All Episodes
Episodes
Episode 128 - Birth keepers an investigation with journalist Charlotte King ABC
A birth keeper is a vague and obscure term used to describe some unregulated birth workers who attend births. No one except the birth keeper themselves really knows the full scope of what they do or what they are...
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Episode 127 - Do I need stitches if I tear at birth?
Your perineum is a part of your body that is designed to repair itself after childbirth. 70% of women will have some kind of tear or cut to their perineum during childbirth. Many of these will be stitched back...
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Episode 126 - Consumer advocacy triumphs and turmoil
Consumer advocacy organisations are significant agents for change in maternity care. In this episode, we delve into the powerful story behind The Perth Birth Link, an advocacy group founded in 2023 to address...
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Episode 125 - The medicalisation spectrum
The medicalisation spectrum is 101 when you are planning a birth that feels safest and most satisfying to you. Understanding where you sit on the medicalisation spectrum is the key to planning the rest of your...
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Episode 124 - Pregnant over 35 years old
What does the research say about being over 35 years old and pregnant? Mel looks through some research papers to help you understand how your care provider is calculating risk and outcomes and if these calculations...
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Episode 123 - Vaginal Breech or Caesarean with Dr Rixa Freeze
When a baby is in a breech (head up) position for labour and birth, women are faced with unique challenges of care provider incompetence and fear. Many clinicians don’t know how to or refuse to attend vaginal breech...
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Episode 122 - How to get your baby to sleep
Getting your baby to sleep might feel like the hardest part of your parenting journey. Have you ever been advised to let you baby ‘cry it out’ or been told to just ‘put your baby down’? Or rely in sleep cues and...
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Episode 121 - How to become a private midwife in Australia
Curious about what it takes to set up a business as a private midwife? This is for Australian Midwives who want to know the steps to becoming a private midwife. This is the first in a free-series that is running all...
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Episode 120 - Preparing for posterior labour
Mel brings some practical tips for preparing for a posterior labour. You never know which labour and birth are going to be impacted by posterior position of the baby (facing the front instead of facing the back) and...
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Episode 119 - What choices did Mel make for her births?
Ever wondered what Mel chose for her own births? And how it all went? Today she spills the tea about her own personal births through an interview with Anna from Sacred Birth International who interviewed Mel about her...
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Episode 118 - What is posterior labour like?
Posterior labour refers to the circumstance where the baby is facing toward the front to the womans pubic hair as opposed to anterior where the baby is facing the womans bum during labour. The position of the baby has...
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Episode 117 - How to change the system
For tickets to the convergence of rebellious midwives 2025 go to www.melaniethemidwife.com
In this episode Mel explains exactly how to change the system. This is an excerpt of the opening address that she presented...
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