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2026, Vol. 38, No. 2 (The sovereignty of the body in pregnancy and childbirth)
2026, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Antenatal Education: What is there to learn? Different perspectives on preparing for birth)
2025, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Improving maternity care for all)
2025, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Thinking about breastfeeding)
2025, Vol. 37, No. 2 (Women in labour: Do not disturb!)
2025, Vol. 37, No. 1 (Listen with Grandmother)
2024, Vol. 36, No. 4 (The deafness loop: a cycle of inequality)
2024, Vol. 36, No. 3 (A Matter of Trust)
2024, Vol. 36, No. 2 (When the Mother is Unwell)
2024, Vol. 36, No. 1 (I am writing to complain)
2023, Vol. 35, No. 4 (Mixed Feelings)
2023, Vol. 35, No. 3 (We were there)
2023, Vol. 35, No. 2 (Where will the baby come out? Birthplace dreams, instincts and lived experience)
2023, Vol. 35, No. 1 (Dare we say it? Physiological birth)
2022, Vol. 34, No. 4 (Picturing Birth)
2022, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Once Upon a Birth)
2022, Vol. 34, No. 2 (The Sound of Violence)
2022, Vol. 34, No. 1 (Induction: love's labours lost?)
2021, Vol. 33, No. 4 (Birth of a pandemic: How we coped)
2021, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Decision-making and consent)
2021, Vol. 33, No. 2 (A Plurality of Births: Languages, Places, Communities)
2021, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Salutogenesis - Putting the Health Back Into Healthcare)
2020, Vol. 32, No. 4 (The Use of Social Media in Pregnancy and Early Parenthood)
2020, Vol. 32, No. 3 (AIMS at 60 - Making a difference past and future)
2020, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Pandemic birth: Women's own stories during Covid-19)
2020, Vol. 32, No. 1 (Breaking Down the Barriers to VBAC)
2019, Vol. 31, No. 4 (Raging Hormones - The Power of Birth)
2019, Vol. 31, No. 3 (Resolution: Finding Closure Following Birth)
2019, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Everyone's an Individual (I'm not!))
2019, Vol. 31, No. 1 (To Induce or Not To Induce - At Least Ask the Question?)
2019, Vol. 30, No. 4 (When Birth Becomes Trauma)
2018-19, Vol. 30, No. 3 (The Politics of Infant Feeding)
2018, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Implementing Better Births Part 2)
2018, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Implementing Better Births Part 1)
2017, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Twins and Multiples: More Babies, More Decisions, Same Rights)
2017, Vol. 29, No. 3 (Making Decisions)
2017, Vol. 29, No. 2 (Changing Language)
2017, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Focus on what makes a difference)
2016, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Reforming maternity)
2016, Vol. 28, No. 3 (Creating Continuity)
2016, Vol. 28, No. 2 (Back to the Future)
2016, Vol. 28, No. 1 (Caring for Midwives)
2015–16, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Birthplace Matters)
2015–16, Vol. 27, No. 3 (Stillbirth)
2015–16, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Ensuring good births for all)
2015–16, Vol. 27, No. 1 (Human Rights and the maternity jigsaw)
2014–15, Vol. 26, No. 4 (Supporting Birth)
2014–15, Vol. 26, No. 3 (State of the NHS)
2014–15, Vol. 26, No. 2 (Long-term Impact)
2014–15, Vol. 26, No. 1 (What about the evidence?)
2013–14, Vol. 25, No. 4 (Freedom of choice - When women really get to choose)
2013–14, Vol. 25, No. 3 (Breastfeeding and Biology - Supporting access to breastmilk?)
2013–14, Vol. 25, No. 2 (Remembering Women - What happens when women are not part of the decision chain?)
2013–14, Vol. 25, No. 1 (Policing Pregnancy - Who is really in charge?)
2012–13, Vol. 24, No. 4 (Commissioning Care - Building women-centred choice)
2012–13, Vol. 24, No. 3 (Are you asking? considering consent)
2012–13, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Place of Birth - why women don't have a real choice)
2012–13, Vol. 24, No. 1 ('Please treat me normally' Women share their thoughts on care)
2011–12, Vol. 23, No. 4 ('High Risk' When does a label become a self-fulfilling prophecy?)
