The Great Birth Rebellion
The Great Birth Rebellion podcast, hosted by midwife Dr. Melanie Jackson, provides evidence-based information to help listeners have a great pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. The show offers strategies and resources for making informed decisions about maternity care. Follow along on social media @melaniethemidwife and @thegreatbirthrebellion, and access additional resources at melaniethemidwife.com.
Episodes
Episode 220 - Shoulder Dystocia
Shoulder dystocia is an urgent situation during birth BUT there are some strategies that you can use to prevent it and some simple and minimally invasive interventions that can be used to manage it. Shoulder dystocia often fills women and clinicians with fear, however this episode offers some simple strategies and suggestions to make the management of shoulder dystocia less stressful and help clin
Episode 219 - Restless Legs in Pregnancy
Restless legs is a circumstance in pregnancy where you feel an irresistible urge to move, stretch, kick your legs or walk around. It gets especially worse when at rest and in the evening and can cause you to have difficulty sleeping during pregnancy. This episode explains restless legs and some solutions to help stop it.
This episode comes with a cheat sheet and magnesium spray recipe which
Episode 218 - The Cascade of Intervention
The cascade of intervention is a known and proven phenomenon within maternity care. More and more research is revealing that interventions have both intended and unintended consequences. In order to remedy the side-effects or unintended consequences of some interventions, others a required to remedy the impact of the last. This is the cascade of intervention. In this episode Mel explains the conce
Episode 217 - Surviving and Thriving in Midwifery
We have to be honest about the reality that working in midwifery is an unsustainable role. The lucky ones land a job that doesn’t leave them mentally and morally exhausted after a day of working amongst a toxic workplace that doesn’t care for the needs of midwives. It sounds harsh, but Lynnelle Moran has been researching this exact situation and has identified the factors that contribute to unsust
Episode 216 - Childbirth for Children
It’s national science week in Australia from August 15th-23rd and the great birth rebellion podcast is on the program! In this episode, Mel and her 9 year old daughter Frida explain childbirth to your children. We explain the unique anatomy of a womans body and how incredible and capable women's bodies are in growing and birthing babies. This episode celebrates and honours the process of childbirt
Episode 215 - Strategies to avoid tearing during birth
There are various strategies that you can start using today that will help to reduce the chances of your vulva or vagina tearing during childbirth. This episode lists the action that you, your care team and partner can use to help you try and increase the chance of your vulva remaining intact during your birth.If you are preparing for birth make sure you get Mel’s guide to giving birth without pai
Episode 214 - Spicy Question Time with Mel
It’s spicy Friday but on a Monday! In this episode Mel answers listener questions in this unscripted, off-the-cuff, unfiltered Q&A session submitted straight from her social media followers. She tackles burning birth questions and hot topics, including:
08:32 – To protect the perineum or not when pushing? How to know when to do it and when not to do it?
14:18 – How can we protect our oxytocin w
Episode 213 - What if I have an epidural
You might be one of the 60% of women who have an epidural during their labour or birth. Whatever birth you’re planning, knowing about epidurals is an absolute must. Epidurals are the most effective form of pain relief available in labour, but they are much more than just a quick injection—they come with a complete "package" of interventions, altered physiology, and downstream effects that women ar
Episode 212 - It’s Not ‘False’ Labour, It’s Prodromal Labour
Around 25% of women will experience a longer than anticipated early labour phase. Some maternity care providers might explain this as ‘false’ labour… but I can assure you it’s not false, it’s called ‘prodromal labour’ or prolonged early labour. You are in labour, but for some reason your body is not making visible signs of progress towards birth. Why does this happen? There are lots of reasons why
Episode 211 - Manage your labour pain with sterile water injections and hypnobirthing
Why not favour pain management options that have no side-effects? In this episode, Mel interviews midwife and researcher Nigel Lee who explains the research he and his team undertook regarding 2 pain management options for labour and birth - sterile water injections and hypnobirthing. In this episode we pick apart the research, explain how they are used and show how using sterile water injections
Episode 210 - It's bad but there's hope
This episode gives a snapshot of the main global challenges that face women in their childbearing years and the midwives that care for them. In this episode, Mel covers what she learned from the International Confederation of Midwives conference in Portugal June 2026. The main global challenges include, the over-medicalisation of childbirth, a shortage of skilled midwives and the erosion of midwif
Episode 209 - The 5 BIG induction studies
In this episode Dr Melanie Jackson and Prof Hannah Dahlen explain The 5 BIG Induction studies that often get used to encourage the use of induction for suspected big babies, women over the age of 35 and over 41 weeks pregnant - The BIG BABY trail, The SWEPIS study, the ARRIVE trial, The INDEX trial and the 35/39 trial. If your clinician is using any of these studies and you want to look into them
Episode 208 - Beyond 40 weeks pregnant
The concept of a rigid 40-week due date is one of the most deeply entrenched myths in modern maternity care. Today I cast a critical eye over the historical and mathematical flaws behind how Estimated Due Dates (EDDs) are calculated, and why treating day 280 as a strict deadline creates unnecessary interventions.
