Tag Archives: contractions

The Assessment of Progress

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

This article was written for AIMS Journal (2011, vol. 23, no. 2) and expands on my previous post about my New Years resolution – which by the way I have kept. AIMS have kindly allowed me to reproduce the article … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk

Posted on September 10, 2010 by

Most women experience their waters breaking towards the end of labour. However, for a significant minority their waters break before labour begins. The standard approach to this situation is to augment labour by using prostaglandins and/or syntocinon aka pitocin to … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 56 Comments

In Defence of the Amniotic Sac

Posted on August 20, 2010 by

Artificial rupture of membranes (ARM) aka ‘breaking the waters’ is a common intervention during birth. However, an ARM should not be carried out without a good understanding of how the amniotic sac and fluid function in labour. Women need to … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 85 Comments

The Effective Labour Contraction

Posted on August 18, 2010 by

One of my failings as a midwife is my inability to assess the strength and effectiveness of a uterine contraction. This presents a problem in the hospital setting as midwives are often asked ‘how strong are her contractions?’ or ‘is … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , , | 45 Comments