Join us as we hubble, bubble, toil, and trouble our way through aspects of midwifery, birth, lactation, and womanhood. We tackle and discuss a variety of topics within the sphere of womanhood, birth, and lactation and what this entails in today's society. We want to be able to share in the strengths of women gathering together and being more informed, for their birth, their feeding experience, and the transition into knowing ourselves better. This is the podcast to connect us as a greater ci ...
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What you didn't know about donor milk and milk sharing
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode, Katie takes Rachel behind the scenes for an in-depth exploration of donor milk—an intriguing topic that might just challenge everything you thought you knew about this practice. I have to caveat that some of the information in this episode is possibly going to get your k…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Rachel and Katie dive into the fascinating topic of waterbirth (excuse the pun, but it was too good to leave out!). I ask Rachel my burning questions and she stirs up the cauldron exploring everything from the history of waterbirth to the practicalities and the science be…
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Kangaroo mother care and zero separation with Dr Nils Bergman
1:11:06
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Dr Nils Bergman calls himself a Public Health Physician, and currently promotes and researches skin-to- skin contact on a full time basis. He is a Research Associate at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Dr. Bergman was born in Sweden and raised in Zimbabwe, where he also later worked as …
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To Nipple Shield or not to Nipple Shield?
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47:58
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Katie takes Rachel into a conversation about why the nipple shield topic gets Katie’s knickers in a Twist. We discuss: The history of their use from1500s to present day How the research might not be telling the right story? Why are they so controversial? We ask do nipple …
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OP position in pregnancy, labour and birth
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Rachel takes me on the path to enlightenment about the topic of the occipito posterior (OP) position in pregnancy, labour and birth! I ask Rachel why she’s always been reluctant to cover this topic on the podcast! And sit down to discuss: What exactly is an OP position? W…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode it’s us together again in the cauldron and Katie chats with Rachel about all things early weight loss… and gain in babies. We look at: · Why do babies lose weight? · What is normal weight loss? · Are there some babies who are more likely to lose more weight than others? ·…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Rachel talks to Katie about all the wondrous and darn right fascinating things about the amniotic sac. · Why is the baby surrounded by fluid, and what is it made of? · Women are often told they have too much or too little fluid. Is this a problem? · We also discuss why Ra…
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Pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis breakthrough with Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly FRS
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode I discuss with Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly all things pregnancy sickness and Hyperemesis. Just a few months ago the scientific evidence was published highlighting what causes pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis. This breakthrough discovery came from the work of Prof Si…
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Periods and perimenopause with Dr Lara Briden
1:09:42
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Lara Briden is a naturopathic doctor and bestselling author of the books Period Repair Manual and Hormone Repair Manual — practical guides to treating period problems with nutrition, supplements, and bioidentical hormones. With a strong science background, Lara sits on several advisory b…
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Born at Home with Amanda Banks and Eleanor Currie
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Where and how women choose to birth matters. Born at Home is a stunning documentary film exploring what it takes to have a positive and transformative birth experience. Empowered by the homebirth of her second child in 2020, Amanda Banks together with long term dear friend Eleanor Currie…
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Breastfeeding and medication with Wendy Jones BSc, MSc, PhD, MRPharmS
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Wendy Jones BSc, MSc, PhD, MRPharmS is known for her work on providing a service on the compatibility of drugs in breastmilk and has been a registered breastfeeding supporter for 36 years. She is passionate that breastfeeding should be valued by all and that medication should not be a ba…
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Taking up space and the power of anger with Bonnie Hughes
1:12:35
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Bonnie Hughes is a midwife, with a background in musical theater and journalism. She is the creator of the podcast series Making a Midwife, and an animation film-maker hobbyist. Bonnie is passionate about the power of story, and how the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we live, the…
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Freebirth stories - with Professor Emerita Mavis Kirkham
1:03:16
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Mavis Kirkham is Midwifery Professor Emerita at Sheffield Hallam University and has held honorary professorial positions at the University of Technology Sydney and Auckland University of Technology. After over forty years as a clinical midwife and researcher, she is interested in reflect…
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Labour pauses - Failure to progress or just normal? - An interview with Dr Marina Weckend
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Dr Marina Weckend is a midwife and post-doctoral researcher based at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Building on 13 years’ experience in midwifery practice, education and research in Germany, UK and Australia, Marina is committed to improving maternity care services through …
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Late preterm and early term infants - why these babies struggle so much with breastfeeding
1:01:23
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Katie talks with Rachel about late preterm and early term infants. These are the babies who have flown under the radar for far too long and often are the babies who struggle the most to get going with breastfeeding. Come with us as we take a look at the current research, …
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Plus Size Pregnancy - an interview with Dr Sara Wickham
1:22:34
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Welcome to season 5!! This episode we have the marvelous Dr Sara Wickham back in the cauldron with us talking all about what’s in her new book Plus Size Pregnancy. Sara talks to us about: · How women and families want, need and deserve better answers to their many questions about higher …
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Rachel takes us into the world of ‘early labour’. She’s been promising it for a long while, and here it is. Get your lug’ols around this one! In this episode we discuss: · What’s going on physiologically during this phase of childbirth · Beta endorphins and how they work …
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Our special edition: "We hit one million downloads" episode!
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Welcome to the biggest episode yet! Well not really, but we have met a milestone I couldn’t have fathomed 3 years ago on 20th July 2020. It has hit home what has happened over this time and how this 'little' podcast has grown into something really fantastic. And this is due to my dear fr…
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Breastfeeding aversion, agitation and dysphoric milk ejection reflex - An interview with Zainab Yate
1:06:34
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Katie talks to Zainab Yate. Zainab is a Biomedical Ethicist, with a specialist interest in infant feeding. Zainab is Vice Chair and named qualitative lead on a paediatric flagged Research Ethics Committee Panel for the Health Research Authority (HRA) in the UK. She's also…
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The unbelievable tactics of the formula industry- Do not think you can skip this episode!
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode I take Rachel and you into the world of underhand marketing tactics going on right under our noses from the commercial milk formula (CMF) industry. In Feburary 2023 the Lancet and WHO released a new 3 part series discussing the marketing of CMF. Rachel really did wonder i…
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Childbirth education, home birth, attachement styles and the "F%k1ng epidural" - An interview with Rhea Dempsey
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Rhea is a former PE teacher turned childbirth educator, and counsellor and feels privileged to have attended more than a thousand births in hospitals and home settings as a birth attendant as well as connecting with many more women, their partners and support people during birth preparat…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? On this episode of the Midwives Cauldron, it’s just me and Rachel hanging out and stirring the pot discussing vaginal examinations (VE's)! We take a step back in history to look at how midwives originally used vaginal examination during labour and for what purpose We look at current guid…
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Nipples, shields, infant sucking, pumping, and milk volumes - An interview with Prof Donna Geddes
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Professor Donna Geddes is the director of the Geddes Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group. Based in Perth, Australia, the group is made up of innovative and dedicated scientists and students that have a passion for developing measurements of lactation and breastfeeding and then applyi…
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Peri-menopause, elderhood, cultural mythology, psychology and midwifery -An interview with Dr Sharon Blackie
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode of the cauldron we have Dr. Sharon Blackie; award-winning writer, psychologist and mythologist. Her highly acclaimed books, lectures and workshops are focused on the development of the mythic imagination, and on the relevance of myth, fairy tales and folk traditions to th…
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SIDS, bed sharing and an anthropological look at motherhood and infancy - An interview with Prof Helen Ball
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we talk to Prof Helen Ball. Helen is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Durham Infancy & Sleep Centre. Helen studies infant sleep and the parent-infant sleep relationship from a biosocial perspective. Broadly defined, her research examines sleep ecology, of inf…
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Why breastfeeding doesn't need to suck, postpartum depression, placental encapsulation and ACE (adverse childhood experiences) - An interview with Dr Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist and International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and the CEO of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Psychological Trauma and was Founding Editor…
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The benefits of working within a midwifery carer model which works for midwives and women; male midwives, and the magic of being a traditional midwife - An interview with James Bourton
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? James Bourton is a registered midwife who works in an NHS continuity of care midwifery model within in Wales, UK. James describes himself as a home birth midwife, experienced in physiological birth, working autonomously as a practitioner with the support of a small midwifery team. James …
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Rachel & Katie discuss all things listening to babies during labour. Rachel walks us through: The Herstory of listening to the baby’s heart rate during labour. The interesting and scary history of the inventer of the pinard trumpet. Rachel’s “heart beat” impression! Rache…
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Infant sleep! - An interview with Lyndsey Hookway
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Welcome to this episode of The Cauldron! We have the wonderful Lyndsey Hookway in the bubbling pot with us today. Lyndsey is an experienced paediatric nurse, children’s public health nurse, IBCLC, researcher, responsive sleep/parenting advocate, and the author of 6 books. She has worked …
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Assessing labour progress -An interview with Dr Clare Davison
1:19:33
1:19:33
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? This episode is all about assessment of labour as we interview Dr Clare Davison. Clare is a midwife, academic and feminist. Clare is passionate about promoting and supporting physiological birth and working with women so that they can be empowered in their birth choices. Clare combines t…
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Breastfeeding and formula supplementation – the traps and escapes
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1:06:24
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? It’s season 4 and to kick us off you have me and Rachel chewing the fat on all things breastfeeding and lactation. In this episode, we delve in to look at what is going on with in-hospital formula milk supplementation for breastfed infants. We ask why the supplementation rates are so hig…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? Thank you to all of you who joined us in season 3, it has been epically wonderful! We are off for a little summer/winter break, but stay tuned as we will be back with some awesome new and exciting offerings for your lugg'ols and eyeballs! Listen in to the trailer to hear more. Until then…
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Antenatal hand expression - An interview with Anita Moorhead
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we talk to Anita Moorhead about all things antenatal hand expression. Anita is a Clinical Nurse/Midwife Consultant (for Lactation), at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, a coordinator for the DAME (Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing) trial and PhD candidate at the…
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Freebirth, transition phase in labour and polyvagal theory -An interview with Ellie Young
1:04:06
