Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • author • educator • researcher
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And whether a baby over 4kg is a problem anyway is a whole other issue (and blog post).My fail at filming a big male wallaby (he is good at hiding). We usually only see the mamas and joeys on the property.Many modern maternity practices work against physiology. Activating the neocortex with questions or directions can interfere with the separating and settling needed to move into 'established' labour (liminality).https://midwifethinking.com/2015/05/13/nuchal-cords/Home. Flooded in again. 😬Fascinating Physiology Fact-
Recent Posts
Top Posts
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- In Celebration of the OP Baby
- Supporting women's instinctive pushing behaviour during birth
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
- An actively managed placenta may be the best option for most women
Tag Archives: intervention
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
In Celebration of the OP Baby
Updated: February 2022 How many times have you heard “I had to have an epidural/c-section/ventouse/etc. because my baby was facing the wrong way”? An occipito posterior (OP) position occurs when the baby enters the pelvis facing forward with their back … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, blame, cervix, intervention, labour pattern, occipito-posterior, OP, optimal fetal positioning, positions
212 Comments
The Placenta: essential resuscitation equipment
Updated: September 2019 The common practice of premature cord clamping has been challenged in recent years due to a greater understanding of how this intervention disrupts the physiology of placental transfusion (Mercer & Skovgaard 2002). Premature cord clamping results in … Continue reading
Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged ARM, baby, birth, heart rate, intervention, nuchal cord, placenta, resuscitation, syntocinon, umbilical cord
115 Comments
In Defence of the Amniotic Sac
Updated: May 2022 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. … 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
Asynclitism: a well aligned baby or a tilted head?
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 to one side … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged asynclitism, birth, intervention, labour pattern
124 Comments
Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
Updated: August 2019 There is a lot of unwarranted fear about ‘big babies’ getting stuck. The media reflects the usual story – that women are creating a problem that doctors have to fix. The incidence of shoulder dystocia does increase … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, complication, intervention, positions, risk, shoulder dystocia
196 Comments
Vaginal examinations: a symptom of a cervical-centric birth culture
Updated: January 2019 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 … Continue reading
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
169 Comments