Placentophagy, consumption of one’s own placenta, is undergoing a small revival in Western culture. Numerous benefits to maternal health and wellbeing have be purported by placentophagy. These include specific hormones and nutrients which may be derived from ingestion, benefits for nutrition, the prevention of postnatal depression and increased lactation. However research in support of
In Australia, in the past ten years, contraceptive choices for women have increased significantly. Women continue to seek a wide range of contraceptive options and they increasingly want to be fully informed and in control of their fertility. Research indicates that women’s primary concerns when choosing contraception are that it is effective and has
Newborn bloodspot screening is offered to all newborn babies born in Australia. This screen involves pricking your baby’s heel between 48 and 72 hours following birth and putting this blood on a little white card made of special filter paper. Tests are carried out on the blood sample. The newborn bloodspot screening test can
Up to 80% of women experience nausea in pregnancy. Just over 50% of pregnant women experience vomiting. Known as ‘morning sickness’ the nausea or vomiting can occur at any time of the day. Starting about the 5th week of pregnancy, 50% of women report their nausea and/or vomiting has passed by 14 weeks of
When it comes to childbirth and birth positions most midwives will tell you it’s not something you can do lying down. Yet, this is exactly how many women still give birth in Australia. “Walking during labour was the only way I could deal with the pain. I walked the pain away. It felt great
I grew up hearing many horror birth stories, including my mother’s, and had little trust in my body or the birth process. I grew up thinking that once I was pregnant, I would see an obstetrician and I assumed he would tell me that I was like my mother and my pelvis was just
Life as a midwife is a nine-year-old girls perspective on midwifery. Lia's mum is a midwife and she shares a poem about midwives. Lia's Words about the life as a midwife I don’t know how it feels to be a midwife but they can see extraordinary things such as breech birth
A birth plan is a way of communicating your wishes to those who will care for you during labour. It helps you to think about the kind of labour and birth you would like to have, and what you particularly want to avoid. A birth plan most importantly, enables you to communicate your wishes
 Most people think of apples when they think of Granny Smith and most people think of a very worried John Howard when they think of Bennelong – but on the 20th of October, in my local area of Bennelong, the annual Granny Smith festival became the source of some startling new information about a local
Have you ever pondered multiple pregnancy and wondered how a woman’s body can accommodate more than one growing baby. While many of us may have encountered a friend, a family member or even a stranger carrying twins, triplet pregnancies are substantially rarer. This touching video, encapsulating 35.1 weeks of pregnancy in three minutes, shows
