Women and birth partners' experiences of cervical ripening at home and in hospital.

Background: In the United Kingdom, induction of labour rates are rapidly rising, and around a third of pregnant women undergo the procedure. The first stage, cervical ripening, traditionally carried out in hospital, is increasingly offered outpatient - or 'at home'. The current induction of labour rates place considerable demand on maternity services and impact women's experiences of care, and at home cervical ripening has been suggested as potential solution for alleviating these.

Birth weight and head circumference for 22-29 weeks gestation neonates from an international cohort.

Objective: Size at birth is a key indicator of in utero growth. Our objective was to generate sex-specific percentiles for birth weight and head circumference in neonates born between 22 and 29 weeks gestation from pregnancies without hypertension or diabetes and assess differences between vaginal and caesarean births and between singletons and twins.

Methods: We used data from 12 countries participating in the International Network for Evaluating Outcomes in Neonates database from 2007 to 2021.

Improving outcomes for very preterm babies in England: does place of birth matter? Findings from OPTI-PREM, a national cohort study.

Objective: Babies born between 27 and 31 weeks of gestation contribute substantially towards infant mortality and morbidity. In England, their care is delivered in maternity services colocated with highly specialised neonatal intensive care units (NICU) or less specialised local neonatal units (LNU). We investigated whether birth setting offered survival and/or morbidity advantages to inform National Health Service delivery.

Cervical ripening at home or in hospital during induction of labour: the CHOICE prospective cohort study, process evaluation and economic analysis.

Background: Around one in three pregnant women undergoes induction of labour in the United Kingdom, usually preceded by in-hospital cervical ripening to soften and open the cervix.

Objectives: This study set out to determine whether cervical ripening at home is within an acceptable safety margin of cervical ripening in hospital, is effective, acceptable and cost-effective from both National Health Service and service user perspectives.

Design: The CHOICE study comprised a prospective multicentre observational cohort study using routinely collected data (CHOICE cohort), a process evaluation comprising a survey and nested case studies (qCHOICE) and a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Outcomes in very preterm infants receiving an exclusive human milk diet, or their own mother's milk supplemented with preterm formula.

Background: An infant's Own Mother's Milk (OMM) is the mainstay of very preterm nutrition. When a supplement is required, preterm formula and pasteurised human donor milk (pHDM), are options. Which is optimal is unknown.

Core Outcome Set for Necrotizing Enterocolitis Treatment Trials.

Background And Objectives: Variability in outcome reporting in necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) treatment trials hinders conducting meta-analyses and implementing novel treatments. We aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) for NEC treatment trials including outcome measures most relevant to patients and physicians, from NEC diagnosis to adulthood.

Methods: Clinicians and/or researchers from low-middle- and high-income countries were approached based on their scientific contributions to NEC literature, and patients and parents through local organizations.

European Association of Perinatal Medicine (EAPM), European Board and College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (EBCOG), European Midwives Association (EMA). Joint position statement: Substandard and disrespectful care in labour - because words matter.

Substandard or disrespectful care during labour should be of serious concern for healthcare professionals, as it can affect one of the most important events in a woman's life. Substandard care refers to the use of interventions that are not considered best-practice, to the inadequate execution of interventions, to situations where best-practice interventions are withheld from patients, or there is lack of adequate informed consent. Disrespectful care refers to forms of verbal and non-verbal communication that affect patients' dignity, individuality, privacy, intimacy, or personal beliefs.

Outcomes following the adoption of standard parenteral nutrition in preterm infants: a whole-population non-concurrent control study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a quality improvement project of the adoption of standard parenteral nutrition (SPN) in preterm infants.

Design: Retrospective, multicentre, whole-population, non-concurrent control study using data from the UK National Neonatal Research Database between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2020.

Setting: Neonatal units in London UK organised by geographical network.

Projected health and economic effects of the increase in childhood obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: The potential cost of inaction.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in young children rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we estimate the potential future health and economic effects of these trends in England.

Methods: Using publicly available annual Body Mass Index (BMI) data from 2006-2022, we calculated the increase in overweight/obesity prevalence (BMI ≥85th reference percentile) during the COVID-19 pandemic among children aged 4-5 and 10-11, and variation by deprivation and ethnicity.

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF PERINATAL MEDICINE (EAPM) EUROPEAN MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION (EMA) Joint position statement: Caesarean delivery rates at a country level should be in the 15-20 % range.

While cesarean deliveries performed for health indications can save lives, unnecessary cesareans cause unjustifiable health risks for the mother, newborn, and for future pregnancies. Previous recommendations for cesarean delivery rates at a country level in the 10-15% range are currently unrealistic, and the proposed concept that striving to achieve specific rates is not important has resulted in a confusing message reaching healthcare professionals and the public. It is important to have a clear understanding of when cesarean delivery rates are deviating from internationally acceptable ranges, to trigger the implementation of healthcare policies needed to correct this problem.

Preterm Formula, Fortified or Unfortified Human Milk for Very Preterm Infants, the PREMFOOD Study: A Parallel Randomised Feasibility Trial.

Objective: Uncertainty exists regarding optimal supplemental diet for very preterm infants if the mother's own milk (MM) is insufficient. We evaluated feasibility for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) powered to detect important differences in health outcomes.

Methods: In this open, parallel, feasibility trial, we randomised infants 25+0-31+6 weeks of gestation by opt-out consent to one of three diets: unfortified human milk (UHM) (unfortified MM and/or unfortified pasteurised human donor milk (DM) supplement), fortified human milk (FHM) (fortified MM and/or fortified DM supplement), and unfortified MM and/or preterm formula (PTF) supplement from birth to 35+0 weeks post menstrual age.

Infant fat mass and later child and adolescent health outcomes: a systematic review.

Objective: Obesity and excess adiposity are leading causes of metabolic and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early identification of individuals at risk is key for preventive strategies. We examined the relationship between infant body composition (0-2 years of age) and later (>2 years) health outcomes using a systematic review.

Two-year neurodevelopmental data for preterm infants born over an 11-year period in England and Wales, 2008-2018: a retrospective study using the National Neonatal Research Database.

Objective: United Kingdom guidelines recommend all infants born <30 weeks' gestation receive neurodevelopmental follow-up at 2 years corrected age. In this study, we describe completeness and results of 2-year neurodevelopmental records in the National Neonatal Research Database (NNRD).

Design: This retrospective cohort study uses data from the NNRD, which holds data on all neonatal admissions in England and Wales, including 2year follow-up status.

Clinical outcomes of isolation from neonates, England, 2015-2021: a retrospective case-control study.

Objective: , a coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) species, has been increasingly detected from UK sterile site samples and has caused neonatal unit outbreaks worldwide. We compared survival to discharge and 30-day mortality for the detection of versus other CoNS species.

Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, we included hospitalised infants with any CoNS species detected from a normally sterile body site up to 90 days of age.