Category: NHS
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What Happened To Continuity Of Care?
A small pilot scheme aiming to improve maternity care has been axed. It’s left some pregnant women suddenly without the care they were expecting and wondering where to turn now. It also raises questions for maternity services nationwide. It was announced this week that Neighbourhood Midwives is to close. The group operated an NHS continuity-of-care pilot…
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Comments On Maternal Request Cesareans
A couple of days ago, the charity Birthrights published a report into maternal request cesareans. It found that 75% of UK maternity units were going against NICE guidelines and refusing women this option for giving birth to their babies. The story was covered by TV and online news, including this piece by Rebecca Schiller from…
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Getting Involved Offline – The National Maternity and Perinatal Audit
I’ve set myself a few challenges for this, my third (and final) round of maternity leave. With my older two children at school and a severely diminished interest in group singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I’m doing things a bit differently. I’ve ditched (most of) the baby groups. Instead, I’ve been looking for opportunities to get…
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Choosing A Caesarean, And Having that Choice Refused.
I seem to write endlessly about caesareans on here, it was never my intention with this blog, but hey that’s the joy of having one’s own little online vanity project. Often I’m writing in response to news articles on the subject and almost always those talk about the terrible rise in C sections, how unecessary…
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The National Maternity Review – What Does Choice Mean?
The NHS National Maternity Review has called for women to have more choice and greater continuity in their maternity care – yet it was very quiet on some of the choices many women want or need. So what does choice really mean for pregnant women and will the options recommended in the review ever be…
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Don’t Fear Sunday’s Child – A Look At Today’s Headlines On Weekend Births
If I was pregnant at the moment I suspect I’d find today’s headlines pretty scary. They report that giving birth at the weekend, something most women can not control or predict, puts babies lives at risk. It would be great if we could dismiss this as yet another case of media hype, a rouge press…
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Have Your Say In The NHS Maternity Review
A big review of NHS maternity services is currently underway and those involved are actively seeking out the opinions and experiences of Mums and Dads. This week they launched an online consultation which you can access here: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/nhs-maternity-review If you or your partner/friend/family member has had a baby with the NHS please please take a…
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Sleep
Imagine you are taking part in some sort of extreme sport endurance event, say a really long, non stop hike. You’re not at peak fitness but, at the start, it’s going ok. However, 20 or 30 hours in it’s got a lot harder, you’re climbing up ever steeper hills, tired and in a lot of…
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"Three Parent Babies" Science, Hope and Parliament
Just sometimes, I feel very proud to be British, which isn’t very British I know. Today is one of those days because MPs have voted to allow scientists and doctors to create so called “three parent babies”. //embed.gettyimages.com/embed/450244859?et=jHH5jlM5Rlp9jxXADy2D6A&sig=_EF2q2WherJMZMFIPA1mOdS9B5ILsi9uNGXc1h-TdaI= View image | gettyimages.com As a scientist myself I find this fascinating; the great challenge to better…
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7 Reasons Why Giving Birth In A Stable Definitely ISN’T Better Than A Hospital
How did Mary and Joseph know that baby Jesus was 7lb 6oz? They had a weigh in a manger. Boom-tish (and thanks to the NHS Epsom and St Helier twitter feed for that cracker standard joke) //embed.gettyimages.com/embed/451540593?et=Nj59damvQDRdbfMEMVO0Dg&socialOnLoad=on&sig=0POe5Rblihcw1dK7kfdymn28BbkqNlTHPT7O5Jfpw0s= View image | gettyimages.com I saw a link yesterday to THIS Article by homebirth advocate Milli Hill which claims…
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