You can have a GREAT pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience. You just need the information and strategies to make it happen. The Great Birth Rebellion podcast, hosted by Midwife Dr Melanie Jackson offers evidence- based information to help you make informed decisions about your maternity care. The Great Birth Birth Rebellion helps you get the best out of your pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey.Want more? Follow along at @melaniethemidwife and @thegreatbirthrebellion on SMSubscribe to get access to the resources behind the episodes at melaniethemidwife.com and get your merch at thegreatbirthrebellion.com.
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Sep 27, 2026 · 31:03
You CAN have hot baths, heat packs, sauna and do intense exercise in pregnancy. Feeling hot during pregnancy is not a risk to your unborn baby, but hyperthermia for a prolonged…
Sep 20, 2026 · 1:07:36
Everything changes when you are pregnant! Your body, brain, relationships, lifestyle AND of course, your sex life. Nobody tells you how to navigate this change or even if it’s…
Sep 13, 2026 · 1:19:56
Shoulder dystocia is an urgent situation during birth BUT there are some strategies that you can use to prevent it and some simple and minimally invasive interventions that can…
Sep 6, 2026 · 21:03
Restless legs is a circumstance in pregnancy where you feel an irresistible urge to move, stretch, kick your legs or walk around. It gets especially worse when at rest and in the…
Aug 30, 2026 · 1:23:57
The cascade of intervention is a known and proven phenomenon within maternity care. More and more research is revealing that interventions have both intended and unintended…
Aug 23, 2026 · 59:04
We have to be honest about the reality that working in midwifery is an unsustainable role. The lucky ones land a job that doesn’t leave them mentally and morally exhausted after…
Aug 16, 2026 · 23:16
It’s national science week in Australia from August 15th-23rd and the great birth rebellion podcast is on the program! In this episode, Mel and her 9 year old daughter Frida…
Aug 9, 2026 · 55:45
There are various strategies that you can start using today that will help to reduce the chances of your vulva or vagina tearing during childbirth. This episode lists the action…
Aug 2, 2026 · 1:10:51
It’s spicy Friday but on a Monday! In this episode Mel answers listener questions in this unscripted, off-the-cuff, unfiltered Q&A session submitted straight from her social…
Jul 26, 2026 · 1:16:42
You might be one of the 60% of women who have an epidural during their labour or birth. Whatever birth you’re planning, knowing about epidurals is an absolute must. Epidurals are…
Jul 19, 2026 · 1:36:16
Around 25% of women will experience a longer than anticipated early labour phase. Some maternity care providers might explain this as ‘false’ labour… but I can assure you it’s…
Jul 12, 2026 · 54:36
Why not favour pain management options that have no side-effects? In this episode, Mel interviews midwife and researcher Nigel Lee who explains the research he and his team…
Jul 5, 2026 · 54:23
This episode gives a snapshot of the main global challenges that face women in their childbearing years and the midwives that care for them. In this episode, Mel covers what she…
Jun 28, 2026 · 1:16:34
In this episode Dr Melanie Jackson and Prof Hannah Dahlen explain The 5 BIG Induction studies that often get used to encourage the use of induction for suspected big babies,…
Jun 21, 2026 · 59:35
The concept of a rigid 40-week due date is one of the most deeply entrenched myths in modern maternity care. Today I cast a critical eye over the historical and mathematical…
Jun 14, 2026 · 1:00:33
Get practical ways to support recovery in the first 2 weeks after birth. Learn how to prepare your home for easier access to supplies, early breastfeeding patterns, and what to…
Jun 7, 2026 · 1:31:29
The first two weeks after birth have a lot going on… So I'm doing 2 episodes on it. Here you will learn what recovery can look like for both mother and baby. I discuss the wide…
May 31, 2026 · 49:10
Women with negative blood groups are routinely offered at least 3 doses of anti-D throughout pregnancy. The question is, what is anti-D, do you really need it? What happens if…
May 24, 2026 · 56:03
Being pregnant may be the very first reason you’ve had prolonged exposure to the health care system. Interacting with the maternity care system can feel confusing and frightening…
