Journal Page

Research Roundup

Vol. 10, No. 2, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Jean Robinson AIMS Journal 1998, Vol 10, No 2 Walking in labour More thoughts on ultrasound Increase in birth defects Work and pregnancy Walking in…   Read more…

Trust guilty of abuse of power

Vol. 10, No. 2, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1998, Vol 10 No 2 Readers of this Journal will know that we have devoted a great deal of space (not to mention time and effort) in the c…   Read more…

Epidurals - Dead from the waist down

Vol. 10, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Beverley A Lawrence Beech AIMS Journal 1998, Volume 10, No 1 Epidural anaesthesia was developed by a German anaesthetist, Stoeckel, in the early 19…   Read more…

Is Labour Just a Pain?

Vol. 10, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Pat Thomas AIMS Journal 1998, Volume 10 No 1 All women use pain relief in labour. Their methods can range from self-help techniques such as being u…   Read more…

Pethidine - A Little Shot Of Something Not So Nice

Vol. 10, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Beverley A Lawrence Beech AIMS Journal, 1993, Volume 10, No 1 Pethidine is a synthetic, addictive, narcotic drug which is similar to Morphine. It i…   Read more…

Research Roundup

Vol. 10, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Jean Robinson AIMS Journal,1998, Vol 10 No 1 Risks of giving birth at night Risks of hospital antenatal care Long-term effects of postnatal depress…   Read more…

Conference Report - Redefining Normal Childbirth

Vol. 10, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal 1998, Vol 10, No. 4 Birmingham NEC 10 November 1998. This is a personal view. Four of us (2 professional and 2 lay) travelled to Birmingh…   Read more…

Swings and Roundabouts of Folic Acid

Vol. 9, No. 3, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

By Jean Robinson AIMS Journal 1997, Vol 9, No 3 When I first read the early reports that folic acid and vitamins might prevent neural tube defects lik…   Read more…

Normal Birth - Does it Exist?

Vol. 9, No. 2, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

Normal birth is something to which the majority of expectant women aspire. Many women attend antenatal classes to prepare them for normal birth, and m…   Read more…

Care in Normal Birth: A Practical Guide

Vol. 9, No. 2, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

These are practices which the World Health Organization has identified as clearly harmful or ineffective and which should be eliminated: Routine use o…   Read more…

Perseverance Pays

Vol. 8, No. 1, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

Debbie gives an account of her three caesarean births and then the home birth of her fourth child. Phillippa I confidently booked to have my first bab…   Read more…

Shackled WOMEN

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Convention for the Protect…   Read more…

Birth in Chains

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 In December, I received a distressing letter from a woman in Holloway Prison describing the appalling conditions ther…   Read more…

Women In Prison - The Facts

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 37% increase in the total number of women in prison (1,573 in Dec 1993, 2,150 in Dec 1995). 16% increase in the total…   Read more…

Background to Consumer Protests

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 April 1994: Susan Edwards is shackled to two prison officers as she gave birth at the Wythenshawe Hospital, Mancheste…   Read more…

Political Rhetoric and Debate

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 In November 1995, Sheila Kitzinger lobbied some of the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, by Jan…   Read more…

A Cry for Help

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 I am writing from Holloway Prison, as a pregnant mother to be, since my arrival, I have suffered not only physically,…   Read more…

Security for Who?

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 In December 1995, the new Chief Inspector of prisons, General Sir David Ramsbotham, took the unprecedented step of wi…   Read more…

The Hospital’s view

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 The Hospital’s view On the 20 th November 1995 AIMS wrote to the Director of Women’s Services at the Whittington Hosp…   Read more…

The Consequences of Birth in Chains

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 “The Prison Service practice of chaining and shackling pregnant women is reprehensible. lt is a totally inappropriate…   Read more…

Women Prisoners Overseas

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS sent a fax to the members of ENCA, the European Network of Childbirth Organisations asking them for information about the treatment of pregnant w…   Read more…

It’s Just Not Acceptable

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 On visiting a friend at the Whittington Hospital in December 1995 I can only say I was appalled and shocked to see a…   Read more…

A Civilised and Humane Society?

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 Last August I spent a week at the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead, after the birth of my daughter. During my stay, l w…   Read more…

A Charter for Ethical Research in Maternity Care

Vol. 7, No. 4, ISSN 0256-5004 (Print)

AIMS Journal, 1995/6, Vol 7 No 4 Everyone realises that there may be particular ethical difficulties in conducting research on children, the mentally…   Read more…

Latest Content

Journal

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Disrupting breastfeeding confidence…

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 3 By Alex Smith An increasing number of new mothers begin breastfeeding following a long drawn-out process of induction of labour. Currentl…

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Editorial: Thinking about breastfee…

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 3 Welcome to the September 2025 issue of the AIMS journal. The theme for this quarter is breastfeeding. An important issue that emerged as…

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A Conversation with Kate Evans, aut…

AIMS Journal, 2025, Vol 37, No 3 Interview by Catharine Hart Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed by AIMS, Kate. I love that this book doesn't try to sound authoritat…

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Events

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Scotland Maternity and Midwifery Fe…

Nine events across the UK and Ireland – all of them free of charge to all practising midwives, academics, allied healthcare professionals and student midwives. The profes…

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National Maternity Safety Conferenc…

The National Maternity Safety Conference is back! This year’s event will take place at the Hilton Metropole in Birmingham on 25th September 2025 . Building on the success…

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AIMS Workshop: Building Allies

AIMS is delighted to be hosting a series of Tools for Change campaigning workshops to be led by Ruth Weston. Ruth's journey of Birth Activism and Maternity Service Campai…

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Latest Campaigns

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AIMS Letter to Wes Streeting to wel…

AIMS has written to Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to welcome his announcement of a National Maternity Review, offer our support for the…

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AIMS review of the Big Baby trial

Introduction There has long been uncertainty over whether there is any benefit to early induction of labour when a baby is suspected to be ‘big’, known as ‘Large for Gest…

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AIMS Letter to Professor Mary Renfr…

AIMS has written to Professor Mary Renfrew to thank her for taking the lead on reviewing maternity services in Northern Ireland. Her report is the first of its kind to ta…

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