Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • author • presenter • researcher
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An understanding of physiology should underpin any 'practice' or childbirth education. We need to reclaim birth knowledge rather than reinforce and sustain misconceptions created during the medicalisation of women's bodies. It doesn't matter if the information is transmitted via a diagram or a model (plastic or wooden) - it is incorrect.This happened on Amazon Australia 😁 I don't understand the algorithyms and it doesn't stay there long so I thought I'd better capture it. If you still haven't got your copy see the link in my bio. Also - lovely reviews are always welcome. They do something to the algorithyms apparently and help people find the book.Research, guidelines, policies and law will not change practice until the underlying birth culture and beliefs change.A big thank you to the attendees of the first Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage Workshop. Also big love to Ma'et and Meg from @ittakesavillagemidwifery for hosting us in their beautiful space (and for the cheese and non-papaya fruit). Gold Coast next with @meaghan_amor_ (info in my bio link).A suspected 'big' baby is often used as an excuse to induce labour. However, what is usually not discussed is that: 1. ultrasound cannot accurately estimate the size of a baby and 2. guidelines do not recommend induction for a suspected large baby. See my blog post for more information and links to the research and/or my book on induction (links in bio)Undoing, dissolution, decomposition are accompanied by the processes of growth, transformation, and the reformulation of old elements in new patterns. — Victor Turner
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Recent Posts
Top Posts
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
- Perineal 'Bundles' and Midwifery
- Supporting women's instinctive pushing behaviour during birth
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- Induction: a step by step guide
Tag Archives: amniotic fluid
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
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy
Tagged amniotic fluid, amniotic sac, augmentation, baby, birth, contractions, induction, nuchal cord, oxytocin, prelabour rupture of membrances, risk, syntocinon, waterbirth
229 Comments
In Defence of the Amniotic Sac
Artificial rupture of membranes (ARM) aka ‘breaking the waters’ is a common intervention during birth. However, an ARM should not be carried out without a good understanding of how the amniotic sac and fluid function in labour. Women need to … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged amniotic fluid, amniotic sac, ARM, birth, caul, contractions, heart rate, induction, intervention, syntocinon, waterbirth
224 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
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
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
