As human beings, our interactions with each other encompasses physical, mental, spiritual and emotional connections that varies depending on the nature of that interaction. In midwifery, much of our work is on the emotional level, whether is managing our own emotions in clinical situations or through supporting women, people and their partners through their own changing emotions. However, this ‘emotion work’ is an undervalued and often hidden aspect of our work, with much more attention given to the physical acts of ‘doing’ clinical tasks. This study sheet uses a Maternity Voices reflection from The Practising Midwife to shine a light on the value of positive ‘emotion work’ that makes an extraordinary difference for women’s experiences of care and their transition to motherhood.

Listening to women’s voices, stories and experiences are vitally important as midwives. It offers a unique opportunity to glean what works well and what does not work well. This study sheet draws upon a reflective piece written by a doula as she considers the support she provides to families, but crucially she draws upon her own experience of caesarean birth. She found that consenting to a caesarean birth meant she was inadvertently consenting to procedures she was not fully aware of. Lots of key information was omitted during the discussions; which for maternity professionals, the details of a caesarean birth are ‘everyday knowledge’, implicit, and often take for granted. Here, we are challenged to reconsider how we communicate information so that informed consent is truly informed.

Listening to the fetal heart is an essential clinical skill that supports understanding fetal wellbeing. Listening can be carried out with a Pinard or a Doppler, both of which require different skills to use properly. Moreover, beyond counting a heart rate, a midwife needs to contextualise the heart tones in relation to the mother-baby context for what might be normal in one context may warrant emergency care in another context.  Therefore, midwives need to gather several sources of knowledge to synthesise to make interpretations that can impact mothers and baby’s outcomes. This study sheet assumes the reader has some knowledge and clinical experience of auscultating fetal hearts to offer some practice tips to developing this skill.

Maternal and paternal mental health is just as important as physical health, but historically was overlooked in busy maternity services. The perinatal period is a vulnerable time for families’ mental health needs as they adapt and transition to parenting; either for the first time or with the addition of siblings to the family. In recent years, the importance of mental health has become a key driver on the maternity services agenda. This study sheet will facilitate your learning and development in this vital area of care.

Respectful vaginal examinations are an essential skill required of midwives. However, midwives also need to discern the necessity of vaginal examinations as ‘routine’ procedures against a preordained ‘clock’. Discerning necessary and unnecessary vaginal examinations is a skill in itself; this study sheet expands that idea to consider the other ways and methods of assessing the progress of labour without recourse to routine vaginal examinations. Therefore, facilitating a wider, more holistic approach to clinical care.

Central to respectful, humanised care is the active recognition of women’s bodily autonomy. This means that women have the only and final say on what happens to their body. In the UK, we have strong legislation that supports women’s human rights in childbirth. Fundamental to these rights is the application of meaningful consent in all aspects of our care, this includes respecting women’s decisions should they decline recommendations of care. This study sheet will offer direct guidance regarding consent, and while a UK focused paper it can be applied to other contexts.

As midwives, we are expected to use research to ensure our practice is evidence-based. However, engaging with research findings frequently feels challenging as we navigate the nuanced language and methods used to generate midwifery knowledge. Understanding research approaches and perspectives is crucial for our midwifery studies and to inform our every-day work with childbearing women, people and their families.

In the first study sheet, we introduced this series – ‘Unpacking research’ and focused on a quantitative systematic review to explore critical appraisal skills. This second study sheet focuses on a qualitative systematic review and the skills required to appraise such a review. As a reminder, appraising research means to make an informed assessment of the quality of the research reported. Checking for quality is important before we implement findings into our practice. Do note, quality assessment is a complex area with many differences of opinion so novice assessments should be held as tentative rather than definitive.

Research underpins evidence-based midwifery care and practice. However, understanding and appraising research is its own unique skill set which requires ongoing practice to learn. Appraising research means to make an informed assessment of the quality of the research reported. Checking for quality is important before we implement findings into our practice. Do note, quality assessment is a complex area with many differences of opinion so novice assessments should be held as tentative rather than definitive. 

Many women suffer from perineal tearing during childbirth, statistics suggest between 53-79%! While severe tearing, third and fourth-degree tears are quite low, the impact to women can be life-changing; ongoing pain, incontinence, painful sex has detrimental effects on women’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. There are several ways perineal tearing can be reduced, however, the focus of this study sheet is the benefit of warm compresses during the second stage of labour.