Category: pregnancy
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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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The Real Magic Of Pregnancy
I heard something wonderful last week. It came from a pregnancy* exercise teacher at a class I had just joined: “This exercise might be good for the birth, I mean *knowing laugh* it won’t stop it hurting of course, but it might be useful” Embed from Getty Images //embed.gettyimages.com/embed/462946585?et=oGUQF9ltTMtO0rYnENBe5A&viewMoreLink=off&sig=rpTV9ysvT9lS_iMEY6HYnQCCYGXJY4XczEq4tQVJTZc=&caption=true It seems like a pretty minor…
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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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Post Natal Care; My After The Birth Story
This post is mostly for the #MatExp folks who I have been trying to keep up with on twitter (it really wouldn’t have fitted into 140 characters!) Heads up other readers this isn’t a very happy or positive story, although thankfully we were ok in the end. If you are expecting a baby and anxious…
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Home Birth, Hospital Birth and Not So NICE Advice
I’ve written previously here and here about the draft guidance from NICE on where women should give birth, but (as you’ll have noticed if you were anywhere near UK media this morning) the final version is now out. The headlines mostly read something like this (From the Mirror): Mums-To-Be Warned “Have Your Baby At Home, It’s…
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Good News From Grim Headlines
Today is world prematurity day and several news outlets have been covering a recent global study published in the Lancet which reveals that problems related to pre term birth are now the single biggest cause of death in the under 5’s. I can imagine nothing more tragic in this world than the death of a…
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When Is The Best Time To Have An Epidural?
Ok I’ll do it for you – Shortly after conception and for the next 18 years Boom-tish //embed.gettyimages.com/embed/173629237?et=B5aOrJnSTSpJTSRk587n8A&sig=M6yCgu8lZhjmtOVgcxEoxRjNGvJfKFgk8XdWdjCQ46o= #173629237 / gettyimages.com I wrote recently about a new study which disproved the idea that inducing labour increases the liklihood of a women ending up with a Caesarean section. Hot on it’s heels came another publication which called into…
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A Few More Notes On the Nice Guidance
When I wrote about the new NICE guidelines yesterday I hadn’t been able to find the actual document and was relying on the news stories about it (none of them seemed to link to the source, helpful!). Inevitably about 25 seconds after I hit the publish button I found the document. Cue hurried skim reading…
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New Nice Guidance – The Correct Birth Choice
Well damn it all, looks like I was totally wrong when I said that there was no one “right” way to give birth and women should have clearly presented evidence to make their own decision. Just look at the news today: Labour wards not for for straightforward births – BBC More Women Should Give Birth at Home …
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