Maternity and Childbirth (OxMater)

Contact: eburns@brookes.ac.uk +44 (0)1865 485296

News

Just published: our large systematic review and meta analysis shows clear benefits of intrapartum water immersion for healthy women and their newborns.

About us

The OxMater group engages in research to optimise health and wellbeing during maternity, childbearing, and beyond and in activities to promote the implementation of the best available research into maternity care provision.

The team aims to establish itself as a robust group producing work that will impact on maternity care provision whilst nurturing future researchers.

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Leadership

Dr Ethel Burns

Senior Lecturer in Midwifery

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Membership

Staff

Name	Role	Email
Dr Jane Carpenter	Programme Lead, Midwifery and Lead Midwife for Education	jane.carpenter@brookes.ac.uk
Mrs Sarah Fleming	Senior Lecturer	sfleming@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Louise Hunter	Associate Lecturer	lhunter@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Ginny Mounce	Senior Lecturer	gmounce@brookes.ac.uk

Students

Name	Thesis Title	Supervisors	Completed
Claire Litchfield	Is the use of water immersion for women in labour or giving birth both safe and effective as a method for improving rates of normal birth for women who are obese?	Dr Jane Carpenter, Dr Louise Hunter, Professor Mary Malone	Active
Ms Rebecca Parker	The experience of midwives during intrapartum emergencies in community settings	Dr Ethel Burns, Professor Paul Carding , Dr Rachel Rowe	Active

Collaborators

Name	Role	Organisation
Dr Cindy Farley	Associate Professor	Georgetown University
Dr Claire Feeley	Lecturer	King's College London
Dr Priscilla Hall	Senior Instructor	Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University
Dr Reem Malouf	Neurologist, Specialist in Internal Medicine	National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford
Dr Sue Pavord	Consultant Haematologist, Associate Senior Lecturer in Medicine	Oxford University Hospitals
Dr Charles Roehr	Clinical Director	National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford
Dr Rachel Rowe	Associate Professor and Senior Health Services Researcher	National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, Oxford
Professor Lesley Smith	Professor of Women’s Public Health	University of Hull
Dr Harriet Thorn-Cole	Midwife	Haute Ecole de Santé Vaud
Dr Jennifer Vanderlaan	Assistant Professor	University of Nevada

Projects

Active projects

Project title and description	Investigator(s)	Funder(s)	Dates
estiMATE An e-tool developed to improve the accuracy of visual blood loss estimations during waterbirth. The current project, started in November 2020, received Brookes funding to refine estiMATE and create a website in which it will be embedded for access by maternity services, universities and interested others as a CPD resource for clinicians.	Dr Ethel Burns	Oxford Brookes University	From: November 2020 Until: July 2021
Systematic review suite: Water immersion during labour and waterbirth Review 1: Maternal and neonatal outcomes following water immersion during labour and birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis (in process). Review 2: Women’s views and experiences of labouring and/or giving birth in water (paper published January 2021). Review 3: A scoping review of caregiver’s views and experiences is in process.	Dr Ethel Burns, Dr Claire Feeley, Dr Jennifer Vanderlaan
Fertility and Assisted Reproduction Collaborative work with Professor Helen Allan at Middlesex University around infertility, preconception and assisted reproduction. Currently developing a book for midwifery and nursing practice around transition to parenthood following IVF. Current joint PhD supervisor for a project on South Asian women's wellbeing after successful IVF.	Dr Ginny Mounce
Midwives’ perspectives of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic Midwives’ perspectives of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on their professional roles and/or ways of working: a qualitative study (UREC LO20213). While immediate responses to UK maternity care during the current coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak have focused on avoidance of virus transmission, for example by social distancing measures, avoiding hospital settings and PPE, the purpose of this study is to investigate how midwives, in their professional jobs, have had to adapt the ways in which they give care and manage their relationships with their patients. We wish to ask midwives if they perceive any benefits to these new ways of working for maternity care in the future and how they consider Covid-19 will shape their practice (and the profession) of the future.	Dr Ginny Mounce
An exploration of the application and learning experiences of BAME midwifery students A mixed-methods study that will explore experiences of BAME applicants to midwifery programmes in the South East of England at different points along their journey to registration.	Dr Louise Hunter	HEE	From: March 2021 Until: December 2021
Maternal obesity This research has a particular focus on the care that women with obesity receive during the perinatal period. Research to date on obesity in childbirth has been focused mainly on public health interventions, or on risks to mother and neonate. Our focus is on how these women experience their care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, including investigating ways to support normal birth and birth choices. A collaborative PhD studentship, co-supervised by Associate Professor Rachel Rowe from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit and undertaken by student Claire Litchfield, is investigating use of water immersion by women with raised BMI.	Dr Jane Carpenter

Completed projects

Project title and description	Investigator(s)	Funder(s)	Dates
Management of Anaemia in Pregnancy Working with Dr Sue Pavord, author of the British Society for Haematology guidelines on the management of anaemia in pregnancy, we have scoped the practices of midwives in the UK in relation to anaemia (paper in review). Our findings will inform the development of a resource for midwives, to help improve care.	Dr Jane Carpenter

News

Research shows that labouring or giving birth in water provides clear benefits for healthy mothers and their babies.

