You're listening to the Happy Homebirth Podcast, Episode 104
Today's guest: Dr Rachel Reed is a midwife, academic, author, and international speaker who focuses on childbirth physiology, midwifery practice, and women's rights (and rites). She has provided midwifery care for many women and has attended births in a wide range of settings and circumstances. Rachel is the author of the award-winning blog MidwifeThinking and the co-host of The Midwives' Cauldron podcast. She has published widely in journals and magazines, and her first book Why Induction Matters is a popular resource for women and care providers. Her most recent book Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage: weaving ancient wisdom with modern knowledge will be published early 2021. Further information about Rachel and her work is available at www.rachel-reed.website. and….she’s just delightful.
I find myself getting sucked into her blog archives for hours at a time, and for today’s episode I decided to ask her about several topics that she covers quite wonderfully there. I know you’re going to deeply enjoy this episode. With that, let’s jump in!
Show Notes:
Big Babies
Most women having homebirth in Australia have “big” babies, and they’re not scary.
In hospital, however, it can be a different story. If a doctor diagnoses a mother with a “big baby” on ultrasound, it can begin to cause stress and fear for her.
Dr. Reed mentions that the research does not separate healthy, normal big babies from those whose mothers have gestational diabetes. These babies tend to have bigger shoulders and can have more difficulty coming out (though most of them come out just fine, too).
“Big babies don’t scare me, but what people do about big babies does scare me.”
Women who are told they have a big baby: C sections, tearing, poorer outcomes are more likely— so it’s the outside causing the problem.
A care provider’s fear of the big baby can cause many of the interventions
Gestational Diabetes as a label— fairly nonsensical
If there are abnormally high blood glucose levels circulating, that does impact the baby and potentially the birth. However, the blood glucose levels being used are not evidence-based
In Australia, around 17% of women are now labeled as a gestational diabetic.
When Dr. Reed was training, we only tested those who had risk factors.
The issues with challenge tests: it’s an abnormal test— many pregnant women are not drinking sugary drinks, so the tests results can be very off.
VBAC- Mountain or Molehill?
Is this as dangerous as the medical community seems to happen?
Research related to this is mixed with those who are having inductions and those who are not— when we remove those who are having inductions, we see the already small number of issues become all the smaller.
Statistically a
Ep 83: Graduation and a Baby!
Ep 82: The Business of Midwifery
Ep 81: Bonding Interrupted: A Mother’s Persevering Love
Ep 80: A Sister's Virtual Birth Support During Covid-19
Ep 79: Plus Size Does Not Equal High Risk
Ep 78: Why Healing Your Pelvic Floor Matters!
Ep 77: Accepting the Realities of Birth
Ep 76: When Braxton Hicks Visits Too Early
Ep 75: Recovering After a Careless Care Provider
Ep 74: The Power of Preparing for Birth
Ep 73: Emily Catches Her Own Baby
Ep 72: Student Success Story- Amy's Mindful Birth
Ep 71: From 3 Inductions to a Beautiful Homebirth
Ep 70: Homebirth on the School Bus
Ep 69: Oxytocin Changes Everything
Ep 68: The Mysteriously Missed Birth
Ep 67: Real Food for Pregnancy (And Postpartum!) with Lily Nichols
Ep 66: Drawing Strength From a Community of Women
Ep 65: Birth After Loss: Coping with Grief, Hormones and Helping Other Mothers
Ep 64: How Did We Get Here?! The History of U.S. Maternity Care
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