“Are you doing your pelvic floor?” An ethnographic exploration of the interaction between women and midwives about pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) during pregnancy

Many women experience urinary incontinence (UI) during and after pregnancy. Pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) can prevent and reduce the symptoms of UI. The objective of the study was to explore challenges, opportunities and concerns for women and health care professionals (HCPs), related to the implementation of PFME training for women in current antenatal care.

Development, psychometric assessment, and predictive validity of the comprehensive breastfeeding knowledge scale

To develop a breastfeeding knowledge scale that aligns with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative and psychometrically test it among expectant parents.

Women's experiences with enhanced recovery after elective caesarean section with next day discharge: A qualitative study

A maternity service in Australia recently implemented an ‘Enhanced recovery after Elective Caesarean’ pathway, which includes antenatal preparation and facilitates an active role in postnatal recovery such as encouraging mobility and early cessation of fasting. The pathway includes next day discharge for women and their babies after elective caesarean section and safely transitions maternity care from hospital to home with community midwifery care. While enhanced recovery has been implemented in a number of surgical procedures to reduce hospital stay and to improve patient outcomes it has only been considered for elective caesarean sections in more recent years.

The provision of midwife-led care in low-and middle-income countries: An integrative review

Addressing preventable maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity are major issues globally with low- and lower middle-income countries (LMICS) having the highest rates (Graham et al. 2016; UNFPA, WHO & ICM 2014; WHO, UNICEF & UNFPA 2014). Each day, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth (Alkema et al. 2016). In addition, approximately 2.5 million newborn babies die each year (UN 2018) and a further 2.6 million are stillborn (Lawn et al. 2011). Most deaths are from LMICS which account for 95% of maternal and 90% of all child deaths globally (Boerma et al.

Effect of stay in a postpartum care institution on postpartum depression in women

Childbirth is a major life experience for women. From conception to arrival of the newborn, the physical and mental experience has a great impact and influence on mothers (Swanson et al., 2011), which may lead to emotional or mental disorders post partum (Dolatian et al., 2013; Roy-Byrne et al., 2016). Postpartum depression is a common problem in women (Motzfeldt et al., 2013). In the 6 weeks after birth, serious intentions or behaviours that can harm the mother or baby may have adverse effects on child growth and development (O'Hara and McCabe, 2013; Bennett et al., 2016).

Patterns of delivery assistance among adolescent mothers in Nigeria

This study examined the sociodemographic and sociocultural factors associated with the pattern of birth assistance used among adolescent mothers aged 15–19 in Nigeria.

Dimensions in women's experience of the perinatal period

A positive experience of the perinatal period is significant for women in midwifery care. The literature on women's experiences of the care in this period is extensive. However, a clear overview of the dimensions important for women's experiences is lacking. Consequently, care providers and researchers may ignore aspects significant to women's experience. In this short communication, we present a framework identifying the dimensions relevant for women's experiences of the perinatal period.

Conceptualising women's perinatal well-being: A systematic review of theoretical discussions

Over the last two decades there has been an increasing interest in well-being as a focus of policy, practice and research. There is general agreement that well-being takes a more holistic approach and focuses not simply on the absence of illness. In its constitution, the World Health Organisation defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. However, the concept of well-being still remains poorly defined and frequently appears to be used at a superficial level as ‘health and well-being’ to cover a wide range of concepts.