Sara Wickham shares her thoughts on birth knowledge, women’s wisdom and what she wishes she could tell everyone about these topics…
Three things I wish every woman knew about pregnancy and birth knowledge
The Sara Wickham Etsy shop is open!
The Sara Wickham Etsy shop is now restocked and ready for your holiday shopping. Click here to come and see what we have and support our Birth Information Project by buying holiday gifts – or maybe something for yourself –…
What’s Right For Me? Now updated and available!
Sara Wickham announces the publication of her updated book, What’s Right For Me? Making decisions in pregnancy and childbirth.
Why your estimated due date might need a rethink
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…
Ten ways I can help midwifery students
Sara Wickham offers a variety of resources for student midwives and others studying birth-related areas.
Induction for big baby: what’s the evidence?
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…
Induction for advanced maternal age
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.
Is home birth safe?
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.
Screening and the consequences of knowledge
Is it always good to know things, just because we can? Sara Wickham explores this idea in a series of blog posts about the consequences of knowledge.
Which first-time mums are more at risk of caesarean?
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…
Five questions to ask if you’re offered induction of labour
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…
Reflecting on risk assessment
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…
Another study, another dodgy headline! Please don’t steal our coffee!
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…
Delaying cord clamping for six minutes is safe
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,…
The benefits of water for birth
What are the benefits of water for birth? Sara Wickham looks at two studies highlighting the advantages of this for women and babies.
May Contain Tigers
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…
Midwifery Wisdom and Reflection
Our latest information hub gathers together classic articles and blog posts written for and about midwives and midwifery practice by Dr Sara Wickham.
Birth trauma research
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?
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…
Holiday time, and a self-care reminder
Trends in induction of labour
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…
Happy Birthday Birth Information Update!
Happy birthday to Sara Wickham’s Birth Information Update … and here’s the story of how it happened and how it continues…
Which induction book do I need?
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…
Labour progress resources
Labour progress resources available on Sara Wickham’s website. Everything from research challenging norms to the purple line!
Induction for gestational diabetes: what’s the evidence?
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…
What is a labour plateau?
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…
Passing yarns forward: unravelling the dimensions of knitting and birth
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…
Eight things I’d like to share with midwifery students who care…
Sara Wickham offers some words of support and advice for the student midwife – aspiring, new or experienced – to take on their journey.
The Rhombus of Michaelis
Sara Wickham and Jean Sutton describe the Rhombus of Michaelis, an area of bone which plays an important role in labour and birth.
What time are babies most likely to be born?
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…
Post-term pregnancy and induction of labour resources
This page lists all the resources available from Dr Sara Wickham on the topics of post-term pregnancy and induction of labour.
What is a stretch and sweep?
Many women are offered a ‘stretch and sweep’ in late pregnancy. But what is this, why and how is it done, does it work and can you say no?
Women are not given adequate information about induction
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…
Happy Holidays! We’re taking a winter break.
Happy Holidays from Sara Wickham. Here’s wishing you a fabulous festive season, and we’ll see you next year!
Sara Wickham is back in The Midwives’ Cauldron!
I’m back in The Midwives’ Cauldron! One morning last week, I got up very early and met up online with Katie James and Dr Rachel Reed, creators of The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast. We chatted about the induction epidemic, the updated…
In Your Own Time now available!
In Your Own Time – now available, and on the bestseller list! In Your Own Time: how western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop is Dr Sara Wickham’s newest book. It has been written…
Guess what I did this summer?
I didn’t intend to write another book in 2021. But then the draft NICE guideline on induction of labour was released and, like many people, I was deeply concerned. The evidence on which the guidance was based was questionable, and…
The 2021 NICE guideline on inducing labour
Today 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 it…
Postnatal heparin: what’s the evidence?
What do women want when it comes to the induction decision? Dr Sara Wickham investigates research which shows that it’s more complex than we might think.
Anti-D resources
This post offers links to all of the group B strep resources on Sara Wickham’s website, including articles, blog posts and a few external resources.
