Invercargill Midwife Bernie Archer

09/02/2026

We have a new cohort of student midwives beginning their studies in two weeks! They will be looking to support whānau expecting a baby in our communities from March 2026 onwards.
If you or someone you know is pregnant, is due from March 2026 onwards, and would like to have a first year student, please contact us. Our Bachelor of Midwifery programme has students based in Dunedin, Southland, Central Otago, greater Wellington including Wairarapa, Whanganui, and Palmerston North.
What's in it for you?
* You will have extra support and companionship during your pregnancy and childbirth experience.
* The first-year students are keen to learn how you and your whānau experience pregnancy.
* You are in charge and can decide what you want to share with the student, and our students will be supervised by a lecturer/kaiako at the School of Midwifery.
* Help future generations of midwives to follow through with you and your whānau in a supportive role during pregnancy, childbirth and the early weeks at home with your baby.
Are you interested and due from March 2026?
Please fill in the consent form online here, and our School will be in touch with you in the new year. https://forms.office.com/r/MxKMEK0JT4

Please share this post to your networks. :)

02/02/2026

I recommend every pregnant women should listen to Melanie Jackson's podcasts She is a rock star of relevant researched based information for NZ women acknowledging that Australia does not have our great model of LMC care

31/01/2026

Most inductions take 24–48 hours.
Are you actually prepared for what that means?

Many families say,
“Oh, an induction is fine, just a little help to get labor started.”
But do you realize what an induction actually entails?
Because once it begins…
you’ve stepped onto a very different path than spontaneous labor.

Let’s talk about what doesn’t get explained in a 5-minute prenatal visit.

With an induction:
• You usually cannot labor at home as long as you’d like
• You’re continuously monitored, limiting movement
• Contractions often become stronger, faster, and more painful than natural labor
• You’re more likely to request or be offered an epidural
• Epidurals can slow labor → leading to higher doses of Pitocin
• Stronger contractions + limited movement + numb legs =
increased chance of assisted delivery (vacuum or forceps)
• Which increases the likelihood of a cesarean

This is the cascade of interventions.
Not because anyone did something wrong,
but because one intervention often requires the next.

Other realities families aren’t told:
• Inductions commonly last 24–48+ hours
• Sleep deprivation before active labor even begins
• Eating restrictions
• IV lines and medications
• Limited comfort positions
• Less ability to follow your body’s natural rhythm

Are inductions sometimes medically necessary?
Absolutely. And they can be life-saving.

But elective or routine inductions deserve informed consent, not casual acceptance.

Because many inductions are suggested for reasons that are not true medical emergencies, such as:
• “Your baby is measuring big” (late-pregnancy ultrasounds can be off by 1–2 pounds)
• “You’re past your due date” (a due date is an estimate, not an expiration date)
• “We don’t want the baby to get too big”
• “You’re 39 weeks, we can induce now”
• “Your cervix isn’t ready, let’s get things going”
• Scheduling convenience (even when no one says it out loud)

Preparation changes everything.
Support changes everything.
Education changes everything.

No family should walk into birth decisions without knowing they have options.
And you deserve to understand the path before stepping onto it.

13/01/2026

03/01/2026

Something to think about in the New Year

What are the best questions to ask if you're offered induction of labour?

As someone who has researched and written about induction of labour for more than two decades, I get asked that quite a bit.

Especially as I have a fundamental belief that there is no one 'right' path for everyone.

Twenty years before anyone hashtagged , I was promoting that very idea to women and families.

One size doesn't fit all.

You need to decide what's right for you.

And in order to do that, you might need to ask some questions.

So I have put together this guide to the five best questions that you can ask in order to get more information and make the decisions that are right for you.

I'm also going to tell you what can you learn from the answers you are given.

You can find my blog post at https://www.sarawickham.com/articles-2/five-questions-to-ask-if-youre-offered-induction-of-labour/

I hope you'll find it useful.

22/11/2025

An incredible study found that women who ate 6 dates a day in the last 4 weeks of pregnancy were...

• 74% more dilated when they arrived at the hospital
• Had a 77% shorter first stage of labor
• And were 42% less likely to need a C-section

So what makes dates so powerful?

Dates are packed with nutrients that actually prepare the cervix and uterus for labor.
They influence oxytocin receptors, which means the body responds more effectively to the natural hormones that trigger labor.

They also contain prostaglandins that help ripen (soften and thin) the cervix,
and tannins that encourage stronger, more efficient contractions.

On top of that, dates provide natural sugars and fats for energy during labor,
plus calcium and serotonin to support the body through the intensity of birth.

Some studies even suggest dates make the uterus more sensitive to oxytocin—
leading to smoother, more effective contractions and shorter labors.

This is also why women who eat dates late in pregnancy are far less likely to need a C-section.

The most common recommendation is to start eating 6 dates a day from 37 weeks until birth.

I’m a midwife and a home birthing mama,
and I was encouraged to eat dates in my own pregnancy and honestly, I think it helped me.

Share this with a pregnant mama, or save it for later 🖤

Did you eat dates in late pregnancy?
What was your experience?

08/11/2025

C sections are not without long term risks and although an elective c section might seem like a good idea the long term implications need to be considered. C sections are a life saving surgery and no one is disputing appropriate use of the procedure.

Placenta accreta is a life-threatening condition in which the placenta attaches to scar tissue left by a C-section. It used to be extremely rare.

05/11/2025

30/10/2025

Have you, or someone you support, been told your baby is “measuring big”? Have you felt the push for early induction or caesarean based solely on size estimates? You’re not alone. There is another epidemic across Australia with fear-based care, inconsistent advice, and inaccurate predictions which can rob women of informed choice and a positive birth experience. Let’s flip the script and reframe “big baby” into what it often really is: a healthy baby, growing just as they should.