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we interview Ellie Young. Ellie is an Australian edge-dwelling registered midwife, qualitative researcher and writer. She has worked with women and families for over 15 years within the permaculture and traditional nutrition space whilst supporting women choosing to give …
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VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) - An Interview with Dr Hazel Keedle
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1:11:01
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we have Dr Hazel Keedle and we are talking all things VBAC, vaginal birth after caesarean! Hazel is a lecturer of midwifery at Western Sydney University, Australia. Hazel has worked in midwifery group practices, an aboriginal medical service, a variety of hospital setting…
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All things clitoris -An interview with Professor Helen O'connell
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we have Professor Helen O'Connell and we are talking all things clitoris! Professor O'Connell was elected Vice -President of USANZ in 2021. She was the first female Urologist in Australia and New Zealand, completing training in Melbourne in 1993 followed by a Fellowship i…
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Leaving midwifery and speaking out for women's rights -An interview with Kemi Johnson
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we have the fabulous Kemi Johnson on to chat with us. Kemi is a mother, birthkeeper in the birthroom, birth educator and birth activist. Formerly an independent midwife, registered in the UK she is now freely following her calling to facilitate healthy ecstatic births for…
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Are vaginal examinations necessary? Inverted nipples. Declining libido with breastfeeding. Placental function. Breastfeeding whilst pregnant. Plus more! Your questions answered #3
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1:25:48
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode, we answer your questions! We take a dive into, inverted nipples and what you can do during pregnancy and with breastfeeding. Answer whether vaginal examinations are necessary during pregnancy, why milk teeth are called milk teeth, look into informed non-consent in the ho…
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Mother in the mother -An interview with Pippa Grace
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode in the cauldron, we have Pippa Grace, the author of Mother in the mother. Pippa is a socially engaged artist, writer, and sculptor. Her work brings together over 26 years of training and working in the worlds of holistic health, bodywork, dance, creative writing, film, an…
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The things they don't tell you about skin-to-skin contact!
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode come with us on a journey into the land of kangaroos... only kidding we are talking about kangaroo mother care and skin-to-skin contact. You may think this is a topic you may know everything about but before you switch off I recommend listening in. Look, even Rachel learn…
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Hormones from conception to pregnancy, birthing to feeding, bonding & attachment -An interview with Dr Sarah Buckley
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? On this incredible episode, we get the pleasure of picking the brain of Dr Sarah Buckley, where we go on a journey into the hormones from conception to pregnancy, birthing to feeding, bonding & attachment. Sarah Buckley is a New-Zealand-trained GP/family physician with qualifications in …
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Real Food for Pregnancy -An interview with Lily Nichols RDN
1:21:08
1:21:08
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode, we interview Lily Nichols RDN. Lily is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary …
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode, Rachel and I discuss all things placentas! We look more deeply at the time it takes to transfer blood from the placenta into the baby after birth and what the reason for this is. Rachel makes a stand for the “forgotten placenta” as well as bringing in some blokes named E…
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Striving to improve outcomes for women and infants - An interview with Professor Hannah Dahlen
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode Professor Hannah Dahlen talks us through her incredible beginnings growing up as the daughter of a midwife and her early initiation into the birth world in Yemen. How her passion for feminism and supporting women was seeded into her through her young girl experiences seei…
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How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop -An interview with Dr Sara Wickham
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1:14:45
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we have got Dr Sara Wickham back! Sara’s newest book titled In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop, is a masterclass in what the evidence really says about induction of labour and a fascinating insight into how birth…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we go on an hour-long whistle-stop tour all about low milk supply. We touch on topics such as: How many women experience low milk supply Breast refusal Re-building milk supply Donor milk Nipple teat confusion Breast reduction surgery The top up trap Medications that could…
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Through the lens of an NHS obstetrician -An interview with Dr Florence Wilcock
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1:25:33
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode we have with us Dr Florence Wilcock , an obstetrician who has been working in NHS maternity services for more than 25 years. Florence has a special interest in improving women’s experience of maternity care & has been a consultant in London since 2007 where she is current…
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? We'll be back soon. Thanks for being with us for Season 2; all the in-depth conversations, truth-bombs, singing, laughter and so many golden nuggets! It's great to have you with us in this big bubbling cauldron of goodness. Watch out for the beginning of Season 3 on our Instagram page wh…
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Obstetric violence, and the rights of women over body autonomy -An interview with Bashi Kumar-Hazard
1:38:48
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this episode, we talk with Bashi Kumar-Hazard. Bashi is an Australian-based lawyer who works to promote the human rights of women and infants in the provision of maternity healthcare. She has represented families and healthcare providers defending their human rights in coronial inques…
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Gestational Diabetes: the baby's perspective
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Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode? In this 2nd episode on gestational diabetes, we discuss the baby; what is hypoglycaemia, how does it affect babies, what are the signs, and how is it treated? We look at some of the evidence and latest guidelines for treatment of hypoglycaemia in the infant, as well as antenatal hand exp…
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