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Editorial AIMS Journal co-editor, Salli Ward, looks at the dialogue between mothers and medicine in birthing history, and takes us through the Journal contributions that reflect the changing practices and dynamics.
My oldest birth stories Anne may have started her journey to being a doula from listening to her grandmother’s fascinating birth stories from the early 20th century.
A brief history of district midwifery Tania Staras delivers startlingly candid quotations from interviews she has carried out for research purposes to illustrate the development of the role of the midwife.
Birth shorts A collection of reminiscences and stories handed down, proving how common it is for people to receive these birthing stories from parents.
Birth Stories Before Three more recollections of birth or the tales that carried them, including the sorrows of lost babies.
Village birth and life With remarkable recall, Pamela evokes images of rural Cheshire in times gone by, the hardships and the delights.
Stories told to AIMS in the 1960s AIMS founder, Sonia Willington, wrote to the press about the loneliness of the new mother in hospital, and the lack of compassion in staff and regimes, in the early 1960s. How much has changed since then and how far do we still need to go?
Miracle baby A story of medicine (or God) doing great things - mostly - to bring back baby Liam after he suffered a catastrophic brain haemorrhage at 2 weeks old.
Reflections of an ex-midwife Dot looks back on her long and distinguished career and reflects on some key moments.
AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 4 By Christopher Yau, Nuffield Department for Women’s & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford on behalf of the MUM-PREDICT and OPTIMAL…
AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 4 What has the AIMS Campaigns Team been up to this quarter? By The AIMS Campaigns Team Published written outputs: 19th August: Peer review…
AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 4 Researchers Siang Ing Lee and Ngawai Moss report on the qualitative study they conducted to inform a core outcome set for studies of preg…
AIMS is delighted to be hosting a Wellbeing workshop delivered by Ruth Weston , veteran birth activist, AIMS member and author of 'Born Stroppy Make Change Happen'. This…
It combines the talents and knowledge of members of the public, artists, professional crocheters and charitable organisations to create crochet artwork designed to challe…
Join us for one of our series of interactive online AIMS workshops " The Foundation Stones for Supporting the Physiological Process in Pregnancy and Birth ". Please follo…
AIMS (Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services), ARM (the Association of Radical Midwives) and Birthrights are jointly calling for action in the light of th…
AIMS submitted comments on the draft NICE Guideline update on Intrapartum care for Water birth: second stage of labour (August 2025). You can read the the draft here You…
NHS workforce planning needs to be fit for the maternity service The current system of NHS workforce planning in England is not delivering a safe, personalised and equita…