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Welcome to the summer 2002 issue of Birth and Beyond. We are exploring two main issues in this edition: postnatal depression and the new maternity unit at the new Royal Infirmary.

Depression around pregnancy and childbirth is something about which it is important for us all to be aware. It can occur prior to the birth of a baby, soon afterwards or sometimes well after the birth. Very few new mothers escape without at least a touch of ‘baby blues’ but for some it can be very severe and debilitating. Diagnosis and support are better than they have been in the past but it can still escape unrecognised, even by the sufferer herself. We hope the articles on this important matter, supported by a personal experience piece written by a sufferer, will be interesting and informative. For anyone interested in more information and a discussion on postnatal depression, Vivienne Dickinson of the Postnatal Depression Project in Edinburgh is coming to speak at the Postnatal Discussion Group at the Birth Resource Centre on 21st August, 2 – 4 p.m.

The ‘New Simpson’ maternity unit is now up and running, and this issue of Birth and Beyond includes accounts of two recent births which took place there. The feedback relating to the actual experience of giving birth there appears to be fairly positive, but there are surrounding matters which are giving cause for concern. The most major of these for many users of the Birth Resource Centre is the difficulty in obtaining tours of the unit in advance of going into labour. From a policy at the old Simpson of making tours available to all who wished them, it now seems that only the lucky, or the most persistent and determined, will be able to see round the new unit. This flies in the face of widely accepted research which shows that women labour better in an environment with which they are familiar, and being in unknown surroundings can lead to complications and delays in birth. The committee of the BRC is at present in contact with the midwifery management of the new hospital on this issue, and we hope to report progress on this soon. More detail on the present situation is contained in this issue.

We plan to start a letters column in future issues of Birth and Beyond, and so would be grateful for any news, views, birth announcements or feedback which readers may wish to share, on subjects covered in this newsletter or anything else. Please write to Birth & Beyond at 40 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh, EH10 4JL, or email to: elizabeth.veitch@virgin.net

We wish you all a pleasant summer and look forward to seeing many of you when the BRC opens again in late August.

In this issue: