International Day of the Midwife 2024; reflecting on midwifery’s position in the global community in the era of climate change.

By Elizabeth Bailey, EBN’s Associate Editor for Midwifery and Women’s Health The 5th May marks International Day of the Midwife. This is an opportunity to reflect on the contribution the profession of midwifery makes to the global community. For midwives, it is an opportunity to celebrate the work of colleagues and contemporaries around the world […]

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More action needed to reduce global maternal mortality

This week EBN’s Associate Editor Elizabeth Bailey summarises a recent report on global maternal mortality and considers drivers impacting progress in global maternal safety. In recent months, a report describing estimates of global maternity mortality rates was published jointly by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, World Bank Group and UNDESA/Population Division [1]. The report entitled Trends in […]

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“Don’t talk your business”: Big and small actions to promote Black Women’s engagement with healthcare.

This week’s blog has been written by Dr Clare McFeely RM, BSc, MSc, PhD, PgCAP (@ClareUoG) & Tobi Adebayo RN, BN(Hons) from Nursing & Healthcare School (@UofGNurse), School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Black people are more likely to experience mental illness but less likely to access mental health services, […]

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Social Media and Healthcare Professionals – a new way of communicating?

Daring to utter the words ‘social media’ amongst a group of healthcare professionals can often prompt the same response as the infamous ‘q’ word*. Whilst pained sighs, words of concern or even just uncomfortable silences might be how we respond, are we turning our backs on possible answers to the known failures in communication across […]

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The importance of supporting women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum to promote their emotional wellbeing

By Rachael Buabeng, Hyperemesis Gravidarum & Maternal health advocate, Ocean Service People Engagement Worker (East London Foundation Trust – Maternal Mental Health Services), Maternity Transformation Programme Service User Voice, Co-chair on the Black and Black-mixed heritage Maternity Voice Partnership for Homerton (City & Hackney), Maternal Health Research Engagement Consultant, Founder of Mummy’s Day Out. @BuabengRachael […]

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Do nurses really need to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week?

By Lizzie Ette, Lecturer in Nursing, University of Hull and PhD candidate, Edinburgh Napier University. @busygirlizzie The first week of August sees the return of the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW). Co-ordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) this event is usually well-known amongst midwifery and health visiting teams. However, WBW is perhaps less […]

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Postpartum psychosis: beyond the baby blues and postpartum depression

  In this latest blog in our spotlight on maternal mental health Dr Amy Perry, Research Psychologist from the Mood Disorders Research Group, University of Worcester, provides an overview of postpartum psychosis. New mothers are vulnerable to mood disturbances within the first year of childbirth. In more severe cases, these episodes can negatively affect not only […]

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To the mum who needs to hear this right now and the professional ready to listen – there is always hope

As part of our series of blogs throughout May 2021 for maternal mental health awareness month, Leanne Howlett describes her experiences of perinatal mental health.   Before I had children I had a really naive understanding of mental illness and believed I was immune to it. Five years on I have learnt the hard way the […]

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