Midwife Rach

25/08/2025

You’ve found out you’re finally expecting & you’ve heard about the amazing benefits of continuity of midwifery care.
You’re stumped, you don’t know what model of care to choose but you just want the best outcome for you and your baby…..

25/08/2025

Lots of research around with the aim to improve women’s experiences.
Please complete this short survey which will help to improve breastfeeding advice

https://redcap.link/BFsupportNSW

22/08/2025

Rest In Peace Dr Michel Odent

21/08/2025

Rest in Peace to an absolute legend in the maternity world 🩷

We are saddened to hear news of the passing of Michel Odent, whose vision and writing reshaped the way we understand human birth.

Michel Odent reminded us that birth is not a medical procedure to be controlled, but a primal rythm to be respected. He advocated for home-like maternity units, warm water births, protecting the birthing woman's privacy and honouring her instincts, undisturbed contact between mother and newborn; he was among the first to discuss the importance of the microbiome, and question many of the practices that had (and have) become normalised in overmedicalised maternity systems globally.

Michel Odent's legacy lives on in every dimmed, quiet birthing room, and in every midwife his words and work inspired to join our profession.

Thank you, Michel, for your passion, vision and committment to women and newborns.

Photo: Xavier Caré / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA

20/08/2025

19/08/2025

✨Breathing support ✨

In the uterus your baby is completely dependent on the placenta to provide oxygenation through the umbilical cord.

Your baby is swimming in amniotic fluid and needs to clear that fluid to make room for air once born.

Most babies born vaginally will have no issues in doing this, they will let out a big cry and the pressure from that inhalation forces fluid in the lungs to move out into the tissues and let air in.

As the placenta stops pulsating to your baby and inhalation begins the reduced pressure will cause 3 shunts in the heart to close. These were alternate paths for blood flow while your baby is in the uterus and they are not needed after birth.

At times this transition can be delayed and that can be due to many things such as maternal medications, poor placental function etc.

So what do we do as midwives?

First we stimulate give bub a nice rub, ask mum to blow on the face to try and initiate a cry if these aren't
working we go straight to a bag and mask.

If you think of the lungs as 2 flat balloons.
We all know how hard it is to get that first breath into a flat balloon and once there is a little air in there the balloon inflates a lot easier.

Putting it simply that is what the bag and mask does, it pushes air into your baby’s lungs to inflate the “balloons” (lungs) and makes it a whole lot easier to take that first breath.

Keeping the CORD INTACT is a resuscitation technique on its own, research has shown babies with delayed cord clamping started to breathe and establish regular breathing earlier then babies who had early cord clamping.

In Australia it's rare at the moment for resuscitation to take place by the bedside in a hospital setting. At home births this can easily be achieved as you can see in the above photo.

Midwives : 👏
📷 : Emma-Jean Photography ♥️
✨ Words and informative Repost by Peace with birth ✨

19/08/2025

It’s okay not to feel okay.
Speak to your midwife for non judgmental support 💜

It’s common to feel like you’re the only one who’s struggling — but the reality is, and the statistics show, you’re not alone.

The path to parenthood is full of change and challenges.

Visit cope.org.au to feel reassured and informed as you navigate this transition.

And search our COPE Directory for local supports, services and resources.

18/08/2025

Local Pregnancy Yoga classes 🤰🧘‍♀️
Please contact Briony via DM to book

17/08/2025

👶🏻 Breast-milk is the ideal first food for a baby. It's safe, clean and contains antibodies which protect against dangerous illnesses.

✅ Start breastfeeding within 1 hour after birth
✅ Breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months
✅ Continue breastfeeding alongside healthy family foods until the baby is at least 2 years old

16/08/2025

Weekend Reads 🙌🏾

13/08/2025

Breech training yesterday with Breech Without Borders at birthtimehub

Slide through the photos to see the manoeuvre unfold ✌🏽😜

Super humbled & definitely a little star struck today being in the company of amazing breech experts including Dr Rixa Freeze and Dr Andrew Bisits.
It was also lovely bumping into some of my fellow private midwives 🥰