Pioneering midwife Chloe Fisher dies aged 94

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 13:02 · Archive

Chloe Fisher, an internationally renowned breastfeeding expert and pioneering midwife, has died aged 94.

Monica Chloe Ruth Fisher MBE, an internationally respected midwife and breastfeeding advocate, died aged 94 at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on 5 October. Born in Oxford on 3 April 1932, she was the eldest of four children of Dr Mary Fisher, an Oxford doctor, and Professor R. B. "David" Fisher.

She qualified as a midwife in 1956 after training as a nursery nurse and was inspired to change careers after witnessing a birth. She chose community practice in Oxford, attending women giving birth at home. By the early 1970s she had delivered more than 1,000 babies. From 1966 she worked in Oxford's general-practitioner maternity service and in 1976 became Nursing Officer for the Central Oxford Community Midwifery Service.

Fisher championed an approach to infant feeding that was revolutionary for her time. At a time when hospitals often separated newborn babies from their mothers and imposed strict feeding schedules, she argued that babies should be kept close and allowed to feed according to their needs. Her approach combined scientific evidence with close observation and practical support. As she said: 'My real love is getting mothers and babies together. This is the basis for all my work as a midwife.' In 1974 she helped establish the Oxford Human Milk Bank, providing donated breast milk for babies who needed it, and remained closely involved until 1997.

How it is being reported

• Pioneering midwife Chloe Fisher was renowned expert on breastfeedingA pioneering midwife who devoted more than half a century to improving the care of mother and babies has died aged 94Oxfordshire Guardian · 16 Oct, 12:30
• Pioneering midwife Chloe Fisher was renowned expert on breastfeedingA pioneering midwife who devoted more than half a century to improving the care of mother and babies has died aged 94Oxford Mail · 16 Oct, 12:30

In this story: Chloe Fisher · Oxford · John Radcliffe Hospital · Oxford Human Milk Bank

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem