by author and midwife, Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, who will be discussing her graphic guide for parents, which midwives may also find helpful in expanding parents’ feeling of preparation and access to information.
We then move the focus to mothers' individual birth experiences and the early development of mother-infant bonding which have long been of interest to parents and to midwives. We are joined by psychologist, researcher and educator, Dr Carmen Power, who will be talking about the impacts of physiological and psychological aspects of labour and birth on the mother's mental health, her baby's early behaviour and early communications between baby and mother, providing some key areas that the midwife can develop to support the process of bonding.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald
Contributions from:
Dr Carmen Power, Psychologist writer, researcher, educator and consultant
Laura Godfrey-Isaacs, Artist, Midwife, Writer & Creative Producer
The UN intends for women and girls to not only survive, but thrive, and, in the process, transform their life chances and those of their communities. However, the focus in maternity care in the uk is more specific, on safety and survival without trauma. While this is important, it does not capture the ‘personalisation’ - thriving and transforming- part of the picture. One way of building potential to add this other critical dimension to the service we provide is to research in this space. The presentation will look at what kinds of questions midwives could ask; what kind of evidence is currently being generated in this area; how to build research capacity to answer future questions - and, briefly, what steps could be taken to put the research we have into practice.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald
Contributions from:
Soo Downe, BA(Hons), RM, MSc, PhD, OBE, University of Lancashire
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
This episode will be focusing on the lived midwifery experience of implementing this genetic testing within the existing Gestational Diabetes care pathway to ensure consistency and equity of access.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Nicola Young, RN RM. Project Lead (Monogenic Diabetes), North East and Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service
Becky Lambert-Pitts, Project Lead, North East and Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service. Currently working as a Lead Specialist Midwife
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 17 - Episode 9: Educating Future Midwives
This week’s episode will feature two key presentations from the Midwifery Education Conference that took place earlier in the day at De Montfort University.
Nicky, former LME at the University of Hull and now a freelance Educationalist, will set out the challenges ahead and Angela will give an insight into the role of new technology in teaching.
Chair:
Trouble Ahead – Midwifery Education Overview
Improving Patient Safety in Maternity Through Immersive Simulation Technology
Nicky Clark
Nicky Clark is the Chair of the NMC Lead Midwife for Education Strategic reference group, which is an active stakeholder group for midwifery education across the UK.
She qualified as a registered general nurse in 1982 and as a midwife in 1986 and has been in midwifery education since 1990 working in several institutions. Nicky has been the Lead Midwife for Education at the University of Hull since 2008. She has undertaken many national and international external collaborations, working in the UK and across Europe and Asia providing expert advice on programme approvals in midwifery, and also undertaking institutional quality assurance reviews across the UK and Croatia. She is a NMC quality assurance visitor and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Nicky has been, and continues to be, actively involved at a strategic level in national developments within midwifery.
Nicky is extremely passionate about midwifery and is totally committed to ensuring quality and excellence in the education of all those who experience it.
Angela Ayuk
Angela is a strong professional with a demonstrated history of working in maternity care, clinical research and the charity retail industry. Skilled in Midwifery, project management, and research delivery.. Graduated from Oxford Brookes University.
This week we are exploring a project (The PANDA project) aimed at preventing maternal anaemia to avoid preterm labour and birth in order to reduce adverse outcomes for women and their babies. The PANDA project is a phase III, multi-centre, randomised placebo-controlled trial of oral iron supplementation for the prevention of maternal anaemia, and it is planned to recruit over 11,000 participants across more than 40 NHS hospitals in England and Wales, making it one of the largest maternity trials of its kind.
We are joined by Professor David Churchill who will be discussing maternal anaemia, why it matters and how it is being currently managed, and then moving into a presentation of the PANDA study, and how practitioners can learn more and get involved.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contributions from:
Professor David Churchill, Consultant Obstetrician (Maternal & Fetal Medicine), Royal Wolverhampton, Professor of Obstetrics, University of Wolverhampton
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Contribution from: Dr Jacqui Williams, Senior Midwifery Advisor (Education), Professional Practice Directorate, Nursing & Midwifery Council
The NMC has worked with key stakeholders to develop these principles to respond to queries that midwives have raised with us in regard to choices women are making.
The session will cover principles from the perspective of the woman, the midwife, the employer and the NMC.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contributions from:
Dr Jacqui Williams, Senior Midwifery Advisor (Education), Professional Practice Directorate, Nursing & Midwifery Council
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
In this week’s hour we are exploring the experiences and perspectives of doulas working within the UK maternity services and privately employed. We are joined by Dr Amanda Hutcherson who is presenting her research into how training as a birth supporter impacts on women’s lives and identities. We welcome Trudi Dawson from DoulaUK who highlights the different pathways into becoming a doula and the updating requirements.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contributions from:
Amanda Hutcherson, Midwifery Educationalist
Trudi Dawson, Doula, Doula UK
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 17 - Episode 5: The empty crib: loss and bereavement in pregnancy and childbirth
Featuring Lauren Petrie, Specialist Bereavement Midwife, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital
This week, as we come to the end of baby loss week, our focus is on mothers and families who lose a baby at whatever stage of their pregnancy and, importantly, what midwives can do to support them through this time and beyond.
