Journal Page

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

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 4 Other quarterly updates By the AIMS Campaigns Team Written outputs: 24th August: Open letter to NHS Confederation abo…   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…

Mariamni Plested's research methodology - 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 Just ‘birth’: the phenomenon of birth without a healthcare professional Mariamni Plested Method This article forms pa…   Read more…

Editorial - We were there

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

Editorial: We were there Image source By Alex Smith Welcome to the September issue of the journal. We open with four different birth-related memories.…   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…

European Network of Childbirth Associations (ENCA) Annual Meetings: An open letter to all participants from the UK delegate to the 2023 Meeting in Budapest, Jo Dagustun

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 Dear ENCAs Thank you so much for welcoming me so warmly to this year’s annual meetings. I am writing this open letter…   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…

The International Labour and Birth Research Conference 24th – 26th April 2023: Charlotte Edun reports on this recent conference in Grange over Sands

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Charlotte Edun Arriving at the first day of a conference is usually quite a lively affair, a mix of meeting collea…   Read more…

Birth Activists Briefing: Recent Publications

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By the AIMS Campaigns Team In this article members of the AIMS Campaigns Team summarise some of the documents that we…   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…

Review of Cochrane report: Planned hospital birth compared with planned home birth for pregnant women at low risk of complications

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 By Catharine Hart Cochrane report: Planned hospital birth compared with planned home birth for pregnant women at low…   Read more…

Book review: Union Street, by Pat Barker

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

Complete list of book reviews on the AIMS website AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 Union Street, by Pat Barker [Birth in the context of lifecourse/tes…   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…

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

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

AIMS Journal, 2023, Vol 35, No 3 Other quarterly updates By the AIMS Campaigns Team Written outputs: 15th May: Commented on the consultation on the NI…   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…

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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