Coronavirus and your maternity care
This information was last updated on 04 April 2020, and we will keep it under review as the situation develops. For information about what AIMS is doi… Read more…
AIMS has been providing information and support to women and their families since 1960.
Our Pregnancy, Birth and Infant Feeding pages are intended to provide useful information on a variety of topics that we are frequently asked about on our helpline. This information is not intended to replace medical advice, but instead to help women to work out what questions they may wish to ask their health care providers to help them to make their own decisions.
The Birth Information pages are new addition to the AIMS website, so currently we only cover a few topics, but we will be continuously working on adding new information pages to the AIMS website, and if you would like to suggest a topic, or if you are interested in authoring one, please do let us know.
If you would like to speak to one of our helpline volunteers, you can email or call the AIMS helpline (visit our contact page).
This information was last updated on 04 April 2020, and we will keep it under review as the situation develops. For information about what AIMS is doi… Read more…
Place of birth: What are my options? Any woman, whether she is expecting her first baby, second, third or more, has the right to choose where she want… Read more…
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…
Why is a baby’s heartbeat monitored? Monitoring a baby’s heartbeat during labour aims to help to assess the baby’s well-being and to see how well she… Read more…
One concern many people have about having their labour induced is that it might increase their chance of having a caesarean. Reasons for this could be… Read more…
What is a 'due date'? About 90% of pregnancies will naturally last between 37 and 42 weeks, and this period is referred to as "term pregnancy". It is… Read more…
What are Vaginal Exams? During labour, it is normal NHS policy to offer vaginal examinations (VE) - but it is important to know that they are entirely… Read more…
About Caesarean Birth Caesarean surgery is lifesaving for some mothers and babies, and avoids problems for others. But in many cases it is not clear t… Read more…
The decision whether or not to have a home birth rests with the mother, and no-one else. The decision is hers alone. Midwives, GPs or obstetricians ha… Read more…
Many things can affect how a woman experiences the sensations of labour: the kind of surroundings and support she has, whether she is being encouraged… Read more…
What is PGP? PGP affects one in five pregnant women to a great or lesser extent. It causes pain in one or all of the pelvic joints and surrounding mus… Read more…
What is a PPH? PPH is classified as a genital blood loss of above 500ml within the first 24 hours of giving birth. This may come from the uterus, cerv… Read more…
Vaccination is one of the most controversial and divisive medical issues of our time. People’s views tend to fall into one of three camps: Those who s… Read more…
This article replaces the AIMS book, “Vitamin K and the Newborn” and has been fully updated. What is Vitamin K? What we refer to as Vitamin K is an im… Read more…
What are freebirth and unassisted childbirth? There is no specific definition of freebirth, but broadly speaking, a woman freebirths when she intentio… Read more…
AIMS provides information and support around issue of maternity care, and decisions around pregnancy and birth. Employment Rights and Maternity Benefi… Read more…