May 17, 2026 · 50:12
If you get a swollen cervix during labour, your care provider might recommend an epidural or caesarean section. There are many other things you can try before resorting to such…
May 10, 2026 · 34:42
If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, this is a must-listen episode to prepare you for the journey ahead. Mel continues the pre-eclampsia 2-part series by focusing on…
May 3, 2026 · 51:42
In this episode Mel casts a critical eye over the serious pregnancy complication of preeclampsia. She explains what pre-eclampsia is, how to diagnose it, how it develops and some…
Apr 26, 2026 · 36:56
The medicalisation spectrum is 101 when it comes to understanding how to plan pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. In this episode Mel explains the medicalisation spectrum with…
Apr 19, 2026 · 56:51
We know sun contains nutrients, vitamin D is one of the most well-known, but there are other health properties that are garnered from sunlight both directly on our skin and…
Apr 12, 2026 · 55:45
Your circadian rhythm is part of a web of body clocks that keep your body ticking through the day and regenerating and repairing through the night. In this episode, medical…
Apr 5, 2026 · 59:17
Want to increase your chances of a low-intervention vaginal birth in hospital? Then this episode is for you! If you attend hospital to give birth, you have approximately a 50%…
Mar 29, 2026 · 1:13:13
Dr Andrew Bisits, Australian Obstetrician, built a name for himself over his 40 year career as ‘the breech whisperer’ owing to his willingness to attend vaginal breech births,…
Mar 22, 2026 · 59:13
Some items make a difference to your birth and postnatal experience. Have a listen to this episode to make sure you don’t miss something on your packing and preparation list for…
Mar 15, 2026 · 1:14:22
Melanie welcomes back Dr. Kirsten Small, author of the book Monitoring Your Baby in Labor, an evidence-based guide to help you plan your birth, to delve deep into the culture,…
Mar 8, 2026 · 1:04:18
Precipitous labour and birth can be a real surprise if you were mentally preparing for a longer labour. Around 15% of women will have a labour that is less than 3 hours and these…
Mar 1, 2026 · 50:22
I came up with this Mastitis protocol early in my career and it’s just always worked. For this reason I have had no inclination to update or change it, because it has proved it…
Feb 22, 2026 · 1:20:14
The umbilical has a purpose in the minutes following your baby’s birth. Leaving it intact enhances the health of your baby and assists in the transition to breathing air. In this…
Feb 15, 2026 · 1:17:07
Often women are provided with too much medical intervention during pregnancy, birth and postpartum. How do we know when we actually need it? Or when it’s just part of the usual…
Feb 8, 2026 · 45:46
The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) shares that if 1 million more midwives provided care to women through their childbearing years, they would be healthier, happier…
Feb 1, 2026 · 1:06:07
If you are planning a waterbirth, care for women using water, or you are just waterbirth curious, this episode is for you! You’ll also find this a handy episode for your birth…
Jan 25, 2026 · 1:09:56
A rebellion can take many forms, for Diane Lockhart her brand of rebellion involved her reluctantly and somewhat accidentally opening a birth center in a Ugandan slum. Amani…
Jan 18, 2026 · 1:26:44
Have you been told that your baby is too big or too small during your pregnancy? Do they want to induce you or give you a caesarean because your baby is too big or maybe it was…
Jan 11, 2026 · 52:35
It’s possible to have the time of your life at your birth and describe it as GREAT afterwards. So great that you are excited to do it again. In this guide to a great birth…
Jan 4, 2026 · 40:29
Orgasmic birth doesn’t mean you are going to orgasm at birth… but that certainly is a possibility when you realise how involved your clitoris and oxytocin (the orgasm hormone)…
Dec 28, 2025 · 54:22
And that’s a wrap on 2025! Mel and her right and left hand man, Dan, host this final episode of 2025 and spill all the tea on the highs and lows of the year. Mel shares what…
Dec 21, 2025 · 52:47
Part 2 of the risks of induction. Episode 181 was all about the assessment and first steps of induction and this episode follows on with the risks of the final steps of induction…
Dec 14, 2025 · 1:01:46