Related episodes to queue up next:
Episode 181 - Induction of Labour Part 1
Episo
Episode 207 - The First 2 Weeks Postpartum (part 2)
Get practical ways to support recovery in the first 2 weeks after birth. Learn how to prepare your home for easier access to supplies, early breastfeeding patterns, and what to expect as milk comes in during the first few days.
Expect huge emotional changes around day three, including crying and feeling overwhelmed, and discover how to distinguish these from postpartum depression and the rarer pos
Episode 206 - The First 2 Weeks Postpartum (Part 1)
The first two weeks after birth have a lot going on… So I'm doing 2 episodes on it. Here you will learn what recovery can look like for both mother and baby. I discuss the wide range of postpartum experiences, the care gap that can exist after birth, and how support from midwives, nurses, GPs, partners, family, friends, and the wider community can help with feeding, recovery, and emotional wellbei
Episode 205 - Anti-D for Rh Negative women
Women with negative blood groups are routinely offered at least 3 doses of anti-D throughout pregnancy. The question is, what is anti-D, do you really need it? What happens if you choose not to take it? And how do you make wise decisions about anti-D. In this episode, Mel explains it all along with all the different tests and screening options that you can choose to help you make decisions about a
Episode 204 - Advocating for yourself in the maternity system
Being pregnant may be the very first reason you’ve had prolonged exposure to the health care system. Interacting with the maternity care system can feel confusing and frightening and some women feel pressured and coerced into accepting testing, screening, treatments and medicines that they didn’t really want, but didn’t know how to say NO or negotiate other options. In this episode Mel shares her
Episode 203 - Swollen cervix in labour
If you get a swollen cervix during labour, your care provider might recommend an epidural or caesarean section. There are many other things you can try before resorting to such extreme measures and this episode covers them all. Interestingly, there are no research papers AT ALL to substantiate any of the strategies to remedy a swollen cervix so it’s worth trying them all to see what works, if you
Episode 202 - Pre-eclampsia management: the balance between protection and prematurity
If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, this is a must-listen episode to prepare you for the journey ahead. Mel continues the pre-eclampsia 2-part series by focusing on management, decision-making, and navigating the emotional toll of this acute illness. This is part 2. Episodes 201 and 202 give a deep dive into what preeclampsia is, ways to prevent and diagnose it, and today we talk abo
Episode 201 - Preeclampsia: Red Flags, Risk Factors, and Reducing Your Chances
In this episode Mel casts a critical eye over the serious pregnancy complication of preeclampsia. She explains what pre-eclampsia is, how to diagnose it, how it develops and some strategies on how to prevent it. In this episode, you will also learn who is more likely to get pre-eclampsia so that preventative strategies can be targeted.Get your tickets to The convergence of rebellious midwives conf
Episode 200 - How to choose great maternity care for you
The medicalisation spectrum is 101 when it comes to understanding how to plan pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. In this episode Mel explains the medicalisation spectrum with reference to where your care provider and chosen birth location would also fit along the spectrum. Mel discusses 2 birth philosophies and encourages you to explore where you sit, so you can match your philosophy to the res
Episode 199 - Light, Sun and Vitamin D for Health
We know sun contains nutrients, vitamin D is one of the most well-known, but there are other health properties that are garnered from sunlight both directly on our skin and indirectly that are essential for health. Listen to see if you are harvesting what your body needs from the sun.You can learn more about todays guest Max Gulhane at https://drmaxgulhane.com/Click here to see Max’s Circadi
Episode 198 - Optimising your circadian rhythm for better health
Your circadian rhythm is part of a web of body clocks that keep your body ticking through the day and regenerating and repairing through the night. In this episode, medical doctor Max Gulhane explains the parts of the circadian rhythm and how to optimise them with appropriate light and dark exposure. He includes how to optimise eating times to improve your health through pregnancy, parenting and a
Episode 197 - Having a vaginal birth in hospital
