It’s season 4 and to kick us off you have me and Rachel chewing the fat on all things breastfeeding and lactation. In this episode, we delve in to look at what is going on with in-hospital formula milk supplementation for breastfed infants. We ask why the supplementation rates are so high, and discuss it’s impact on breastfeeding, and lactation physiology. We talk about teat/bottle confusion, the best ways to give extra feeds and the acceptable medical reasons for this. We discuss why avoidance ...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Thank you to all of you who joined us in season 3, it has been epically wonderful! We are off for a little summer/winter break, but stay tuned as we will be back with some awesome new and exciting offerings for your lugg'ols and eyeballs! Listen in to the trailer to hear more. Until then you can find lots more below. LINKS: Rachel Reed -courses, books, blog, etc Buy us a coffee to keep the caffeine flowing Support the show Please support the show via Patreon or BuyMeACoffee MERCH here! Music Jos...
Aug 17, 2022•2 min
In this episode we talk to Anita Moorhead about all things antenatal hand expression. Anita is a Clinical Nurse/Midwife Consultant (for Lactation), at the Royal Women’s Hospital, Melbourne, a coordinator for the DAME (Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing) trial and PhD candidate at the Judith Lumley Centre, La Trobe University, Australia. Anita has collaborated on breastfeeding papers and reports, hospital, and state clinical guidelines and is a frequent presenter at national and international...
Jul 28, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In this episode we interview Ellie Young. Ellie is an Australian edge-dwelling registered midwife, qualitative researcher and writer. She has worked with women and families for over 15 years within the permaculture and traditional nutrition space whilst supporting women choosing to give birth outside the system. After midwifery training, Ellie went back to attending homebirth within her community, whilst undertaking a research study on women's experience of the transition phase of physiological ...
Jul 05, 2022•59 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this episode we have Dr Hazel Keedle and we are talking all things VBAC, vaginal birth after caesarean! Hazel is a lecturer of midwifery at Western Sydney University, Australia. Hazel has worked in midwifery group practices, an aboriginal medical service, a variety of hospital settings and as a privately practising midwife in both city and regional locations. Hazel’s passion for VBAC followed her own experience of having a VBAC with her daughter in 2008 and since then has published research o...
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In this episode we have Professor Helen O'Connell and we are talking all things clitoris! Professor O'Connell was elected Vice -President of USANZ in 2021. She was the first female Urologist in Australia and New Zealand, completing training in Melbourne in 1993 followed by a Fellowship in Female and Functional Urology in Houston, USA in 1994-5. Her doctoral studies in female pelvic anatomy have achieved international renown leading to significant conceptual changes in both medical and lay litera...
May 25, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this episode we have the fabulous Kemi Johnson on to chat with us. Kemi is a mother, birthkeeper in the birthroom, birth educator and birth activist. Formerly an independent midwife, registered in the UK she is now freely following her calling to facilitate healthy ecstatic births for mothers, and their babies. We chat with Kemi about home birth, free-birth, and why the reported outcomes can often be misunderstood. We look at induction, and childbirth outcomes, time frames in birth, as well a...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In this episode, we answer your questions! We take a dive into, inverted nipples and what you can do during pregnancy and with breastfeeding. Answer whether vaginal examinations are necessary during pregnancy, why milk teeth are called milk teeth, look into informed non-consent in the hospital setting, and discuss declining interventions during labour & birth. We delve into the ethics and copyright of how to share information. Whether you can or should breastfeed whilst pregnant, how placent...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode in the cauldron, we have Pippa Grace, the author of Mother in the mother. Pippa is a socially engaged artist, writer, and sculptor. Her work brings together over 26 years of training and working in the worlds of holistic health, bodywork, dance, creative writing, film, and sculpture. Pippa facilitates the sharing of stories and the creation of ‘visual narratives’ at beautifully held workshops. Pippa is particularly interested in helping to give voice to the quiet, everyday storie...
Mar 24, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode come with us on a journey into the land of kangaroos... only kidding we are talking about kangaroo mother care and skin-to-skin contact. You may think this is a topic you may know everything about but before you switch off I recommend listening in. Look, even Rachel learned stuff she didn't know, and she was the one in our planning meeting who said "what a whole hour on skin to skin?"! So, yes folks, here is a whole podcast on Katie's favourite topic. We find out what the bearded...
