Dr Rachel Reed
midwife, lecturer and birth nerd-
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
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Recent Posts
- Responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship
- Supporting women’s instinctive pushing behaviour during birth
- Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture
- The Human Microbiome: considerations for pregnancy, birth and early mothering
- The Future of Midwifery and Homebirth in Australia?
Categories
Tags
ACM AHPRA amniotic fluid amniotic sac ARM asynclitism augmentation auscultation Australia baby behaviour birth blame blood tests caesarean caul cervical lip cervix choice complication consent contractions cord blood cultural norms documentation doppler episiotomy ethics fear guest post heart rate homebirth hypnobirthing induction information giving intervention judgement labour pattern law meconium medical paradigm microbiome midwifery midwifery practices negligence nuchal cord occipito-posterior OP optimal fetal positioning oxytocin perineum phd pinnard pitocin placenta positions pregnancy prelabour rupture of membrances pushing research resuscitation risk screening shoulder dystocia stages of labour stem cells syntocinon testing trauma ultrasound umbilical cord uterine rupture vbac water waterbirthTop Posts
- In Defence of the Amniotic Sac
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Induction: a step by step guide
- Guest post: when birth is trauma
- Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
- Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
- In Celebration of the OP Baby
Category Archives: midwifery practice
Responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship
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 can become confusing. … Continue reading
Posted in law, midwifery practice, opinion and thoughts, uncategorized
Tagged information giving, law, risk
29 Comments
Supporting women’s instinctive pushing behaviour during birth
This article was published in The Practising Midwife journal in June 2015 along with ‘practice challenge’ questions for midwives (not included here). Introduction Clinical guidelines recommend that women should be guided by their own pushing urges during birth (National Institute for Health … Continue reading
Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture
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
The Human Microbiome: considerations for pregnancy, birth and early mothering
Updated and edited: April 2016 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 … 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
112 Comments
The Future of Midwifery and Homebirth in Australia?
Updated: June 2016 A lot of changes have occurred in Australian midwifery over the last few years, and I think many midwives and women are unsure or confused by them. I am going to attempt to make a clear and coherent summary … Continue reading
Posted in midwifery practice, opinion and thoughts
Tagged AHPRA, Australia, homebirth, law, midwifery
98 Comments
Midwifery Practice During Birth: rites of passage and rites of protection
Finally I have completed my Phd! It took me six years – the last two mostly writing… and writing… and rewriting. Entire chapters did not make the final ‘cut’. There is so much more I wanted to say (and did) … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, cultural norms, medical paradigm, midwifery, midwifery practices, phd, research
63 Comments
Early Labour and Mixed Messages
Edited and updated: November 2013 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 … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, uncategorized
Tagged birth, intervention, labour pattern
126 Comments
