In this episode, Katie takes Rachel behind the scenes for an in-depth exploration of donor milk—an intriguing topic that might just challenge everything you thought you knew about this practice.

I have to caveat that some of the information in this episode is possibly going to get your knickers in a twist though – do we have any episode that don’t?!

We’ll be discussing:

• The history of milk banking
• Are we seeing different health outcomes when using donor milk compared to a mother’s own milk?
• Are there differences between donor and mothers milk that we should know about
• What about informal, unpasteurised, milk sharing? Is this also happening in the hospital settings as well?
• And have you ever heard the term “milk sibling” before?

I'll also dive into whether we need to rethink our approach to milk when caring for vulnerable infants. Plus, Rachel asks me about the future of milk banking—where is this practice headed?

LINKS:

Evidence-Based Methods That Promote Human Milk Feeding of Preterm Infants

Early postpartum pumping behaviors

Supplementation of Mother's Own Milk with Preterm Donor Milk

Maternal production of milk

Proactive Lactation Care

Economic benefits and costs of human milk feedings

The institutional cost of acquiring 100 mL of human milk

Impact of early human milk on sepsis and health-care costs

Quality indicators for human milk use

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
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Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode Rachel and Katie dive into the fascinating topic of waterbirth (excuse the pun, but it was too good to leave out!).

I ask Rachel my burning questions and she stirs up the cauldron exploring everything from the history of waterbirth to the practicalities and the science behind it.

Listen in as we find out about:

· When did women start birthing in water?

· What does the research say about waterbirth improving outcomes?

· Why are some women told they can’t get into the pool until they are 5 centimeters dilated?

· Do water-born babies take longer to start breathing?

· Guidelines recommend women get out of the pool to birth the placenta, but do they really need to?

· And lastly, does waterbirth alter the baby’s microbiome?

So, place your order with the barista, pop your coat on, or press play as you get those headphones over your lugol’s, and let’s dive into the deep end of waterbirth.

LINKS:

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e056517

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519216302190?via%3Dihub

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

Dr Nils Bergman calls himself a Public Health Physician, and currently promotes and researches skin-to- skin contact on a full time basis. He is a Research Associate at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. Dr. Bergman was born in Sweden and raised in Zimbabwe, where he also later worked as a mission doctor. He received his medical degree (MB ChB) at the University of Cape Town, a Diploma in Child Health at Uppsala University, and later a Masters in Public Health at the University of the Western Cape. During his years in Zimbabwe he completed a doctoral dissertation (MD, equivalent to PhD) on deadly scorpion stings. He has worked in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sweden, and his last posting was Senior Medical Superintendent of Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town, overseeing 18000 births per year. He is married to Jill, and father to Rebecka, Simon and Emma, and has five grandchildren.

In this episode, Dr. Bergman delves into the critical importance of maintaining skin-to-skin contact throughout the first day of a newborn's life. He explains how this practice not only connects and wires the baby's brain but also has profound effects on the mother.

Dr. Bergman sheds light on the pivotal role of Oxytocin, often dubbed the 'love hormone,' which he eloquently describes as the hormone of resilience, vital for both mother and baby.

We further explore the crucial significance of focusing not only on the first 1000 days of a child's life but also on the first 1000 minutes. Dr. Bergman passionately explains how these early moments are foundational for long-term health and emotional resilience.

Additionally, we dive into the detailed work behind the latest version of the WHO Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) document. Dr. Bergman shares insights into the creation of this and introduces us to the concept of 'nurture-science.' He discusses how this emerging field emphasizes understanding the biological and emotional nurturing essential for optimal human development.

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode Katie takes Rachel into a conversation about why the nipple shield topic gets Katie’s knickers in a Twist.

We discuss:

• The history of their use from1500s to present day
• How the research might not be telling the right story?
• Why are they so controversial?
• We ask do nipple shields affect how much milk the baby can take out of the breast?
• When might be a good reason to use a nipple shield – way more reasons than you probably think!
• How do you get the right fit, and who are we fitting the shield for, the baby’s mouth or the mum’s nip?
• Do babies attach differently when they use one?
• And we discuss how to wean off from using a nipple shield.

All this and tons more packed in to one episode for your eager lug’ols.

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode Rachel takes me on the path to enlightenment about the topic of the occipito posterior (OP) position in pregnancy, labour and birth!

