Journal Page

Navigating a hospital mistake that could have changed everything

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Julia Mihaylov On the way to motherhood, every twist and turn draws a unique story, and my second pregnancy took a…   Read more…

My Complaint

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 Editor’s note: In this quite shocking account of disrespect and neglect, Grace describes the arrival of her first bab…   Read more…

Doulas supporting clients to make a complaint

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Anne Glover I work with women from all walks of life, but one thing that is important to them all, is having a pos…   Read more…

The AIMS Guide to Resolution After Birth

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

Complete list of book reviews on the AIMS website AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 Principal author Shane Ridley Published by AIMS (27 Mar. 2020) ISBN…   Read more…

Report of Parliamentary Debate on Birth Trauma

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Elle Gundry The first parliamentary debate on birth trauma took place in the House of Commons on Thursday 19th Oct…   Read more…

Birth Activists Briefing: Making a complaint about NHS services

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By the AIMS Campaigns Team The procedure for making a complaint about NHS services differs slightly in each of the na…   Read more…

How can digital consultations best be used in maternity care?

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Dr Georgia Clancy and Professor Catrin Evans Since the publication of Better Births in 2016, maternity services in…   Read more…

My complaint about complaints

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 Laura Mullarkey, lawyer, AIMS volunteer, and mum of three, compares her recent experiences of complaining about her N…   Read more…

The British Intrapartum Care Society (BICS) conference 2023

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By the AIMS Campaigns Team The British Intrapartum Care Society ( BICS ) was initially set up in 2018 by a group of o…   Read more…

MBRRACE-UK Reports – Shocking Racial and Socioeconomic Inequalities Continue and Even Widen

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 Image: MBRRACE-UK By Catharine Hart MBRRACE-UK Saving Lives Improving Mothers' Care Report 2023 Last year’s annual MB…   Read more…

Screening for twins: Why good guidelines matter

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Stephanie Ernst Multiple pregnancies come with a lot of additional worries and risks, and I know that a lot of us…   Read more…

What has the AIMS Campaigns Team been up to this quarter?

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By the AIMS Campaigns Team Written outputs: BICS (British Intrapartum Care Society) conference poster on our campaign…   Read more…

Editorial: I am writing to make a complaint

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Alex Smith Welcome to the 2024 March issue of the AIMS journal. The theme for this quarter focuses on the experien…   Read more…

Playing the Long Game: Threads of Protest and Human Rights in Childbirth

Vol. 36, No. 1, ISSN 2516-5852 (Online)

AIMS Journal, 2024, Vol 36, No 1 By Gemma McKenzie What do obstetric violence, human rights in childbirth, and crochet have in common? Well, it’s quit…   Read more…

The Emotional Weather of Postnatal Life

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Alex Smith I often hear new parents saying that they wish they had known what life with a new baby was really like…   Read more…

Just ‘birth’: the phenomenon of birth without a healthcare professional

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Editor’s note: AIMS is honoured to present Mariamni’s research study in which she interviews 10 women who gave birth…   Read more…

I was nearly one of those induction statistics

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Editor’s note: While Jo remembers her ‘nearly induction’ experience with fortitude and pragmatism - I love the way th…   Read more…

Perinatal mental health: A preventative approach

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Mary Nolan Some Inconvenient Truths Here are some uncomfortable facts that you may well be familiar with: In the U…   Read more…

Putting a spotlight on women’s health

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 By Charlotte Edun In September 2023, AIMS was invited to speak on a panel titled, ‘Health inequalities and different…   Read more…

Postpartum: A short story

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Editor’s note: This is a fictional account of the state of mind of a mother suffering postnatal illness. As such, it…   Read more…

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…

Editorial - Mixed feelings

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Paintings by Andrea Mantegna and Harry Morley By Alex Smith Welcome to the December issue of the AIMS journal, which…   Read more…

Latest Content

Journal

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What has the AIMS Campaigns Team be…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 1 By The AIMS Campaigns Team Published written outputs: 8th November: AIMS Response to the NHS 10 Year Workforce Plan Consultation 11th Nov…

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Antenatal Education in Imaginary Hi…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 1 An Editorial foreword: As an antenatal educator I would often invite the expectant parents to imagine that their baby had safely arrived…

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Editorial: What is there to learn?…

AIMS Journal, 2026, Vol 38, No 1 By Alex Smith Welcome to the March edition of the AIMS journal. This issue explores the question of antenatal education. Antenatal educat…

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Events

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AIMS Workshop: Focusing on Inductio…

Join us for one of our series of interactive online AIMS workshops, " Focusing on Induction of Labour ". Nadia Higson (principal author of "The AIMS Guide to Induction of…

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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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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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Continuity of Carer - Speaking note…

London, Wednesday 4th March 2026 A key component of ensuring maternity service provision that is safe, personalised and equitable, is the provision of a robust and sustai…

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Rebirth Festival, Athens, April 202…

Background: AIMS is a member of ENCA - the European Network of Childbirth Associations 1 . Each year, one of the member associations hosts a two day gathering of birth ac…

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AIMS responds to Woman’s Hour Cover…

The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Valerie Amos, published an interim report on February 26, 2026. This was covered on the BBC’s Woman’s Hour progr…

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