Our guests will discuss how midwives can support mothers and families through the loss of their baby, through to looking ahead to consider future hopes and plans.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contributions from:
Lauren Petrie, Specialist Bereavement Midwife, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea Hospital
Series 17 - Episode 4: Collaboration in Action – towards Better Births together
This session will be a chance to discuss the collaborative efforts of Make Birth Better to address the challenges facing maternity and perinatal care by building on the strength of grass root, charitable and shared-commitment organisations to work towards ensuring quality, safe and rights-based care for all who choose to access maternity and perinatal care services.
MaM Birth Collective Meets Make Birth Better
Come and join Dr Anna Byrom, CEO of All4Maternity as she hosts our upcoming Maternity and Midwifery Hour where she will be joined by Make Birth Better CEO, Laura-Rose Thorogood. Together they will share insights into the collaborative work they are engaged in working towards better births for all who access midwifery, maternity and perinatal care. This is your chance to learn more about the work of Make Birth Better and the Midwifery and Maternity Birth Collective and consider ways we can all move towards better births together, through collaboration.
Contributions from:
Dr Anna Byrom, CEO, All4Maternity
Laura-Rose Thorogood, CEO, Make Birth Better
Series 17 - Episode 3: Postnatal care – Getting it right
Dr Lesley Turner, Head of Practice Education (Nursing & Midwifery) Senior Teaching Fellow in Midwifery Care, University of Southampton
Judith Cutter, Consultant Midwife for Public Health and Vulnerable Families, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Postnatal care has often been likened to the Cinderella of the Maternity Services. However, the postnatal period, the time when the new mother is coping with and getting to know her new baby, or babies, dealing with tiredness and physical changes as her body should be returning to it's pre pregnancy condition, as well as the newborn baby requiring care and assessment, is a critical time for women, their babies and families. The midwife has a unique role in providing support and care during this transition, to confirm normality, develop the mothers and family’s confidence in caring for the baby and to act as a link to other services should these be required.
In this episode, Dr Lesley Turner will share her findings from the 3rd and 4th published studies in her PhD, which looked at large datasets of shift-level staffing in 3 NHS trusts over 4 years. Understaffing was identified and care consequences were also mapped and Lesley will present findings related to postnatal readmissions and reports of harmful events alongside the implications for staff planning and the direction of future research. We will also hear from Judith Cutter, Consultant Midwife for Public Health and Vulnerable Families, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contributions from:
Dr Lesley Turner, Head of Practice Education (Nursing & Midwifery) Senior Teaching Fellow in Midwifery Care, University of Southampton
Judith Cutter, Consultant Midwife for Public Health and Vulnerable Families, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Series 17 - Episode 2: Sharing the News that a Baby has Down’s Syndrome – Supporting Families
Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of a full or partial third copy of chromosome 21 in the body’s cells. It is sometimes shortened to “Ds” and in some countries called Down syndrome. Approximately one in every 1,000 babies is born with Down’s syndrome. In Scotland, around 70 babies are born each year, with an estimated 4,500 people currently living with the condition.
Screening for Down’s syndrome is offered in pregnancy, and families may make different choices: some may opt not to screen, some may choose to screen and continue with the pregnancy, while others may decide differently. Whatever the decision, midwives play a vital role in ensuring families receive clear, up-to-date, and compassionate information.
This session, led by Varshali Swadi, Professional Engagement and Development Lead at Down’s Syndrome Scotland, will explore how midwives can best support families when sharing news that a baby has Down’s syndrome. The session will also include a video from a parent speaker, offering insight into lived experience.
You will:
Gain up-to-date knowledge about Down’s syndrome, associated health issues, and learning profiles.
Understand how to provide sensitive support through screening, diagnosis, and the neonatal period.
Hear lived experience from a parent of a child with Down’s syndrome.
Learn about sources of support available for families and professionals.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Varshali Swadi, Professional Engagement and Development Lead, Down’s Syndrome Scotland
Bev Insch, Parent Volunteer, Down's Syndrome Scotland
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
For those of us who are midwives and those on the pathway to becoming midwives, we know that this vocation is never dull, often a challenge and part of this is coping with changing knowledge and practice - ensuring that we keep up with those changes, absorb the new evidence and add to our existing skills and knowledge set.
In this, the first episode of the 17th series of Maternity and Midwifery Hour, we are joined by two midwives who will be highlighting two key areas with us.
Stephanie Michaelides, midwifery & neonatal education consultant will be discussing the first examination of the newborn after birth, which traditionally takes place in the birthing room. What do we as midwives need to concentrate on.. and how has this assessment changed over the years?
And Dr Anna Madeley, Senior midwifery Lecturer, explores how we, as midwives, can improve issues around consent for women by changing the way we position language in maternity care.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Stephanie Michaelides, Midwifery & Neonatal Education Consultant
Dr Anna Madeley, Senior Midwifery Lecturer, University of Northampton
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 16 - Episode 12: What’s love got to do with midwifery?
