http://www.midirs.org/essence MIDIRS Essence, an innovative monthly newsletter designed to provide access to the latest news, features and reports on research and education, midwifery, pregnancy, labour and birth in a contemporary style and format that is easy to use. Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsI came across a short article in the BMJ recently, titled <i>‘The dangers of listening to the fetal heart at home’</i> (Chakladar & Adams 2009)http://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/C5319914161CF45E802576CB004C4702?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/C5319914161CF45E802576CB004C4702?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsHealthy Start is a UK-wide statutory scheme to improve the health of pregnant women and families on benefits or low incomes and pregnant under-18 year oldshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/E986098BB9CBCFA7802576CB004F6858?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/E986098BB9CBCFA7802576CB004F6858?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMTStudent/Tutor featureIn April 2006 I registered for the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Midwifery Studies provided by the Academic Division of Midwifery at the University of Nottingham. I initially enrolled to increase my confidence in midwifery practicehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/9E4022B179AF14BD802576CC0054ADC8?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/9E4022B179AF14BD802576CC0054ADC8?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMTMIDIRS.http://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/C96BA9AFEF9AFDD8802576D300414D6D?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/C96BA9AFEF9AFDD8802576D300414D6D?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMTInformed ChoiceThe role of the health care professional is well recognised: it engenders widespread public respect and trust and can offer significant influence on the values and attitudes of society in terms of health promotion and protection from harmhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/70F455A280AB4A8D802576D4004B4A2F?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/70F455A280AB4A8D802576D4004B4A2F?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTMIDIRS<b> - providing direct and easy access to key educational resources for maternity health care professionals.</b> Plans to provide easier routes to peer reviewed, evidence-based information relating to maternity care, took a further step forward today, with the re-launch of MIDIRS new website - <a href='http://www.midirs.org'>www.midirs.org</a>. MIDIRS redeveloped site boasts a fresh, contemporary look, with improved navigability, accessibility and usability functions, enabling greater access to content for visitors to the site. Andy Fisher, MIDIRS Business Manager said ‘Our website is essential in helping us to capture and present what today’s health care professional and student midwife needs in order to assist them in maintaining the highest standards of care for mothers and babies through evidence-based practicehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/A59A4AAD0DD2FBDC802576AF005E61C2?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/A59A4AAD0DD2FBDC802576AF005E61C2?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTStudent/Tutor feature'This birth only confirmed my passion for midwifery and just how amazing the female body is when it’s left alonehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/FEA6BAE62CEA6691802576AF005D2F22?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/FEA6BAE62CEA6691802576AF005D2F22?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTMidwifery NewsThankfully, maternal deaths are extremely rare in the United Kingdomhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/39F65BAFD5513449802576B20039E73A?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/39F65BAFD5513449802576B20039E73A?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTMidwifery NewsThe CMACE report (Lewis 2007) reported maternal deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth as being 14 deaths per 100,000 maternitieshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/6E500FE3D8A833CE802576B2003A99B5?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/6E500FE3D8A833CE802576B2003A99B5?OpenDocumentMon, 1 Feb 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTInformed ChoiceFor this month’s column I’ve made a very transparent move away from reflecting on a specific Informed Choice leaflethttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/F80E94C1B42BCAB2802576B2003A9954?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/F80E94C1B42BCAB2802576B2003A9954?OpenDocumentMon, 4 Jan 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTMidwifery NewsSince the discovery of oxytocin by Henry Dale a century ago we have acquired an accumulation of data about the mechanical and behavioural effects of this hormone. The time has come now to improve our understanding of its releasehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/81B0FC4867DC184A8025768200528739?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/81B0FC4867DC184A8025768200528739?OpenDocumentMon, 4 Jan 2010 12:00:00 AM GMTMidwifery NewsMichel Odent has been alongside my journey through midwifery these past 30 plus years, especially in the 1970s when the conveyor belt maternity service first reared its efficient and soulless headhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/F91531D21AAF54288025768200529A04?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/F91531D21AAF54288025768200529A04?OpenDocumentMon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsAward-winning photographer and film-maker, Nancy Durrell McKenna, untangles the complex thread of issues, viewpoints and justifications for female genital mutilation (FGM). When Zahara was 15, she was forced to marry her first cousinhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/BA0AEE7C53203FB1802576820052A2AA?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/BA0AEE7C53203FB1802576820052A2AA?OpenDocumentMon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMTStudent/Tutor featureRapid breaths whispered through my throat in time with the pulsating screams coming from the labour roomhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/3BDF38D83C0C651D80257689004EA228?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/3BDF38D83C0C651D80257689004EA228?OpenDocumentMon, 4 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMTInformed ChoiceMichel Odent has discussed the various components of the birth environment in its much wider sense – physical, cultural and emotional - and how these may influence and impact on a woman’s labour progress and overall birth experiencehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/2B8B0C4A52345A9D8025768D004E4000?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/2B8B0C4A52345A9D8025768D004E4000?OpenDocumentMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsNausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is an underrated and often disregarded condition which has immense significance for the mother and her familyhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/6CF6EBF51A0C99558025766A003B8D0E?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/6CF6EBF51A0C99558025766A003B8D0E?OpenDocumentMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsElizabeth Duff, Executive Director of the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust, describes the challenges and innovative work taken on by the midwives and students who won Iolanthe awards this yearhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/D576368B74622BE88025766A004196D8?