In a slight departure from normal programming, I’m tackling perineal trauma today. This is a topic I have posted about before (like this, this, and this), and have contributed to research in this area (Allen, Small, & Lee, 2022). A bit of background In the birth-world, the term perineum is generally used to mean the area between the back of the vagina and in front of the anus (back passage). […]
Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (or HIE) is a condition affecting newborn infants. As the name suggests, it relates to low oxygen supply (hypoxia), and / or reduced blood flow (ischaemia) causing damage (-pathy) to the brain (encephalo-). Other parts of the body might also show signs of damage from low oxygen, like the kidneys or the gut. It is diagnosed when there is a combination of high acid levels in umbilical […]
I have a love-hate relationship with birth plans (by any name). Progressive standardisation of care means a woman entering maternity care systems risk being swept along with the current, her body being used to meet the organisation’s goals and priorities, not her own. Women who dare to hope for something different might be told they have “unrealistic expectations of the control they will have over the experience”, as the New […]
While last week’s post questioned whether we should be doing antenatal CTGs at all, this week’s post explores the positive impact of a shift from referring women into obstetric care for antenatal CTG monitoring to providing this in primary midwife-led care. Maternity care in the Netherlands The Netherlands offers a very different approach to maternity care than most other high income countries. Midwifery care is very much accepted and supported […]
Birth Small Talk 