Why genomics is rapidly becoming an essential part of maternity care

As part of a year-long programme of education and awareness, midwives Jo Hargraves and Karen Creed—lead midwives for the East and Central & South Genomic Medicine Service Alliances (GMSAs), respectively—are spearheading efforts to ensure midwives are prepared to have informed conversations about genomics with expectant parents. 

“This is going to be a whole series throughout the year and we hope that you can join us on that journey,” said Jo Hargraves in a recent episode of Maternity & Midwifery Hour. “That journey is about personalizing maternity care within genomics, because as we can see, maternity care is evolving and genomics is at the heart of transformation.” 

Midwives are in a unique position to notice potential indicators of genetic conditions and start sensitive, informed conversations from the very first booking appointment. But this can only happen if they are supported and confident. 

Karen Creed acknowledged this challenge directly, stating: “I think the word genomics for midwives can be a bit scary, but I say that midwives are already genomics practitioners—it’s just that they don’t always realize it.” 

To support midwives in this area, new tools and resources are being made available, including a downloadable Genomics Learning Passport. “It’s a guide to all those key genomic learning resources starting at the very basics… and then increasing in levels of complexity,” Creed explained. “Hopefully that will help you navigate your way around the resources that are out there.” 

The upcoming Midlands Maternity & Midwifery Festival, taking place on Tuesday 20 May in Nottingham and being live-streamed to Midwives and HCPs across the country, will feature a dedicated session on genomics, giving midwives an opportunity to explore real-world case studies and discuss how genomics is becoming part of day-to-day practice. Jo Hargraves will be among the speakers at the event. 

She underscored the importance of starting conversations early: “Just imagine the impact on care if we could open up these conversations even earlier—empowering all midwives with genomic knowledge from the booking appointment. That could significantly enhance early detection and support, improving outcomes for the expectant mother and their families.” 

Midwives attending the Nottingham event will also learn about tools like non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD), and how to approach genomic red flags, family history, and appropriate referrals. 

As Creed noted, “We strongly recommend that you know who your local genetic counselling service is… they would always rather hear about a case sooner rather than later.” 

The festival is free to attend, streamed online and offers six to seven hours toward midwifery revalidation. 

To register or find out more, visit: maternityandmidwifery.co.uk/events