Tag Archives: risk

Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk

Posted on January 11, 2017 by

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 by using prostaglandins … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 220 Comments

Induction of Labour: balancing risks

Posted on July 13, 2016 by

In Australia 26% of labours are induced. The most common reason for induction is a ‘prolonged pregnancy’. That’s an awful lot of babies outstaying their welcome and requiring eviction. I am not going to get stuck into the concept of a … Continue reading →

Posted in baby, birth, intervention | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 252 Comments

Responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship

Posted on June 28, 2016 by

When I facilitate workshops with midwives and students, there is always a lot of discussion and debate about professional responsibilities in the mother-midwife relationship. These debates often get heated, and the complexities of legal, professional, and ethical issues can become confusing. … Continue reading →

Posted in law, midwifery practice, opinion and thoughts, uncategorized | Tagged , , | 29 Comments

Information Giving and the Law

Posted on June 15, 2016 by

I was writing a blog post on induction for prolonged pregnancy but got side tracked reflecting on a recent study day I attended about law. So, I will get this out of my system before finishing the induction post. It … Continue reading →

Posted in law, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , | 48 Comments

Shoulder Dystocia: the real story

Posted on May 13, 2015 by

The media have been reporting on shoulder dystocia. Apparently doctors are having to attend special classes to learn how to break babies’ bones because mothers are fat, and make their babies too big. At least that’s the story – women … Continue reading →

Posted in birth, intervention, midwifery practice | Tagged , , , , , | 182 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 , , , , , , , | 151 Comments