Standing Firm in Pride and Power: Reclaiming Maternal Health Through Advocacy, Innovation & Community
As a midwife, my journey has always been anchored in the belief that maternity care should be compassionate, inclusive, and culturally safe for everyone. This year’s theme: Standing Firm in Pride and Power resonates deeply with my work because it is not only about the clinical support we provide; it’s about dismantling inequities, honouring lived […]
Why supporting women’s choices is key to protecting mental wellbeing
Supporting women’s choices in maternity care isn’t just about autonomy – it’s central to protecting mental wellbeing and ensuring safer outcomes for women and babies. In this blog, Lia Brigante, Professional Policy Advisor at the RCM, explains how personalised care, informed choice and the RCM’s Perinatal Mental Health Roadmap are helping midwives deliver care that […]
Why I am Joining the RCM Digital Midwives Network Forum
When people think of midwifery, they often picture someone at the bedside supporting women in labour and facilitating births. However, Midwifery is broad and spans across a variety of clinical settings, including homes, clinics, communities, hospital wards, theatres, and a suite of specialities including education, research, patient experience and digital. That is one of the […]
Celebrating Black History Month 2025
To mark Black History Month 2025, MIDIRS is spotlighting articles in our 2025 editions of MIDIRS Midwifery Digest that highlight the disparities that Black women experience within midwifery care, as well as the brilliant work being done to reduce this disparity. Black History Month is an annual celebration, marked each October, which recognises the history, […]
‘Winning the award gave me the motivation to keep speaking up for those whose voices aren’t always heard’
I still remember the moment my name was read out at the RCM Awards last year. I was so shocked that I went the wrong way up the stage! I hadn’t expected to win at all – I was just proud to have been nominated. To be recognised as the RCM’s Unsung Hero was such […]
Reflections on Baby Loss Awareness Week
As Baby Loss Awareness Week comes to a close, Clare Livingstone, Head of Professional Policy and Practice at the RCM, reflects on what it means to midwives and maternity staff who are impacted. Baby Loss Awareness Week (9-15 October) is a time for reflection, remembrance and compassion. It’s a week when families across the UK […]
Notable Events This Baby Loss Awareness Week
Baby Loss Awareness Week is marked annually on the 9-15 October, supporting bereaved parents and families to commemorate their babies’ lives. The week, which is supported by over 100 charities, is also a time for midwives, MSWs and other healthcare professionals to reflect on the impact of baby loss on themselves, an event which can […]
Midwifery deserves more
When we were told earlier this year that NHS England (NHSE) was planning to develop a new strategy for nursing and midwifery, I was hopeful. Maternity care – and midwifery as a fundamental part of that – has never been under greater scrutiny, or greater pressure. Having a strategy which underpins and enhances the value […]
‘My baby’s smile pulled me back and reminded me I needed to keep going’
When it comes to perinatal mental health, lived experience can be one of the most powerful tools for change. For many midwives, the journey into supporting others begins with their own experience of struggling in silence. As the Royal College of Midwives launches its Perinatal Mental Health Roadmap calling for fair, consistent care across the […]
Stress and Burnout in Midwifery: Search Pack of the Month, October
To mark World Mental Health Day 2025, MIDIRS Search Pack of the Month for October is M10: Stress and Burnout in Midwifery. Friday 10 October is World Mental Health Day, a reminder not only of the vital role midwives and maternity professionals play in supporting parents’ mental wellbeing, but the importance of looking after their […]