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Journal Vol. 33, No. 4 — Birth of a pandemic: How we coped

ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

To read or download this Journal as a PDF. Please click here.

Editorial - What just happened?
Alex introduces her two co-editors and together they reflect on the impact of the Covid-19, the contributions to this edition of the AIMS journal, and what we can learn from these times

Maternal Mental Health Alliance Report
NCT practitioner, Frances Attenborough, discusses maternal mental health and Covid-19 and reports on key points from the rapid evidence review

I will always remember this time: supporting parents during the pandemic
Suzy Alexandra-Troy discusses the ups and downs of taking her sessions online during lockdown

Worries about Covid-19 and the homebirth solution
Caroline Basden tells the story of opting for a homebirth during the pandemic

Keeping up with the updates
Nadia Higson talks about how AIMS worked to keep track of lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions

“A Colossal Failure of Workforce Planning”: exploring the 2021 NHS Midwifery Crisis
Dr Lisa Common offers insights into the current midwife crisis with ideas about how we might move forward

Covid-19 and women’s reproductive health
Katharine Handel discusses her own experience and evidence suggesting a link between the pandemic and women’s menstrual cycles

My pandemic birth story
Liz Thomas tells us about Julia, born prematurely during the pandemic

Maternity in a pandemic: a personal perspective
Midwife Jenny Smith reflects on her experiences during the pandemic, with a personal account from Alice, a birthing mother she supported

My Story
Hannah Lyons describes the wonderful homebirth of her baby following a very challenging experience of pandemic maternity care

Choice in the Maternity Services - Expressing ourselves via poetry
The winner and runners-up in our Choice themed poetry competition

The Birth Map: Boldly Going Where No Birth Plan Has Gone Before - a review
Charlotte Tonkin Edun reviews Australian author Catherine Bell’s book that brings a new perspective to the oft explored subject of birth plans

Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering: A Doctor's Guide to Natural Childbirth and Gentle Early Parenting Choices - a review
Sue Boughton sees beauty and strength in this book that sets out to educate parents-to-be without preaching

The Sun Will Shine Again ‘My Mummy Has a Poorly Mind’ - a review
Rachel Boldero reviews Jane Fisher’s book written for children whose mothers experience mental ill-health

Birth Activists Briefing: NHS England Equity and Equality initiatives
The AIMS Campaigns Team consider pledges made by NHS England to improve outcomes for Black, Asian and mixed ethnicity parents and babies

How does BMI influence maternity care and outcomes?
A review of NMPA Audit: NHS Maternity Care for Women with a Body Mass Index of 30 kg/m2 or above

What has the AIMS campaigns team been up to this quarter?
What have the AIMS Campaigns Team been working on since September? – all the information here

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