Category Archives: birth

Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear

Posted on September 2, 2019 by

Big babies are normal in well resourced countries. Over 10% of babies born in the UK and Australia weigh 4kg (8lb 13oz) or more. Healthy well nourished women grow healthy well nourished babies. Genetic factors also influence the size of … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy, uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Birthing the Placenta: women’s decisions and experiences

Posted on April 30, 2019 by

We have just published new research findings. You can access the full journal article free here: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth There has been a lot of research exploring the outcomes related to interventions during the birth of the placenta. I … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice, publications | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Perineal ‘Bundles’ and Midwifery

Posted on May 9, 2018 by

Updated: August 2020 I’ve tried to avoid tackling this issue for months now but it won’t go away. It seems that the ‘bundle’ is one of the main topics of concern amongst midwives and students at the moment. So here … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, law, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments

Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label

Posted on March 20, 2018 by

Updated: August 2019 I have written this blog post in response to readers’ requests. Trying to make sense of the research and guidelines hurt my brain, and I almost gave up a few times. So, for those who asked – I … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, pregnancy | 42 Comments

Understanding and Assessing Labour Progress

Posted on February 3, 2017 by

Updated: October 2019 I have previously written about how the current framework for understanding and assessing labour progress is inaccurate, not supported by evidence, and fails to incorporate women’s experience of birth. This post is in response to readers asking … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Childbirth Trauma: research findings

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

A big THANK YOU  to all the women and men who shared their experiences of traumatic childbirth for Christian Inglis’ Honours study. There was so much data that Christian chose to focus on paternal mental health for his thesis and publication. Later … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice, publications | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

Updated: July 2019 Amniotic sac and fluid play an important role in the labour process and usually remain intact until the end of labour. However, around 10% of women will experience their waters breaking before labour begins. The standard approach to this situation is to induce labour … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 227 Comments

Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks

Posted on July 13, 2016 by

Updated: August 2019 In Australia 33% of labours are induced (40.5% of first time mothers). The most common reason for induction is to prevent a ‘prolonged pregnancy’. That’s an awful lot of babies outstaying their welcome and requiring eviction. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 263 Comments

The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth

Posted on June 15, 2016 by

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 while the midwife … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , | 439 Comments

VBAC: making a mountain out of a molehill

Posted on June 15, 2016 by

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 , , , | 345 Comments