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Seven essential teaching aids for maternity and obstetrics

There’s a greater focus than ever on maternity services in the UK, with quality, safety, and the patient experience all featuring high on the agenda in the last 12 months.

Concerns have been raised by the 2024 Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections programme, the 2023/24 Maternity and Newborn Safety Investigations annual report, and a new campaign group called Delivering Better.

While there are undoubtedly many causes and factors involved, it does highlight the importance of high quality training at all levels of the profession, whether that’s teaching students on T Levels, OCSEs or university courses, or continued proficiency for skilled clinicians, especially as medical knowledge changes and develops.

As a well-known provider of medical teaching models, task trainers and clinical skills simulators in the fields of maternity, midwifery, obstetrics and paediatrics, we can help create more realistic learning experiences.

Using a lifelike simulator, either on its own or as part of Standardised Patient training, helps equip learners in colleges, universities and hospitals with the skills they need to face real-life challenges in their future careers.

With that in mind, we’ve put together some of our top maternity models and simulators for the teaching of all aspects of the birthing journey, from antenatal care, through birthing, to breastfeeding and infant handling.

While we’ve selected some essential models below, our full range includes products for a wide variety of scenarios and procedures. Whether you need to teach a specific skill only, or enhance your simulation suite, our knowledgeable team can help. You can find details at the end of this article.

AK043N Maternity Model

This popular Koken model supports the teaching of antenatal care for both mother and unborn child. Available in the UK exclusively through Adam,Rouilly, it uses silicone to closely resemble human skin, with a soft, stretchable abdominal wall and pelvis anatomy for incredibly realistic palpation and checking of landmarks.

Inside the abdomen is a full-term fetus, cocooned in an air-filled amniotic sac, to facilitate simulation of the four non-invasive Leopold Manoeuvres for determining the position of the baby and measuring the uterine fundal height.

The sac can be inflated and the air pressure adjusted to modify the sensation and create more varied scenarios where palpation is different or more difficult. Learning is further brought to life through the internal synthesizer which mimics the realistic heartbeat sound of an unborn baby. This allows trainers to practice auscultation using a Traube stethoscope or via the built-in loudspeaker.

Additional features:

  • Enables external pelvic measurement
  • Pinard stethoscope for monitoring of the fetal heartbeat
  • Highly accurate skeletal structure of the fetus
  • Includes full term fetus, fetal heartbeat sound generator, two birth canal pads, placenta, pelvic bones, control panel and storage cover

AR60 Amnio Abby – Ultrasound Guided Invasive Procedures Simulator

This Adam,Rouilly antenatal simulator was developed in partnership with a team of obstetric consultants and maternity care experts to enhance training in ultrasound guided amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

As well as teaching students the skills and dexterity needed for invasive procedures in a safe and controlled environment, Amnio Abby also allows trained clinicians to ensure they remain proficient in the techniques, as non-invasive prenatal testing becomes more common.

A range of procedures can be taught, with varying levels of difficulty, by changing fetal positions, thickness of abdominal layers, amniotic fluid volume and placental position.

Additional features:

  • Visualisation under ultrasound of key anatomical structures including abdominal wall, placenta, fetus, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid
  • Identification of suitable needle entry point and monitoring of needle path
  • Successful withdrawal of an amniotic fluid sample
  • Includes realistic fetus size of 15 weeks
  • Amniotic sac can be punctured several times to allow for simulation of a number of treatments before a replacement is needed

MO5/50 Pelvis with Uterus in Ninth Month of Pregnancy

This anatomical model is an excellent teaching aid for embryonic development and birth in a variety of educational and medical settings. It shows the right half of the female pelvis in median section complete with a removable fetus in the ninth month of gestation.

Manufactured by SOMSO®, the model is natural in size and made out of the highly realistic SOMSO-PLAST®. As the chosen sole UK distributor, we sell hundreds of SOMSO® models each year. The well-established SOMSO® name is synonymous with quality and the highest standards of accuracy and durability.

The model comes in two parts on a green base.

ALT80100 Prompt Flex Birthing Simulator – Standard

This Limbs & Things birthing simulator offers an all-round solution for the teaching and practice of skills relating to both routine and difficult deliveries, including breech births, shoulder dystocia, and cord prolapse.

Students can use this model to practice instrumental deliveries, such as forceps and vacuum devices, as well as delivering the placenta. It can also simulate associated skills, including urinary catheter placement and intramuscular injection.

The PROMPT FLEX is an ideal training solution for all skills relating to routine and difficult deliveries, and can be used for both hybrid simulation and stand-alone bench top training.

Additional features:

  • Can be used for hybrid simulation and stand-alone bench-top training.
  • Improved anatomy, durability and functionality
  • Birthing mother includes birth canal and cervix, gynaecoid pelvis, articulating thighs, ischial spines and pelvic bones
  • Fully articulated baby with detachable umbilical cord and placenta, also features clavicles, fontanelles and flexible head

AK082 Baby with Caucasian Features

The Koken new-born baby model gives students a sense of handling a baby and provides an excellent learning experience for basic infant care and anatomical study, across disciplines such as midwifery, nursing and paediatrics.

Students can learn a variety of skills with this model, from the most basic, such as bathing, nappy care, overall observation and measurement of each part of the body, to more advanced. This could include clavicle measurement and confirmation of a clavicle fracture, use of a rectal thermometer, care and treatment of the umbilical cord and suctioning the nose, mouth and stomach.

As well as its realistic size and weight, the baby is made of a seamless silicone skin which has the appearance and texture of real skin.

Additional features:

  • Realistic anterior and posterior fontanelles, sutura coronalis and sutura sagittalis
  • Flexible head and ears, plus arms and legs that can be freely bent into any position
  • 15cm oral opening running from the mouth to the stomach, 5cm nasal opening from the nostrils to the larynx
  • Detachable umbilical cord
  • Includes scrotum with testes and anal canal

Another option for basic baby care is the SOMSO® MO74/E Doll for Baby Care. This offers a more cost effective solution for the teaching of infant handling techniques such as bathing and dressing.

Our full range of baby dolls includes male and female models in various skin tones.

AK113A Breastfeeding Simulation Set – Wearables/Hybrid Simulation

This Koken, wearable, hybrid-simulation model helps teach good breastfeeding techniques to both healthcare professionals and new or expectant parents.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding will save more lives of babies and children than any other single preventive intervention. The WHO says breastfed children have fewer childhood infections and chronic diseases and recommends it is initiated within one hour of birth.

This highlights the important part that midwives and health visitors can play in understanding breastfeeding, and their ability to confidently support new mothers, while demonstrating knowledge and patience.

Additional features

  • Includes harness, air pump, baby powder, protective board, breast bag (right and left)
  • The baby is not included, but the supplied latch-on mask is designed for use with any Koken baby (AK026G, AK026M and AK082)
  • Observation and practice of nipple and breast care
  • Simulation of breast engorgement to assist in recognising and treating the condition
  • Also allows for practice of the ‘hands off’ approach to breastfeeding

AK055 Puerperal Uterus Palpation Training Mode

From the collection of Koken maternity models  this is ideal for training palpation and measurement of the abdominal area after birth.

It is ideal for recognising the stages of uterus recovery throughout a week on the first, third and fifth day. Using the four supplied uterus models Uterus Involution can easily be identified and compared by palpation.

The abdomen is constructed of a lifelike silicone material which allows for realistic identification of the fundus uteri. The model is ideal for demonstrating care and cleaning of the vulva and massage of the uterus.

For more information about our maternity models and simulators, please contact the Adam,Rouilly Sales Team, who can advise on the best items for specific courses and qualifications, and help design simulation suites for medical education.