Karen Ramsay Doula Services

https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/five-questions-to-ask-if-youre-offered-induction-of-labour/

Five questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour - Dr Sara Wickham What are the best questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour? Here are 5 great questions and what you'll learn from the answers.

Guest blog: Breastfeeding: The dangerous obsession with the infant feeding interval - Baby Friendly Initiative Advice that babies must follow a strict three-hourly breastfeeding routine is causing mothers distress and guilt,and reducing breastfeeding rates.

Food for thought

In modern Western culture, most women and families know about induction of labour before they even become pregnant.

They know that induction is suggested when it is felt that it would be safer for the baby to be born than to stay inside its mother.

Many people also know that one of the main reasons for recommending induction of labour is because pregnancy has lasted for a certain number of weeks and the baby is perceived to be ‘overdue.’

Other reasons for offering induction include that the woman is older than average, that her waters have broken early and/or that she has a health problem or condition.

These days, induction is often suggested where someone has a high BMI, or has been told they have gestational diabetes.

But aren't necessarily evidence-based practices, as I write about in my books.

And there's a big focus these days on telling women when they are deemed to be 'at higher risk,' but not so much on explaining the downsides and risks of interventions like induction.

There are pros and cons to everything!

Some people think induction is oversold.

Some are concerned about how a lot of the 'official' information is geared to promoting induction and doesn't give the bigger picture.

There are many other aspects to the induction decision. That's one of the reasons that I wrote my book, In Your Own Time.

If you'd like to know more, I have a popular blog post which helps explain that bigger picture.

My blog post is called 'Ten things I wish every woman knew about induction of labour.'

I've just updated it, and I hope you find it useful.

It's at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/induction-of-labour/

At The Real Birth Studio, on Saturday 29th October 2022 1 pm - 2:30 PM.

We are running our Maternity and baby clothes exchange ❤ 😍🥰

If you need any more information feel free to email [email protected]

Hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
Because the baby’s being taken care of—⁣
fed, snuggled, and given all the love in the world—⁣
by not only the mother,⁣
but her partner, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends.⁣
⁣
But the mother,⁣
may have gaps in her mind from lack of sleep,⁣
may be mechanical in her motions as she’s healing,⁣
may feel more like a mess than a mother,⁣
may be sitting in bed, crying, feeling overwhelmed in her body and life,⁣
may be full of mom guilt because in her mind, "she's not good enough,"⁣
and she’s bleeding, wincing in pain, swollen and emotional.⁣
⁣
And the mother’s that baby's whole world and needs to be seen, so she doesn't disappear into that postpartum fog.⁣
⁣
So, hold the mother, not the baby.⁣
⁣
A mother agrees that her baby matters more.⁣
But she’s hurting, while she’s the person behind the baby,⁣
in the background, making it all happen:⁣
feeding her baby at all hours,⁣
snuggling her baby close to comfort newborn cries,⁣
and being that baby’s everything.⁣
⁣
So, it’s the mother who needs your love.⁣
⁣
And a mother will remember who held her up.⁣
⁣
So instead of “I’m coming to see the baby,”⁣
try saying, “I’m coming to see you 𝘢𝘯𝘥 meet the baby, too.”⁣
⁣
Because the mother needs to be held more.⁣

📸: This Mama Doodles
....................................................⁣⁣
My Children’s Book 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺: 𝘈𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘰 is out everywhere: https://amzn.to/317TvVc

https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/is_home_birth_safe/

Is home birth safe? - Dr Sara Wickham Our home birth information hub - the latest research on the safety of home birth and links to many of Dr Sara Wickham's articles and blog posts on this.

This topic keeps popping up. 'Big' babies seem to be everywhere.
https://midwifethinking.com/2019/09/02/big-babies-the-risk-of-care-provider-fear/

What do women want when it comes to the induction decision?

This is an important but overlooked question.

When the draft NICE guidance on induction of labour came out last year, one of the biggest criticisms was that the panel had all but ignored the research which looked at women's experiences of induction and what women want.

When I wrote my books on induction, this was one of the key things that I looked at. In fact, there's a whole chapter on this in In Your Own Time.

Not that everyone wants the same thing, of course.

But we hear from many women who feel that induction is (or was) not what they want.

Often, women find that it’s hard to be heard.

It’s also hard to get good information which isn’t coercive and fear-based.

Many also find that it’s hard to say no to induction of labour.

Those are just some of the reasons that I have an entire information hub on this topic.

I also have a blog post which looks specifically at the question of what women want.

If you'd like to know more, you can find it at https://www.sarawickham.com/research-updates/the-induction-decision-what-do-women-want/

There's no right or wrong when it comes to induction or any other birth decision.

But it doesn't hurt to be informed, so that you can make the decisions that are right for you.

“Kissing your baby changes your breast milk. Did you know that the undeniable urge to cover your baby in kisses serves a biological purpose? When a mother kisses her baby, she samples the pathogens on baby’s face, which then travel to mom’s lymphatic system. Mom’s body then creates antibodies to fight those pathogens, which baby receives through breast milk. What?! Amazing, right?”

http://www.mothering.com/articles/10-things-might-not-know-breastfeeding/ 📸: Dusktildawnphotography

Vigil today, 2pm Cathedral Square, Worcester.

When it comes to offering induction towards the end of pregnancy, women are often told that their placenta may fail to nourish their baby.

But women (and sometimes the same women) are also being told that their baby may get too big if they wait.

It’s clear that these things can’t both be true.

In fact, when you dive into the research and recommendations that relate to the end of pregnancy and the offer of induction of labour, this is just one of a number of paradoxes and things that don’t quite fit.

If you’d like to know more, I’ve recently published a new book which looks at these issues and many more.

It’s called “In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop.”

It’s available now, and you can find out more at www.sarawickham.com/time

Love this animation

The Physiology of Childbirth An animated film that demonstrates the complex yet critical interaction of hormones and mechanics during labour, birth and the postnatal period, and the potential…

"I had an appointment with a consultant last week and was given a date for induction, although I wasn't really asked whether I wanted it and it was all very fast. There's no medical reason for inducing me, it's just that I'll be 41 weeks pregnant on that date. When I got home and thought about it and read more, I decided I wanted to cancel it. But how do I do that?"
⏰
Induction of labour is one of the most commonly searched-for topics on my website. And good many people arrive at www.sarawickham.com after searching for variations on the question, 'How to cancel a labour induction?'
⏰
There are sometimes really good reasons for recommending induction of labour. But sometimes it's offered routinely, without thought for the individual, or for convenience. One size doesn't fit all.
⏰
If you've been giving an induction date and you're happy about that, that's great. This post isn't for you. But too many women are being given dates for induction that they don't want.
⏰
So I have a blog post called "How to cancel a labour induction?" written for anyone who needs info on this.
⏰
Please feel free to send people to my site, and to share or repost this social media post (with the original text and credit intact) in case somebody you know needs this information.
⏰
The blog post is available at https://www.sarawickham.com/riffing-ranting-and-raving/how-to-cancel-a-labour-induction/
⏰

Research published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology again highlights how the idea of a fixed due date “stretches credulity.”

Gerald Wightman Lawson searched and analysed the medical literature relating to "variables on the length of pregnancy, the expected date of confinement, and prolonged pregnancy."

His research showed that, "a number of factors were found to significantly influence the length of a pregnancy, including ethnicity, height, variations in the menstrual cycle, the timing of ovulation, parity and maternal weight." (Lawson 2020)

And for those who would like a bit more detail...

"The proposition that a pregnancy is 40 weeks or 280 days in duration is attributed to the German obstetrician Franz Naegele (1778–1851). His rule adds nine months and seven days to the first day of the last menstrual period. The expected date of confinement from this formula is approximately right in the majority of cases. However, the idea that this rule can apply to every pregnant female – young or old, nulliparous or multigravida, Caucasian, Asian, African, or Indigenous – stretches credulity. In addition, many women regard the 40‐week date as a deadline, which if crossed, may then place the baby under stress. Forty weeks is such a simple, round, convenient figure that it has proved difficult to challenge, despite criticism. Nonetheless, what might have been an appropriate formula in Germany in the 19th century deserves to be revisited in the 21st."

