The practising midwife
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Over the past decade, the numbers of women seeking asylum in the United Kingdom (UK) and requiring midwifery care have increased significantly (Office for National Statistics (ONS) 2012). This article describes findings from a small study that explored the experiences of midwives caring for asylum seeking women. ⋯ Caring for these women was emotionally challenging and at times frustrating due to poor access to information and support. In conclusion, whilst considerable knowledge and skills were required to care for this vulnerable group, these appeared to be learned almost solely 'on the job': Implications for service delivery and education are explored and recommendations made to improve experiences for women and midwives.
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The practising midwife · Jan 2014
Multiple-micronutrient supplementation for women during pregnancy.
The aim of this bi-monthly column is to highlight Cochrane Systematic Reviews of relevance to pregnancy and childbirth and to stimulate discussion on the relevance and implications of the review for practice. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation that prepares and maintains high quality systematic reviews to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare and health policy. ⋯ The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) is published monthly online. Residents in countries with a national licence to The Cochrane Library, including the UK and Ireland, can access the Cochrane Library online, free of charge, through www.thecochranelibrary.com.
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The 1999 Asylum and Immigration Act has had a great impact on the lives of pregnant asylum seekers and their ability to access good maternity care by dispersing them at will throughout the country to prevent destitution. Midwives in this country are striving to provide the best care they can to vulnerable groups, though their ability to do so is impacted by damaging social policy. Pregnant asylum seekers face upheaval, distress and risks to them and their unborn baby by being moved around the country to unsuitable housing, often hundreds of miles from the only people they know, fragmenting their maternity care. This has led to an unacceptable level of maternal mortality in this group of vulnerable women.