Want to increase your chances of a low-intervention vaginal birth in hospital? Then this episode is for you! If you attend hospital to give birth, you have approximately a 50% chance of having a vaginal birth without an episiotomy, vacuum, forceps, or caesarean section. There are things you can do to increase your chances. This episode gives 5 clear strategies that you can implement today to make
Episode 196 - Breech Whisperer - Resigned not Retired
Dr Andrew Bisits, Australian Obstetrician, built a name for himself over his 40 year career as ‘the breech whisperer’ owing to his willingness to attend vaginal breech births, but there is more to him than his obstetric courage around breech birth. In this episode Mel interviews Andrew about his 40 year career and about his declaration that he has ‘resigned not retired’ from his work. At the age o
Episode 195 - The high powered hospital bag
Some items make a difference to your birth and postnatal experience. Have a listen to this episode to make sure you don’t miss something on your packing and preparation list for birth. A Full check list of the high powered hospital bag is available here to print and check off. To prepare for your high powered hospital birth, get the guide to giving birth without pain medication so you and you
Episode 194 - monitoring your baby in labour
Melanie welcomes back Dr. Kirsten Small, author of the book Monitoring Your Baby in Labor, an evidence-based guide to help you plan your birth, to delve deep into the culture, safety, benefits, and potential side effects of fetal monitoring during labour. How your baby will be monitored in labour has both risks and benefits and the decision is YOURS to make. In order to make an informed decision y
Episode 193 - What to do if your labour is FAST
Precipitous labour and birth can be a real surprise if you were mentally preparing for a longer labour. Around 15% of women will have a labour that is less than 3 hours and these quick ones require a little bit of understanding and preparation to help you not become overwhelmed by it. There is often no time for pain management, you are on the ride! In this episode, Mel gives some strategies to hel
Episode 192 - Mel's mastitis protocol
I came up with this Mastitis protocol early in my career and it’s just always worked. For this reason I have had no inclination to update or change it, because it has proved it to be effective. In this episode I explain my protocol and provide a detailed list of what to do if you think you might have mastitis. My protocol has elements within it that are not aligned with some of the current guideli
Episode 191 - Optimal cord management
The umbilical has a purpose in the minutes following your baby’s birth. Leaving it intact enhances the health of your baby and assists in the transition to breathing air. In this episode, Mel explains what the cord does in the minutes following birth and what happens to your baby if this transition is interrupted. Mel also covers the special circumstances of collecting cord blood, what if your bab
Episode 190 - When do I NEED an obstetrician?
Often women are provided with too much medical intervention during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. How do we know when we actually need it? Or when it’s just part of the usual over-medicalised care routine? In this episode Mel offers some suggestions about which circumstances warrant obstetric care and looks at the research about which circumstances midwifery-led care would allow for more favoura
Episode 189 - Midwives Save Lives
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) shares that if 1 million more midwives provided care to women through their childbearing years, they would be healthier, happier and fewer women and babies would be damaged or die during their childbearing years. It’s time to stop pretending that Midwives don’t make a difference to outcomes for women and babies. Help us tell governments, regulators
Episode 188 - Waterbirth risks and safety
If you are planning a waterbirth, care for women using water, or you are just waterbirth curious, this episode is for you! You’ll also find this a handy episode for your birth support team so they know how to best help facilitate a waterbirth for you. In this episode we cover the risks and benefits of waterbirth and how to unlock access to one if you come up against resistance.In this episode Mel
Episode 187 - Midwifery without borders with Diane Lockhart
A rebellion can take many forms, for Diane Lockhart her brand of rebellion involved her reluctantly and somewhat accidentally opening a birth center in a Ugandan slum. Amani Birth Center has now been running for 10 years and Diane shares how they have managed to care for women without the loss of a single mother or baby at the birth center. Diane is a true midwifery rebel and she shares what you c
Episode 186 - Is your baby too big or too small?