I ask Rachel why she’s always been reluctant to cover this topic on the podcast!
And sit down to discuss:

• What exactly is an OP position?
• Why it is considered a problem in our current maternity systems
• Are there any problems caused by a baby in an OP position?
• Some really interesting facts about the normal labour pattern with an OP position
• And we tackle the subject of the interventions to rotate baby’s and whether they work?

All this and lots more as usual. And find all the links Rachel has provided below.

LINKS:
Blog post with links to the research and movie demo

How the uterus transforms in labour movie

Lesson on OP available in the Reclaiming Childbirth Collective

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode it’s us together again in the cauldron and Katie chats with Rachel about all things early weight loss… and gain in babies.

We look at:

· Why do babies lose weight?

· What is normal weight loss?

· Are there some babies who are more likely to lose more weight than others?

· What’s with the panic once we hit the (not so magical) number of 10% weight loss?

· And how can we best support mums and babies through this period of feeding difficulty, before we jump straight into the bottles of formula top-ups.

· What about IV fluids given to labouring women and the effect on a baby’s weight straight after birth? We know there’s been talk of a correlation right, but why do we not have any standardised guidelines for this yet?

· We try to straighten out the facts on one of those common anxiety causing parts of breastfeeding.

All this and the usual banter when us two get together.

LINKS:
Breastfeeding & lactation: the fundamentals course
BJM paper: Maternal intrapartrum fluids and neonatal weight loss in the breastfed infant. 2023

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode Rachel talks to Katie about all the wondrous and darn right fascinating things about the amniotic sac.

· Why is the baby surrounded by fluid, and what is it made of?

· Women are often told they have too much or too little fluid. Is this a problem?

· We also discuss why Rachel is (slightly!) obsessed with the function of the amniotic sac during labour

· We ask does breaking the amniotic sac (the waters) speed up labour at any point?

· What if your amniotic sac breaks before labour? We discuss the time the time-frames around augmenting labour when this has happened.

· And we discuss what if the membranes don’t break during labour?

All this and lots more for your eager lug’ols.

LINKS:

https://midwifethinking.com/2015/09/16/in-defence-of-the-amniotic-sac/

https://midwifethinking.com/2013/08/14/amniotic-fluid-volume-too-much-too-little-or-who-knows/

https://midwifethinking.com/2015/01/14/the-curse-of-meconium-stained-liquor/

https://midwifethinking.com/2017/01/11/pre-labour-rupture-of-membranes-impatience-and-risk/

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.

In this episode I discuss with Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly all things pregnancy sickness and Hyperemesis.

Just a few months ago the scientific evidence was published highlighting what causes pregnancy sickness and hyperemesis. This breakthrough discovery came from the work of Prof Sir O’Rahilly, his team and the team from Dr Marlena S. Fejzo in the US.

This ground breaking work gives hope to thousands of women globally who suffer terribly throughout their pregnancy with extreme nausea and sickness.

• I discuss what it is that causing this to happen during pregnancy.
• Why our human bodies could be making this hormone and what it’s use would possibly be for.
• And what the future holds for a cure, how Prof O’Rahilly and his team are working collaboratively with the pregnancy sickness support, a UK charity, women who have and are currently suffering from hyperemesis, and a team of obstetric specialists to find the answer to help stop this condition.

Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly FRS, is Co-Director of the Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS) and Director of the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit which is part of the broader University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories which he also directs. On the wider Cambridge Biomedical Campus, he is Scientific Director of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and Head of the University Department of Clinical Biochemistry.

He was elected FRS in 2003, to the National Academy of Sciences, USA in 2011, has received five honorary doctorates and numerous scientific awards.

In 2013 he was made Knight Bachelor & for services to medical research.

His main research area is the aetiology and pathophysiology of human metabolic and endocrine disease and how such information might be used to improve the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of these diseases.

LINKS:
Pregnancy Sickness Support UK
Dr Marlena S. Fejzo HER Foundation
GD15 linked to maternal risk of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy - Scientific paper

Support the show

Resources & Support

Get Katie’s Milk Supply Confidence Kit — a free resource to help pregnant women, new parents and professionals feel calm, informed, and confident about breastfeeding.
👉 Download here

⭐Leave a Review
Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a review and tell your friends!

Want More from Katie and Rachel?
– Katie’s website
– Rachel’s website

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade


Disclaimer
The information shared in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical or legal advice. Always consult with a qualified professional regarding individual health concerns.

The Midwives’ Cauldron podcast does not guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information provided and accepts no liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content.