2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014
Podcasts produced by Sally
Infant Sleep... and The Art and the Science of Raising a Boy
Published: 05/09/2019
Sally speaks with biologist and infant sleep exprt Dr Katharina Wulff about huge variations in infant sleep, cultural expectations we have regarding infant sleep, and how accepting the immense variability in their sleep and instead learning about their needs helps babies' brains develop. The interview concludes with Katharina sharing her concerns about sleep for children and teens, and how to support teens moving into their adult years.
As a biologist Katharina applied her scientific knowledge, as well as her own intuition, to each stage of raising her son. Their family is now living in northern Sweden and Katharina's son, Jann Billker, now 15, spends as much time as he can in Swedish Lapland a further 6 hours north. There Jann is working with the Alaskan Husky dogs at Lapland Wilderness Tours where he is also honing his skills as a photographer and of course learning another language. Who knows where this unique collection of life experiences will take him!
Produced and presented by Sally Cusack
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019
Our thanks to Dr Katharina Wulff.
First aired on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay Australia on 26 August 2019.
Induction Matters with Dr Rachel Reed
Published: 30/07/2019
Over 30% of pregnant parents have their labours synthetically induced and that number is rising steadily each year. Induction of labour is used for situations such as a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, suspected big babies, over-due pregnancies and growth restricted babies.
As the rate of this intervention increases, Dr Rachel Reed, midwife and academic from the Univ. of the Sunshine Coast believes it is worth some close examination to make sure we're getting the best possible outcomes from it. Rachel discusses the risks, how it works, what can help a woman's decision making process and how she can 'own' her induction should she choose it.
Rachel has recently published a book "Why Induction Matters" and will be speaking on this topic in more detail on 24 August at Gold Coast Univ. Hospital. Tickets available at:
Interview recorded on 24 July 2019.
Rachel also mentions the UK's NICE Guidelines on how women should be informed of the risks of induction, which is a useful guidance for any family and health service to follow. https://pathways.nice.org.uk/pathways/induction-of-labour
We also hear briefly from Dr Sarah Buckley about the physiology required for induction to work (recorded at the Midwifery Today conference 2014).
Produced and presented by Sally Cusack
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019
Our thanks to Dr Rachel Reed and Dr Sarah Buckley
First aired on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay Australia on 29 July 2019.
Literary Festivals Bringing Joy and Inspiration to Families
Published: 22/07/2019
Sally speaks with Anika Ebner and Gabby LeBrun from the Byron Writers Festival about the kids' programming, and the inspiration for parents there as well. Authors mentioned include Zanni Louise, Clementine Ford, Alison Lester, John Flanagan, David Gillespie, Gabbie Stroud.
First aired live on 99.9BayFM in Byron Bay, Australia on 22 July 2019.
Produced and hosted by Sally Cusack for PBB Media
Should Birth in Australia be Obstetric-Led?
Published: 08/03/2019
Happy International Women's Day!
This episode explores the available models of maternity care to expectant parents, and whether the most widely available models are in fact the safest.
We speak with Professor Stephen Robson, obstetrician and Secretary of the Australian Medical Association about this statement by the AMA and the evidence to support it.
Also discussed is the current national review into maternity services; https://consultations.health.gov.au/office-of-the-chief-nursing-and-midwifery-officer/national-strategic-approach-to-maternity-services-1/supporting_documents/Strategic%20Directions%20for%20Maternity%20Services%20Consultation%20Paper%20DRAFT.pdf
We also speak with epidemiologist Michal Schiff about the evidence cited by the AMA and which forms of maternity care are recommended by the World Health Organisation and why. (The recommendations are for midwifery-led continuity of care.)
Finally we speak with a mother, Agy, who gave birth in a large teaching hospital in Australia in late 2017 about her experience of GP-shared care with her local hospital and how she in fact lacked continuity of care during the crucial periods of her labour and birth.
YOU CAN HAVE YOUR SAY on maternity services by writing to federal Minister for Health Greg Hunt and find out more here: http://www.pbbmedia.org/maternity-advocacy.html
REFERENCES:
- National Strategic Approach to Maternity Services Consultation round 2 (NSAMS)
- WHO research referred to by Prof Robson cited by NSAMS is listed on p31 of this document: https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/maternal_perinatal_health/anc-positive-pregnancy-experience/en/
- AMA press release: Maternity Services must be Obstetric-Led
- Cochrane Review: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub5
- "Mater study"
- "Mercy study"
Produced and presented by Sally Cusack
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019
Our thanks to Agy, Prof. Stephen Robson and Michal Schiff.
