Sixty Stories - Celebrating sixty years of AIMS supporting and campaigning

In order to celebrated the work and promote the work and the difference it can make we have been asking people to share their stories of what AIMS has done for them., their families or friends.

Here we share some of the stories which have been shared with us so far. If you would like to contribute your story please send us your story (maximum 250 words) and a photo to campaigns@aims.org.uk


Claire Stanojevic
Clanfield, Hampshire

I’d never had the opportunity to birth at home before, with 3 previous labours, and was so excited at the prospect this time... However, when my waters broke at home 6 days after my due-date there were signs of meconium in the water. My heart sank. I felt so sad at the thought of no longer having my Homebirth like I’d dreamed of. I suddenly remembered about AIMS as an incredible resource; so I quickly went on the website and began to swot up on my meconium knowledge! I found the site so easy to use, that I soon learnt that whilst this can be a sign of fetal-distress, it can also be fairly normal for an over-due baby. I knew in an instant what I needed to do. I got my power back, and called the hospital to tell them I was coming in for some monitoring to check baby was happy, then I’d be heading back home to give birth in my inflatable birth pool at home .... and this was exactly what happened! My waters breaking was a real cross-roads for me, and if it hadn’t been for the AIMS website my birth could have played out very differently - and for this I’ll be forever grateful.

Nadia Higson
NCT Antenatal Teacher and AIMS Trustee

I first heard of AIMS when I started my training as an NCT antenatal teacher, and my tutor told the tutorial group “You should all join AIMS”. So I did – and was very glad I did. During my training and after I began facilitating courses, the AIMS publications were invaluable in giving me and my clients accessible, evidence-based information. I also loved receiving the AIMS Journal. It was a breath of fresh air, ‘telling it like it is’ and reassuring me that I was not alone in my concerns about how the maternity services operate in practice.

Since becoming more active in recent years, first as a Volunteer and then as a Trustee, I am so glad to have found an opportunity to work with a like-minded group of people, using my skills and experience for a cause I believe in. The AIMS mission “We support all maternity service users to navigate the system as it exists, and campaign for a system which truly meets the needs of all” really chimes with me, and I am glad to be a part of working to achieve it through my work on the Helpline, writing, campaigning and organising. Becoming the principal author of ‘The AIMS Guide to Induction of Labour’ has been a really special opportunity to pay back all I received from the previous AIMS books and Journal.

Latest Content

Journal

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Imagining breech birth without bord…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 3 By Rixa Freeze, PhD For a long time, breech birth lived in my mind as a question I could not quite put down. It was never just a clinical…

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Supporting informed choice for wome…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 3 By Amy Meadowcroft, RM, MClinRes Introduction This article uses the terms “women” and “mothers” in relation to biological sex and reprodu…

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Mary Cronk MBE – Upholding the skil…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 3 By Joy Horner For those who may not be familiar with the life and work of the late, great Mrs ("My friends call me Mary”) Cronk, she was…

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Events

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Inductio…

Join us for one of our series of interactive online AIMS workshops, " Focusing on Induction of Labour ". Nadia Higson (principal author of "The AIMS Guide to Induction of…

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AIMS book launch and workshop: The…

To celebrate the launch of the new AIMS Guide to Breech Birth we are pleased to be holding a launch event with Joy Horner, the principle author. Joy will be sharing her o…

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AIMS Workshop: Understanding Twin T…

Stephanie Ernst, founder of the TAPS Support Foundation, will be explaining the issues that can arise in different types of twin pregnancies, and what twins parents need…

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Latest Campaigns

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National maternity and neonatal ser…

By Jo Dagustun on behalf of the AIMS Campaigns Team In this briefing note, Jo offers an account of what has been happening following Wes Streeting’s 2024 commitment to ov…

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Scottish Perinatal Framework: Alter…

AIMS was set to review the document Framework for maternity healthcare professionals to support individualised care for women who choose alternative/non-standard birth ch…

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Open letter of welcome from AIMS to…

AIMS has written to welcome Robbie Butler to his new role as Northern Ireland's Health Minister. AIMS is asking him to continue to support the continuity of carer model o…

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