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Birth
"What about the Children?!" - The ethics and outcomes of surrogacy
A recent post by prominent birth-related Instagram account @trusting_birth suggested, as many others have done previously, that surrogacy is unethical. This was the case, in their opinion, regardless of whether the surrogate carried the pregnancy through commercial or altruistic avenues. As commercial surrogacy is illegal in Australia, this article will address altruistic surrogacy, whereby the surrogate[1] does not receive payment for their role in carrying or birthing the baby.
The original…
Bigger Bodies and Birth: Cutting through the BS to help make the best decisions for you
Anti-fat sentiment is pervasive in all aspects of our society, and is particularly dangerous and harmful in the realm of pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. In the words (1) of size-friendly birth educator Pamela Vireday,
“Fat women are tired of being marginalized by the medical community. They tell stories of egregious bias, of being treated as less than human. They also tell stories of subtle bias, of providers who seem to be size-friendly but ultimately are not.”
In this week’s newslet…
Christmas is not a valid reason for induction
Hello and welcome to mid-December, the time I remind those in their third trimester that the upcoming festive season and public holidays are not a good reason for induction.
Before I go on, I want to be clear that there are good reasons for induction in certain circumstances. When truly indicated, induction can be an important way to keep babies and their mothers or carrying parents safest. This article is not about those inductions but the ones that are pushed on pregnant women and people who …
The Epidural - How the gift of the few became the curse of the many
In episodes 278 and 279 of the Nourishing The Mother podcast, childbirth educator, birth doula and author Rhea Dempsey explains how epidurals were initially welcomed by the birth community.
To begin with, they were given to women who had very long labours so they could finally get some rest before pushing their babies out.
I know women who have used epidurals as per their original intended usage to great effect. I know women who have understood the risks and benefits and planned for an epidura…
Why do I talk birth when I'm a postpartum doula?
Where is this leading? What it looks like when systemic birth interventions go unchecked
The Default or The Doula? Why We Need To Talk About Birth Partners Now More Than Ever.
Imagine waddling up to the desk at the maternity ward, labour in full swing. The masked midwife offers you a choice of Room One or Two. They are identical rooms, staffed by the same care team, and you are allowed one support person regardless of which room you choose.
Choose Room Two, she tells you, and your labour will be on average 41 minutes shorter than in Room One. You’ll be 31% less likely to need drugs to speed up your labour and 28% less likely to deliver via caesarean. You’ll also be…
Again? Birthing Parents Ignored Again While Hillsong Parties Down The Road
Mothers And Birth Parents Are Not Doormats. It's Time We Stopped Trampling Them.
Is It Time For A Royal Commission Into Birth?
Today Western Sydney University Professor of Midwifery Hannah Dahlen posed two questions of her social media audience in response to 2021 update of the “Australia’s Mothers and Babies” report, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare last week.
The first question, “what the hell are we doing?”, comes on the back of the following 2019 statistics from the publication last week.
As of 2019, Australia’s caesarean birth rate is now 36% (and 37% for first time mothers and birth par…
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