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Journal Vol. 37, No. 1 — Listen with Grandmother

ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 1


Editorial: Silencing the grandmothers? Not AIMS!

Alex Smith welcomes you to the March 2025 issue of the AIMS journal, reminding us that our grandparents really did know a thing or two.

Why grandmothers deserve education and support – they are worth it!

Emerita Professor of Perinatal Education, Mary Nolan, reviews the research about the importance of grandmothers.

Becoming a grandparent

AIMS volunteer and Doula Anne Glover shares what it was like to become a grandparent for the first time.

Being a grandmother

Alex Chislett describes how watching her daughter take to motherhood has been one of the very best experiences in her life so far.

Grandmother’s day

Maddie McMahon wonders why we don’t seem to value grandparents very much in the UK, especially now that grandmothers and grandfathers are needed more than ever.

Being Nana

Salli Ward found that grandmotherhood expanded the love in her life - but also the worry!

Transition to grandmothering

As a nurse, midwife and lactation consultant, Anne Hemsley has been surrounded by babies, but that didn’t dent her excitement when each of her four grandchildren arrived.

Reflections on becoming a grandmother

Homoeopath Petra Wood explores her feeling of being ‘shunted’ up towards the ancestors when she became a grandmother.

The vital role of grandmothers in the perinatal period: A personal journey of connection and care

AIMS Trustee Ruksana Beigi, who had her baby during the pandemic, describes the vital role her mother played in easing her transition into motherhood after a very stressful experience in hospital.

Nature and nurture: a brief look at epigenetics and transgenerational trauma.

AIMS journal editor, and (almost) lifelong childbirth educator Alex Smith, reflects on transgenerational trauma and epigenetics.

Transgenerational trauma: a story of one Jewish family

Naomi Glass works as a Birth Story Medicine practitioner. In this article, Naomi shares her own family story.

Birth trauma: When birth feels like rape

With a brave and clear voice, articulating not just her own story but the untold stories of many thousands of other women, Jacqueline Edwards describes her experience of obstetric violence.

An interview with Sarah Odling Smee

Leslie Altic interviews midwife Sarah Odling Smee

What’s going on in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

An update from the AIMS Campaigns team

PIMS (Physiology-Informed Maternity Services) latest action!

The PIMS team takes us through the latest water birth research.

The latest UK maternity statistics: where to find them and what they can tell you

The AIMS Campaigns Team offers us this very useful Birth Activist Briefing.

What has CSG been up to

A quick glimpse at what the AIMS Campaigns Team has been doing since December.

Latest Content

Journal

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An interview with Sarah Odling Smee

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 1 Interview by Leslie Altic What first attracted you to being a midwife, tell us a bit about your journey and how you got to where you are…

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Birth Activists Briefing: The lates…

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 1 By the AIMS Campaigns Team In this article we will summarise some of the key points of data about the maternity services that have been p…

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AIMS Physiology-Informed Maternity…

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 1 Art by Sophie Jenna Latest update from the PIMS team! The NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) recently asked the Campa…

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Events

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Black Maternal Health Conference UK…

The Motherhood Group is thrilled to announce that the 3rd annual Black Maternal Health Conference UK is back to bridge the gap between Community, Service Providers and In…

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Doula UK Conference

Doula UK present their annual, popular conference offering a dynamic and exciting programme with a range of topics to inspire, challenge and empower. We look forward to w…

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AIMS Workshop: Technology in the pe…

This is an invitation to anyone who was ever born... ... to explore our understanding and learn together. It’s part of a short series of interactive discussions around ho…

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Latest Campaigns

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MBRRACE-UK Saving Lives Improving M…

By the AIMS Campaigns team This note is intended to offer both a summary and AIMS commentary on the latest annual MBRRACE-UK report. MBRRACE stands for Mothers and Babies…

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PIMS Short Case Study - Optimal Cor…

Optimal cord clamping AIMS supports midwife Amanda Burleigh’s campaign for optimal cord clamping “ Wait for White ”. Optimal cord clamping is a key part of physiological…

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PIMS Short Case Study - Biomechanic…

Biomechanics for Birth AIMS is proud to showcase the work of Molly O’Brien, who teaches Biomechanics for Birth, including techniques to diagnose and rectify labour dystoc…

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