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

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.comThe book’s webpage www.sarawickham.com/time Instagram  @drsarawickham Facebook  fb/saramidwifeThe Cauldron MERCH! 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 DisclaimerThe 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.

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Join us as we hubble, bubble, toil, and trouble our way through aspects of midwifery, birth, lactation, and womanhood. We tackle and discuss a variety of topics within the sphere of womanhood, birth, and lactation and what this entails in today's society. We want to be able to share in the strengths of women gathering together and being more informed, for their birth, their feeding experience, and the transition into knowing ourselves better. This is the podcast to connect us as a greater circle of women united.