In this episode, we cover the topic of induction as requested by a listener on our Relax Into Birth PLUS mom's whatsapp group.  "Dear Charlene and Karen. I am 39 weeks tomorrow and this morning at my routine checkup, my doctor recommended that I come in for an induction of labor on Thursday. Part of me is like 'hell yes, let's get this baby out pleazzzze', but there is another part that is wondering whether my baby needs a few more days inside? Is he ready? And actually - am I? I have...

This was an uncomfortable topic to tackle. Unfortunately bait and switch tactics are common, especially in South Africa. The conversation was started by a query in our private Whatsapp group which got everyone sharing their experience and encouraged us to open the discussion on our podcast.  In this episode Karen and Charlene attempt to look at it from all angles rather than making it an "us against them" situation and share some useful tips for red flag conversations and how to manage...

If you've been wondering about using Essential oils during pregnancy, your'e going to love this episode with Gayle Friedman from Sunshine Health in Cape Town. Gayle is founder of the Sunshine Colour and Health Academy and Registered Member of Allied Health Professions Council of SA and WOMBS. Gayle has been in the Health Care Field for over 30yrs and has experience as a qualified Aroma Therapist, Reflexologist,  Colour Therapist, Pregnancy Therapist, Doula (Child Birth support) and Yoga...

In this episode we talk about the various scenarios you might face and the tools and resources you will need to feel confident. We know that it's tempting to go in earlier rather than later  "just in case", but your labor won't progress any faster because you are in hospital. In fact, the clinical environment may slow or stall your labor and pave the way for interventions you prefer to avoid.  Many parents start their journey of childbirth at home - and initially, labour in the home space...

In this episode, because we love it - we talk about a natural footling breech twin birth, weekends away in the mountains to recharge and last but not least, we answer a mom's question about tearing and episiotomies. We cover the full spectrum from what an episiotomy is, when is it necessary to perform one, when tearing is better than an episiotomy, how to avoid one and how to heal up the perineum after birth. Filled with expert tips and advice, we aim to remove your fear from this topic and...

This week is the first in our interview series where we speak to birth workers making a difference around the world.  Cecile and I trained at Addington Hospital in Durban, South Africa in 1980 something (yes! we are "that old"...) and then years later, we met up when we were both working  in the Middle East. We both hold a vision of restoring normality to birth through effective prenatal education, so I could not wait to catch up and find out what she has been up to and pick her brains about...

Letter of the week:  Dear Karen and Charlene,  I have just finished your course - and I loved it by the way, but I have a few questions about pain relief.  I have been thinking about about how labour will be - and if i will cope. I have heard that epidurals are amazing for pain relief - but have also heard that they can have an adverse effect on the baby. Is this true? What options do i have for pain relief - and should i opt for an epidural?  From the course I learnt about having a doula...

Our weekly listener email  Dear Charlene and Karen I actually found your podcast when I was doing a google search to know the difference between a midwife and a doula so it would be great if you could talk about that in one of your shows. I listened to your episode last week about which gyn to choose but recently I have been considering working with a midwife. When I posted in the Facebook group I belong, I had lots of recommendations but many of them were for doulas and now I am a bit...

Every week, we cover topics of pregnancy, birth and motherhood – and we read your letters and interview relevant folk to bring you the most up to date info in every podcast. We do our research – thoroughly… In this episode, we answer a letter from 20-week pregnant mama Jennifer, asking us for advice on how to best choose a doctor and hospital for her gynae-led birth. We offer advice and tips to cover all bases, including info on home birth vs hospital birth and midwife-lead vs ob-gyn-lead...

Each week you are invited to send us your big birth question and we'll give you every angle of the dangle. This week a listener, Fran, shares her concerns about whether her midwife or OBGYN will know if she has had sex when she is examined - if sex was the activity that induced her labour? Also, she is feeling mighty frisky - and we assure her this is normal too - Frisky Fran!   Charlene and Karen share their recommendations and some anecdotes - both funny and serious. If you love what you...

Each week you are invited to send us your big birth question and we'll give you every angle of the dangle. This week a listener shares her concerns about how her partner might react during birth. Will he still find her desirable afterwards and will her body change?  Charlene and Karen share their recommendations and some anecdotes - both funny and serious.  If you love what you hear and you want more then drop by and download our FREE 40 page pregnancy playbook and journal packed with...

I've partnered up with the best doula in South Africa Charlene Yared West, founder of Relax into Birth. We have been working together for the last few months bringing our collective knowledge and expertise into a course that highlights "the doula and the midwife" perspective and we had such fun doing it that we decided to share it on our podcast.  We've also been getting tons of questions in our whatsapp group so this is the perfect platform to share them with you (with permission of...

Teresa LW and Inderjeet Kaur, Fernandez Foundation, India The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends Delayed umbilical cord clamping (not earlier than 1 min after birth) for improved maternal and infant health and nutrition outcomes. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of delayed vs early cord clamping on breast feeding and skin to skin contact rates. Retrospective data collection of six-month data from 1741 mothers who birthed at Fernandez hospital is analysed from July...

In Indian health care settings Midwifery-led care is in its infancy. In public maternity settings, practice of prophylactic episiotomy is implemented for all primigravidae and for those with diagnosis of meconium-stained liquor or LGA baby. From December 2020 to January 2021, 55 mothers were supported during birth by the midwifery mentors and trainees of the Telangana State Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery [NPM] program.  The group we studied had 24(44%) primigravidae, 52(95%) with term...

Acupressure for induction and augmentation of labour Loredana Zordan, Independent midwife, Italy Acupressure is an ancient Chinese technique based on the principle of acupuncture which involves the use of finger pressure (without the needle) on specific points along the body. Chinese culture believes the points to the junction of the meridian pathway that carry energy called QI, Acupressure stimulates the bodies own energies to help fight illness and restore harmony. Acupressure has also...

Reviewing evidence and revisiting the option of caesarean sections in breech mothers by offering physiological breech as a choice of birth Kalavathi Mudili and Inderjeet Kaur, Fernandez Foundation Introduction: At Fernandez Foundation, the Breech clinic was introduced weekly in June 2019 after multidisciplinary breech training by Shawn Walker. Method: Retrospective data collection of 68 low risk mothers with breech presentation between 32-38 weeks attended breech clinic from June 2019 to...

Midwifery postpartum clinical guideline following a term stillbirth Barbora Snuggs, University of North Georgia, Vanderbilt University, USA Many pregnancies and births bring joy and excitement while some end with the death of the baby prior to labor and delivery, also known as an intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) or a stillbirth. Midwives are closely involved in care for these women during labor and delivery, but evidence-based care guidelines related to midwifery care during the postpartum...

Signs of a healthy birth / Zeichenlehre der gesunden Geburt Rafaela Joos Signs of a healthy birth. Observation of the healthy birth process by midwives. Background: «Unique normality», that each person’s uniqueness is normal for them, has been recently postulated in the literature as a new paradigm in midwifery practice. Midwifery skills should include a holistic, woman-centered care during a healthy birth. Instead of a linear approach where, birth should be considered as a circular...

Pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: Knowledge, anxiety and motivation Niken Bayu Argaheni, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia Background: The COVID-19 pandemic threatens such as pregnant women who are predicted to be at higher risk and more susceptible to exposure. The purpose of this study was to find out the knowledge about COVID-19 among pregnant women and how their motivation to continue pregnancy. Methods: Researchers collaborated with SEKOCI (Sekolah...

Improving midwifery students motivation and learning outcome in contraceptive course Erika Agung Mulyaningsih, Stikes Pemkab Jombang, Indonesia UNESCO said 73% of schools were closed for 3 months or more due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Face-to-face learning at Diploma III Midwifery Program has been stopped for more than 9 months. Efforts to achieve competence in Midwifery Education are a problem that must be solved innovatively. The purpose of this study was to improve student motivation and...

Promoting a positive norm towards planned home birth practice among midwives: A randomised controlled trial Auwalu Muhammed, Department of Nursing Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto; Lee Khuan; Shariff-Ghazali Sazlina;  Salmiah Md Said; and Mairo Hassan, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia This study was to determine the effect of a PHB education in promoting a positive norm towards PHB among midwives. A parallel group...

Midwives' knowledge of pre-eclampsia management: A scoping review Midwives in poorly resourced settings are engaged in pre-eclampsia management and deliver lifesaving interventions depending on the prescribed scope of practice. Therefore, we aimed to produce a synthesized summary of what midwives from around the world know about pre-eclampsia management. Method: We utilized the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) format and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analysis...

Nikoleta Chatzipanagiotidou, Midwifery Department, University of Western Macedonia, Greece Lupus is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own tissues and organs because it cannot tell the difference between viruses, bacteria, and other germs and the body’s healthy cells, tissues, or organs. Out of 1.5 million Americans with Lupus, 90% are women between the ages 15-44. Lupus affects them greatly when it comes to making the decision of...

Marcela Mendoza es una obstetra peruana que actualmente reside en Australia. Esta es su tercera conferencia como facilitadora/moderadora y nos cuenta cómo ha sido su experiencia en estos últimos años desempeñando este rol. Que significa Equidad de Nacimiento para Todos. Y también anima a personas interesadas a formar parte del equipo de facilitadores para las próximas conferencias del VIDM. Marcela is a midwife from Perú, currently residing in Australia. This is her third conference as a...

Kaveri Mayra is a midwifery, nursing and public health researcher from India. She has over twelve years' research experience working on nursing and midwifery workforce policies and practice. Having seen mistreatment during childbirth early on as a student midwife and experienced the lack of leadership and decision making power to midwives and nurses, Kaveri started researching and advocating on these life experiences and issues.  Kaveri is a global speaker on disrespect and abuse during...