The New Vision for Maternity Care is a vision that takes us immediately right into the heart of
midwifery, seeing the importance of the midwife mother relationship, as well as the purpose of this relationship which is central to maternity care – “caring for the mother and providing a safe space in which she can develop confidence in her own ability to give birth and mother her baby”. Giving mothers confidence in birth and mothering is crucial to modern maternity care, fundamental to our work, the work of all who provide maternity care, but that requires midwifery rooted in the community, built on relationship with women.
The first Vision by the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM) published in 1986 at the first wave
of the ‘new’ midwifery, was seen as radical at the time. Together with other leaders in midwifery and maternity, including the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), ARM has been instrumental in creating fundamental shifts in policy, awareness, and in many places change in practice. National policy in the UK has, since 1993, espoused a commitment to woman centred care which has a strong evidence base.
The midwifery profession has made a major contribution to this. Midwifery led care and different models of care, including continuity of care, have been developed and evaluated. Different commissioning arrangements have been developed. Midwives are now generally educated in three year university level programmes and places in midwifery programmes are so popular that acceptance is very difficult. Midwives and the midwifery profession have a great deal to be proud of.
midwifery, seeing the importance of the midwife mother relationship, as well as the purpose of this relationship which is central to maternity care – “caring for the mother and providing a safe space in which she can develop confidence in her own ability to give birth and mother her baby”. Giving mothers confidence in birth and mothering is crucial to modern maternity care, fundamental to our work, the work of all who provide maternity care, but that requires midwifery rooted in the community, built on relationship with women.
The first Vision by the Association of Radical Midwives (ARM) published in 1986 at the first wave
of the ‘new’ midwifery, was seen as radical at the time. Together with other leaders in midwifery and maternity, including the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), ARM has been instrumental in creating fundamental shifts in policy, awareness, and in many places change in practice. National policy in the UK has, since 1993, espoused a commitment to woman centred care which has a strong evidence base.
The midwifery profession has made a major contribution to this. Midwifery led care and different models of care, including continuity of care, have been developed and evaluated. Different commissioning arrangements have been developed. Midwives are now generally educated in three year university level programmes and places in midwifery programmes are so popular that acceptance is very difficult. Midwives and the midwifery profession have a great deal to be proud of.
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