Midwifery in the UK is very different to midwifery in Malawi, and to midwifery in many other countries. For those who have grown up in the UK with the NHS, there is a general acceptance that healthcare is freely available, and an acceptance that the system is under a great deal of pressure and there are often significant delays. For…
Throughout human history, throughout the world, the majority of babies have been born at home. In the last few decades however, in many countries, hospital birth has been promoted as being “best”. So is hospital birth best? This is a question I discuss frequently in the UK, and it has been an increasing concern for me in Malawi. Since 2012…
If you are thinking about where your baby will be born, have you thought about a homebirth with a private midwife? The NHS midwifery teams in Sussex (University Hospitals Sussex, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare, Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells and East Sussex Healthcare all aim to support homebirths, but all are facing significant staffing issues. They will aim to support anyone…
In the UK, most people access pregnancy, birth and postnatal care through the NHS. However, an increasing number of people are now choosing to look outside the NHS and to employ someone directly. Once you start exploring options it can get very confusing. What exactly are midwives, doulas and birthkeepers? In this blog post I aim to explain a little…
Elective c section is the term used for a c section which is planned in advance of labour, rather than being advised as a medical necessity as a result of concerns during labour. Elective c section is often recorded in medical notes as ELCS. It is also referred to as maternal request c section, but I prefer to use non-…