Tag Archives: intervention

Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture

Posted on May 2, 2015 by

This post is about routine vaginal examinations (VE) during physiological birth ie. an uncomplicated birth without any medical intervention. The VE is a useful assessment in some circumstances, but it’s routine use in an attempt to determine labour progress is … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , | 87 Comments

Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by

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 and Ross (2011), … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, pregnancy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 149 Comments

Early Labour and Mixed Messages

Posted on September 22, 2012 by

Edited and updated: November 2013 This post is about early labour and the mixed messages women are given about this important part of the birthing process. Defining the indefinable The concept of ‘early’ or ‘latent’ labour emerged as a result … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, uncategorized | Tagged , , | 126 Comments

An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women

Posted on May 5, 2012 by

Updated: March 2015 The birth of the placenta is my least favourite part of the birth process. I know I have ‘issues’ and I’m working on them. Hopefully writing this blog post will be therapeutic as well as informative. I am … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , | 268 Comments

Asynclitism: a well aligned baby or a tilted head?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Edited/Updated: September 2015 Asynclitism is when the baby’s head is moving through the pelvis ‘tipped’ to one side. This is usually diagnosed by a vaginal examination in labour. However, asynclitism is rarely caused by the baby having his/her head tilted … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , | 107 Comments

Induction: a step by step guide

Posted on July 17, 2011 by

Updated and edited: March 2015 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , , , | 165 Comments

Guest post: when birth is trauma

Posted on May 13, 2011 by

This is a guest post by Elizabeth Ford who is based in the UK so is writing from a UK perspective. Elizabeth explored birth trauma for her PhD and generously agreed to write a post for MidwifeThinking. There are lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, guest post, intervention, law | Tagged , , , , | 66 Comments