2011–12, Vol. 23, No. 3 (International Witch Hunt - the campaign against midwifery)
2011–12, Vol. 23, No. 2 (Challenging the medicalisation of birth)
2011–12, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Normality)
2010–11, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Campaigning for 50 years 1960 - 2010)
2010–11, Vol. 22, No. 3 (The persecution of woman centred care)
2010–11, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Caesarean Birth)
2010–11, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Is anyone listening?)
2009–10, Vol. 21, No. 4 (Good Care)
2009–10, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Midwifery under Threat)
2009–10, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Social Services - The secrecy of forced adoption)
2009–10, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Campaigning, Complaining and Caring)
2008–9, Vol. 20, No. 4 (Midwifery Focus - Looking at supporting normal birth)
2008–9, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Home Birth, in search of normality)
2008–9, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Birth in Europe - Is there unity in the EU?)
2008–9, Vol. 20, No. 1 (The Value of Mothering - Are mothers let down when Culture can't care?)
2007–8, Vol. 19, No. 4 (Rhetoric and Reality - How do they compare on the ground?)
2007–8, Vol. 19, No. 3 (Where is the Support? Just how medicalised, institutionalised and fragmented are maternity services? )
2007–8, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Listen with Mother - Considering our options for the future of maternity care )
2007–8, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Birth Trauma - What makes birth traumatic and how can we help? )
2006–7, Vol. 18, No. 4 (Consultation Conundrums)
2006–7, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Free-standing and Proud)
2006–7, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Breastfeeding - Supporting Success)
2006–7, Vol. 18, No. 1 (Homebirth - why is it still hard labour?)
2005–6, Vol. 17, No. 4 (Choice - an abused concept)
2005–6, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Do Women Want Midwives or Obstetric Nurses? The AIMS conference poses the question)
2005–6, Vol. 17, No. 2 (Help us to save our Birthing Units!)
2005–6, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Hands off that breech!)
2004-5, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Why are more mothers dying?)
2004-5, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Health Visitors or Health Police?)
2004-5, Vol. 16, No. 2 (NICE guidelines for caesarean section)
2004-5, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Is it murder to refuse a caesarean?)
2003-4, Vol. 15, No. 4 (The politics of cot death)
2003-4, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Challenging the illusion of choice)
2003-4, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Premature babies: Avoidable deaths)
2003-4, Vol. 15, No. 1 (Shaken baby syndrome: Caused by hospital care)
2002-3, Vol. 14, No. 4 (Failure in expectations: it's all your fault!)
2002-3, Vol. 14, No. 3 (Money running out for convenience caesareans)
2002-3, Vol. 14, No. 2 (State-sanctioned kidnapping: Violation of a baby's human rights)
2002-3, Vol. 14, No. 1 (Caesarean section or vaginal birth - What difference does it make?)
2001-2, Vol. 13, No. 4 (What is normal birth? Time to stop confusing what is common with what is normal)
2001-2, Vol. 13, No. 3 (Misoprostol for induction of labour - Untested, Unapproved and Unnecessary)
2001-2, Vol. 13, No. 2 (What Happens When a Woman Needs a Caesarean?)
2001-2, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Supporting the Mother - Where are the midwife advocates?)
2000-1, Vol. 12, No. 4 (Under-motivated, Under-skilled and Under Threat)
2000-1, Vol. 12, No. 3 (A Nail in the Coffin for Home Birth)
2000-1, Vol. 12, No. 2 (Waterbirth - Time to Move forward)
2000-1, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Responding To Women's Needs)
1999-2000, Vol. 11, No. 4 (The Safety of Hospital Birth - The myth versus the reality)
1999-2000, Vol. 11, No. 3 (Where's the Good News?)
1999-2000, Vol. 11, No. 2 (The Witch Hunt)
1999-2000, Vol. 11, No. 1 (Midwifery - Will Higher Level Equal Lower Skill?)
