DIvO

DIvO is using a digital imaging device (infrared camera) to screen for congenital cataract in babies under 72 hours old. The test was offered alongside the baby’s usual red-reflex eye test as part of the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination (NIPE) to see which one is more accurate.

CaPE

The CaPE Study is looking at whether additional calcium during pregnancy, plus usual care (prescription of low-dose aspirin) is more effective than usual care alone (low-dose aspirin only) in reducing pre-eclampsia in women and pregnant people at increased risk.

SONAR-1

SONAR-1 aims to estimate how many women and birthing people experiencing a caesarean birth under either a spinal or epidural anaesthesia witness pain during the operation. The study will assess the impact of this experience through patient-reported outcomes measures collected at 24 hours and six weeks postpartum.

Outcome: Data collection is still being completed.

GBS3

GBS3 is looking at whether offering pregnant women a routine test for group B Streptococcus (GBS) during their pregnancy or during labour reduces the risk of GBS disease in the newborn baby, compared to the current strategy (offering antibiotics during labour to women considered at risk of their baby developing GBS disease).

Between May 2022 and December 2023, the Trust took part in the study and offered GBS testing during labour from 37 weeks using a bedside test. Over 4,800 women receiving care at MTW took part in GBS3.

Outcome: The findings of this study are being collated but will be available once they are published.

• Group B Strep Support
• Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommendations

CRAFT-OBS: a study of risk and management in women with a history of caesarean section in labour

CRAFT-OBS is an observational study aiming to explore the incidence of late miscarriage and preterm birth in women with a previous caesarean section in labour (4cm dilated or more).

Outcome: The findings of this study are being analysed.

The Big Baby trial

The purpose of the Big Baby trial was to find out if starting labour earlier than usual, at 38 weeks, makes it less likely that shoulder dystocia will happen in women whose babies appear to be bigger than expected.

Outcome: The trial is now complete and the results have been published.

POOL Study

The POOL study looked at the use of water for labour and birth to determine

• how many women are using birth pools
• how many women give birth in water
• the outcomes for mothers and their babies as a result of water birth.

Outcome: The initial findings have been published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The study provides evidence that among women without pregnancy complications who use water immersion analgesia, rates of obstetric anal sphincter injury and serious neonatal morbidity are no higher among waterbirths, than among women who leave the water before birth.

RETHINK

The RETHINK study followed participants through pregnancy, labour and birth, and into the postnatal period to see if we could identify those women who might benefit from additional support in early labour to reduce their chance of a difficult labour and unnecessary intervention.

The outcome of this study is pending.

ObsQoR

This National surveillance study ran for three consecutive days at MTW and recruited participants that had received anaesthetic care during their labour, birth or immediate postnatal period. This study is looking at the quality of recovery in women following anaesthetic interventions to try and identify if a screening survey is able to highlight those who are likely to have problems, aiding us to improve aspects of their care.

Outcome: Quality of recovery following childbirth: a prospective, multicentre cohort study

PANCOVID

The PANCOVID study collected information about COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy and babies from around the world into a register which will be used to share information with healthcare professionals around the world, allowing them to improve the care they give. The study wanted to find out more about the effect of COVID-19 on early pregnancy, the growth of babies, early delivery and possible infection of babies.

Acupuncture for treatment of slow labour

The purpose of this study was to explore if acupuncture could be used to treat an established labour that had slowed down, instead of using a hormone drip.

The findings of this study are being analysed.

GBS2

The GBS2 study aimed to see if a rapid test system is better in identifying women who need antibiotics because they are colonised with Group B streptococcus (GBS) compared with the current system  based on risk factors alone.

We are awaiting the findings of this study to be published.

Intradermal sterile water injections for relief of low back pain in labour: is a two-injection technique as effective as a four-injection technique? A pilot study.

The aim of this study was to find out if a two-sterile water injection (SWI) technique was as effective at relieving lower back pain in labour compared with a four-SWI technique (standard practice).

Findings: The findings suggest a two-SWI technique may reduce lower back pain as well as the current four-SWI technique. The two-SWI technique, if given in the upper part of the lower back, may also reduce the pain of injection administration. However, as this study was small, a larger study is advised to confirm the findings.

Kangaroo care in preterm or low birth weight babies in a postnatal ward

The aim of this study was to explore if kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact with the mother) affected the length of stay and feeding outcome compared with standard care (baby next to the mother in a cot) for preterm and low birthweight babies, and babies of diabetic mothers.

Findings: The outcome of this study suggests the use of kangaroo care reduces the length of hospital stay by one day, and significantly increases the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at time of discharge from hospital. There was no significant difference in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding at six weeks post-birth or admissions to the neonatal unit. Overall, parents rated Kangaroo care highly.

Skin-to-skin contact after elective caesarean section: investigating the effect of breastfeeding rates

The purpose of this study was to determine whether kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact with the mother) in the operating theatre following a planned caesarean section affected breastfeeding outcomes.

Findings: There was no significant difference between the rate of breastfeeding at 48 hours, 10 days and six weeks post birth. However there was a significant correlation between the duration of skin-to-skin contact and the breastfeeding rate at 48 hours and six weeks; the greater the duration of skin-to-skin contact, the greater the rate of breastfeeding.

Acupressure for inducing labour for nulliparous women with post-dates pregnancy

This study compared the use of acupressure against a sham treatment for the induction of labour in first time mothers who were 41 weeks gestation or greater.

Findings: The findings of this study suggest that acupressure is not beneficial to induce labour; there was no significant difference in the time of labour onset between those receiving acupressure and those receiving the sham treatment. Those receiving acupressure were more likely to require induction of labour or augmentation of labour using the hormone drip. There was no difference in the mode of delivery or the condition of the baby at birth.