Dr Rachel Reed
midwife • author • presenter • researcher
Email Subscription
Newsletter
Book
Book
Facebook Page
Instagram
An OP position is not wrong or a problem. It is not caused by anything the woman does or does not do. Instead, it is a common variation that occurs when a baby gets into the ‘optimal position’ for their journey through their mother’s unique body. After all, the baby has more knowledge about the interior of their mother’s pelvis than we do.Our resident Snoot (or one of a few - I can’t tell)In the 1930's Caldwell-Moloy classified the female pelvis into four types – gynaecoid, anthropoid, platypelloid and android. This nonsense is still taught to care providers and parents. More recently a study by Kuliukas et al. (2015) analysed 64 women's pelvises. They concluded that '…there was no obvious clustering into the four distinct types of pelvis (gynaecoid, anthropoid, android and platypelloid) in the Caldwell-Moloy classification, but rather an amorphous, cloudy continuum of shape variation.'An understanding of physiology should underpin any 'practice' or childbirth education. We need to reclaim birth knowledge rather than reinforce and sustain misconceptions created during the medicalisation of women's bodies. It doesn't matter if the information is transmitted via a diagram or a model (plastic or wooden) - it is incorrect.This happened on Amazon Australia 😁 I don't understand the algorithyms and it doesn't stay there long so I thought I'd better capture it. If you still haven't got your copy see the link in my bio. Also - lovely reviews are always welcome. They do something to the algorithyms apparently and help people find the book.Research, guidelines, policies and law will not change practice until the underlying birth culture and beliefs change.
Archived by the National Library of Australia and Partners
-
Recent Posts
Top Posts
- In Celebration of the OP Baby
- The Anterior Cervical Lip: how to ruin a perfectly good birth
- Amniotic Fluid Volume: too much, too little, or who knows?
- The Curse of Meconium Stained Liquor
- Gestational Diabetes: beyond the label
- Big Babies: the risk of care provider fear
- Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks
- VBAC: making a mountain out of a molehill
- Induction: a step by step guide
- Shoulder Dystocia: the real story
Tag Archives: oxytocin
Understanding and Assessing Labour Progress
Updated: October 2019 I have previously written about how the current framework for understanding and assessing labour progress is inaccurate, not supported by evidence, and fails to incorporate women’s experience of birth. This post is in response to readers asking … Continue reading
Posted in birth, midwifery practice
Tagged birth, contractions, labour pattern, oxytocin, pushing
15 Comments
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
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
An actively managed placental birth might be the best option for most women
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 intervention, oxytocin, pitocin, placenta, syntocinon
294 Comments
The Assessment of Progress
Links updated: August 2019 This article was written for AIMS Journal (2011, vol. 23, no. 2) and expands on my previous post about my New Years resolution – which by the way I have kept. AIMS have kindly allowed me … Continue reading
Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice, publications
Tagged ARM, augmentation, birth, contractions, labour pattern, oxytocin, pushing, syntocinon
97 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