1998-9, Vol. 10, No. 4 (Miscarriage - The Loss of A Baby)
1998-9, Vol. 10, No. 3 (Breech Presentation)
1998-9, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Active Management of Labour)
1998-9, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Is Labour Just a Pain?)
1997-8, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Maternity Madness)
1997, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Normal Birth - A Movement Standing Still)
1995, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Shackled Women)
1990, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Caesareans ...Something must be wrong)
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2026 , Vol. 38, No. 2
2026 , Vol. 38, No. 1
2025 , Vol. 37, No. 4
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1990 , Vol. 2, No. 2
Journal Vol. 38, No. 2 — The sovereignty of the body in pregnancy and childbirth
ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)
AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2
Image by artist Tamara Blakemore
The sovereignty of the body in pregnancy and childbirth
Alex Smith welcomes readers to explore the concept of 'sovereignty of the body' in this quarter's issue of the AIMS journal.
Sovereignty of the Body: Birth, Intuition, and the Art of Trust through the eyes of a painterhttps://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/sovereignty-black-maternity
Artist and birth assistant Tamara Blakemore tells how birth, for her, is one of the most profound expressions of bodily sovereignty
Sovereignty in Transition: The Inner Reorganisation of Pregnancy
Energy Psychologist and Evolutionary Midwife Sherine Lovegrove describes sovereignty as ‘coming home to yourself’ .
Birth Sovereignty is Kindness
Rebeka Tabobondung from Canada writes about her lifelong commitment to learning, sharing and reclaiming the gifts of Indigenous birth knowledge.
Catherine Williams - Sovereignty of the body. A reflection
AIMS volunteer Catherine Williams, takes an anthropological view of sovereignty or bodily autonomy, believing that it is something the culture you are born into may, or may not, bestow.
Sovereignty and the Black and Brown Body in the Maternity System
Mars Lord, doula, educator and the founder of Abuela Doulas, explains why, for Black and Brown women, understanding one's rights - one’s sovereignty - is not the same thing as accessing them.
Freebirth: The illusion of freedom
Is a woman ever free to truly exercise sovereignty over their body? Gemma McKenzie feels that this freedom has been stolen from us
“Safe is not enough”: Sovereignty, medicalisation, and the role of the midwife
Author and midwife Karen Lawrence explores sovereignty of the body and the role of the midwife in the age of medicalised birth.
The Last Midwife - Book review
AIMS volunteer Kath Revell reviews Karen Lawrence’s enthralling novel about midwifery and birth in a dystopian future that feels frighteningly possible.
Monitoring Your Baby in Labour: An Evidence-Based Guide to Help Plan Your Birth - Book review
"CTG monitoring is nonsense!” AIMS volunteer Camille Del Pozo reviews this important new evidence-based resource for parents and health practitioners.
Sovereign decisions about CTG monitoring: Having the courage of your convictions.
Alex Smith and Kirsten Small present Kirsten’s guidance on how to communicate decisions in a way that will be respected.
Reclaiming Birth Sovereignty: Through Us, the World is Born
Regenerative systems designer, birth worker, and community weaver Kai Njeri from Tanzania, re-shares her beautiful article on reclaiming birth sovereignty.
Ioanna Vasilaki - REBIRTH FESTIVAL 2025
Midwife, president of the Union of Independent Midwives in Greece, and an IBCLC certified breastfeeding consultant, Ioanna Vasilaki, speaks on the demise of natural childbirth
Planning Care: What One Hundred Families Have Taught Us About Placenta Accreta Spectrum
Improving the experience of birth for women whose pregnancies are complicated by a too deeply attached placenta.
An interview with Katherine Hales
AIMS volunteer Jo Dagustun interviews Radical Midwife Katherine Hales
Scottish Maternity update
A Scottish Maternity update from Camille Del Pozo and Anne Glover of the AIMS Camaigns Team
AIMS Campaign Team Spring Update - ready for the year ahead!
News from the AIMS Campaigns team on how and why they are busier than ever.
What have we been up to
A quick glimpse at what the AIMS Campaigns Team has been doing since December.
Antenatal Education: What is there to learn? Different perspectives on preparing for birth
