We all know it’s happening We all need to be able to look critically at information. To understand the importance of not taking stories at face value. To know the importance of looking at things more deeply, so we can…
When less may be more. Sara Wickham writes about the human tendency to want to prioritise action and ‘doing more’, when this may not be the best solution.
Sara Wickham describes some of the birth fairies that hide around the labour ward in a fun article originally written for the holiday issue of a journal.
What’s the chance of having another PPH, if you’ve had one before? For some women, that’s an important question. Women who have had a previous postpartum haemorrhage (PPH, or excessive bleeding after birth) are often advised to have their future babies…
This is my birthkit purse. It has been all over the world, and has formed the basis of hundreds of conversations. I made it myself, and I use it to show women, families, friends, students and colleagues how little one really…
A study looking at women’s experiences of augmentation of labour has highlighted problems with informed decision making and shown that having a synthetic oxytocin infusion in labour can cause an atypically painful labour and lead to negative birth experiences. Alòs-Pereñíguez…
If you’ve ever thought that your or someone else’s estimated due date might need a rethink, this article is for you. It’s my reflection, as a midwife and academic researcher, on what I’ve learned from researching pregnancy calculation tools. In…
Been offered induction for big baby? Well, let’s start with a really important fact. Researchers admit that, “it is not clear whether it is better for women with big babies to have their labour induced or to wait for labour…
Sara Wickham notes the rather illogical nature of the recommendations made for induction of labour in older women, citing the lack of good evidence on this.
Our home birth information hub – the latest research on the safety of home birth and links to many of Dr Sara Wickham’s articles and blog posts on this.
Which first-time mums are more at risk of caesarean? There is growing concern about the number of unnecessary caesareans, and the rate of these is especially high in first-time mums. That concern is the reason behind doing the research that…
What are the best questions to ask if you’re offered induction of labour? This is something I get asked a lot. So I have put together this guide to the five best questions that you can ask in order to…
Risk assessment is an integral part of midwifery and medical practice and yet also something we need to think about more. A few years ago, I spent some time reflecting on the issues raised by revised guidelines on venous thromboembolism…
A study was published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology entitled ‘Associations between consumption of coffee and caffeinated soft drinks and late stillbirth—Findings from the Midland and North of England stillbirth case-control study’. The media…
New research has added to our knowledge about delaying cord clamping. We know now that it is safe to wait 6 minutes after birth, even when an oxytocic drug is given to assist with the birth of the placenta. Waiting,…
Warning: this blog post may contain tigers. As someone who lives with a serious food allergy, I have noticed some interesting changes in the information given on product labels over time. Over the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed the proliferation…
Sara Wickham looks at birth trauma research which highlights the experiences of women and shows how important it is that we look at this area more closely.
Are there good reasons to induce labour? That’s a question often posted when I talk or write about labour induction. It’s an understandable question. I have spent more than twenty years writing about how induction isn’t always beneficial. I’ve often…
How are trends in induction of labour changing? And has the publication of the controversial ARRIVE Trial affected this? Two recent studies have added to our knowledge about the effects of changing guidelines and narratives on trends in induction of…
Which induction book should I read? I’m the author of two books about induction of labour. Inducing Labour: making informed decisions has been popular for nearly twenty years. I frequently update it with new information, so as long as you…
Is there any evidence of benefit for induction for gestational diabetes? That’s a question I hear a lot. Women who have been told that they have gestational diabetes are often also offered early induction of labour. But is there any…
As a midwife, the labour plateau is a phenomenon with which I am very familiar. I have attended mostly physiological births, and it is common to see labour slowing, pausing or even stalling. There are – to put it in…
I have long been interested in the links between knitting and birth. I have a childhood memory of a midwife once casting off my knitting for me when my mum was busy. A simple act of kindness which cemented my…
What time are babies most likely to be born? As a home birth midwife, I’m well aware that a good many babies like to be born in the deep of the night. They will often wait until everyone has gone…
Another survey has identified a continuing problem with women not being able to get clear information about induction of labour (PIF 2021). This study was conducted by the Patient Information Forum in collaboration with a number of birth charities. It…
Sara Wickham is in The Midwives’ Cauldron! We’re delighted to tell you that Dr Sara Wickham has recorded two podcasts with Katie James and Dr Rachel Reed, creators of The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast. In the first, they chatted about Instagram,…
November 2021 saw the publication of the 2021 NICE guideline on inducing labour. The guideline “…concerns the circumstances, methods and monitoring for inducing labour in pregnant women.” (NICE 2021). The draft version of the guideline caused a lot of controversy when…
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