Human Communication Elements of the Continuity of Midwife Carer Newsletter: A Descriptive Case Report.

The Continuity of Midwife Care (CMC) model is an evidence-based care model that positively influences the health and well-being of women, their families, and midwives. Although effective communication strategies have not been determined, online resources are known to reach a wider audience and make CMC research more visible. The newsletter, distributed by the authors, is a strategy to communicate valuable and credible CMC content from knowledge producers to users.

Midwives' readiness for midwife-led care: a mixed-methods study.

Background/problem: To integrate midwife-led care in Belgian maternity services, understanding whether midwives are primed of executing the change is needed.

Aim: To explore Belgian midwives' readiness for midwife-led care and understand the underlying processes.

Methods: A mixed-methods sequential study: 1) A survey including 414 practising midwives and 2) individual interviews with 12 (student) midwives.

Virtual Reality as a Method to Cope With Labor Pain: What Do Women Want?

This study aimed to determine what childbearing women want when using virtual reality as an intrapartum pain management method. Researchers performed a qualitative exploratory study using content analysis. Two focus groups were organized including pregnant women anticipating a vaginal birth and women who recently had given birth, no longer than 6 months ago.

The future of midwife-led continuity of care: Call for a dialogue.

Background/purpose: Midwife-led continuity of care (MLCC) is an evidence-based care model positively influencing the health and wellbeing of women and their families. Despite the evidence, a sustainable future of the model is uncertain. The aim of this paper is to give an example of a theoretical exercise that enhances the understanding of the trends and developments impacting MLCC's future state.

The midwife's support during transition to motherhood: A modified Delphi study among care providers and childbearing women.

Objective: To reach consensus between care providers and childbearing women about the midwife's relevant and appropriate domains and elements to support transition to motherhood.

Methods: A modified web-based Delphi study was conducted in Flanders (Belgium). After performing a systematic literature review, searching the grey literature and an online poll, a set of 79 items was generated.

Evaluation of a web-based intervention to optimize perinatal emotional wellbeing: A nested case-control study.

Background/objective: WazzUp Mama© is a remotely delivered web-based tailored intervention to prevent and reduce perinatal emotional distress, originally developed in the Netherlands. The current study aimed to evaluate the adapted WazzUp Mama© intervention in a Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) perinatal population.

Methods: A 1:3 nested case-control study was performed.

Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of peer support among disadvantaged groups: A rapid scoping review.

Objective: To explore the current state of knowledge and evidence about peer support for various disadvantaged groups; to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of peer support to critically reflect on peer support within health and social services.

Methods: A rapid scoping review was conducted according to Arksey and O'Malley's framework, aiming to identify eligible studies in PubMed, APA PsychInfo, Education Resources Information Center, Cochrane Library, Academic Search Premier, ScienceDirect, Directory of Open Access Journals, ResearchGate, WorldCat, and Google Scholar. According to Rodgers' concept analysis steps and the SWOT model, data was reported using thematic synthesis.

Factors associated with the intention of pregnant women to give birth with epidural analgesia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: In Belgium most women receive epidural analgesia during labour. Although, it offers satisfactory pain relief during labour, the risk on a series of adverse advents has been reported. The objective of this study was to determine factors associated with the intention of pregnant women, anticipating a vaginal birth, of requesting epidural analgesia during labour.

On cloud nine? Maternal emotional wellbeing six weeks up to one year postpartum - A cross-sectional study.

Background: Little is known about the full scope of emotional wellbeing of mothers up to one year postpartum, to adequately support women during transition to motherhood. Reduced emotional wellbeing (REW) affects women's adaption to the changes and challenges in becoming a mother. We aimed to increase the knowledge and understanding of mothers' emotional wellbeing and the influencing factors.

Digital adaptability competency for healthcare professionals: a modified explorative e-Delphi study.

Aim: To establish items of the digital adaptability competency for healthcare professionals.

Background: While the application and deployment of eHealth has continued at a rapid pace, healthcare professionals are expected to keep up and join the digital evolution. The implementation of eHealth requires a change in the healthcare professionals' competencies of which the ability to adapt to technological change is fundamental.

Students as researchers: An example of high-level participation of undergraduate midwifery students as co-investigators in research.

Background: There is a shift in focus of the curricula of undergraduate midwifery research-education - from research content to the research process, and the student from being an observer to a participant.

Aim And Methods: To explore an example of how to involve midwifery students as co-investigators in research. This paper discusses the experiences of an educational research project that adopted the highest level of student autonomy in research, involving six Bachelor of Midwifery final-year students participating as co-investigators in qualitative research focusing on women's lived experiences of traumatic childbirth.

The validation of the brief COPE in a belgian perinatal population.

Introduction: The Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (Brief-COPE) measures individuals' coping strategies. There is limited evidence on the psychometric properties of this measure in a perinatal population. The aim of this study is to explore the psychometric properties of the Brief COPE in pregnant and postpartum women.

The social conception of space of birth narrated by women with negative and traumatic birth experiences.

Background: Many women experience giving birth as a negative or even as a traumatic event. Birth space and its occupants are fundamentally interconnected with negative and traumatic experiences, highlighting the importance of the social space of birth.

Aim: To explore experiences of women who have had a negative or traumatic birth to identify the value, sense and meaning they assign to the social space of birth.

Psychological health of pregnant and postpartum women before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to influence psychological health of pregnant and postpartum women.

Methods: We conducted a non-concurrent cross-sectional study among 1145 women living in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, 541 pregnant and 604 postpartum women. We measured psychological health with the Whooley questions, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item (GAD-2) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and compared the scores of pregnant and postpartum women before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the uses of virtues in woman-centred care: A quest, synthesis and reflection.

Woman-centred care is a philosophy authentic to the midwifery profession, scaffolding and preceding the capacity and utility of woman-centred care in daily practice. Through providing guidance on the philosophical capacities-the virtues-the practical capacity and utility of woman-centred care becomes more clear and more tangible. This paper discusses the virtues of woman-centred care in midwifery practice.

Validation of the postpartum bonding questionnaire: A cross-sectional study among Flemish mothers.

Objective: Becoming a mother is a process of transition that is subject to constant change and may last for over one year postpartum. Bonding is an important component of this transition to motherhood and can be measured with the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ). Most often, the PBQ is used among mothers up to 12 weeks postpartum.

Midwifery Practice and Education in Antwerp: Forecasting Its Future With Scenario Planning.

Background: Midwifery across the world is facing changes and uncertainties. By recognizing plausible future options, a contemporary and strategic scope of midwifery practice and education can be established. The city of Antwerp, Belgium, was the indicative case for this study.

Flemish midwives' perspectives on supporting women during the transition to motherhood - A Q-methodology study.

Objective: In this study we aimed to reveal midwives' distinct perspectives about midwifery support of women in their transition process during the continuum from pregnancy to one-year postpartum.

Design: A Q-methodology study, a mixed quantitative-qualitative approach, was conducted. Participants (P-set) rank-ordered 36 statements (Q-set) about how midwives provide support during the woman's transition to motherhood, followed by interviews to motivate their ranking.