How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop -An interview with Dr Sara Wickham

The Midwives' Cauldron

Want to send us a message? Fan mail? Thoughts on the episode?

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. Worldwide, this trend is growing at an alarming rate. This is despite both a lack of evidence demonstrating its benefits and a wealth of evidence indicating the significant short- and long-term negative impacts of induction on the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies.

Sara discusses with us how her timely book, in light of the newly released NICE Inducing labour guidelines, demystifies the evidence and highlights the significant discrepancies between guidelines and what we really know about the benefits of supporting women to birth spontaneously.

Sara is a midwife, speaker, bestselling author and researcher who works independently. Sara’s career has been varied and includes more than twenty years of experience as a midwife, lecturer and researcher. She is the author/editor of seventeen books and is the Director of the Birth Information Project. She divides her working time between speaking, writing, facilitating online courses, creating resources and undertaking a wide variety of consultancy projects and advisory activities.
LINKS:
Dr Sara Wickham website: www.sarawickham.com

The book’s webpage www.sarawickham.com/time

Instagram @drsarawickham
Facebook fb/saramidwife
The Cauldron

Want to listen to the new podcast 'The Feeding Couch'? Find it here or on all good podcast hosting platforms!

Get 10% off Katie's Breastfeeding & Lactation: the fundamentals online course today with code POD10 at checkout.
Support the Show.

• Please support the show via Patreon or BuyMeACoffee
• MERCH here!
• Music Joseph McDade

Like this podcast? Leave us a review here
Want more from Katie and Rachel?
Katie's website
Rachel's website
Disclaimer
The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. The Midwives' Cauldron podcast reserves the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time.
The information and materials on the podcast is provided "as is"; no representations are made that the content is error-free. Whilst we have tried to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information we do not warrant or guarantee the accurateness.
The podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage howsoever arising out of the use or reliance on the content.