Elizabeth Thompson was a midwife practising in and around Kendal in the mid- to late 17th century. A diary, kept from 1669 to shortly before her death in 1675, lists the births she attended and the places where those births took place. The main walk will visit some of...

by Mavis Kirkham Article originally appeared in Midwifery Matters Issue 152 (Spring 2017) Midwifery is beset with problems at present and, as we seek to deal with each crisis, there is no time to look at the source of the problems. As I am a retired academic and no...

By Lynn Walcott (Genevieve). Originally published in Midwifery Matters Issue 123 (Winter 2009). Still sadly relevant. This was not my original plan; a grand announcement, but rather I’d envisaged a gentle fade out. However, I find myself wanting to explain, to...

A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE AIMING TO REDUCE POSTNATAL ILLNESS There are various causes of postnatal illness, however, as a mother who developed the most severe form, puerperal psychosis, I believe that there are several areas which midwives can be aware of which may help...