Birth Right Hypnobirthing

10/11/2025

Welcome new followers! What pregnancy and birth questions do you have?? xx

06/11/2025

Every wondered what a surge/contraction looks like? This is how movement and breathing can help during your labour. . . .

05/11/2025

24/10/2025

It sometimes feels like there's a new childbirth-related news headline every week.

And no matter whether it's on the web, in the papers or on TV, it’s highly likely that it will be scary and focused on risk.

It may instill fear and undermine women’s confidence in their own bodies and babies.

Here are a few things that you should bear in mind when reading these headlines and the associated stories.

1. Both the originator of the research and the people who turn it into a story want to get the headline and the story to spread as far and wide as possible. Their job isn't to help you make an informed decision about what is right for you.

2. The goal of getting maximum publicity for a research finding or story is sometimes achieved by taking a sensationalist stance. Sometimes, key facts are glossed over, shared in a misleading way or left out completely.

3. Risk and fear sell news very quickly. There are many, many studies showing that birth is safe and that women's bodies are marvellously good at growing, birthing and feeding babies. But these don't make exciting headlines, and they don't make nearly as many people read, click and share, so they are often ignored.

4. There is almost never any discussion of the bigger picture or the wider context, either of the study or situation itself or of other work that has been done on the same topic. We need more information than can be found in the headlines.

5. In reality, research and report findings are never certain. All studies have limitations. Sadly, the complexity and the uncertainty gets compromised in favour of those risk-filled headlines which make you want to click, read and share.

Stay calm. Remember that the job of the media is to sell headlines, not to help people making pregnancy and birth decisions.

Breathe.

Get informed.

And then make the decision that's right for you.

If you'd like to see more of my work on this topic, you can find me at https://www.sarawickham.com/wrfm

24/10/2025

Pregnant? Heard of hypnobirthing but not really sure if it's for you? Why not come along to my 'Introduction to Hypnobirthing' tomorrow morning at the Queens Hall Narberth?

It will be a little taster talk with an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have.

Come and find out how hypnobirthing can help you have an amazing birth. . .. however you choose to give birth!

See you there!!

22/10/2025

🟣 BLOG POST
"Active management of the placenta will reduce the chance of a PPH in a setting that does not support physiology and in which routine intervention is the norm." In contrast, it may increase the chance of a haemorrhage after a physiological birth.
https://www.rachelreed.website/blog/active-management-placenta

20/10/2025

Great information, as always, from Sara Wickham

27/09/2025

26/09/2025

Researchers admit that, "it is not clear whether it is better for women with big babies to have their labour induced or to wait for labour to begin naturally."

And we know ultrasound weight guesses are often wrong. Studies show a 15% margin of error either way.

But what else can we learn from the research?

And, given these facts, why ARE many women told they need induction for a 'suspected big baby'?

I researched and wrote about these issues in my most recent book, “In Your Own Time: how western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop.”

I also discuss the research relating to older and larger women, to longer pregnancies, and to the now-amended suggestion by the NICE guideline writers that Black, Brown, Asian and mixed-race women should be offered early induction of labour.

Nowadays, most women will be offered induction, or find that it is raised as a topic of conversation, and many come under pressure to accept this.

Whether you want to agree to induction or not is up to you.

But if you’d like information to help you decide, I have two books and a website full of resources that can help.

You can find out about big babies (and lots more) in “In Your Own Time”, see https://www.sarawickham.com/time

For more on induction generally, see https://www.sarawickham/iol for resources.