Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • academic • writer • presenter
Email Subscription
Newsletter
Sign up for a monthly newsletter
Book
Book
Facebook Page
Instagram
No one except the mother can assess the strength or effectiveness of a contraction. Physiology can be disrupted by unnecessary 'palpating' of contractions. Stop belly-bothering women during labour.I have been getting some very positive and heartwarming feedback about my book on the socials, via email and face-to-face. Thank you! I would really, really appreciate some reviews on Goodreads and/or online bookstores because this helps others find the book and know whether it is worth a read.CHAPTER 5 PREPARATION: However, it can be helpful to have a 'map' of the institution you plan to birth in ie. the cultural norms, hierarchies and your rights within that.@little_fox5107 (daughter) reminded me of the Menarche Blanket I made her to welcome her into womanhood a few years back. I think I spent more time unravelling this (and swearing) than I did crocheting it. Luckily I only have one daughter and luckily she’s worth it 🤣 #menarche #crochet #ritesofpassage #grumpycatFor millennia women have been socialised to accommodate and 'be nice' rather than mobilise against our oppression. We have been turned against each other to redirect our energy away from oppressors. It's time to nurture female solidarity.If you are interested in ordering 20+ books at a discount for your organisation or friends - DM me for details.
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
-
Recent Posts
Top Posts
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- Induction: a step by step guide
- Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- VBAC: making a mountain out of a molehill
- Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
Category Archives: intervention
Cord Blood Collection: confessions of a vampire-midwife
Updated: September 2019 When I was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed student midwife I was awarded with a certificate and a box of chocolates. My achievement was collecting the most ‘cord’ blood in the hospital. At that time the Local Health … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, law
Tagged baby, cord blood, ethics, information giving, law, placenta, stem cells
178 Comments
Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
Updated: August 2019 There is a lot of unwarranted fear about ‘big babies’ getting stuck. The media reflects the usual story – that women are creating a problem that doctors have to fix. The incidence of shoulder dystocia does increase … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, complication, intervention, positions, risk, shoulder dystocia
192 Comments
Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
Updated: January 2020 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 … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged baby, birth, nuchal cord, umbilical cord
335 Comments
Induction: a step by step guide
Updated: August 2019 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 … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention
Tagged amniotic fluid, birth, induction, information giving, intervention, oxytocin, syntocinon
168 Comments
An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women
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 intervention, oxytocin, pitocin, placenta, syntocinon
294 Comments
The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
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 amniotic fluid, baby, heart rate, intervention, meconium
202 Comments
Pushing: leave it to the experts
Updated: July 2019 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 … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, cervical lip, cervix, hypnobirthing, pushing
116 Comments
Early Labour and Mixed Messages
Updated: October 2019 This post is about early labour and the mixed messages women are given about this important part of the birthing process. Defining the indefinable The concept of ‘early’ or ‘latent’ labour emerged as a result of the birth … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, uncategorized
Tagged birth, intervention, labour pattern
133 Comments
Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
Updated: December 2017 This post is in response to readers asking me to cover the topic of induction for low amniotic fluid volume (AFV). Most of the content is available in textbooks, in particular Coad and Dunstall 2011 and Beall … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, pregnancy
Tagged amniotic fluid, ARM, birth, induction, intervention, pregnancy, risk, syntocinon
157 Comments
Birth from the Baby’s Perspective
Picture this… A mother sits holding her newborn son on a postnatal ward during visiting time. One of her visitors reaches forward, grasps the baby by the head and pulls him out of his mothers arms leaving him dangling by … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged baby, birth, intervention, pushing
99 Comments