The need for effective, compassionate and high quality care for women, babies and families is crucial. This week we are joined by Dr Diane Menage and Dr Jenny Patterson, to look at the next step in the story of the role of love and compassion in practice and with our colleagues. This builds on research and evidence in supporting midwives and student midwives to get in touch with how connection and love can impact on their practice, the workplace and the ability to recapture their passion and joy in midwifery practice.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Dr Diane Menage, Lecturer, De Monfort University
Dr Jenny Patterson, Midwifery lecturer, Edinburgh Napier University
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 16 - Episode 11: The Maternity Safety Agenda
Hear two maternity leaders on practical steps to improve the safety of maternity care and ensure women the best childbirth experience they can have.
At the start of a 6-month government inquiry into Maternity Safety, do you need to understand the issues and challenges?
How has the shape and practice of maternity services lost the confidence of government and many women?
What do maternity services and midwifery have to do differently in the future?
Insights into all these challenges will be explored ahead of the important Royal College of Midwives maternity Safety Summit on 16 July.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, Independent Consultant Midwife, Honorary Associate Professor Midwifery and PsychotherapistPast President, Royal College of Midwives
Professor Mary Renfrew OBE, UK Professors in Midwifery and Maternal and Newborn HealthRead Bio
This week we are looking at research and some of the exciting midwifery focused research projects in progress.
This includes the NIHR-funded Research for Equitable Antenatal Care and Health (REACH) Pregnancy Circles Randomised Controlled Trial, which is seeking to improve access to antenatal care and enhance women’s experiences and value of care in areas of high deprivation and high ethnic diversity.
The PROMISE study is a project addressing the major disparities in outcomes for black and brown women, by increasing their involvement in health and maternity based research.
We are joined by Dr Georgia Clancy, Lead Researcher on the Promise Study, and Professor Christine McCourt, Lead on the REACH Study.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Dr Georgia Clancy, Research Fellow, the PROMISE Study, University of Nottingham
Prof Christine McCourt, Professor of Maternal and Child Health, City St George’s, University of London; REACH Study Lead
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 16 - Episode 9: The Midwife's role in Facilitating Early Connections
As we enter Baby Communication Week, with the theme of 'Born to Connect' highlighted by the Brazelton Centre, this evening we will focus on the complex processes of communication between the baby and those around them.
We are joined by Inge Nickell, Director of the Brazelton Centre UK and Stephanie Kinder, Specialist Midwife at North Bristol NHS Trust and Brazelton Champion who will be discussing how midwives can feel confident and knowledgeable in supporting the parents and care givers in understanding how the baby communicates through their behaviour, in order to support the growing parent-infant relationship.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Inge Krogh Nickell, Director of the Brazelton Centre UK
Stephanie Kinder, Specialist Midwife at North Bristol NHS Trust and Brazelton Champion
Maternal Nutrition - Breaking Barriers and Building Confidence for Midwives with Anna Byrom (All4Maternity) and Marie Louise (The Modern Midwife).
Stillbirth is a deeply challenging outcome of pregnancy, and families often look to their midwives for answers and support. In this session, we’ll explore where genomic testing is becoming a valuable tool in understanding the causes of stillbirth—and where its limitations lie. Through an illustrative case study and discussion of real-world pathways, we’ll highlight how midwives can play a key role in communicating genomic information, supporting informed decisions, and guiding families with empathy and clarity.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Tina Prendeville , Lead Midwife, North Thames Genomic Medicine Service Alliance and Senior Research Midwife, Imperial College London
Denise Barnes , Lead Midwife for Genomics, North East & Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service Alliance
Emma Tomlinson, Specialist Rainbow Clinic Midwife, Tommy’s
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live
Series 16 - Episode 7: How babies sleep – from birth towards the first year
A critical part of the midwife’s role is caring for the newborn baby and helping the mother and parents understand more about their baby’s behaviour and care.
An important part of the baby’s life is sleep and their sleep pattern, alongside balancing parents’ own needs.
In this session we are joined by midwife and neonatal nurse, Stephanie Michaelides, who will discuss the first 48 hours of neonatal life and Professor Helen L Ball, anthropologist and infant sleep researcher, who will bring together the research, anthropological understanding and practice advice that will help practitioners, and most importantly parents, to understand their babies better and navigate the first year of their baby’s life.
Hosted by:
Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert; Host and Curator, Maternity and Midwifery Festivals/Midwifery Hour, Editor, Mayes Midwifery
Contribution from:
Professor Helen Ball, Professor of Anthropology, University of Durham and Director, Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre
Stephanie Michaelides, Midwife, Neonatal Nurse, and Education Consultant
Supported by MATFLIX: https://matflix.co.uk
Register to watch the next episode LIVE or attend a Maternity & Midwifery Festival: https://mmf.eventbrite.com
Watch the live stream: https://facebook.com/midwiferyforum/live