You can see the paper at https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajo.13253

For loads more information about "due dates", other approaches and the options available towards the end of pregnancy, see www.sarawickham.com/iol

We need to reclaim birth knowledge rather than reinforcing misconceptions. Further information, diagrams and a movie: https://midwifethinking.com/2016/06/15/the-anterior-cervical-lip-how-to-ruin-a-perfectly-good-birth/

We need to ask a few more questions about induction

“And it’s about time we started auditing hospitals on outcomes that are more subtle and informative than just alive babies and mothers. What are the breastfeeding rates in dyads that were induced? Postnatal depression rates? Secure attachment at 6 weeks? Sexual pleasure at one year? Positive feelings and memories of birth 5 years later? Birth trauma and PTSD rates? Because you can as much force birth without possible side effects as force a rose to bloom before its time.”

Modern Birth: The End of Pregnancy As We Know It? - The Birth Hub The great feminist Gloria Steinem once said, Democracy begins with owning our bodies. By that measure, women have rarely lived in a democracy When I think about birth, and more specifically, the politics of the modern, mechanised birth factories, that quote often comes to mind. Recently, I’ve been...

******* WALK & TALK GROUPS ********

This week we are RESTARTING our popular New Parent Support Walk & Talk Group as well as out usual Toddle Tots Group!

Everyone is welcome to attend these groups and they are free to attend, but as a charity, we appreciate any donations you are able to make to support us. BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL for track and trace reasons, book using the links below. (Please ensure you receive the booking confirmation email and follow the link to secure your place, you will then receive a second confirmation, message us if you have any problems booking)

TUESDAY 20th - TODDLE TOTS GROUP 10am at Queenswood Arboretum
- The Toddle Tots Group is aimed at parents and their toddlers / under 5s. We don't have a set minimum age for this group, but walk at a toddler friendly pace and encourage playing and exploration as we go.
Book here:
https://nct.intrabiz.co.uk/cgi-bin/sys.cgi?action=NCT-product-client_view&id=44303842

WEDNESDAY 21st - NEW PARENT SUPPORT GROUP 11am at Queenswood Arboretum
- Whilst we do not have a maximum child age for this group, it is aimed at parents with babies and toddlers in slings / pushchairs as we walk at a reasonably brisk pace. The group is happy to wait if you need to stop and feed or change your baby. Breastfeeding support is also available.
Book here:
https://nct.intrabiz.co.uk/cgi-bin/sys.cgi?action=NCT-product-client_view&id=44295148

Walk & Talk Support groups are run by Branch Volunteers for the NCT in accordance with the government guidance and are fully risk assessed and subject to social distancing. More information here:
https://www.nct.org.uk/about-us/media/news/how-our-walk-and-talks-are-running-line-government-guidance

I have had so many questions recently from parents with babies and toddlers who were either born during, or shortly before, lockdown who are worried about their child's developing socialisation skills and whether separation from friends, wider family and other babies and toddlers of the same age will have a lasting negative impact on their child's ability to socialise when lockdowns lift.

I wanted to write this article to reassure all parents in this position that this is one thing that they need not worry about (because goodness knows we all have enough to worry about right now!).

Read more here:
https://sarahockwell-smith.com/2021/04/07/how-will-covid-lockdowns-impact-the-social-development-of-babies-and-young-children/

For all the lockdown mothers and babies, a poem by Laura Ding-Edwards

Laura Ding-Edwards on TikTok Named prints ft. “Today” poem, available 💓

Yes, quite 💜

We absolutely need to take a wider perspective on how we think about risk. And safety. And so may of the other ideas that underpin our world.

I love working with women like Rachel Reed 🌼

Rachel and I have both written loads about risk if you’re interested in finding out more. Check out www.midwifethinking.com and www.sarawickham.com and pop the word “risk” into the search box to find out more.

Posted • We need to re-think 'risk management' in maternity care.

Today, I'm re-sharing a quote from the wonderful Mary Cronk, who we lost in December 2018. She was a British midwife who had an amazing turn of phrase, and brilliant ways to describe how birth worked.
💜
This was Mary's way of explaining why induction of labour can take so long, and why it sometimes doesn't work.
💜
And it explains something even more important. If induction didn't work for you, it's not your fault and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your body.
💜
Which is not to say that you shouldn't take this path if it's the right one for you. But it's really worth making sure you know what induction entails and how and why an induced labour is different from one that begins spontaneously. It's also important to understand the pros and cons of any intervention and know what you can do to give yourself the best chance of an uncomplicated birth in any situation.
💜
For more information on induction of labour and hundreds of other birth-related topics, see www.sarawickham.com/iol
💜

Just no.