The Great Birth Rebellion

This episode is for anyone planning a home labour or homebirth to make sure your birth space is as comfortable as possible and you have everything you need to labour or give birth at home. B offers some helpful tips and will share her hospital birth and postpartum packing list next week. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder fro...

Mel and her work-wife Ashlee Anslow @thebirthingtreemidwifery answer listener questions on the topic ‘what do midwives do at a homebirth’. We talk about our emergency plans and equipment, what we carry with us to every birth and how we work together as first and second midwives. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each ep...

It's all about haemorrhoids in pregnancy and postpartum and this episode gives you a list of at home remedies and strategies that you can use to prevent and manage haemorrhoids, or what we’ve affectionately called ‘bum veins’. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each episode at www.melaniethemidwife.com Join the rebellion...

Have you used reporductive technologies to get pregnant, only to be told that your pregnancy and birth are now 'high risk' because of it? We talk about the research around assisted reproductive technology (ART) and if women experience more complicating factors in their pregnancy and birth if they used ART/IVF. We also discuss the research behind the routine practices of additional ultrasounds, ext...

Dr Elizabeth Newnham (Senior Midwifery Lecturer) speaks about her work on Ethics, autonomy and informed consent in maternity care. We specifically drew on her research paper, "Beyond Autonomy: care ethics for midwifery and the humanisation of birth". It's a juicy one. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each episode at ww...

The Australia’s mothers and babies report is released every year and this covers the findings of the 2024 release - Mel and her guest Dr Kirsten Small pick apart the findings and lament over them with a drinking game to sooth the rage. We are told that all of this intervention is used to keep us and our babies safe, but is it working? Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcas...

Sometimes labour can hurt a little or a lot. Either way, there are things that you can do to increase your capacity to manage the pain of labour. This includes your mental game, the capacity of your support team, some free things that can be done anywhere and some other tools that require pre-planning and money. For 18 years I’ve witnessed women giving birth without medical pain management and I’v...

What is a stretch and sweep and the reasons why someone would offer you one? Listen in to learn about if it’s ever a good idea to allow a clinician to do a vaginal exam or give a stretch and sweep in pregnancy. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each episode at www.melaniethemidwife.com Join the rebellion and show your s...

Mel explains exactly how to change the system. This is an excerpt of the opening address that she presented at The Convergence of Rebellious Midwives conference 2024 and draws from her farming experience to give an example of how real and lasting change is made in nature and how this translates to how we can change the maternity system at every level. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcas...

We are talking about Pre-labour rupture (release) of membranes (PROM). This is when your waters break when you are full term (37 weeks or more), but your labour doesn’t start. We discuss the likelihood of you going into labour, the routine management of PROM in hospital vs at home with a private midwife. The research behind induction, antibiotics and complications that can occur as a result of PRO...

Dr Robyn Thompson talks strategies for breastfeeding success. We discussed skills that practitioners can use to help the mother and baby dyad, the importance of the woman’s and babies instinctive and intuitive knowledge and behaviour, doing away with the rule book, the 3 golden hours and more! Robyn Thompson passed away around a year after the recording of this episode. Vale Robyn Thompson. Her le...

Mel speaks with Dr Stuart Fischbein about twin pregnancy and birth. Dr Stu has experience with supporting families to give birth to their twin and breech babies at home and shares his expertise about twin types and their associated success and complexity rates, the use of ultrasound for monitoring twins, suitability criteria for twin births and management of twin and placental birth. You can learn...

Marginal and velamentus cord insertions are sometimes identified during pregnancy. These represent unusual cord insertions and this episode explores what these might mean for your pregnancy and birth. Some women will be offered induction or caesarean section because of it, but is this really neccesary? Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the reso...

Dr Natalie Elphinstone @drnatalieelphinston e explains all about maternal assisted Caesarean section, including how to get one, what they are, how to set up a process in your hospital to start doing them and the research and potential issues behind the push for maternal assisted Caesarean. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder f...

This is the second instalment of the 'Positive caesarean' series and goes beautifully with episode 37. If you are listening to this one, go back to the other one first. In this episode you'll hear our top tips for how to wrangle the system to add and minus elements of your care in order to improve your birth experience. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list...

This is part 1 of a 3 part series on positive caesarean section. This is not just for women who are planning a caesarean but also those who want to be prepared for all possible scenario’s. We discuss the really good reasons for caesarean section and what motivates some women to elect for caesarean section. In following episodes we discuss the process/procedure of caesarean section, ways to change...

Is there anything you what to do to honour and use your placenta after birth? In hospitals they are mostly thrown away... but there are lots of options of what you can do with your placenta... including the option of eating it. We delve into the research on placentaphagy (aka eating your placenta) to help women make decisions about if they believe consuming their placenta would be beneficial to th...

Every baby is offered the opportunity to receive vitamin K supplementation at birth. This episode offers some of the reasons and risks and benefits of vitamin K supplementation. You'll have to make a decision about this one. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each episode at www.melaniethemidwife.com Join the rebellion a...

We break down the myths and barriers to healthy movement in pregnancy. To get access to B’s exercise courses go to www.coreandfloor.com Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing list to access the resource folder from each episode at www.melaniethemidwife.com Join the rebellion and show your support! Grab your Great Birth Rebellion merchandise now at www.thegreatbirt...

Induction of labour is getting out of control. Professor Hannah Dahlen talks about her research on induction of labour, we speak about post dates, bigger and smaller babies, the place of ultrasound and the risks and benefits of induction. This is particularly important for women having their first baby. Hannah speaks about a conversation article that is helpful to further understand her research,...

Raspberry leaf tea and dates are often recommended to you women with the thought that consuming them during pregnancy will assist with a more efficient labour and fewer complications. Today Mel looks at the evidence behind the use of raspberry leaf tea and eating date fruit during pregnancy. Find out what impact they might have on your pregnancy and birth. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion P...

This episode gives you strategies to prevent and manage shoulder dystocia. Have you had a shoulder dystocia before? Midwives will receive specific tuition on how to manage a shoulder dystocia and it's within the midwifery skill set to manage, but there are lots of different strategies that will apply in different situations. Get more from the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast Join the podcast mailing...

Does size matter? Well sometimes it does - but how do we know the size of your baby? In this episode Mel explores the accuracy of technologies that can help determine the size of a baby before it’s born, the factors that influence the size of your baby and the place of induction when your baby falls outside of the ‘normal’ size range’. We explore the issues around 'big' babies, why they grow that...

This episode is for your birth support people, your partner, doula, mum, friend… whoever you’ve chosen to be with you for your birth. Mel explains the role of a great support person clearly to give practical tips to your support people about how they can prepare to be the best support person ever! This episode has been generously sponsored by Poppy Child from @popthatmumma . She is offering great...

This episode explores the very sexy topic of gestational thrombocytopaenia (a.k.a low platelets during pregnancy). If you find yourself looking after someone with low platelets or you are one of the 15% of women who will experience this in pregnancy, this information will blow your mind! why is 150 the platelet cut-off... this information could change your whole management strategy and help you av...