The Midwives' Cauldron

The Midwives' Cauldron

Hosted by: Katie James and Dr Rachel Reed

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...

Episodes

An interview with Dr Danielle Arabena

Season #2 Episode #6

Dr Danielle Arabena, is a descendant of the Meriam Mer people in the Torres Strait, a medical doctor, GP specialist,  educator, respected figure in the medical community and host of the Indigenous Health MedTalk...
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Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage

Season #2 Episode #5

In this episode Katie interviews Rachel Reed on her new book 'Reclaiming childbirth as a rite of passage'; from conception to birthing, including tea and toast at the...
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An interview with Toni Harman

Season #2 Episode #4

Toni Harman is the incredible film maker of the multi-award winning documentaries Microbirth, Doula and Freedom for birth, as well as the producer of the microbiome online courses. In this episode, we explore the...
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Pushing and cervixes

Season #2 Episode #3

 In this episode, Rachel and Katie take a look at the evidence surrounding the pushing phase of labour. Rachel discusses the reasoning behind why we need to stop talking about labour in stages and we delve into the...
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An interview with the film makers of Birth Time documentary

Season #2 Episode #2

We interview three amazing women who embarked on a mission to find out why an increasing number of women are emerging from their births physically and emotionally traumatised.  Their discoveries exposed the truth and...
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An interview with Sophie Messager

Season #2 Episode #1

Sophie Messager joins us in the Cauldron to talk about her new book Why Postnatal Recovery MattersWe talk all things becoming a mother, including how a lovely pigs trotter soup or lotus birth is the perfect way to...
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Being 'with woman' while working in the system: part 2

Season #1 Episode #11

Here is the 2nd part of this listener requested episode. Rachel and Katie delve into self-care,  dealing with colleagues, Christmas albums, the concept of resilience in the birth-worker realm and various antics....
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Being 'with woman' while working in the system: part 1

Season #1 Episode #10

In this long-awaited episode, Rachel and Katie get into the questions you've all been asking us; how to navigate, cope, and work within the system. In this 1st part, we look at spheres of influence, the gifts we can...
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Your questions answered #2 – Breech birth, galactogogues and more

Season #1 Episode #9

In this episode we continue where we left you... on our cliffhanger question which we both love/hate to answer! Rachel & Katie also discuss twins and breech birth, galactogogues to increase milk supply and the...
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Your questions answered #1 – Tongue tie, induction of labour and more

Season #1 Episode #8

In this episode, we answer your questions! You asked us a variety of questions, including "are tongues ties on the rise?" and "what actually bursts in labour, and is it really water?" We also discuss advanced maternal...
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The herstory of breastfeeding

Season #1 Episode #7

On this episode of The Midwives' Cauldron we take a whistle-stop tour of breastfeeding over the years, stopping by to hear about some of the fascinating and peculiar 'herstories'. We learn how the corsets of the...
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Perineal bungles

Season #1 Episode #6

In this episode, Katie tries to enjoy a cup of tea while Rachel disturbs her with a tale of perineal bungles. We delve into the government-backed interventions implemented in a misguided attempt to save women's...
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