A labour plateau is a phrase used to describe a pause or slowdown in labour. The labour plateau is a phenomenon with which I am very familiar. As a midwife, I attended mostly physiological births, where it is common to…
What is a labour plateau?
Category: Research Updates
Birth outcomes in plus size pregnancy
Dr Sara Wickham looks at research which challenges what we’re being told about birth outcomes and plus size pregnancy.
Labour progress myths: why size and age may not be the problem
Dr Sara Wickham looks at labour progress myths, and why maternal size and age are sometimes unfairly blamed
The benefits of water for birth
What are the benefits of water for birth? Sara Wickham looks at studies highlighting the advantages of this for women and babies.
Women with higher BMI: it doesn’t have to be complicated!
A lot has been written over the past few years about the risks posed to women with higher BMI than average. In fact, this has become such a significant issue that I have written a book on this topic. And,…
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.
Induction of labour: what do women think?
Women want more information and support with decision making about induction of labour, especially when there’s no good medical reason for it
Shared decision making
The term ‘shared decision making’ implies that the practitioner gets a say in what the person decides, and that’s not quite right…
The Albany Midwifery Practice
A book about the Albany Midwifery Practice has been published, and here’s why it’s important…
The benefits of midwifery care
Another study has shown that receiving pregnancy care from a midwife can reduce the chance of having problems, says Sara Wickham.