Birth Untethered

S2E15 - Mechanical Induction - Balloon Catheters, Dilation Rods - Part 1

Shellie and Kemi discuss mechanical induction methods. If you're facing induction and want to know more or are questioning its necessity, this eye-opening episode exposes the myths, risks, and emotional toll of these interventions, not just on your labor but on your baby's lifelong health. Most women are unaware that procedures like balloon catheters, osmotic rods, and cervical ripening devices come with significant pain, unspoken risks, and often lead to a cascade of interventions; cesareans, instrumental births, and early NICU admissions, far more frequently than spontaneous labor. We dive into the history, purpose, and pitfalls of these techniques, revealing how they bypass your body's natural safety and signaling echanisms.You'll discover:Why forcing your cervix open with physical stretch damages the body's innate communication pathways and can trigger stress responses that inhibit true labor.How mechanical methods such as Foley balloons, laminaria rods, and saline infusions work, and why they may prolong labor or increase infection risk without improving outcomes.The staggering data showing induction leads to a cascade of further interventions, higher epidural use, instrumental delivery, and cesarean rates, that could be avoided with patience and trust in your body.The emotional and psychological impacts of feeling disempowered during birth, and how it shapes your postpartum experience and long-term relationship with your child.Critical insights on the false narratives surrounding 'safety,' and why waiting naturally often results in better health and bonding outcomes for both mother and baby.This episode is perfect for pregnant women, birth professionals, and anyone questioning the routine use of induction. If you believe birth should honor your physiology and emotional wellbeing, you'll find empowering truths that challenge the conventional medical paradigm. You're in control. Understanding the risks and alternatives can change your entire birthing experience.Join us as we unravel the realities of mechanical induction, highlight choices, and advocate for birth practices rooted in respect, intuition, and evidence. Your informed decisions now can shape a joyful, healthy beginning for your family, don't miss this vital conversation. Get the Birthrights Class and PDF: https://birthuntethered.kit.com/products/birthrights-masterclass-and-pdf [https://birthuntethered.kit.com/products/birthrights-masterclass-and-pdf]Website:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntetheredhttps://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered] Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join [https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join]Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735]Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered [https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered]Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/ [https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/] https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/ [https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/]https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/ [⁠https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/]Support us by buying our merch:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch]Buy us a coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie

S2E14 - Membrane, Cervical Stretch and Sweep

When routine cervical sweeps are actually invasive, coerced interventions, are we doing more harm than good?If you're pregnant or supporting someone through birth, understanding the truth about cervical sweeps could change your entire perspective on labor and medical intervention. This episode exposes the often-hidden reality: cervical sweeps are not just gentle, routine procedures, they're invasive, often coercive, and rooted more in tradition than evidence. Kemi Johnson and Shellie Poulter share the unfiltered truth, backed by the latest research and your own stories, about why these interventions may be causing more harm than benefit.Women deserve respectful, informed choices, yet countless women are subjected to these procedures without genuine consent, often feeling violated and confused about their options. You’ll discover how cervical sweeps can trigger uncomfortable inflammatory responses, increase pain and distress, and even impact long-term sexual health. We break down the history, the biomechanics, and the neurophysiology of the cervix, revealing why this vital organ is far more sensitive and complex than outdated myths suggest.You'll learn about the real risks: increased infection, unnecessary intervention, and the unsettling truth about how medical culture has normalized coercion and violated human rights. Most importantly, we empower you with the knowledge: your body, your baby, your right to say no. If you're pregnant, planning birth, or a supporter of birthing women, this episode is your call to question unecessary and often unhelpful routine practices and reclaim autonomy. As the legal case from Australia highlights, calling out assault and negligence in maternity care sparks the potential for systemic change. Don’t accept the illusion of 'routine', know your rights, understand the science, and stand against unnecessary interventions. This is essential listening for anyone wanting to protect their dignity and champion respectful, evidence-based childbirth. Your body is a miracle designed for birth, don't let outdated practices sabotage that process.Tune in, get informed, and take your power back.Birthrights document on Coercion in maternity care:https://birthrights.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/BirthrightsEndCoercion_Report.pdf [https://birthrights.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/BirthrightsEndCoercion_Report.pdf]Link to Shellie's Birth Rights Class and PDF: https://https://birthuntethered.kit.com/products/birthrights-class-recording-and-pdf [https://https://birthuntethered.kit.com/products/birthrights-class-recording-and-pdf]Website:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered]Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join [https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join]Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735]Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered [https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered]Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/ [https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/]https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/ [https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/]https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/ [https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/]Support us by buying our merch:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch]Buy us a coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie

S2E13 - The Intervention of Late Pregnancy Surveillance - NST, Scans, Foetal Movement

This comprehensive discussion explores the limitations and realities of fetal monitoring techniques like CTG, Doppler scans, and fetal movement assessments. It emphasizes informed decision-making, the importance of understanding medical interventions, and advocating for respectful, evidence-based maternity care.Most women are often pushed into a cycle of unnecessary interventions, believing they're safeguarding their baby's safety, when in reality, many of these tests and procedures offer little long-term benefit. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the array of monitoring tools in pregnancy, like CTG scans, Doppler studies, or fetal movement counts, you're not alone. This episode uncovers the truth behind these widely used but poorly supported practices, revealing how they often lead to more harm than good through false positives and increased surgical interventions.Shellie and Kemi dive deep into the limitations and questionable efficacy of commonplace diagnostics such as fetal heart rate monitoring, ultrasound estimates, and pregnancy tests. You'll discover: why CTGs are more about legal protection for hospitals than actual safety; how reduced fetal movements, while oncerning, rarely predict serious outcomes; and why routine scans often do more to raise anxiety than improve health. They explain the subtle ways medical systems profit from unnecessary testing, fueling a cycle of intervention that doesn't improve long-term outcomes and equip you with critical questions to ask your healthcare providers.This episode challenges you to rethink what “monitoring” truly means, empowering you to take control of your birth experience. You'll explore how a reliance on flawed technology can obscure natural processes and delay crucial, less invasive care. If you're pregnant or supporting someone through pregnancy, this is essential listening to arm yourself with truth and clarity, enabling informed choices that prioritize your wellbeing and that of your baby.Join Shellie and Kemi as they expose the myths around fetal surveillance, advocating for evidence-based, respectful care. Knowledge is power - know the limits of these tools, and learn how to advocate for a birth experience rooted in confidence, not fear.

S2E12 - The Intervention of Late Pregnancy Surveillance and Hormonal Changes in Late Pregnancy

Most pregnant women encounter intrusive interventions and fear-mongering around late pregnancy, yet they often have no idea what’s really happening inside their bodies or whether these tests are necessary. In this eye-opening episode, Shellie and Kemi expose the truth behind fetal surveillance, revealing why so much of this routine testing is unnecessary, and sometimes even harmful. Discover how hormonal changes in the final weeks of pregnancy, like skyrocketing cortisol and CRH levels, make women and their babies more reactive to fear and stress. Shellie and Kemi break down the manipulation tactics used to promote interventions like CTGs, growth scans, and cervical fiddling, exposing how these often create more harm than good. You'll learn why these procedures do not improve outcomes and how they can heighten anxiety, disrupt bonding, and interfere with natural labor signals.We dive into the science, covering the complex hormonal landscape of late pregnancy and show how stress and the environment influence your body’s natural readiness for birth. You'll uncover the dangers of unnecessary monitoring and how it primes both mother and baby for heightened stress reactivity, impacting long-term emotional health. With concrete examples, research, and compassionate insights, this episode empowers you to take control of your birth choices, recognize coercion, and trust your instincts. Website:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered] Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join [https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join] Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735] Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered [https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered] Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/ [https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/] https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/ [https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/] https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/ [https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/] Support us by buying our merch:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch] Buy us a coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie [https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie]

S2E11 - Are the reasons for induction evidence based - part 2

In this episode Shellie and Kemi continue thier discussion about the many reasons given to people to end their pregnancies before their bodies and babies are ready. They go through the reasons and discuss the available research on the outcomes comparing induction to not inducing. If you are being offered an induction, this episode and the previous episode will be very helpful for you in understanding if it is actually likely to improve outcomes, save you or your baby's life or not.Website:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/birthuntethered]Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join [https://www.patreon.com/14193903/join]Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/1kKvf6pjLGDJ5nDBMKPCjB [https://open.spotify.com/show/1kKvf6pjLGDJ5nDBMKPCjB]Apple Podcast:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/birth-untethered/id1836371735]Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered [https://www.youtube.com/@birthuntethered]Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/ [https://www.instagram.com/theserenitydoula/]https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/ [https://www.instagram.com/birth.untethered/]https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/ [https://www.instagram.com/kemibirthjoyjohnson/]Support us by buying our merch:https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch [https://www.theserenitydoula.co.uk/merch]Buy us a coffee:https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie [ https://buymeacoffee.com/shellie]