Birth Information

AIMS does not give medical advice. These pages provide evidence-based information to help people make decisions about their maternity care. AIMS Helpline volunteers will be happy to provide further information and support. Please email helpline@aims.org.uk or ring 0300 365 0663.

Making decisions about your maternity care

This article explains your right to make decisions about the care you want during your pregnancy, birth and afterwards. It also suggests approaches th…   Read more…

Podejmowanie decyzji dotyczących opieki

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGJBKWLVGtw Niniejsza ulotka informacyjna ma pomóc Ci w podjęciu decyzji dotyczących opieki, jaką będziesz otrzymywać…   Read more…

Who’s Who in Pregnancy and Birth?

You are likely to meet many different people when you are pregnant, giving birth and afterwards. Some specialise in maternity and others work in other…   Read more…

Kto jest kim w okresie ciąży i porodu?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6wpNE1R1R4 Zapewne spotkasz wiele różnych osób w czasie ciąży, porodu, a także później. Niektóre z nich specjalizują…   Read more…

Mental Health Support

AIMS provides information regarding pregnancy and birth related topics and supports people to navigate the maternity services (including making compla…   Read more…

Legal Support

AIMS provides information regarding pregnancy and birth related topics and supports people to navigate the maternity services (including making compla…   Read more…

Freebirth, Unassisted Birth and Unassisted Pregnancy

What are freebirth and unassisted childbirth? There is no specific definition of freebirth, but broadly speaking, a person freebirths when they intent…   Read more…

How accurate is my 'due date'?

What is a 'due date'? Most pregnancies last between 37 and 42 weeks, and this period is referred to as "term pregnancy". According to the NICE Guideli…   Read more…

Booking a Homebirth

There is information about your right to a homebirth in our book AIMS Guide to Your Rights in Pregnancy & Birth (principal author Emma Ashworth.) You…   Read more…

Obstetric Violence

What rights and protections are pregnant women and people entitled to during pregnancy and birth? The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights that:…   Read more…

Medications in Pregnancy

Medications (drugs) should only be prescribed in pregnancy after careful consideration of the risks and benefits to mother or birthing person and baby…   Read more…

Understanding quantitative research evidence

What is quantitative research? There are two main types of research study: quantitative and qualitative (though some studies use a mixture of these me…   Read more…

Pregnancy-related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP)

What is pelvic girdle pain? Pregnancy-related pelvic girdle pain (PGP) can be a severe, painful condition, estimated to affect at least one in five wo…   Read more…

Vaccination During Pregnancy

Vaccination has long been a controversial and divisive issue and has become even more so during the Coronavirus pandemic. There are strongly-held view…   Read more…

Employment Rights and Maternity Benefits (UK)

AIMS provides information and support around the issue of Maternity care, and decisions around pregnancy and birth. Employment Rights and Maternity Be…   Read more…

Latest Content

Journal

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Sovereignty of the Body: Birth, Int…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Tamara Blakemore The First Breath I’m a birth artist, and apparently I’m here to talk about the sovereignty of the body, which feels s…

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Scottish Maternity Update: Review o…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Camille Del Pozo and Anne Glover on behalf of the AIMS Campaigns Team Background AIMS wrote to Neil Gray, the Cabinet Secretary for He…

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The sovereignty of the body in preg…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Alex Smith Welcome to the June 2026 edition of the AIMS journal. This issue is about the sovereignty of the body in pregnancy and chil…

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Events

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Rights i…

Join us for one of our series of interactive online AIMS workshops, " Focusing on Rights in Pregnancy and Birth ". Emma Ashworth (principal author of "The AIMS Guide to Y…

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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 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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The final Amos Report one month on:…

In this piece, a month following the publication of the ‘Amos Report’, the AIMS Campaigns Team sets out some high-level perspectives on the report. The team is now busy a…

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Letter welcoming Rt Hon Yvette Coop…

AIMS has written to welcome the Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP on her appointment as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. Our letter offers our thoughts on key conside…

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AIMS responds to the Nursing and Mi…

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (the NMC) has been consulting on proposed changes to its education standards, including “whether education standards for midwives could…

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