Journal Page

Maternity services not wanting to listen and gatekeeping the telling of service user experience: a tale from September 2023

Vol. 35, No. 4, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Jo Dagustun In 2016 in England, Better Births was published. That report launched a huge programme of work, with g…   Read more…

Birth Activist Briefing - The new NICE guideline on Intrapartum Care: what has changed?

Vol. 35, No. 4, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By the AIMS Campaigns Team The updated guideline was published on 29 September 2023 and you can read it here . The gu…   Read more…

Three Christmas Wishes

Vol. 35, No. 4, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Katharine Handel Christmas is traditionally a time for wishes. It’s also, somewhat more mundanely, a time for list…   Read more…

An interview with Dr Rebecca Moore from Make Birth Better (MBB)

Vol. 35, No. 4, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Interview by Alex Smith Hello Rebecca, thank you for agreeing to answer some questions about your work with Make Birt…   Read more…

Influencing the future of midwifery and maternity research

Vol. 35, No. 4, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Jude Field and Jenny Cunningham The background to the project Maternity services are complex, and multiple element…   Read more…

Consent to Medical Treatment UK 2023: Dream Mirage or Nemesis?

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 Editor's note: You may or may not hold strong views about vaccination, but at the very heart of AIMS ethos is the pri…   Read more…

Why I am taking a break

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 In this extraordinary piece of writing, Doula Nicola Goodall presents her ‘list of experiences’ since 2020. In places…   Read more…

The Role of a Doula as a Container

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Tomoko Holloway Introduction The journey of becoming a mother is a life-altering experience that goes beyond the p…   Read more…

Doulas Supporting Neurodivergent Birth

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Victoria White Neurodiversity is the concept that all people vary in terms of human brain function and cognition,…   Read more…

How maternity services are developing in NI July 2023

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Anne Glover Here is a review on the developments in Northern Ireland. AIMS would be interested to have similar inf…   Read more…

What I wish I’d known about NICU: Raising awareness in antenatal education

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Hannah Thomas I used to think that special care was just for premature babies - but the majority of babies who rec…   Read more…

What is it really like to witness someone else’s labour and birth?

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Anne Glover I’ve been working as a doula for 8 years now and have been so blessed to have supported over 100 birth…   Read more…

Birth companions: drawing support from outside the room

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 1 By Jo Dagustun I’d always thought quite traditionally about who would be in the room at my labour and births. It wo…   Read more…

What Is A Postnatal Doula Anyway?

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Trudi Dawson “So, erm, what do you actually do? I mean, like, what do they actually pay you for?”…. Essentially, m…   Read more…

Fatherhood Unveiled: Embracing the Perinatal and Early Years Journey with Love and Understanding

Vol. 35, No. 3, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Scott Mair Introduction: Becoming a father is undoubtedly one of life's most transformative and profound experienc…   Read more…

Choice of Birthplace

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Anne Glover AIMS has a position paper on Choice of Birthplace which states that choice of place of birth is a fund…   Read more…

Being on Hyper-alert: the observations of a doula

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Grace Hall Last month, I joined a mother for her appointment with a Consultant Midwife to discuss her suitability…   Read more…

An interview with James Bourton

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 Interview by Anne Glover Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by AIMS, James. To begin, can you tell us what firs…   Read more…

Homebirths suspended and under review

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Katherine Revell During the covid pandemic home birth services were suspended in many Trusts and Boards throughout…   Read more…

Two birth stories I love

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Sue Boughton A massage client gave birth in my home This is one of my favourite birth stories. It is written with…   Read more…

Memories of Beverley

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

Debbie Chippington Derrick, AIMS Volunteer who worked closely with Beverley from 2005 when she joined the AIMS Committee, through to 2017 when Beverle…   Read more…

Influencing NICE guidelines – the stakeholder role

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Nadia Higson and Debbie Chippington Derrick What are NICE guidelines? Among the roles of NICE (the National Instit…   Read more…

Birth Space – Supportive or Coercive?

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Shellie Poulter What is important in a birth space? Low lighting, access to water and other comfort measures, a re…   Read more…

The Lancet Series on Breastfeeding 2023

Vol. 35, No. 2, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 2 By Laura Scarlett “Breastfeeding is not the sole responsibility of women and requires collective societal approaches…   Read more…

Latest Content

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Welcome to the Deaf Community – a l…

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Events

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UK Perinatal virtual conference

Ten years of MBRRACE-UK reporting: looking back, looking ahead MBRRACE-UK perinatal confidential enquiry into the care of migrant women with language difficulties Nationa…

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AIMS Workshop: Focus on Resolution

Join us for the an interactive online AIMS workshop "Focus on Resolution" with Dr Rebecca Moore . Tickets available here https://www.tickettailor.com/events/aims/1285321…

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Rights i…

Join us for another in our new series of interactive online AIMS workshops, " Focusing on Rights in Pregnancy and Birth ". Tickets available here https://www.tickettailor…

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Latest Campaigns

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AIMS Letter to Wes Streeting

AIMS has written to Wes Streeting MP, welcoming him to the role of Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. We acknowledge his awareness that maternity services are…

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Involving Service User Voices in Ma…

This is an edited version of an invited talk given by Jo Dagustun, AIMS Campaigns Team, to the International Labour and Birth Research Conference UK, 24 - 26 April 2023.…

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Birth Trauma Inquiry Open Letter in…

We write this letter in response to the recently published APPG Report on Birth Trauma which can be found here The report was extremely moving and we honour the brave con…

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