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Mrs Rowena Doughty

Job: Senior Lecturer - Midwifery

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Nursing and Midwifery

Research group(s): Reproduction Research Group

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 2078757

E: rdoughty@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/nursingandmidwifery

 

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Personal profile

Rowena Doughty's professional interests are varied and include:

  • Obesity
  • Antenatal care
  • Midwifery-led care
  • Care of the compromised mother/fetus/neonate

including resuscitation:

  • The promotion of breast-feeding.

Research group affiliations

Reproduction Research Group

Publications and outputs

  • An Interpretive Exploration of the Experiences of Mothers with Obesity and Midwives Who Care for the Obese Mother during Childbearing.
    An Interpretive Exploration of the Experiences of Mothers with Obesity and Midwives Who Care for the Obese Mother during Childbearing. Doughty, Rowena Obesity, as defined as a BMI ≥ 30 (kg/m2) had been established as a risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality during childbearing. There was a need for empirical research to explore the experiences of obese women and midwives during childbearing to stimulate debate and inform the delivery of care to this client group. This thesis provides a justification for a qualitative interpretivist study using semi-structured interviews with a small group of obese women (N=13) and midwives (N=11). This study found that once an obese mother has been placed on the high-risk medicalised pathway, her choices are reduced and the ability to bring a sense of agency and choice to promote and support her own health is limited. The relationship with the midwife, which could have been focused on promoting the health and wellbeing of mother and baby, instead becomes a relationship of managing risk in a reductionist way. This makes it harder for both mothers and midwives to raise the issue of obesity, resulting in a tendency not to deal with the issue. Subsequently, the opportunities for health promotion offered by the midwife-mother relationship sustained over 7 to 8 months are lost, so that encouraging self-understanding and self-help in managing and reducing obesity cannot be achieved. The findings of this study suggest the need to enhance the health promotion role of the midwife. This thesis suggests reviewing the use of BMI, developing discussions about gestational weight gain and healthy lifestyle choices with women during antenatal care, and listening to mother’s lay theories, perceptions and concerns around weight. Midwifery care, which uses positive discourses and forward-facing care approaches and supported by continuity of carer schemes and access to midwifery-led care, could enhance the midwife’s health promotion role. This could lessen the risk of post-partum weight retention post-birth and enhance a new mother’s physical and emotional well-being.
  • Service learning with student midwives: giving something back. The breast feeding baby on the go square mile project at DMU
    Service learning with student midwives: giving something back. The breast feeding baby on the go square mile project at DMU Nyombi, S.; Harris, Tina; Doughty, Rowena As part of the University’s innovative Square Mile community engagement initiative (www.dmu.ac.uk/mile2), student midwives at De Montfort University were involved in creating a booklet for breast feeding mothers in the local community. This innovative teaching and learning strategy involved a group of first year student midwives going out into the local community to source information useful for breast feeding mothers. They then returned to the University and fed back the information collected and provided written information to be collated into a booklet for breast feeding women. This is an example of service learning where students learned and at the same time provided a service to the women of Leicester. This presentation will outline a) how the project was planned and implemented using a comprehensive stakeholder engagement approach, b) the teaching and learning strategy utilised (with reference to service learning) and c) present the evaluation of the effect of participation on student knowledge of breastfeeding. Ethical approval for the project was provided by the University Research Ethics Committee. Questionnaire and focus groups were conducted. Questionnaires were analysed utilising IBM SPSS. Pre and post descriptive statistics were produced to compare student’s knowledge levels concerning breast feeding in the local community. Inferential statistics used non parametric techniques to compare the pre and post values. These showed consistent findings, that there was a statistically significant increase in perceived knowledge across the full range of questionnaire items. The focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis and demonstrated perceived value to participating in the activity and in improving knowledge of breast feeding in the community. Study findings indicate the value of utilising this teaching and learning approach to develop student midwife knowledge about breast feeding in the community. Nyombi, S., Harris, T., Doughty, R. (2014) Service learning with student midwives giving something back. The breast feeding baby on the go square mile project at DMU. ICM 30th Triennial Congress. 1-th June 2014. Prague. Concurrent paper
  • Tripartite Assessment of Learners during Practice placements in midwifery pre-registration programmes
    Tripartite Assessment of Learners during Practice placements in midwifery pre-registration programmes Doughty, Rowena; Harris, Tina; McLean, Moira Doughty, R., Harris, T. and McLean M (2007) Tripartite Assessment of Learners during practice placements in midwifery pre-Registration Programmes Education and Training, 49 (3) pp.227-235

Click here for a full listing of Rowena Doughty's publications and outputs.

Research interests/expertise

Part-time research student studying for a PhD; Rowena's research is entitled “An Interpretive Exploration of Obese Women's Experiences of Childbearing", which aims to explore the psycho-social aspects, using a phenomenological framework, of obese women’s experiences of childbearing which aims to explore the psycho-social aspects, using a phenomenological framework, of obese women’s experiences of childbearing.

Areas of teaching

  • Midwifery – all aspects of pre-registration programmes

Qualifications

  • MSc., PGDE., BA (Hons)., ADM, RM, RN.

Courses taught

  • BSc (Hons) in Midwifery

Membership of external committees

  • Supervisor of Midwives – EM LSA

Professional licences and certificates

  • NMC Registered and Active: Registered Nurse (RN) (1982) and Registered Midwife (RM) (1985).