Have you been told that your baby is too big or too small during your pregnancy? Do they want to induce you or give you a caesarean because your baby is too big or maybe it was too small? Are pregnant and have been told that your baby is too big or too small?In this episode Mel shared her Guide to giving birth without pain medication, you can get it here.This episode is sponsored by Poppy Child fr
Episode 185 - Guide to a great birth
It’s possible to have the time of your life at your birth and describe it as GREAT afterwards. So great that you are excited to do it again. In this guide to a great birth episode Mel explains the science behind the enjoyment of birth and how you can tap into the joy and bliss of birth and at the end feel that you had a great birth. This is a must list from the great Birth Rebellion Catalogue.In t
Episode 184 - Orgasmic birth
Orgasmic birth doesn’t mean you are going to orgasm at birth… but that certainly is a possibility when you realise how involved your clitoris and oxytocin (the orgasm hormone) are during labour and birth. In this episode Mel speaks with Deborah Pascali Bonaro about Orgasmic birth and how we are wired to feel joy, bliss and euphoria during birth. We talk about how women can tap into the possibility
Episode 183 - the great rebellious wrap up 2025
And that’s a wrap on 2025! Mel and her right and left hand man, Dan, host this final episode of 2025 and spill all the tea on the highs and lows of the year. Mel shares what happened to THAT episode, why her hair went grey and what spurs us on to make better and better episodes. This one is a sneak peak behind the curtain of the great birth rebellion podcast. Thank you for a fabulous year, we’ll b
Episode 182 - Induction of Labour Part 2
Part 2 of the risks of induction. Episode 181 was all about the assessment and first steps of induction and this episode follows on with the risks of the final steps of induction of labour. These are a must-listen if you are being presented with the option of induction - especially if it’s a routine induction
This episode has been generously sponsored by Poppy Child from @popthatmumma. Her Sonic R
Episode 181 - Induction of Labour Part 1
Having your labour induced has risks and benefits. This episode is part 1 of a discussion of the labour induction process and the associated risks that go along with each stage of an induction. The discussion continues in episode 182. Sometimes the benefits of an induction outweigh the risks, but sometimes an induction is more risky than staying pregnant. This episode offers information to help in
Episode 180 - Protecting yourself from microplastic in pregnancy
Women are warned about environmental hazards in pregnancy, but why not microplastics?In this episode I share the research about how microplastic gets into your placenta and baby and give you practical strategies to help you avoid microplastics during pregnancy.If you are interested in the guide to giving birth without pain medication that Mel mentioned in today's episode, you can get the guide her
Episode 179 - The transition to motherhood with Jane Hardwicke Collings
Just as children transition into adulthood through adolescence, women transition into motherhood through matrescence. Jane Hardwicke Collings joins Mel on the podcast today to speak about the transitions through our different life stages including to motherhood and onto menopause where we are gifted new powers! Discover the power of each life stage and how to transition through them healthily.
Jan
Episode 178 - Normal baby movement in pregnancy
Is your baby moving normally during pregnancy? 15% of women report reduced movement of their baby at some point during their pregnancy, but what are normal movements, how you monitor movement and what could it mean if your baby is moving less? In this episode Mel takes you through the current recommendations for how to monitor your baby’s movement during pregnancy and what to do if you are worried
Episode 177 - Defending birth and midwifery in the UK
The UK used to be held up as an idyllic maternity care system worth replicating, but in the past 10 years, the caesarean section rate has increased to over 45% and poor maternal outcomes are rising as a result. Midwives are leaving in droves, birth services that once facilitate physiological birth are closing and the whole system is becoming hostile toward normal birth. There are people petitionin
Episode 176 - Using birth mapping to make confident choices
Birth mapping is an evidence-based tool to help with decision making in pregnancy and childbirth. Dr Catherine Bell @birthmapping, joins Mel to discuss the birth map and the research behind it. Birth mapping can help you make confident decisions at forks in the road on your journey through pregnancy and birth.
