Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • author • educator • researcher
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A re-introduction for my new followers, where I blow my own trumpet again (same tune) 🧐😂Thanks for the feedback Charlotte 😊🙏Updated post: https://midwifethinking.com/2015/09/16/in-defence-of-the-amniotic-sac/#reclaimingchildbirth #ritesofpassage #bookstagram #midwifethinking #rachelreed #midwife #midwifery #doula #birthdoula #studentmidwife #childbirtheducation #childbirthThe cervical ‘os’ (opening) tucked at the back of the vagina in early labour and opens forward. At some point in labour almost every woman will have an anterior lip because this is the last part of the cervix to be pulled up over the baby’s head. Whether this lip is detected depends on whether/when a vaginal examination is done. A posterior lip is almost unheard of because this part of the cervix disappears first. Or rather it becomes difficult to reach with fingers first.Clitoracy is an important aspect of understanding birth physiology. I broke my clitoris when filming my online course. The real clitoris is well protected and anchored within the pelvis. Want to know more about this marvellous organ and get clitorate? Join my online course
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
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Recent Posts
Top Posts
- Birth from the Baby's Perspective
- Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Pushing: leave it to the experts
- An actively managed placenta may be the best option for most women
Author Archives: MidwifeThinking
Responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship
Updated: April 2020 When I facilitate workshops with midwives and students, there is always a lot of discussion and debate about professional responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship. These debates often get heated, and the complexities of legal, professional, and ethical issues … Continue reading
Posted in law, midwifery practice, opinion and thoughts, uncategorized
Tagged information giving, law, risk
29 Comments
The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
Updated: February 2022 Here is a scenario I keep hearing over and over: A woman is labouring away and all is good. She begins to push with contractions, and her midwife encourages her to follow her body. After a little … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, cervical lip, cervix, occipito-posterior, OP, pushing
443 Comments
VBAC: making a mountain out of a molehill
VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) is big. A google search for ‘vbac’ results in ‘about 795,000’ results. Reviews, guidelines, policies and statements are being produced by every organisation with an interest in birth. Support groups and networks are growing. I am … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, caesarean, uterine rupture, vbac
347 Comments
In Celebration of the OP Baby
Updated: February 2022 How many times have you heard “I had to have an epidural/c-section/ventouse/etc. because my baby was facing the wrong way”? An occipito posterior (OP) position occurs when the baby enters the pelvis facing forward with their back … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, blame, cervix, intervention, labour pattern, occipito-posterior, OP, optimal fetal positioning, positions
214 Comments
The Placenta: essential resuscitation equipment
Updated: September 2019 The common practice of premature cord clamping has been challenged in recent years due to a greater understanding of how this intervention disrupts the physiology of placental transfusion (Mercer & Skovgaard 2002). Premature cord clamping results in … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged ARM, baby, birth, heart rate, intervention, nuchal cord, placenta, resuscitation, syntocinon, umbilical cord
115 Comments
The Human Microbiome: considerations for pregnancy, birth and early mothering
This post was co-authored by Jessie Johnson-Cash and based on her presentation at the USC Midwifery Education Day. The human microbiome is rather fashionable in the world of science at the moment. The NIH Human Microbiome Project has been set up to … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, midwifery practice, pregnancy
Tagged birth, breastfeeding, Chris Kresser, gut bacteria, gut microbiota, human microbiome, microbiome, nutrition, pregnancy, probiotic, stress
119 Comments
Perineal Protectors?
Updated: September 2019 Most women will sustain some damage to their perineum during birth (AIHW 2018). Around 50% will have a tear or graze in the skin and/or vaginal wall (1st / 2nd degree). Occasionally (1% of non-instrumental vaginal births) … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, episiotomy, perineum, positions, pushing, water
109 Comments
In Defence of the Amniotic Sac
Updated: May 2022 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. … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged amniotic fluid, amniotic sac, ARM, birth, caul, contractions, heart rate, induction, intervention, syntocinon, waterbirth
224 Comments