Dr Rachel Reed
midwife, senior lecturer, writer, presenter and birth nerd-
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
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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
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture
- Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
- The Effective Labour Contraction
- Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
- The Assessment of Progress
Tag Archives: baby
Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
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 by using prostaglandins … 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
218 Comments
The Placenta: essential resuscitation equipment
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 personally don’t … 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
Cord Blood Collection: confessions of a vampire-midwife
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 District was trialling a … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention
Tagged baby, cord blood, information giving, law, placenta, stem cells
173 Comments
Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
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 about this topic … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged baby, birth, nuchal cord, umbilical cord
319 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
186 Comments
Listening to Baby During Labour
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 frequency of IA is generally … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, midwifery practice
Tagged auscultation, baby, birth, doppler, heart rate, pinnard, pushing
21 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
98 Comments