Does antenatal Anti-D help the current baby?
Does antenatal anti-D help the current baby? Sara Wickham demystifies the science and answers this question in simple terms.
Optimal cord clamping: what’s the evidence?
What do women want when it comes to the induction decision? Dr Sara Wickham investigates research which shows that it’s more complex than we might think.
Anti-D in pregnancy: how we haven’t moved on…
The first Cochrane review of the research relating to the administration of Anti-D during pregnancy was undertaken in 1996. Nearly twenty years later, September 2015 saw the publication of the latest update. During that time, however, the only changes were…
Gathering in the Knowledge – last course in 2021!
Gathering in the Knowledge: an annual update online course for midwives and birth folk. Bite-sized, guilt-free, interactive and bang-up-to-date.
9 things you might not know about Anti-D…
Over the years, I’ve become aware that there are a few things that people are sometimes surprised to learn when I speak about Anti-D. I made sure to include all of these and loads more when I wrote my book Anti-D…
Induction associated with more interventions and adverse outcomes
Another study has confirmed that induction is associated with more interventions and adverse outcomes. That was the finding of a group of researchers who, “compared intrapartum interventions and outcomes for mothers, neonates and children up to 16 years, for induction…
Ten reasons to question the draft NICE Guideline on inducing labour
May 2021 saw the publication of a draft NICE guideline on inducing labour. NICE stands for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. It is the body that provides national guidance and advice to inform health and social care…
How to save 40,000 women a year from having unnecessary Anti-D…
How many women receive unnecessary anti-D? Sara Wickham looks at some of the issues concerning antenatal anti-D and fetal blood testing.
Anti-D information: getting started
Many people visit this website looking for Anti-D information. Anti-D is the name of a medicine offered to rhesus negative women who may have been exposed to rhesus positive blood. It’s known as RhoGAM® in the USA. Anti-D is given…
Sara Wickham is in The Midwives’ Cauldron!
Sara Wickham is in The Midwives’ Cauldron! We’re delighted to tell you that Dr Sara Wickham recently met up online with Katie James and Dr Rachel Reed, creators of The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast. They chatted about Instagram, orangutans, Sara’s new…
Anti-D Explained now available!
Anti-D Explained – now available! Anti-D Explained is Dr Sara Wickham’s newest book. It has been written to help parents and professionals to understand the science, the issues and the evidence relating to Anti-D. It has a foreword written by Michel Odent.…
Group B Strep resources
This post offers links to all of the group B strep resources on Sara Wickham’s website, including articles, blog posts and a few external resources.
Induction increases the chance of caesarean
Over the years, I have shared a number of studies showing that induction increases the chance of caesarean. A 2021 study has again reinforced our knowledge in this area. In real world settings – and I’ll explain what that means…
Am I Allowed?
If there were a Nobel prize for birth activism, then Beverley Beech would surely have been given one by now. Formerly Honorary Chair of AIMS, still a legendary campaigner, brilliant speaker and supporter of women’s rights in pregnancy and birth,…
A revelation that every birth worker needs to know about gravity and placental transfusion
Do we really need to hold newborn babies at the level of the placenta so that gravity can assist transfusion? No, according to new research.
Unexpected home birth: let’s keep our shoelaces on…
Sara Wickham explains why advice given by the emergency services to use shoelaces to tie the cord at birth is incorrect and dangerous
Has the pandemic affected induction of labour?
What do women want when it comes to the induction decision? Dr Sara Wickham investigates research which shows that it’s more complex than we might think.
How to cancel a labour induction?
Dr Sara Wickham discusses how to cancel labour induction. And where to get more information if you need it before making your decision.
Vitamin K Resources
Articles and resources relating to vitamin K for newborn babies. By Sara Wickham, a midwife, researcher and author who has written extensively on this.
How to share content so everyone benefits…
How to share content so that everyone benefits? Dr Sara Wickham offers some suggestions and tips to help you stay generous, friendly and legal.