Another episode of the Better Birth podcast is LIVE! In this episode I chat to deputy consultant midwife Kelly Sawyer about vaginal exams, who has been involved in the Respectful Vaginal Examinations Project at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust, which aims to improve practice and educate pregnant women and people about their rights. We discuss vaginal exams, what they are, when they're necessary and when they're not, the alternatives, and what the research and evidence says.
Kelly has been a midwife for 10 years, and is currently the Deputy Consultant Midwife at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, supporting and advocating for people choosing birth options outside of local or national guidance. Prior to that, she was a Home Birth Team Lead in South London. In 2019, she won the "Mum's Midwife of the Year" award for London at the RCM awards, and features on several educational videos for new parents on the BBC's 'Tiny Happy People' website. You can read more about this project at https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/respectful-vaginal-examinations
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