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
- An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Induction: a step by step guide
- Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
- Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- In Defence of the Amniotic Sac
- Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Asynclitism: a well aligned baby or a tilted head?
Tag Archives: baby
Cord Blood Collection: confessions of a vampire-midwife
Edited/Updated: September 2015 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
Tagged baby, cord blood, information giving, law, placenta, stem cells
171 Comments
The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
Edited and updated: January 2015 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 … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged amniotic fluid, baby, heart rate, intervention, meconium
178 Comments
Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
Edited and updated: November 2015 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 … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged amniotic fluid, amniotic sac, augmentation, baby, birth, contractions, induction, nuchal cord, oxytocin, prelabour rupture of membrances, risk, syntocinon, waterbirth
206 Comments
The Placenta: essential resuscitation equipment
Edited/Updated: April 2016 Knowledge about the short-term and long-term benefits of ‘delayed cord clamping’ is finally making it into practice. Midwives and in some cases obstetricians are realising the importance of allowing the placenta to finish circulating blood before intervening. I … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged ARM, baby, birth, heart rate, intervention, nuchal cord, placenta, resuscitation, syntocinon, umbilical cord
109 Comments
Birth from the Baby’s Perspective
Edited and updated: March 2013 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 … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged baby, birth, intervention, pushing
98 Comments
Listening to Baby During Labour
Edited and updated: August 2013 Intermittent auscultation (IA) is considered to be an important aspect of midwifery care for women during a ‘low risk’ labour. The expectation of surveillance of the baby is reflected in guidelines and hospital policies. The recommended … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, midwifery practice
Tagged auscultation, baby, birth, doppler, heart rate, pinnard, pushing
21 Comments
Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
Edited and updated: May 2015 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 … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged baby, birth, nuchal cord, umbilical cord
319 Comments
