Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • academic • writer • presenter
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Some snippets of MIDWIFERY HERSTORY in celebration of International Day of the Midwife:Florence from the @theobspod has a reviewed my book on her latest podcast episode. Reading my book was clearly challenging and confronting for her. I have great respect for how she reflects on the issues I raise and her own sphere of influence. We need more of this listening and reflecting between the various care providers involved in the childbirth rite of passage. Individual care providers don't need to agree on everything and will always see some things differently. However, sharing the intention of centring women is foundation to changing maternity services. Head over to the podcast to listen.This seems to be a popular quote from the book.No one except the mother can assess the strength or effectiveness of a contraction. Physiology can be disrupted by unnecessary 'palpating' of contractions. Stop belly-bothering women during labour.I have been getting some very positive and heartwarming feedback about my book on the socials, via email and face-to-face. Thank you! I would really, really appreciate some reviews on Goodreads and/or online bookstores because this helps others find the book and know whether it is worth a read.CHAPTER 5 PREPARATION: However, it can be helpful to have a 'map' of the institution you plan to birth in ie. the cultural norms, hierarchies and your rights within that.
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Recent Posts
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- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
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- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- In Celebration of the OP Baby
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- Induction: a step by step guide
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- Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk
Tag Archives: induction
Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
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 the size of … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, pregnancy, uncategorized
Tagged baby, caesarean, fear, induction, shoulder dystocia, ultrasound
17 Comments
Why Induction Matters: book release
Updated: July 2019 My book Why Induction Matters is now available from all the usual retailers: Amazon; Book Depository; Booktopia; Capers Bookstore; Wordery Around 1 in 4 women have their labour induced (1 in 3 in the UK and Australia). This book is … Continue reading
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
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
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
103 Comments
