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.
Is home birth safe?
Category: Research Updates
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…
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.
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.
Women with higher BMI: it doesn’t have to be complicated!
We have heard much over the past few years about the risks posed to women with higher BMI than average. It’s clear, however, that this focus is problematic in a number of ways. The evidence isn’t clear cut. There is…
Home birth after caesarean
Home birth after caesarean (or HBAC) is an increasingly popular option. Women and families know that they will be less subject to monitoring and interference at home. It is thought by some that this may lead to a higher chance…
How do midwives support women in bureaucratic health care systems?
How do midwives support women in bureaucratic health care systems? The past few years have seen some less than accurate depictions of midwives and midwifery practice so I was heartened to see the publication of a study that I chose…
Another study, another dodgy headline! Please don’t steal our coffee!
A study was recently 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…
Black, Black British, Asian and Asian British babies twice as likely to die
A report published in the UK has shown that Black and Asian babies are twice as likely to die as white babies. (Direct link here). MBRRACE-UK (a project run by a multi-disciplinary research team based at Oxford University) have published…
Women’s perceptions and experiences of COVID-19
Researchers have just published the first study looking at women’s perceptions of COVID-19 and their healthcare experiences in the UK. This was a qualitative thematic analysis and it was published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. Back in May of this…