New analysis of research shows that using a birth pool during labour provides “clear benefits” for healthy mums and their newborn, with less intervention and fewer complications during and after the birth than when compared to labouring and giving birth on land. Mothers also report higher levels of satisfaction with their birth experience.

Dr Ethel Burns of Oxford Brookes University Faculty of Health and Life Sciences led a team of researchers, working with Dr Claire Feeley (Oxford Brookes), Dr Priscilla Hall (Emory University, USA) and Dr Jennifer Vanderlaan (University of Nevada, USA). The research looking at 157,546 sets of mothers and babies was published today, in the journal BMJ Open.

Live stream: OASI Care Bundle

Ethel Burns contributed to this letter which adds to current debate regarding the OASI Care Bundle. BJOG, 20 July 2021. https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.22541/au.162676063.31310167

Join the discussion at this event with the Maternal and Newborn Form, RSM on 4 November 2021. https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/maternity-and-newborn/2021-22/mbq50/

BRIDGE-IT study

Alessandra Morelli was responsible for the set up and management contributed to later stages of the study design and analysis of the BRIDGE-IT study in South East London - published in 2020 in the Lancet.

Cameron, S. T., Glasier, A., McDaid, L., Radley, A., Baraitser, P., Stephenson, J., ... & Norrie, J. (2020). Use of effective contraception following provision of the progestogen-only pill for women presenting to community pharmacies for emergency contraception (Bridge-It): a pragmatic cluster-randomised crossover trial. The Lancet, 396(10262), 1585-1594. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31785-2/fulltext

NIHR report, July 2021

Cameron, S. T., Glasier, A., McDaid, L., Radley, A., Patterson, S., Baraitser, P., ... & Norrie, J. (2021). Provision of the progestogen-only pill by community pharmacies as bridging contraception for women receiving emergency contraception: the Bridge-it RCT. Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 25(27), 1. https://www.journalslibrary.nihr.ac.uk/hta/hta25270/#/abstract

Publication: Sarah Fleming - skin care paper

Fleming S, Hunter L (2021). Newborn skin-cleansing practices and their rationales: a systematic review of the literature. Evidence Based Midwifery 19(3): 31-40. https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/a40d4596-d51d-4e44-82f4-efda91730eef/1/Newborn%20skin%20cleansing%20practices%20-%202021%20-%20Fleming%20Hunter.pdf

Publication: Labouring water and waterbirth

May 2021

Labouring water and waterbirth, Claire Feeley and Ethel Burns.

Midwife Carina Okiki was appointed as a Postgraduate Research Assistant

February 2021

Midwife Carina Okiki was appointed as a Postgraduate Research Assistant for 'An exploration of the application and learning experiences of BAME midwifery students (UREC 201430)' and has started interviewing student midwives.

Seminar: Midwife Geri Glenister presented a seminar on the publication based on her MSc dissertation project

On 10 February, Midwife Ceri Glenister presented a seminar on the publication based on her MSc dissertation project with supervisor Associate Professor, Rachel Rowe, National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit.

Local guidelines for admission to UK midwifery units compared with national guidance: A national survey using the UK Midwifery Study System (UKMidSS).

Publication: A systematic meta-thematic synthesis to examine the views and experiences of women following water immersion during labour and waterbirth

Claire Feeley, Megan Cooper, Ethel Burns.

First published 19 January 2021.

Publication: Ceri Glenister, MSc midwifery graduate (2019)

Ceri Glenister, MSc midwifery graduate (2019), compared local eligibility criteria for midwifery units with national criteria for her dissertation project.

She was enabled access to a national database at the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) by Dr Rachel Rowe who supervised her with Ethel Burns. Her study was published in Plos One on 20 October 2020.

MSc Project: Newborn skin-cleansing

Newborn skin-cleansing. A systematic literature review of seven studies investigated parents’ and carers’ newborn skin-cleansing practices in order to describe these practices and their underlying rationales.

Findings demonstrated that cultural influences appeared to drive parental practices in relation to newborn skin-cleansing, and many parents were unwilling to break away from these.

Optimising Physiology: Labouring in Water and Waterbirth

Past events

The OxMater group hosts seminar series in each academic year. We are grateful to all of our speakers and to the many staff, students and professionals who enthusiastically support these events.

Just water for cleaning baby? A cross-sectional survey of the newborn skin cleansing practices of parents in the UK.

17 March 2022, 16.00-17.00

Sarah Fleming, Senior Lecturer/Year 1 Lead, Midwifery, Oxford Brookes University

If you would like to attend, please contact Dr Ethel Burns or Dr Ginny Mounce.

Water immersion during labour, physiological birth and perineal trauma – what have we learnt from secondary analysis of a large dataset?

February 2022, 16.00-17.00

Dr Jane Carpenter, Programme Lead, Midwifery/Course Lead (Professional Doctorate in Midwifery) Oxford Brookes University

Webinar: Challenges and opportunities in implementing and embedding change in maternity services.

13 October 2020

Midwifery ran a webinar as part of a module for third year students. Over 50 people attended this event which stimulated interesting discussion. Speakers included:

Sarah Noble, Head of Midwifery, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
Dr James Harris, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Evidence Based Midwifery, Chelsea & Westminster
Prof Mary Renfrew, Professor of Mother and Infant Health, University of Dundee
Ethel Burns, Oxford Brookes University

Webinar: Challenges and opportunities in implementing and embedding change in maternity services.