Tag Archives: intervention

Shoulder Dystocia: the real story

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

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 , , , , , | 191 Comments

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

Posted on May 2, 2015 by

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 →

Posted in birth, midwifery practice | Tagged , , | 104 Comments

Induction: a step by step guide

Posted on March 18, 2015 by

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 , , , , , , | 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 , , , , | 286 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 , , , , | 201 Comments

Early Labour and Mixed Messages

Posted on November 13, 2013 by

Updated: October 2019 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, uncategorized | Tagged , , | 133 Comments

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

Posted on August 14, 2013 by

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 , , , , , , , | 157 Comments