Coast midwife

01/03/2026

Alice born at home 18/1/26 at 13:19 first time baby for Kate and Jayden.

01/03/2026

Meet Tasmin born at home on 8/1/26 at 23:43 first baby for Paloma and Rhys, birthing your first baby at home is so special 💕

01/03/2026

If you’re looking for information on pregnancy and birth-related topics, there’s loads on my website, https://www.sarawickham.com

I have also written books about decision making in pregnancy and birth and on a few specific topics, such as induction of labour, plus size pregnancy, Anti-D, group B Strep, Vitamin K, and the birth of the placenta.

I also want to re-share this important thought.

When it comes to making decisions about things like induction of labour, it’s not that people are trying to persuade women to say no.

I truly don’t mind whether anyone’s labour begins spontaneously or as a result of medical or other induction methods.

As long as that was their decision and they had the information that they needed to make it.

Without being coerced or scared into it.

It’s all about information.

If you have good information, you can then decide whether a particular path is right for you.

As recent research and many of the comments that I receive confirm, many women who have induction and similar interventions during their births later wish that they had been told more about what it had involved and about what it would mean for them and their family.

Some are happy with their decision but others are not.

We need to help more women to get all the information they need to make the decisions that are right for them.

Loads more info at https://www.sarawickham.com where you can also sign up to get my free updates on birth-related research and thinking.

25/02/2026

24/02/2026

12/02/2026

Ancient wisdom, modern neuroscience, tiny needles.

07/02/2026

05/02/2026

Membrane sweeping is a form of induction of labour.

A membrane sweep is also called a stretch and sweep, or sometimes just "a sweep."

It's an intervention that you may be offered towards the end of pregnancy.

As with all interventions, it's up to you whether you have it or not.

How does it work? A midwife or doctor will, while doing a vaginal examination, sweep a finger around and/or within the opening of your cervix (the lowest part of your womb).

As with all interventions, there are pros and cons. Membrane sweeping can cause pain, discomfort, bleeding and infection.

We don't really know if it works. Some studies show it may work. Others don't. The evidence is of low quality.

It is always a good idea to get informed
before you decide what's right for you.

If you'd like to know more, there's a blog post on membrane sweeping on www.sarawickham.com

It's called "What is a stretch and sweep?" and you can find it at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/what-is-a-stretch-and-sweep/

In it, I explain more about membrane sweeping, the pros and cons and some of the things you might want to know before you decide whether or not it's right for you.

I hope it helps.

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

Over the past few months, many women and birth workers have asked me whether it’s possible to request Anti-D (RhoGAM) made from unvaccinated blood.

I’ve written a blog post to answer this.

You can read it at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/can-anti-d-rhogam-be-made-from-unvaccinated-blood/

28/01/2026