First aired on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay Australia on 25 February 2019.
Yoga for Menstruation and Perimenopause with Ana Davis
Published: 21/02/2019
We cover two topics that even in this day and age are still so hidden away - menstruation - and the time of life when menstruation draws to a close, perimenopause. Half of our population goes through this process, but when you find yourself at the threshold of this rite of passage it’s like you’re feeling your way in the dark. We all - men included - need more knowledge about this phase of life and its massive unspoken impact on us.
Ana Davis author of ‘Moving with the Moon: Yoga, Movement and Meditation for Every Phase of your Menstrual Cycle’ shares her experiences and knowledge in this show.
Ana also cites "The Optimized Woman" by author Miranda Gray. http://www.mirandagray.co.uk
++++++++++
First aired on 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay Australia on 11 February 2019.
Produced and presented by Sally Cusack
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019
The Perfection in Being Imperfect Parents with Mee Hee Douglas
Published: 08/02/2019
Author Pam Leo inspired parents from around the world with her incitation: “Let's raise children who won't have to recover from their childhoods.”
With one in 5 Australian adults experiencing depression at some point in their lives, and suicide now being the highest cause of death in young people, healing from our personal trauma and averting it from occurring in the generations behind us is arguably the most important challenge for our times. In this episode of Pregnancy Birth and Beyond we will be exploring if healing and averting trauma is really possible and if so, how we go about it.
Our guest Mee Hee Douglas has dedicated much of her adult life to understanding the influence her early experiences has had on her, leading to specialising in psychoanalytic psychotherapy for children, couples and families.
Mee Hee shares with us how our early experiences impact our adult lives as parents, and that is possible to heal. She also explains the primary task of parents to help our children 'digest' their traumatic experiences and integrate them into their experiences. Through Mee Hee we actually learn how being the "good enough mother" is actually exactly how we should be with our children, as they need some experiences of manageable frustration with the world, combined with knowing we are there to support.
Mee Hee Douglas is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist based in Bangalow, NSW. You can find her at www.meeheedouglas.com.
References:
Tavistok Clinic series: "Your child at xxx (1, 2, etc)"
Finding Your Way with Your Baby: The emotional life of parents and babies by Dilys Daws
Dr Donald Winnecot - "the good enough mother"
other info: www.letsgrowkids.org, Dr Allan Schore
First aired live at 99.9 BayFM Byron Bay, Australia 28 January 2019
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019
Presented and produced by Sally Cusack
Healing from Birth with Rachana Shivam
Published: 23/01/2019
In this episode we speak with Rachana Shivam, mother, grandmother, pioneering childbirth educator and advocate for families, doula, primal healing practitioner, principal of the International College of Spiritual Midwifery and author of the leading text on lotus birth, the practice of leaving the umbilical cord intact.
Rachana first became a mother in the mid ‘70s during the winds of change for birth in Australia. As you will hear from Rachana it was a very charged and hopeful time for those advocating for families in birth.
Unfortunately Rachana still sees a lot of parallels with how birth is managed even 40 years later, but during her lengthy and sustained journey she and her colleagues have paved the way for a lot of what we now take for granted in birth, all of which was thought to be crazy at the time: Waterbirth, self-hypnosis and breathing methods for pain management during labour, preparing for birth by examining our own births through rebirthing, Leboyer birth where the focus is on supporting the mother/baby dyad’s process rather than intervening in it.
Rachana shares her experiences of birth and early years of childbirth advocacy.
Other references:
- Rachana Shivam - www.lotusbirth.net
- Prophylactic method for pain relief, also known as the Lamaze Method.
- Dr Graham Farrant, http://www.primal-page.com/gfobit.htm
- Dr Frederick Leboyer, author of Birth Without Violence
- Arthur Janov “Primal Therapy” “The Feeling Child” http://www.primaltherapy.com
- Association For Prenatal And Perinatal Psychology And Health https://birthpsychology.com/
- Another link of interest: "Don’t Cut Baby’s Cord - We Can Be Much Kinder" https://vimeo.com/21315581
A warning if you have children listening, there is brief mention of the old practice of operating on children without anaesthesia (at approx 13’30”), and experiencing orgasm in birth at approx 22’20”.
Produced and presented by Sally Cusack 2019
Copyright PBB Media and Sally Cusack 2019