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/D576368B74622BE88025766A004196D8?OpenDocumentMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTMIDIRSA brand new range of practice development tools which aim to support student midwives throughout their studies and in delivering accessible, responsive and high quality maternity care is now available. The series of evidence-based resources, created by expert midwives and designed to enhance the skills and practice of students of midwifery, are currently free to download and can be accessed through <a href='http://www.midirs.org/student'>www.midirs.org/student</a>http://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/427E6ADD66B5B0C88025766A0041A2BC?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/427E6ADD66B5B0C88025766A0041A2BC?OpenDocumentMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTStudent/Tutor featureThis piece of work forms part of a reflection on when I attended and witnessed a home water birth as a midwifery studenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/30A6BDE977078D6C8025766A0041B385?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/30A6BDE977078D6C8025766A0041B385?OpenDocumentMon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMTInformed ChoiceI think without doubt, that apart from the weather, if you are ever stuck for something to say to start off a conversation, it will be about food and possibly, more for women, dietinghttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/22C276B54E3AD3778025766A0041C067?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/22C276B54E3AD3778025766A0041C067?OpenDocumentFri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTStudent/Tutor featureSo by now most of you know the story: myself (Pamela Brodie), and Ashley Pedersen are two third year midwifery students studying at Liverpool John Moores University and as part of our final year all students must undertake an elective placement of their choicehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/2D986DA6A59E50BA8025764A0031053B?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/2D986DA6A59E50BA8025764A0031053B?OpenDocumentFri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMIDIRSTo help subscribers to MIDIRS Online Service (OLS) get the most out of their membership, the Information Services team have produced a podcast providing practical guidance on how to use the Reference Database to get the best possible resultshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/EC1985EBE3839F2E8025764D00326DC6?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/EC1985EBE3839F2E8025764D00326DC6?OpenDocumentFri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsProblems at work can have a direct and immediate impact on the health and well-being of pregnant women and new mothershttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/DE37E98B5ABB7B7980257654003920A5?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/DE37E98B5ABB7B7980257654003920A5?OpenDocumentFri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTInformed ChoiceSexual health remains an intimate and private aspect of most individuals’ lives, and will often mean different things to different people at different stages of their lifetimehttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/14EBD565E2AB1EC280257656004E5278?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/14EBD565E2AB1EC280257656004E5278?OpenDocumentFri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery News 'Effective communication is an important step towards the government’s goal of reducing social exclusion and improving the health, social and economic outcomes for teenage parents and their children both now and in the future'http://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/CEB6E478D279DA0680257656004E5B3A?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/CEB6E478D279DA0680257656004E5B3A?OpenDocumentWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTMIDIRS<b>'...the development and refinement of normality skills needs to be informed by a widening knowledge base and it is here that research can make such an important contribution'.</b> In this special feature article, midwifery researcher, lecturer, author and practising midwife, Denis Walsh, discusses different aspects of research into normal labour and birth. Denis has lectured widely throughout Europe, Australia and New Zealand and is a frequent contributor to childbirth journalshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/0D33B5D3ACC9F0A88025762A004C51E4?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/0D33B5D3ACC9F0A88025762A004C51E4?OpenDocumentWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTInformed ChoiceIt may seem rather incongruous to be discussing epidurals when our main article is looking at normal birth; however, as Denis Walsh points out in one aspect of his feature, when considering normal birth, there is an academic drive and a professional desire to better understand the relationships between stress, pain, hormones and women’s uterine contractions in childbirthhttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/596530DCD92E99458025762A0050DB51?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/596530DCD92E99458025762A0050DB51?OpenDocumentWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTStudent/Tutor feature'I aim to follow in the inspirational footsteps of midwives who embrace their role as advocates for women and ensure that in all birth experiences, normality is promoted in a way which allows the issues that may make women high risk become just a small part of the birth experience'. Felicity Callan, second year student midwife at <a href='http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/sonms/'> Cardiff University</a>, gives an insightful account of her experience of working with high risk women in a consultant-led unit and her thoughts on the continued promotion of normality in this often challenging environment. <b>Issues surrounding normality in childbirth: promoting normality in high-risk labour</b> The importance of promoting normality during childbirth is often pressed upon student midwiveshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/D07A8A3929E6A2C88025762A00519533?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/D07A8A3929E6A2C88025762A00519533?OpenDocumentWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery News<b>What is hypnosis?</b> Hypnosis is a state of relaxation and concentration in which deeper parts of the mind become more accessible (British Hypnotherapy Association 2009)http://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/7B2A4C45E52FDA928025762C0032FA82?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/7B2A4C45E52FDA928025762C0032FA82?OpenDocumentWed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMTMidwifery NewsMidwifery is an ever changing profession with constant challenges and rewards. Women are diverse and pregnancy often comes alongside other pressures; midwives may be required to support and advise on social, and other, issues that affect a woman during her pregnancy and which may be one of her main priorities in her hierarchy of needshttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/article/3833304E69967AD08025762E003088AD?OpenDocumenthttp://www.midirs.org/development/MIDIRSEssence.nsf/link/3833304E69967AD08025762E003088AD?OpenDocument