Tag: research updates

Oxytocin and birth: the latest evidence

The latest evidence on oxytocin and birth: Sara Wickham looks at a review which helps explain why spontaneous, physiological labour and birth is beneficial.

New data have changed the conclusions of the Cochrane review on vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy.

“EFM has become a quintessential example of the perils of adopting new medical technologies without proper study of risks and benefits,” says a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Sara Wickham discusses a woman-centred and considered article on vaginal seeding, whose authors effectively highlight some of the complex but really important elements of this conversation.

Caseload midwifery continues to outperform standard maternity care

Research into women’s experiences of caseload midwifery care shows that this “outperforms standard care” for all women, even those perceived to have a higher chance of problems.

A discussion of the shoulder shrug manoeuvre for resolving shoulder dystocia during birth.

A large randomised controlled trial looking at the effect of antibiotics to prevent infection after operative vaginal birth shows that this reduces the chance of infection from one in five to one in ten.

“EFM is a waste of extremely scarce resources while simultaneously adding another layer of useless staff training complexity as well as significant morbidity and mortality to a desperately critical situation.”

Research from the UK shows that, “Reduced fetal movements, and recurrent episodes, are common, and lead to considerable resource usage and obstetric intervention. We found no evidence to suggest that recurrent episodes increase pregnancy risk.”