We would like to hear from new or expecting mothers about the NHS care and support they have received
We would like to hear how women in England have experienced antenatal care and giving birth this year.
If you have had a baby recently, or are currently pregnant, how did you find your antenatal care, care during and after birth and maternity services? Did you or do you feel well supported in pregnancy and birth?
Continue reading...New figures show that less than half of those who are pregnant or have underlying health condition have had vaccination
Millions of people are being urged to get a flu jab by Friday to maximise protection over Christmas, as new figures reveal that more than half of those who are pregnant or have an underlying health condition have yet to be vaccinated.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is encouraging eligible people to have the vaccine by 10 December to allow it take full effect before the festive season. In particular the agency is pushing for pregnant women and those with underlying health conditions to come forward, but it is also calling on people from a black Caribbean or black African background, with data suggesting they have the lowest uptake of the vaccine.
Continue reading...Call for system overhaul amid increasing concerns for women who give birth while behind bars
Women in prison are five times more likely to have a stillbirth and twice as likely to give birth to a premature baby that needs special care, new data collected by the Observer shows.
Following two baby deaths in prisons since 2019 there have been increasing concerns about safety for pregnant women and their babies.
Continue reading...Proposed register would come into effect in January, a year after near-total ban on abortion
Poland is planning to introduce a centralised register of pregnancies that would oblige doctors to report all pregnancies and miscarriages to the government.
The proposed register would come into effect in January 2022, a year after Poland introduced a near-total ban on abortion.
Continue reading...Study finds some pollutants are correlated with higher levels of boys and others with more girls
A swathe of pollutants and indicators of poverty have been linked to changes in the ratio of baby boys to girls born to millions of parents.
A study of half the US population and the entire Swedish population examined more than 100 possible factors and found, for example, that mercury, chromium and aluminium pollution correlated with more boys being born, while lead pollution increased the proportion of girls. Proximity to farming also affected the sex ratio, possibly due to higher chemical exposures.
Continue reading...Inter-American court of human rights orders Central American country to reform harsh policies on reproductive health
The Inter-American court of human rights has ruled that El Salvador was responsible for the death of Manuela, a woman who was jailed in 2008 for killing her baby when she suffered a miscarriage.
The court has ordered the Central American country to reform its draconian policies on reproductive health.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Maternity Action urges ministers to overhaul ‘not fit for purpose’ workplace health and safety rules
More than a third of pregnant women fear losing their jobs due to safety concerns about Covid in the workplace, according to a survey. Research from Maternity Action shows 36% are concerned about their work if they take time off or ask their employer to do more to protect them from Covid.
The charity is urging ministers to immediately overhaul health and safety rules for pregnant women in the workplace, which it says are “not fit for purpose”.
Continue reading...