Compassion, dignity and respect are fundamental aspects of respectful maternity care. We need to be mindful to remember treating women with dignity, compassion and respect sits at the very heart of good maternity care. If we forget that we are failing those we want to help the most. Health professionals often forget the significance of

Compassion v's empathy At SMFA, we wonder how maternity care would be if health professionals were compassionate rather than empathetic. Compassion is the idea of sharing in suffering, having concern for another, but essentially feeling for and not feeling with the other. It is the opposite of empathy where people feel the pain of others.

Five steps to better birth outcomes Why do you think given all we know, birth not becoming easier, gentler, a more enjoyable, natural experience, the way it was intended to be? These five steps may make a difference - Five steps to better birth outcomes

A recipe to improve maternal health Make Mothers Matter  Care is essential for all human beings. We all rely on care at different points in our lives. But our current economic system completely ignores its value, especially the care provided by mothers. By quantifying value of mothering in statistics, society may value mothering as nothing

The impact of traumatic hospital birthing experiences Every birth is unique, yet many women experience factory line care not personalised care. There is a vast difference between a natural birth and an assisted, not just in terms of the immediate physical outcome and recovery, but also in terms of my long term emotional and physical

The WHO Labour Care Guide The WHO Labour Care Guide is a new tool, which puts the WHO recommendations on intrapartum care into practice. It aims to improve every woman’s experience of childbirth, and to help ensure the health and well-being of women and their babies. It helps skilled health personnel to provide woman-centred, safe

Matrescence Becoming a mother is an identity shift, and one of the most significant physical and psychological changes a woman will ever experience. Giving birth to a new identity - mother - can be as demanding as giving birth to a baby. For most women, pregnancy and new motherhood is a joy — at least

Interventions to increase vaginal birth after caesarean section Despite evidence supporting the safety of vaginal birth after caesarean section (VBAC), rates are low in many countries. Rates of caesarean sections (CSs) are increasing, yet decreases in maternal and perinatal mortality are not seen when more than 10% of births in a population are by CS

Do you pay to go private? A study from Ireland contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting an association of increased obstetric intervention in women with private health care cover. This is already well reported, particularly in Australia. Women attending privately were more than twice as likely to have a pre-labour caesarean section; this