This episode has been generously sponsored by Poppy Child from @popthatmumma. Great birt
Episode 175 - Post-traumatic growth is possible
Some women feel stuck in a traumatic experience after childbirth, but another possibility is post-traumatic growth. Mel explores this possibility with Midwife and Psychotherapist Dr Athena Hammond. Athena specialises in trauma therapy, specifically around childbirth. In this episode we have a conversation about post-traumatic growth as Athena gives words to the long term experience of recovering f
Episode 174 - Buffering for emotional safety at birth
Being alive at the end of your birth is different than being kept safe. In this episode Mel invites midwife and psychotherapist Dr Athena Hammond to talk about emotional safety during childbirth, how to enhance emotional safety and some strategies for nervous system preparation. This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Episode 175 is about the possibility of post-traumatic growth, a helpful discussion f
Episode 173 - How to give great birth support
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!Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.This episode has been generously sponso
Episode 172 - Do I have to consume raspberry leaf tea and dates?
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.
Watch this episode on YouTube now
Get mor
Episode 171 - The midwives mission with Betty Anne Daviss
Betty-Anne Daviss has seemingly endless energy and motivation to continue her midwifery mission. This week Betty-Anne Daviss (Canadian Midwife of nearly 50 years!) speaks to Mel about her career as a midwife, her learnings about breech (she invented the crowning touch manoeuvre), her midwifery activism and where to from here. Betty-Anne is an inspiration to midwives who maybe are muddling around n
Episode 170 - Managing labour without pain medication
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've
Episode 169 - The Epidural
You might be one of the 60% of women who have an epidural during their labour or birth. If you plan a caesarean you’ll have one and 40% of labouring women have one, but do you really know what it is, how it’s done and the positive and negative impact of accepting an epidural? We’ve got you covered - this episode is for everyone. Be prepared for every possibility, including the possibility of epidu
Episode 168 - Your incredible birth reflexes!
The fetus ejection reflex vs the Ferguson reflex. Did you feel your baby shoot out of you unexpectedly, or that irresistible urge that made it impossible not to push? This episode is to help understand these incredible birth reflexes that make birth so much easier and faster and how to make them work for you. Today Mel discusses the difference between the fetus ejection reflex and the Ferguson ref
Episode 167 - Pushing out your baby
Pushing out your baby is NOT about the eye popping, no breathing, PUSH PUSH PUSH PUUUUUUUSH scene that you see in movies. Unfortunately though many women are coached by their care provider to push a particular way. It doesn’t have to be like that. The evidence shows that you and your baby would be better off without a coach guiding your pushing or breathing during the pushing phase. In this episod
Episode 166 - An ode to Odent
On Aug 19th 2025 the world farewelled legendary Obstetrician Michel Odent. He spent his career trying to warn us of the generational impact of interrupting labour and birth and gave timeless advice on the practice of authentic midwifery and obstetrics. Today in this Ode to Odent I give a broad sweeping overview on the work of Odent that I believe should be preserved and passed on to this generatio
Episode 165 - How to have a long and lovely midwifery career
A long and lovely career in midwifery requires strategic effort, the midwifery workforce is in a crisis of unsustainability so how can you be one of the midwives that makes it to a long and lovely career? In today's episode Mel gives direct and clear steps and strategy to creating a career that you love. She also reflects on the convergence of rebellious midwives and invites participation is a new
Episode 164 - Navigating homebirth transfer
Sometimes homebirth doesn’t go as planned and transfer to hospital is required. This doesn’t mean your homebirth failed! Planning a homebirth improves your chances of a good outcome even if you end up birthing in hospital. Today Abby Sidery from @birthcirclesydney talks to us about her homebirth transfer and why it was still the most exhilarating experience even though nothing went to plan.
Other
Episode 163 - Is homebirth a good choice for you?
