11.1 Does Love Have a Role in Midwifery?

Does love have a role in midwifery? If so, what is that role? While the concept of love in nursing has been widely explored, this has not been the case in midwifery and maternity care. Therefore, we invite you to join us to reflect on the relevance of love to our work. Hosted by: Sue Macdonald, Midwifery Expert, Mayes Midwifery Contribution from: Dr Diane Menage, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, De Montfort University and Dr Jenny Patterson, Midwife and Research Fellow, Edinburgh Napier University Biographies Dr Diane Menage Diane is an experienced midwife, educationalist, mother, grandmother and feminist, but most of all a human being! Throughout her career her focus has always been on safe and effective care through relationships. She has worked clinically in hospital settings, community midwifery and independent practice. In 2018 she completed her PhD thesis on Women’s Lived Experience of Compassionate Midwifery at Coventry University before coming to De Montfort University as a senior midwifery lecturer. Dr Jenny Patterson Jenny is a midwifery lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland. Jenny’s work as a midwife since 2007, both independently and in the UK National Health Service, led to her particular interest in women’s traumatic birth experiences and midwives work-related trauma. Jenny’s PhD thesis explored the woman/midwife interaction, which is a significant factor in the development of PTSD-PC. Jenny is also passionate about supporting the midwives and maternity care professionals to provide the high-quality care they desire. Communication and consent are key in this interaction and care quality, and so exploring the impact of language barriers in relation to informed consent within Scottish maternity services with Dr Şebnem Susam-Saraeva is an important step in further understanding contribution to birth trauma and maternity care challenges. Click here to read more