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 203: From Hormone Healing to a Happy Homebirth with Amanda Montalvo
Ep 202: Birth is Medicine: Courtney Valdez Steps into Sovereign Motherhood
Ep 201: Navigating Birth with Power
Ep 200: Giving Birth on the Go: Shelby’s Baby is Caught by Jenna in the Car!
Ep 199: LaDaiju’s Dream Homebirth After Cesarean
Ep 198: 3 Ways a Successful Homebirth Sets You Up for a Successful Postpartum
Ep 197: Here’s How to Heap on the Joy
Ep 196: If You’ve Read Ina May’s Guide...
Ep 195: Preparing for Birth Holistically with Tanya Grazione
Ep 194: Husbands! 5 Things to Watch Out For with Childbirth Education
Ep 193: Preparing for Birth When Plans Change Last Minute
Ep 192: Pelvic Floor Problems? Here’s how to “Tighten Your Tinkler”
Ep 191: From Elective Cesarean to Homebirth Mama: Jorda’s Big Shift
Ep 190: Birthing Instincts with Dr. Stu
Ep 189: Birth lessons of an RN turned Homebirther
Ep 188: Healing the Nervous System for Birth & Motherhood with Theresa Piela
Ep 187: Jocelin’s Road to Homebirth
Ep 186: Recognizing Birth Trauma with Christie Sheffer, CPM
Ep 185: The 3 Pillars of Motherhood with Jessica Lorion
Ep 184: Kati’s Homebirth Hesitancy Turns to Confident Success
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