Mar 10, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 8
On this incredible episode, we get the pleasure of picking the brain of Dr Sarah Buckley, where we go on a journey into the hormones from conception to pregnancy, birthing to feeding, bonding & attachment. Sarah Buckley is a New-Zealand-trained GP/family physician with qualifications in GP-obstetrics and family planning. 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 ...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this episode, we interview Lily Nichols RDN. Lily is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy and the author of two books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily’s bestselling books have helped tens of thou...
Jan 20, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode, Rachel and I discuss all things placentas! We look more deeply at the time it takes to transfer blood from the placenta into the baby after birth and what the reason for this is. Rachel makes a stand for the “forgotten placenta” as well as bringing in some blokes named Erasmus from 1796 and Pierre from 1875 to make our jaws drop when she reveals what they were saying about letting the blood from the placenta flow to the baby all that time ago! And of course, we look further at e...
Jan 06, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In this episode Professor Hannah Dahlen talks us through her incredible beginnings growing up as the daughter of a midwife and her early initiation into the birth world in Yemen. How her passion for feminism and supporting women was seeded into her through her young girl experiences seeing and recognising how differently women and girls are treated and seen. Hannah shares with us her own connection to the real-life 'Call the midwife' book through her mother's experience working in the east end o...
Dec 11, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 4
In this episode we have got Dr Sara Wickham back! Sara’s newest book titled In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop, is a masterclass in what the evidence really says about induction of labour and a fascinating insight into how birth has come to be controlled by Western medicine. Staggeringly, over a third of all pregnant women have their labour medically induced, and this is accompanied by a tsunami of avoidable medical interventions. World...
Nov 17, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 3
In this episode we go on an hour-long whistle-stop tour all about low milk supply. We touch on topics such as: How many women experience low milk supply Breast refusal Re-building milk supply Donor milk Nipple teat confusion Breast reduction surgery The top up trap Medications that could affect milk supply Witching hours and COLIC Phew! It's jam packed. We even have some great 80s or is it 90s movie references and some Ah-mazing accents from two of our comedy idols - Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer....
Oct 28, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 2
In this episode we have with us Dr Florence Wilcock , an obstetrician who has been working in NHS maternity services for more than 25 years. Florence has a special interest in improving women’s experience of maternity care & has been a consultant in London since 2007 where she is currently the lead obstetrician for Perinatal mental health as well as working with the Birth Options team, and homebirth team. As a member of the London Maternity Clinical Network Florence was responsible for the i...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Season 3Ep. 1
We'll be back soon. Thanks for being with us for Season 2; all the in-depth conversations, truth-bombs, singing, laughter and so many golden nuggets! It's great to have you with us in this big bubbling cauldron of goodness. Watch out for the beginning of Season 3 on our Instagram page where we have some great stuff coming up for you all. Please check out our links below. LINKS: Dr Rachel Reed - https://rachel-reed.website/ Our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/themidwivescauldron Our Instag...
Aug 20, 2021•3 min
In this episode, we talk with Bashi Kumar-Hazard. Bashi is an Australian-based lawyer who works to promote the human rights of women and infants in the provision of maternity healthcare. She has represented families and healthcare providers defending their human rights in coronial inquests, court proceedings, and civil disputes. Her background experience is in the field of competition and consumer law. She is currently completing a PhD in anti-competitive practices in maternity healthcare at the...
Aug 04, 2021•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 13
In this 2nd episode on gestational diabetes, we discuss the baby; what is hypoglycaemia, how does it affect babies, what are the signs, and how is it treated? We look at some of the evidence and latest guidelines for treatment of hypoglycaemia in the infant, as well as antenatal hand expression, what helps support a baby's glucose level after birth and the link between women with gestational diabetes and delayed onset of lactation (milk 'coming in' late) and its potential impact on future breast...
