Mindful midwifery: a phenomenological paradigm

Mindfulness is a form of critical reflection that has been used by healthcare professionals for over a decade (Epstein 1999). Reflection and self-awareness are vital to being an ethical and trustworthy practitioner, to good communication and to establishing relationships (Johns 2000). Embedding reflection into the core of one's practice is a challenging task. It is easy to pay lip service to informed choice while in reality offering only a limited and predefined menu. Pressure to comply with guidelines can lead to subtle ways in which women are manipulated towards making a particular decision. Midwives are urged to provide woman-centred care, but often they are not taught or shown how to achieve this. This article explores how phenomenological research methodology provides a model for 'mindful midwifery' that seeks to improve the quality of midwives' relationships with the women in their care, through a process of 'bridling' and 'questioning'.