Category Archives: pregnancy

Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear

Updated: June 2023 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 … Continue reading

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy, uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 25 Comments

Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label

Updated: July 2022 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 | 68 Comments

Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk

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

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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

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Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?

Updated: May 2023 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 and I have provided references/links for research where … Continue reading

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Testing, Testing…

From the moment a woman is pregnant she is offered an ever increasing variety of tests. I use the term ‘offered’ despite the reality that the tests are rarely presented as options. When I ask women about the tests they … Continue reading

Posted in intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 37 Comments