Pregnant? Where are you getting your information from? Is it evidence-based or opinion-based?
Options, options, options, but OMG where to start right?
As a mother of three, I was once pregnant myself (and weighing up options each time) for choosing my LMC (midwife or OB), hospital, birthing centre or home?, shall we find out the sex of our baby?, should I drink castor oil to induce labour?, what are my options for pain relief, should I take Hypnobirthing classes or just read the book?, what about vitamin K?, eating my placenta (what?!) or even better having it encapsulated (what the?!). My head was spinning back then and actually even spins more so today with the options, information and misinformation circulating via words we hear and read in real form or the words you read downloaded from outer-space somewhere. Information changes and it circulates at lightening speed, so here are a few pointers in the right direction:
Evidence Based Birth https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ putting current evidence based information into the hands of communities, so they can make empowered choices. Your go to for topics such as: due dates, vitamin k and the newborn, failure to progress, suspected big babies (to name a few). Rebecca Dekker, nurse (with PhD) for trusted, non-biased source of the most current evidence-based information on pregnancy and childbirth.
Dr Sara Wickham https://www.sarawickham.com/ midwife, author, educator and researcher. Articles, books, online courses including vitamin k and the newborn, what’s right for me?, inducing labour, birthing our placenta (to name a few).
Dr Sarah Buckley - https://sarahbuckley.com/ “Sarah Buckley is a New-Zealand-trained GP/family physician with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning. She is the mother of four home-born children, and currently combines motherhood with her work as a writer on pregnancy, birth, and parenting. She is also a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland,, where her research is focused on oxytocin and the autonomic nervous system in labour and birth, and the impacts of interventions. Dr Buckley’s work critiques current practices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting from the widest possible perspectives, including scientific, anthropological, cross-cultural, psychological, and personal. She encourages us to be fully informed in our decision-making; to listen to our hearts and our intuition; and to claim our rightful role as the real experts in our bodies and our children”
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/staff_profiles/WSU/professor_hannah_dahlen Professor Hannah Dahlen (Professor of Midwifery WSU) - see website for information and publications
Spinning Babies - https://www.spinningbabies.com/ activities, body balancing techniques and smart birth positions for a more comfortable, confident birth
VBAC Facts - https://vbacfacts.com/ Evidence-based information on vaginal birth after caesarean section
DONA International - Doulas - https://www.dona.org/ Looking for a Doula? DONA International is the leader in evidence-based doula training, certification and continuing education.
Lamaze International - Evidence Based Childbirth Education https://www.lamaze.org/ (see parents page)
Amy Brown - Informed is Best (Book) - How to spot fake news about your pregnancy, birth and baby https://www.bookdepository.com/Informed-is-Best-Amy-Brown/9781780664903
Discuss any concerns, fears, options, risks and benefits with your LMC (midwife or OB). You can also discuss with your birth doula (note: they are unable to give opinions or make decisions for you) - you can however, make an informed decision with your care provider based on the information you are given (is up to date, relevant and correct).
This article is not intended to replace medical advice, but rather to help parents seek out helpful resources when making informed decisions for their pregnancy, birth and labour. To enable open discussions with their care provider when making such decisions and feel satisfied and good with the decision/s being made.
Happy researching!