The evidence on the safety of homebirth is well-established. This episode presents some of the research about the physical outcomes that you can expect for yourself and your baby if you plan to give birth at home. This episode explores the research for women with uncomplicated pregnancies and the evidence on higher risk homebirth scenario's will be explored in future episodes. The information in t
Episode 162 - Creating a great birth after previous caesarean
Having a great birth after a previous caesarean relies on 4 key elements. Some of these elements are provided by your care provider and some of them you can control. Find out how you can facilitate a positive and respectful birth after a previous caesarean section from my conversation with Dr Hazel Keedle as she talks us through the main points of her new book ‘The clinicians guide to a better bir
Episode 161 - That new research on private obstetric care
A new research paper is causing concern amongst the birthing community this week after a local newspaper said that the study shows that outcomes are better in private obstetric-led care compared to the public maternity care system. Of course, there is more to the story (remember newspapers write at a 12 year old reading level). Come be part of a grown up and nuanced conversation about this new res
Episode 160 - Keeping yourself safe from obstetric violence
Women are at risk of violence in life, and sadly also during labour and birth, but what does violence against women look like during birth? Mel explains what obstetric violence is, how common it is and how to reduce the chances of being exposed to violence during your birth. As women we take steps to keep ourselves safe in life, and unfortunately we have to be just as strategic during birth.
Get
Episode 159 - Antibiotics, probiotics and your healthy vagina in pregnancy
What an episode! This one had me hooked! Did you realise we have tiny organisms that live on and in every part of our body; collectively it’s called the ‘microbiome’. A healthy microbiome directly links with health benefits in pregnancy for you and the lifetime health of your baby (way more than you think!). This week, microbiome expert Rebecca Edwards from @activatedprobiotics explains how to pro
Episode 158 - What is a Doula and Why Should I get One?
Doulas play a specific role at birth, but what is it? I interviewed Doula Poppy Child from @popthatmumma about what a doula is, what they do, how much they cost and questions to ask when hiring one.Poppy is also a Hypnobirthing practitioner. You can see more of Poppy’s work here and Poppy would love to give you 20% off at the check out when you use the code MELANIE.We also interviewed Poppy about
Episode 157 - VBAC Tips and tricks
Having a vaginal birth after caesarean can be a tricky thing to navigate BUT there are some strategies that will increase your chances of having a vaginal birth if that’s what you are planning for. This week I spoke with Marissa from @twiceblessed about what she did to have the VBAC she hoped for and I also add my top tips and educational pops as we went. This one is for you if you are planning a
Episode 156 - Hypnobirthing! Can it really help?
Hypnobirthing is a powerful technique that you can use to work with pain in labour. It’s easy to learn and adds to your tool kit if you are gathering strategies to help you feel calmer in labour and improve your chances of avoiding unwanted interventions and pain medications.Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.Registration for the great birth masterclass that Mel spoke a
Episode 155 - Optimising the function of your body during labour
A great birth doesn’t happen by accident, there are things that you can do to influence the events of your birth. In this episode Mel shares some strategies that you can apply to increase your chances of having a GREAT birth.Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.For more strategies you can join Mel’s free masterclass www.melaniethemidwife.com/greatThis masterclass is live
Episode 154 - How to curate a great birth
You can be the mistress of your birth experience. Let’s talk about what part YOU play in what happens to you during your birth. This week I speak to Alice Bleathman and we derive lessons from her birth story about what steps you can take to increase the chances of experiencing a birth without regrets. There are things you can do to increase your chances of a great birth and we explore these today
Episode 153 - How to avoid tearing during childbirth
There are controllable factors that you can start using today that will reduce the chances of your vulva or vagina tearing during childbirth. This episode lists the strategies that you, your care team and partner can help with to try and increase the chance of your vulva remaining intact.Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.Episodes that complement this episode:72 - Episi
Episode 152 - The 5 BIG induction studies
The BIG BABY trail, The SWEPIS study, the ARRIVE trial, The INDEX trial and the 35/39 trial. The 5 BIG studies that often get used to endorse the use of induction for suspected big babies, women over the age of 35 and over 41 weeks pregnant. Mel and Hannah Dahlen pick apart the studies to help you understand them and use them to inform your decisions around induction of labour.Get Mel's ‘Guide to
Episode 151 - What is it like to be in labour?
