Category Archives: birth

Shoulder Dystocia: the real story

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

The media have been reporting on shoulder dystocia. Apparently doctors are having to attend special classes to learn how to break babies’ bones because mothers are fat, and make their babies too big. At least that’s the story – women … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , | 182 Comments

Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

To get this blog going I decided to write about a slight obsession of mine: The fear of, and routine midwifery management of nuchal cords at birth (umbilical cord around the neck). I have written and presented about this topic … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , | 321 Comments

Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture

Posted on May 2, 2015 by

This post is about routine vaginal examinations (VE) during physiological birth ie. an uncomplicated birth without any medical intervention. The VE is a useful assessment in some circumstances, but it’s routine use in an attempt to determine labour progress is … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , | 89 Comments

Induction: a step by step guide

Posted on March 18, 2015 by

This post has been inspired by conversations I’ve had with women about their experiences of induction. Induction of labour is increasingly common, yet women often seem to be very mis-informed about what it involves, or what was done to them … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , , , | 165 Comments

An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women

Posted on March 11, 2015 by

The birth of the placenta is my least favourite part of the birth process. I know I have ‘issues’ and I’m working on them. Hopefully writing this blog post will be therapeutic as well as informative. I am going to … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , | 272 Comments

The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor

Posted on January 14, 2015 by

When meconium is noticed in amniotic fluid during labour it often initiates a cascade of intervention. A CTG machine will often be strapped onto the woman reducing her ability to move, labour in water, and increasing her chance of having … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , | 186 Comments

Pushing: leave it to the experts

Posted on April 16, 2014 by

A birthing woman is the expert regarding when and how she pushes. Providing directions implies she needs our guidance and we are the experts. Of course each woman and birth situation is different and in some circumstances guidance may be … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , | 116 Comments