Join us for an enlightening discussion as we welcome Dr. David Hayes, who brings his expertise to the complex realm of continuous fetal monitoring in labor rooms. Together, we highlight the importance of empowering laboring mothers with information about their birthing choices, as well as sharing our excitement about upcoming speaking engagements focused on home birth and physiologic birth. Blyss also gives us a sneak peek into her plans for mentorship and mom circles, aiming to create a supportive community for new mothers.

Closing the episode, we take a historical journey through the evolution of obstetric practices, from the early days of fetal heartbeat detection to modern-day debates over unnecessary C-sections. We critically assess the pressures within obstetrics that lead to an over-reliance on technology, reflecting on initiatives like Breach Without Borders that advocate for informed and individualized care. Our discussion also questions the medicalized birth model, emphasizing the need for professionals to push beyond traditional methods for the benefit of laboring women worldwide.

About Dr. David Hayes

Doctor Hayes’ primary interests have been obstetrics and gynecology in resource poor settings, out of hospital birth, and critical care obstetrics. A long-time breech birth provider, he is currently the Medical Director of Breech Without Borders, an international non-profit dedicated to the resurrection and promotion of vaginal breech birth worldwide, and is teaching full time while continuing to support vaginal birth of breech presentations and multiples. He is also a co-author of, “A Guide to Physiologic Breech Birth” and the author of the upcoming “Companion Guide to Maternal Fetal Physiology and Fetal Monitoring”.

He has worked for Médecins Sans Frontières in many roles including Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care in multiple projects, a Fistula Repair program, Lassa Fever control program, and Emergency Department coverage. Dr Hayes also operated an out of hospital, full spectrum obstetric practice for twenty years.

Connect with Dr. David Hayes

• Email: [email protected]

In this episode of the Birthing Instincts Podcast:

• Birthing Choices and Continuous Monitoring
• Obstetrics, Technology, and Changing Practices
• Monitoring Methods in Birth Settings
• Questioning Medicalized Birth Practices

Episode resources:

• http://www.breechwithoutborders.org
• Risks of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability in children delivered by cesarean section: A population-based cohort study - PubMed: http://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36436450/#:~:text=The%20results%20of%20Cox%20proportional,child%20factors%20were%20controlled%20for
• Association of Cesarean Delivery With Risk of Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Disorders in the Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis - PMC https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6716295/
• The Great Birth Rebellion Podcast https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sXznVCwLRhe01zGmLEL1f
• Intermittent Versus Continuous Electronic Monitoring in Labor: A Randomized Study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7947499/

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