Complete list of book reviews on the AIMS website
AIMS Journal, 2015, Vol 27 No 2
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AIMS 2014 Reviewed by |
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This updated and fully revised edition has been eagerly awaited and does not disappoint.
The 2014 Am I Allowed has almost doubled the size of the 2003 edition, but the focus remains the same - in order to make informed decisions about what happens to them and their baby, women need good quality, up to date information, and, above all, they need to know their rights.
As well as revisiting all the evidence for topics previously covered, the new version also includes loads of information on new developments in maternity care and pregnacy screening tests.
The section on antenatal screening is extended to cover all the screening tests currently offered, with discussion and links for further research should you seek information beyond the scope of this book. It also covers new topics such as the assessment of maternal BMI and maternal blood serum screening.
The section on your rights to birth care and the responsibility of the maternity system is also brought right up to date, with discussion of the Birthplace Study and reference to the research included in other new AIMS pubications. A very helpful section on your rights to decide who is present at the birth of your baby includes a section on planned freebirth and a clear acknowledgement of the difference between actively and positively choosing to birth without professional attendance and the situation for those women who have been unable to get the care they wanted and have ended up with less support than they would have chosen.
This version also, very helpfully, puts at the beginning a list of the acronyms in common use in maternity care. This not only helps when using the book, it is also invaluable when deciphering maternity notes, care plans and keeping up to speed in discussions about your care. Decoding the jargon enables you to remain on an equal footing in discussions with those professionals who might otherwise not offer full explanations.
AIMS truly listens to what women are saying, and, as a result, of all the pregnancy books I have read to date, this is far and away the most comprehensive, helpful and accurate summary I have found. It is a must-have for women, doulas, midwives and anyone else involved in women’s rights.
The AIMS Journal spearheads discussions about change and development in the maternity services..
AIMS Journal articles on the website go back to 1960, offering an important historical record of maternity issues over the past 60 years. Please check the date of the article because the situation that it discusses may have changed since it was published. We are also very aware that the language used in many articles may not be the language that AIMS would use today.
To contact the editors, please email: journal@aims.org.uk
We make the AIMS Journal freely available so that as many people as possible can benefit from the articles. If you found this article interesting please consider supporting us by becoming an AIMS member or making a donation. We are a small charity that accepts no commercial sponsorship, in order to preserve our reputation for providing impartial, evidence-based information.
AIMS supports all maternity service users to navigate the system as it exists, and campaigns for a system which truly meets the needs of all.