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Week 1 summary

This week You heard how the maternity system affected one woman – Janet – and saw how her experience is not uncommon, with women facing increased medicalisation, disrupted, rude or …

Introducing the Lancet Series on Midwifery

In this video, the background and central findings of the Lancet Series on Midwifery is discussed. Their key finding, based on decades of research in maternity health care, is this: …

Acknowledging the need for change

You’ve seen from the course so far that things can’t carry on as they are. Levels of intervention are rising globally, but poor outcomes are not decreasing at the same …

Research confirms the need for change

You’ll know Mary Sidebotham as one of the lead educators of this course. also leads an international consortium of researchers called WHELM (Work, Health, and Emotional Lives of Midwives) who …

Fragmented care affects midwives too

It’s not just women who are impacted by the current maternity care system: midwives are unhappy and dissatisfied too. One of the main reasons why midwives consider leaving the profession …

Lack of collaboration

In an ideal maternity care system, all health professionals involved collaborate using their different areas of expertise as and when needed during the pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. The hope …

Conveyor-belt care

You would have noticed in Janet’s story that she had very little control over what was happening to her. She wasn’t able to even express her desires or choices clearly …

Disrupting birth

Central to the care of pregnant and birthing women are the relationships that sustain them and their families in the transition to parenthood. Pregnancy and birth care have traditionally been …

Janet’s story

This is the story of one woman – Janet – recounting what happened during her pregnancy, at the time of birth, and immediately after. Unfortunately, though, it’s also the story …

What is maternity care?

What comes to mind when you think of maternity care? Is it only about taking care of women at the time of birth? Is pregnancy included? How about after the …