Journal Page

Common Criticisms of Active Management of Labour

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

AIMS Journal, 1998, Volume 10, No 2 Companion article to Active Management of Labour - The Irish Way of Birth The examination to judge the exact begin…   Read more…

Potential Dangers of Oxytocin

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

AIMS Journal, 1998, Vol 10, No 2 Oxytocin (Syntocinon) is a very potent artificial hormone and its use in labour is intended to mimic the natural horm…   Read more…

The Essential Midwife

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

AIMS Journal, 1998, Vol 10, No 2 Companion article to Active Management of Labour - The Irish Way of Birth The most fundamental aspect of active manag…   Read more…

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…

Latest Content

Journal

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Sovereignty of the Body: Birth, Int…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Tamara Blakemore The First Breath I’m a birth artist, and apparently I’m here to talk about the sovereignty of the body, which feels s…

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Scottish Maternity Update: Review o…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Camille Del Pozo and Anne Glover on behalf of the AIMS Campaigns Team Background AIMS wrote to Neil Gray, the Cabinet Secretary for He…

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The sovereignty of the body in preg…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 2 By Alex Smith Welcome to the June 2026 edition of the AIMS journal. This issue is about the sovereignty of the body in pregnancy and chil…

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Events

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AIMS Workshop: Wellbeing

AIMS is delighted to be hosting a Wellbeing workshop delivered by Ruth Weston , veteran birth activist, AIMS volunteer and author of 'Born Stroppy Make Change Happen'. Th…

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Threads of Protest

Join us for the launch of Threads of Protest A new exhibition at Science Gallery London exploring inequality in maternity care through creative practice, lived experience…

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Rights i…

Join us for one of our series of interactive online AIMS workshops, " Focusing on Rights in Pregnancy and Birth ". Emma Ashworth (principal author of "The AIMS Guide to Y…

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Latest Campaigns

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Making sense of maternity service r…

By Jo Dagustun, Senior Campaigns Volunteer As readers grapple with the latest set of national recommendations and actions from Donna Ockenden's Nottingham report , Valeri…

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AIMS comments on the 10 Point Plan…

In the light of two recently-published hefty reports on the past and present functionality of the maternity and neonatal services, first in Nottingham and then across Eng…

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Open letter to Michelle Welsh MP, N…

17th June 2026 Dear Michelle The AIMS Campaigns Team, and AIMS more broadly, would like to warmly welcome you to your new role as National Maternity Advisor. We look forw…

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