Birth Information

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 you (or people you support) to work out what questions you may wish to ask your health care providers to help them to make your own decisions.

The Birth Information pages are created by volunteer authors and editors, and we have many other topics that we hope to cover in time. Please let us know if you are interested in if you would like to suggest a topic, or if you are interested in writing a new page or have a suggestion for another topic. Please email birthinfo@aims.org.uk

If you would like to speak to one of our helpline volunteers, you can email or call the AIMS helpline (visit our contact page).

Use of AIMS copyright material: all the text, charts and images included in AIMS publications are copyright AIMS unless otherwise indicated. Under UK law, you are permitted to use short extracts from AIMS publications without needing to seek the explicit permission of AIMS, as long as you give the title of the work being quoted, stating AIMS as the author (©AIMS), and provided your use is reasonable and fair. We would be very pleased for you to quote a sentence or two, but if you want to quote a longer extract please contact management@aims.org.uk to explain why you want to quote more and to seek permission.

We ask anyone who quotes from AIMS publications to include the following text:

Extracts from {Title} are ©AIMS. The book is available from shop.aims.org.uk. AIMS is a charity that works towards better births for all by campaigning and information sharing, protecting human rights in childbirth and helping maternity service users to know their rights, whatever birth they want, and wherever they want it. See www.aims.org.uk

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…

Birth trauma resources

The Europe-wide Research Network DEVOTION CA118211 is a made up of researchers and clinicians dedicated to minimising birth trauma and optimising birt…   Read more…

Medications and Breastfeeding

In the past it was common to be told that breastfeeding could not continue whilst the mother was taking medication. More recently, evidence-based info…   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…

Vitamin K and your Newborn Baby

This article replaces the AIMS book, “Vitamin K and the Newborn” What is Vitamin K? What we refer to as Vitamin K is an important group of chemicals w…   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…

Who’s Who in Pregnancy and Birth?

We’ve listed the people you are likely to meet whilst you are pregnant, giving birth and postnatally. Some are health care professionals specifically…   Read more…

Latest Content

Journal

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Issues of trust led to me becoming…

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 3 By Ryan Jones This is a journal article about trust, and it’s also a journal article about my journey to becoming a volunteer at AIMS. I…

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I trust we can change

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 3 By Claire Dunn I found myself sitting in the waiting room of a prestigious hospital in West London pondering what lay ahead, for I was on…

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Editorial - Trust and responsibilit…

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 3 By Alex Smith Welcome to the September 2024 issue of the AIMS journal. The theme for this quarter explores different aspects of trust enc…

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Events

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Inductio…

Join us for an interactive online AIMS workshop, " Focusing on Induction of Labour ". Tickets are available here https://www.tickettailor.com/events/aims/1322209 Nadia Hi…

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AIMS Workshop: The Foundation Stone…

Join us for an interactive online AIMS workshop: " The Foundation Stones for Supporting the Physiological Process in Pregnancy and Birth ". Tickets available here https:/…

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2024 Migrants’ Maternal Health and…

For all researchers, practitioners and experts by experience interested in migrant maternal health and early childhood research. https://maternityresearch.cityofsanctuary…

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Latest Campaigns

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AIMS Letter to Wes Streeting

AIMS has written to Wes Streeting MP, welcoming him to the role of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We acknowledge his awareness that maternity services are…

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Involving Service User Voices in Ma…

This is an edited version of an invited talk given by Jo Dagustun, AIMS Campaigns Team, to the International Labour and Birth Research Conference UK, 24 - 26 April 2023.…

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Birth Trauma Inquiry Open Letter in…

We write this letter in response to the recently published APPG Report on Birth Trauma which can be found here The report was extremely moving and we honour the brave con…

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