All Episodes
Episodes
Episode 172 - Do I have to consume raspberry leaf tea and dates?
Ā Ā Raspberry leaf tea and dates are often recommended to you women with the thought that consuming them during pregnancy will assist with a more efficient labour and fewer complications. Today Mel looks at the evidence...
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Episode 171 - The midwives mission with Betty Anne Daviss
Betty-Anne Daviss has seemingly endless energy and motivation to continue her midwifery mission. This week Betty-Anne Daviss (Canadian Midwife of nearly 50 years!) speaks to Mel about her career as a midwife, her...
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Episode 170 - Managing labour without pain medication
Sometimes labour can hurt a little or a lot. Either way, there are things that you can do to increase your capacity to manage the pain of labour. This includes your mental game, the capacity of your support team, some...
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Episode 169 - The Epidural
You might be one of the 60% of women who have an epidural during their labour or birth. If you plan a caesarean youāll have one and 40% of labouring women have one, but do you really know what it is, how itās done and...
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Episode 168 - Your incredible birth reflexes!
The fetus ejection reflex vs the Ferguson reflex. Did you feel your baby shoot out of you unexpectedly, or that irresistible urge that made it impossible not to push? This episode is to help understand these...
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Episode 167 - Pushing out your baby
Pushing out your baby is NOT about the eye popping, no breathing, PUSH PUSH PUSH PUUUUUUUSH scene that you see in movies. Unfortunately though many women are coached by their care provider to push a particular way. It...
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Episode 166 - An ode to Odent
On Aug 19th 2025 the world farewelled legendary Obstetrician Michel Odent. He spent his career trying to warn us of the generational impact of interrupting labour and birth and gave timeless advice on the practice of...
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Episode 165 - How to have a long and lovely midwifery career
A long and lovely career in midwifery requires strategic effort, the midwifery workforce is in a crisis of unsustainability so how can you be one of the midwives that makes it to a long and lovely career? In today's...
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Episode 164 - Navigating homebirth transfer
Sometimes homebirth doesnāt go as planned and transfer to hospital is required. This doesnāt mean your homebirth failed! Planning a homebirth improves your chances of a good outcome even if you end up birthing in...
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Episode 163 - Is homebirth a good choice for you?
The evidence on the safety of homebirth is well-established. This episode presents some of the research about the physical outcomes that you can expect for yourself and your baby if you plan to give birth at home....
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Episode 162 - Creating a great birth after previous caesarean
Having a great birth after a previous caesarean relies on 4 key elements. Some of these elements are provided by your care provider and some of them you can control. Find out how you can facilitate a positive and...
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Episode 161 - That new research on private obstetric care
A new research paper is causing concern amongst the birthing community this week after a local newspaper said that the study shows that outcomes are better in private obstetric-led care compared to the public...
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