Mel is talking all about the labour process. The focus is on how you can identify and understand labour and how it progresses so you can be prepared for each part of it. We start from early labour all the way through to pushing out your baby.Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.Episodes that complement this episode include:149. Increase your chances of vaginal birth148. W
Episode 150 - Considering Homebirth?
Are you exploring the option of homebirth? Today Renee Bargh, mum of 2 and television host tells the story of her 2 different births. One through MGP with an epidural and posterior baby and the other at home with a private midwife. I give commentary throughout to help you learn more from her story as we explore the option of giving birth at home and convincing her anaesthetist husband that it was
Episode 149 - Increase your chance of vaginal birth in hospital with these strategies
Want to increase your chances of a low-intervention vaginal birth in hospital? This episode is for you! If you attend hospital to give birth, you have approximately a 50% chance of having a vaginal birth without an episiotomy, vacuum or forceps or caesarean section. There are things you can do to increase your chances. This episode gives 5 clear strategies that you can implement today to make a BI
Episode 148 - Why do they put their fingers in your vagina?
Routine vaginal examinations can cause more harm than good. Sometimes they are needed but most of the time they are not. Vaginal examinations are offered as routine surveillance during most births, but you have a choice. Know that if you don’t want one, that's ok, because there is no evidence that shows that routine vaginal examinations improve outcomes - in fact, it’s more likely to be the opposi
Episode 147 - Your Ultrasound options in pregnancy
Today we talk about all of your ultrasound options in pregnancy. Mel and her guest Phil Jones (sonographer) discuss the full menu of ultrasound options offered to women during pregnancy, right from the dating scan all the way through to the ‘post-dates’ ultrasound. We talk about how to prepare for each scan, how much they cost, what each scan looks for and all the nitty gritty questions that women
Episode 145 - Nausea and Vomiting in pregnancy
If you’re pregnant, chances are you’ll feel nauseous or be vomiting. It’s really common! And in this episode I explain 10 strategies that could help reduce and manage your symptoms.This episode is free to you the listener because of our generous sponsor Hydramama. Keira Rumble the creator of mini and me is offering great birth rebellion listeners 20% off Hydramama electrolyte drink when you use th
Episode 144 - What to do when you’re overdue
What to do when you’re ‘over-due’, what does it mean to be over-due? Is it dangerous? Why do they want to induce you? Is your placenta failing or your baby in danger? Mel looks into due dates, how they are calculated and your options if you go over your due date.Get Mel's ‘Guide to giving birth without pain medication’ here.You might also like to listen to episode 84 - the myth of the failing plac
Episode 143 - Declining medical recommendations
Can you decline recommendations given to you by your care provider? And If you do, what kind of reaction can you expect. In this episode Mel gives insider details of how the maternity care system works and some of the reactions you might expect if you say ‘no’ to medical recommendations. Mel gives actionable strategies that you can employ in the moment but also strategies that will help you advoca
Episode 142 - Iron deficiency in pregnancy
Iron deficiency and anaemia in pregnancy occur for nearly 50% of women. In this episode, Mel and her guest Jaimee Smith discuss how to identify iron deficiency early in pregnancy to prevent anaemia, and also how to treat anaemia if it occurs. We discuss diet, supplement and iron infusion optionsThis episode is sponsored by the convergence of rebellious midwives. Get your ticket to The Convergence.
Episode 141 - Big babies small babies
Are you pregnant and have been told that your baby is too big or too small? Do they want to induce you or give you a caesarean because of it? This is for you if you’ve been told your baby is too big or too small.In this episode Mel shared her Guide to giving birth without pain medication, you can get it here.This episode is sponsored by Poppy Child from Pop That Mumma. Discover how to manage pain
Episode 140 - Baby Brain
The incredible science of how our brains change during pregnancy, birth and parenting with Neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay. Sarah is the author of The Women's Brain Book—The Neuroscience of Health, Hormones and Happiness, Baby Brain—the surprising neuroscience of how pregnancy and motherhood sculpt our brains and change our minds (for the better) and neuroscience for dummies. Sarah is the director o
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