Jul 14, 2021•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 12
In this episode, we discuss all things gestational diabetes. This is a two-part episode as there was just so much we had to talk about. We start with gestational diabetes in pregnancy and next time we will be looking at it from the mother and baby perspective. Listen in as Rachel gives us the most wonderful analogy about insulin and glucose wrapped up in the form of Pac-Man, and Rachel dissects some of the research to give us a greater understanding of testing for diabetes in pregnancy and what ...
Jun 26, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 11
On this episode we talk to Dr Sara Wickham, a midwife, best-selling author, speaker and researcher. Sara is the Director of the Birth Information Project. She divides her time between speaking, writing, facilitating online courses, creating resources, and undertaking consultancy services for midwifery and health-related organisations around the world. Today we are discussing all things Anti D. We delve into the founding history of Anti d – who discovered it, how it's made, what monkeys have got ...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 2Ep. 10
In this episode we talk with the utterly wonderful Prof Amy Brown about why she doesn’t like sea lions, looking at breastfeeding from a biological perspective, women’s experiences of feeding their babies, how to navigate the internet as a birth worker and more! Prof Amy Brown is a professor of maternal and child public health at Swansea University. She is based in the department of public health, policy and social sciences where she is the director of their research centre 'LIFT' which stands fo...
May 24, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 9
In this episode we get to interview the wonderful Billie Harrigan. Billie is the Owner and Director of Birth Trauma Ontario, which provides education and training for maternity providers and allied birth professionals in trauma-informed care, as well as providing information and support for parents and loved ones that are dealing with birth-related trauma or birthing after trauma. Billie is a traditional birth companion, certified birth and postpartum doula, and childbirth educator. We delve int...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 8
This time Rachel interviews Katie about the most common breastfeeding questions we have about the early days. The usual banter and laughter ensue, with a musical number or two belted out by Rachel! LINKS: Donna Ramsey. Anatomy of the lactating human breast redefined with ultrasound imaging: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15960763/ (open access article) Disclaimer: The information and provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all info...
Apr 17, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Dr Danielle Arabena, is a descendant of the Meriam Mer people in the Torres Strait, a medical doctor, GP specialist, educator, respected figure in the medical community and host of the Indigenous Health MedTalk podcast. This episode delves into aboriginal history, ancient medicine, medical magic and how we no longer recognise the importance of connecting to our menstrual cycle. We discuss how we can all benefit from sitting with ourselves properly during our cycle, learning more about our womb s...
Apr 06, 2021•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 6
In this episode Katie interviews Rachel Reed on her new book 'Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage'; from conception to birthing, including tea and toast at the end! LINKS: https://rachel-reed.website/reclaiming-childbirth-as-a-rite-of-passage/ Chapters Part One: The Weft Herstory : an overview of the herstory of childbirth from early humans to the emergence of modern maternity systems. The legacy : how the legacy of herstory continues to influence the modern cultural landscape of childbir...
Mar 15, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Toni Harman is the incredible film maker of the multi-award winning documentaries Microbirth, Doula and Freedom for birth, as well as the producer of the microbiome online courses. In this episode, we explore the science of ‘seeding and feeding’ a baby’s microbiome during pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding and the critical role of mothers’ microbes for optimal training of the infant immune system and lifelong health. Along with discussing the differences between vaginal and caesarean birth, thos...
Feb 27, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 2Ep. 4
In this episode, Rachel and Katie take a look at the evidence surrounding the pushing phase of labour. Rachel discusses the reasoning behind why we need to stop talking about labour in stages and we delve into the cervical lip and how best to deal with it. And of course along the way we have some fun. Join us in this episode of The Midwives Cauldron to learn while you laugh. LINKS: Research mentioned: Dahlen et al. (2013) Vaginal examinations during normal labor: routine examination or routine i...
Feb 10, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 3
We interview three amazing women who embarked on a mission to find out why an increasing number of women are emerging from their births physically and emotionally traumatised. Their discoveries exposed the truth and led them to join the birth revolution and forge a movement and a documentary film that hopes to change the face of maternity care in Australia and across the developed world. Join us as we chat with Jerusha Sutton, Jo Hunter and Zoe Naylor. LINKS: Website https://www.birthtime.world ...
Jan 20, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 2
