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A. It is perfectly normal to feel apprehensive about your baby's birth and how giving birth might affect your perineum. The perineum is the area of muscle and tissue that lies between the birth canal (vagina) and the anus. This area has to open up and stretch during childbirth to allow your baby's passage down through the b...
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A. I am sorry to hear that you have such mixed feelings about your pregnancy , but it is not clear whether you are talking about ending the pregnancy by having an abortion or having the baby but then giving it up for adoption after the birth. The situation is really that there are some choices that you can make, and some that you...
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A. Congratulations on securing an interview to undertake a programme of midwifery education. A career in midwifery remains a very popular choice for many so there is a huge demand for a limited number of places. It is therefore important that you prepare as adequately as possible ahead of your interview to ensure that you have deve...
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A. The midwife caring for you in labour will check your and your baby's wellbeing regularly throughout labour and the birth to ensure that everything is progressing as it should. The examinations that the midwife undertakes to monitor your progress include abdominal palpations and internal (vaginal) examinations. During an ...
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A. Thank you for your enquiry, which is very interesting and looks at an area that we haven't previously encountered before. I have not found any research evidence that suggests breastfeeding is contraindicated in women with sickle cell disease. As you know, breastfeeding is the optimum nutrition for babies and confers many hea...
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A. Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy (NVP) is a normal, albeit unpleasant, part of being pregnant and is experienced by around 80% of women. It is often referred to as ‘morning sickness', even though the symptoms can persist throughout the entire day - from morning, to noon and through the night. How badly affected y...
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A. Normally, the placenta (afterbirth) will implant or bury itself into the uterus (womb) towards the middle or top of the uterine cavity. However, sometimes the placenta implants lower down in the uterus and is found to be lying closer to the neck of the womb (cervix), through which the baby needs to pass in order to be born. When...
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A. I'm sorry to hear that you went through such a difficult time with your last labour; it can be very upsetting when what you had planned for your baby's birth becomes altered by circumstances that are beyond your control. As you may know, gestational diabetes affects between 3-10% of women in pregnancy, with some women ...
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A. I can see no reason why your myopia (short sightedness) should affect your actual labour. Careful consideration should be given however, to the environment where you choose to give birth - whether this is at home or in hospital. It is important that the midwife caring for you is aware of the extent of your myopia and impaired vi...
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A. Current guidance in the United Kingdom (UK) is that, babies whose parents request that they are given vitamin K by injection receive a single 1 mg intramuscular dose. For oral vitamin K, current UK guidance is that, babies should receive two doses of 2 mgs of vitamin K, within the first week and, for exclusively breastfed bab...
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