When did a Breech Baby stop being just a variation on Normal? I remember, as a student midwife, sitting in a lecture being taught the mechanics of a breech birth by a lovely Obstetrician. Vaginal Breech Birth was definitely being presented as just a variation on...
When I found out I was pregnant with my 4th child, it was quite a shock. My other children were 13, 9 and 7 and I thought I was well and truly out of the baby zone. I had also never imagined I would be a mother of 4! But after the initial shock wore off, I was really...
Really? Are Labour Pains Mainly in the Brain? We know that people have different “pain thresholds”. And the more I learn about pain the more I realise that “Pain is mainly in the brain”. Think about Phantom Pain, feeling pain in a limb that actually isn’t there. So...
So you been put on Bed Rest During Pregnancy. How’s that going? A couple of things have inspired me to write this blog. Firstly, a colleague asked me to write a few words on the importance of relaxation during pregnancy for her eBook. As all of my clients know,...
I was just asked to comment on the issue of vaccinations after the tragic whooping cough death of Riley Hughes here in Perth. Those of you who follow my blog know I am all about choice, informed choice. I don’t want to start an argument but if all those people...
Last night I was listening to the BBC World Service (as I do) ,and heard this segment on the “Nocebo Effect” and I nearly jumped out of bed to write this blog then and there. I highly recommend that you listen to this and then get your care provider to listen to it...
I recently attended a midwifery study day on the very glamorous topic of “Continence Promotion”. And while I sat there practising pelvis floor exercises until my eyes watered, I just kept thinking this is something I need to start talking about again in my...
I just listen to a great webinar from the Building Better Babies Summit. It was titled ‘Routine Interventions in Childbirth’ and was by Dr Rachel Reed. It was so good I thought I would summarise it (and add my own thoughts) here. Dr Reed points out that...
Here is a recent interview I did with Paul Murray on 6PR because of the spotlight on home birth in Perth. With the current Coroner’s Inquest into 3 home birth deaths in Perth we are bound to hear people arguing how risky home births are. Home births are not inherently...
I was recently interviewed On the Nine Today Perth Show. The 3 minutes wasn’t really enough to say everything I wanted to say about the importance of Fathers to be, so here are some more thoughts. Nature wants newborn babies to have two carers, so she pumps...