Tag Archives: syntocinon

Pre-labour Rupture of Membranes: impatience and risk

Posted on January 11, 2017 by MidwifeThinking

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 →

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Post-Dates Induction of Labour: balancing risks

Posted on July 13, 2016 by MidwifeThinking

Updated: August 2019 In Australia 33% of labours are induced (40.5% of first time mothers). The most common reason for induction is to prevent a ‘prolonged pregnancy’. That’s an awful lot of babies outstaying their welcome and requiring eviction. I am … Continue reading →

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The Placenta: essential resuscitation equipment

Posted on April 13, 2016 by MidwifeThinking

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 →

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In Defence of the Amniotic Sac

Posted on September 16, 2015 by MidwifeThinking

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. Women need to … Continue reading →

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Induction: a step by step guide

Posted on March 18, 2015 by MidwifeThinking

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 →

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An actively managed placenta may be the best option for most women

Posted on March 11, 2015 by MidwifeThinking

Updated: December 2021 The birth of the placenta is my least favourite part of the birth process. Hopefully writing this blog post will be therapeutic as well as informative. I am going to refrain from referring to the birth of … Continue reading →

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

Posted on August 14, 2013 by MidwifeThinking

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

The Assessment of Progress

Posted on September 14, 2011 by MidwifeThinking

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 →

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The Effective Labour Contraction

Posted on August 18, 2010 by MidwifeThinking

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 , , , , , , | 105 Comments