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 , , | 89 Comments

Induction: a step by step guide

Posted on March 18, 2015 by

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 done to them … Continue reading →

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

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

Posted on March 11, 2015 by

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 going to … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , | 272 Comments

The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor

Posted on January 14, 2015 by

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 , , , , | 186 Comments

Early Labour and Mixed Messages

Posted on November 13, 2013 by

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 of the birth process being broken … Continue reading →

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

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

Posted on August 14, 2013 by

Updated: June 2018 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 , , , , , , , | 151 Comments

Birth from the Baby’s Perspective

Posted on March 13, 2013 by

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 , , , | 98 Comments