Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • author • presenter • researcher
Email Subscription
Newsletter
Book
Book
Facebook Page
Instagram
I'm having an intermission for week or two. In the meantime you can contact me via email or my website (link in bio).The audiobook version of Why Induction Matters is now available from Audible and iTunes Books.One of my mottos cross-stitched in cat font. What a perfect gift @drsarawickhamLet's face it, we all have egos and some of us like to be needed. As careproviders we must keep an eye on ourselves and our actions/agendas. A woman's birth is her rite of passage. It is not an opportunity for us to meet the needs of our ego, or worse use for self-promotion.Old black cat was not cooperating with the photoshoot - apologies @drsarawickham.Missing my partner in (thought) crime @midwife.dr.clare. So happy we got to hang out before lockdown and quarantine. Photos = Clare being impressed with my trot-stumble route but unimpressed with my pace. She went for a 'proper run' the next day. + Noosa National Park after I trapped her finger in the car door to slow her down.
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
-
Recent Posts
Top Posts
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- In Celebration of the OP Baby
- Supporting women's instinctive pushing behaviour during birth
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- Nuchal Cords: the perfect scapegoat
- Induction: a step by step guide
Tag Archives: contractions
Understanding and Assessing Labour Progress
Updated: October 2019 I have previously written about how the current framework for understanding and assessing labour progress is inaccurate, not supported by evidence, and fails to incorporate women’s experience of birth. This post is in response to readers asking … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, contractions, labour pattern, oxytocin, pushing
15 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
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
Feel the Fear and Birth Anyway
This is just a little post to ease me back into the blogging world (thesis finally submitted). As usual, the content is in response to a reoccurring issue and discussions with mothers and midwives. And I welcome your experiences and comments … Continue reading
The Assessment of Progress
Links updated: August 2019 This article was written for AIMS Journal (2011, vol. 23, no. 2) and expands on my previous post about my New Years resolution – which by the way I have kept. AIMS have kindly allowed me … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, publications
Tagged ARM, augmentation, birth, contractions, labour pattern, oxytocin, pushing, syntocinon
97 Comments
The Effective Labour Contraction
One of my failings as a midwife is my inability to assess the strength and effectiveness of a uterine contraction. This presents a problem in the hospital setting as midwives are often asked ‘how strong are her contractions?’ or ‘is … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged contractions, heart rate, induction, labour pattern, oxytocin, pitocin, syntocinon
105 Comments
