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 23: Believe in Midwifery with Madeline Murray
Ep 22: Birth Photographer Kendra Miller is Inspired to Have a Homebirth After Attending One
Ep 21: Dear Darby Sisters Share Their Birth Stories and New Brand
Ep 20: Carrissa Chooses the Birthing Location That's Best for Each of Her 6 Births
Ep 19: Wise Traditions From a Mother of Grown Children
Ep 18: Sarah's Search for a Certified Midwife
Ep 17: Homebirth 101: Midwife Carrie LaChapelle Craft Explains Midwifery Care at Home
Ep 16: Megan's Pattern-Breaking Labor
Ep 15: Nutritional Therapist and Author Jenny McGruther's Healthy Homebirth
Ep 14: Victoria and Steve's Unexpected Unassisted Homebirth
Ep 13: Exercise Physiologist Stephanie Sibbio's Healthy Homebirth
Ep 12: Kerry Tuschhoff Introduces and Explains the Hypnobabies Program
Ep 11: Suzzie's Birth Trauma Overcome By Homebirth After Cesarean
Ep 10: Rebecca's Struggle With Infertility, Hospital Transport, and Eventual Homebirth
Ep 09: Kelley's 5 Back-to-Back Homebirths, and Her Struggle With Postpartum Healing
Ep 08: Molly Escobar Explains How Birth Is a Marathon- And How Doulas Can Help!
Ep 07: Pregnancy Update- Week 20
Ep 06: Samantha's Surprise Breech Homebirth
Ep 05: Christina and Ryan's Harry Potter Homebirth
Ep 04: Hailey's Transition From Hospital Birth to Homebirth
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