The Maternity & Midwifery Hour

Narrowcast Media Group

Weekly conversations with leading midwifery experts - hosted by the Maternity and Midwifery Forum.

  1. 2d ago

    19.6 Postpartum Psychosis: identification, support and care

    Series 19 - Episode 6: Postpartum Psychosis: identification, support and care In this hour we explore Postpartum Psychosis also known as Puerperal Psychosis, an important condition which can impact on women and their families after the birth of a baby. Sally Wilson and Jenny Stevenson will share what is known about Postpartum psychosis, and its recognition, and how families can be supported through this, and we will explore women and families experiences and some of issues faced by those who experience postpartum psychosis Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Dr Sally Wilson, National Training Coordinator, Action on Postpartum Psychosis Jenny Stevenson - National Peer Support Coordinator (online services)

    1h 2m

  2. May 22

    19.5 Emotionally Complex Postnatal Conversations: Beyond Reassurance

    Recently there has been a lot of media focus on trauma and difficulties experienced by women after birth, and in a busy service women may also feel anxious and reluctant to ask questions about their labour and birth experiences. Marie Watkyns, former Head of Midwifery and founder of Little Light Support, introduces the L.I.G.H.T. approach to trauma-informed birth debriefing. This session will offer practical insight into supporting emotionally complex postnatal conversations with clarity, compassion and confidence. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Marie Watkyns, Founder, Little Light Support Biography Marie Watkyns After 5 years in the Royal Air Force, Marie trained as a midwife — graduating with a First-Class degree and receiving a Clinical Excellence Award. She went on to build a senior career specialising in clinical governance and patient safety, including roles as a former Head of Midwifery. Over the years, she has led and contributed to serious incident investigations, perinatal mortality reviews, and national audits of maternity care. This work gave her a clear view of what happens behind the scenes when care doesn’t go to plan — and, importantly, how often families are left without clear, honest explanations afterwards. Through independent birth debriefs and maternity care reviews, Marie offers something that is rarely available within the system: Clear, evidence-based explanations of what happened Honest answers without defensiveness or dismissal An independent perspective

    59 min

  3. May 15

    19.4 Improving care for women and infants - with Colm Darby & Amanda Whitehead

    Series 19 - Episode 4: Improving care for women and infants Presentations: Parental stress in the Neonatal Unit - findings from the Neo-SILT Study Colm Darby, Vice Chair, Neonatal Nurses Association; Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Craigavon Area Hospital; Doctoral Fellow; Queen’s University Belfast Reset & renew - building sustainable healthy habits in high-stress roles Amanda Whitehead, Holistic Health and Nutrition Coach

    41 min

  4. May 8

    19.03 Black Baby Loss Awareness Week: Four years on

    Black and mixed Black heritage women in the UK experience pregnancy and infant loss at higher rates than their white counterparts. In response to these disparities, midwife Alicia Burnett launched Black Baby Loss Awareness Week in 2023 - an awareness event which aims to improve Black communities' awareness of support services for women, birthing people and families affected by pregnancy and baby loss. Now in its fourth year, the awareness week now features an annual webinar, national community walks and in-person events. Join us when Alicia shares what’s in store for Black Baby Loss Awareness Week 2026. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Alicia Burnett, Director, Black Baby Loss Awareness C.I.C.

    1 hr
  5. 19.2 Fear of Childbirth or Fear of Systems? with Dr Maeve O'Connoll

    May 1

    19.2 Fear of Childbirth or Fear of Systems? with Dr Maeve O'Connoll

    Series 19 - Episode 2: Fear of Childbirth or Fear of Systems? The rising caesarean section rate and the pressures on the maternity services might contribute to women feeling afraid of childbirth. Fear of childbirth or birth trauma may be shaped by the way care is organised and delivered, by midwives and the multidisciplinary team, and experienced by women, their babies and families. In this session, Dr Maeve O’Connell, Lecturer in Midwifery at University College Cork, draws on the Quality Maternal and Newborn Care Framework and links this to practice and education.

    46 min

  6. Apr 24

    19.1 Antenatal risk assessment and classification in midwifery

    Maternity care and thus midwifery has become more complex for women and also for midwives and maternity care teams. How can we get it right, and improve care for women, their babies and families, reduce unnecessary interventions and, most importantly, improve maternal and perinatal outcomes? In this week’s hour, we welcome Anna Melamed, Senior Midwifery Lecturer at University of the West of England, who will be sharing the Antenatal Risk Assessment and Classification (ARAC) Study and considering how this impacts on practice. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Anna Melamed, Senior midwifery lecturer, University of the West of England

    1h 1m

  7. Mar 27

    18.11 The language of pregnancy loss - helping to get it right

    Language truly matters when it comes to pregnancy loss. The language used in healthcare settings can have a huge impact on people who experience loss during pregnancy, and on their subsequent mental recovery and wellbeing. In this session, we will explore what can be learned from the experiences of nearly one thousand participants who took part in research projects to investigate the way language is currently used and perceived in pregnancy loss care in the UK. This work gathered responses from people who have experienced loss at different stages of pregnancy, as well as from midwives and other professionals involved in delivering care in this difficult context. We will reflect on the different language needs of individuals and identify communicative strategies that can best support them. We will also draw on statistical analysis of large scale survey data to identify the terminology that is felt to be most distressing or ‘unacceptable’ to a majority, and that which is more ‘acceptable’. In this way, the session will provide some evidence-based recommendations for communication in practice and opportunities for reflection. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Dr Beth Malory, Lecturer in English Linguistics and a health communicationspecialist, University College Londo Dr Louise Nuttall, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, University College London

    1h 3m

  8. Mar 20

    18.10 You were held

    Series 18 - Episode 10: You were held… This session we are looking at how women, who may at risk of separation from their babies at or soon after birth, especially through complex child protection issues, can be uniquely supported through a compassionate, private photography session. The ‘You were held’ project supports mothers in managing the grief of being separated from their babies due to legal reasons and to reinforce that they are, and always will be, mothers. By preserving precious memories of an emotional connection, the project, led by a safeguarding and midwife photographer, helps reduce the trauma of loss and distress for mothers whose babies are taken into care and validates that they are a mother, giving a forever memory for both mother and baby. We are joined by Midwife Gaynor Morrison, Senior Midwife Lecturer at Kingston University, who has led this project. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald Contributions from: Gaynor Morrison, Senior midwife lecturer, Kingston University

    57 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Weekly conversations with leading midwifery experts - hosted by the Maternity and Midwifery Forum.

Information

  • Creator
    Narrowcast Media Group
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    237
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Narrowcast Media Group
  • Show Website
    The Maternity & Midwifery Hour

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