Having your labour induced has risks and benefits. This episode is part 1 of a discussion of the labour induction process and the associated risks that go along with each stage…
Dec 7, 2025 · 28:20
Women are warned about environmental hazards in pregnancy, but why not microplastics? In this episode I share the research about how microplastic gets into your placenta and baby…
Nov 30, 2025 · 1:23:13
Just as children transition into adulthood through adolescence, women transition into motherhood through matrescence. Jane Hardwicke Collings joins Mel on the podcast today to…
Nov 23, 2025 · 46:56
Is your baby moving normally during pregnancy? 15% of women report reduced movement of their baby at some point during their pregnancy, but what are normal movements, how you…
Nov 16, 2025 · 1:13:09
The UK used to be held up as an idyllic maternity care system worth replicating, but in the past 10 years, the caesarean section rate has increased to over 45% and poor maternal…
Nov 9, 2025 · 1:11:46
Birth mapping is an evidence-based tool to help with decision making in pregnancy and childbirth. Dr Catherine Bell @birthmapping, joins Mel to discuss the birth map and the…
Nov 2, 2025 · 56:52
Some women feel stuck in a traumatic experience after childbirth, but another possibility is post-traumatic growth. Mel explores this possibility with Midwife and Psychotherapist…
Oct 26, 2025 · 1:00:53
Being alive at the end of your birth is different than being kept safe. In this episode Mel invites midwife and psychotherapist Dr Athena Hammond to talk about emotional safety…
Oct 19, 2025 · 1:13:12
This episode is for your birth support people, your partner, doula, mum, friend… whoever you’ve chosen to be with you for your birth. Mel explains the role of a great support…
Oct 12, 2025 · 56:32
Raspberry leaf tea and dates are often recommended to you women with the thought that consuming them during pregnancy will assist with a more efficient labour and fewer…
Oct 5, 2025 · 1:02:46
Betty-Anne Daviss has seemingly endless energy and motivation to continue her midwifery mission. This week Betty-Anne Daviss (Canadian Midwife of nearly 50 years!) speaks to Mel…
Sep 28, 2025 · 1:22:35
Sometimes labour can hurt a little or a lot. Either way, there are things that you can do to increase your capacity to manage the pain of labour. This includes your mental game,…
Sep 21, 2025 · 1:14:52
You might be one of the 60% of women who have an epidural during their labour or birth. If you plan a caesarean you’ll have one and 40% of labouring women have one, but do you…
Sep 14, 2025 · 56:41
The fetus ejection reflex vs the Ferguson reflex. Did you feel your baby shoot out of you unexpectedly, or that irresistible urge that made it impossible not to push? This…
Sep 7, 2025 · 1:25:24
Pushing out your baby is NOT about the eye popping, no breathing, PUSH PUSH PUSH PUUUUUUUSH scene that you see in movies. Unfortunately though many women are coached by their…
Aug 31, 2025 · 1:04:34
On Aug 19th 2025 the world farewelled legendary Obstetrician Michel Odent. He spent his career trying to warn us of the generational impact of interrupting labour and birth and…
Aug 24, 2025 · 50:18
A long and lovely career in midwifery requires strategic effort, the midwifery workforce is in a crisis of unsustainability so how can you be one of the midwives that makes it to…
Aug 17, 2025 · 42:53
Sometimes homebirth doesn’t go as planned and transfer to hospital is required. This doesn’t mean your homebirth failed! Planning a homebirth improves your chances of a good…
Aug 10, 2025 · 1:14:22
The evidence on the safety of homebirth is well-established. This episode presents some of the research about the physical outcomes that you can expect for yourself and your baby…
Aug 3, 2025 · 1:16:40
Having a great birth after a previous caesarean relies on 4 key elements. Some of these elements are provided by your care provider and some of them you can control. Find out how…
Jul 27, 2025 · 1:02:56
A new research paper is causing concern amongst the birthing community this week after a local newspaper said that the study shows that outcomes are better in private…
Jul 20, 2025 · 36:38
Women are at risk of violence in life, and sadly also during labour and birth, but what does violence against women look like during birth? Mel explains what obstetric violence…
Jul 13, 2025 · 1:19:39
What an episode! This one had me hooked! Did you realise we have tiny organisms that live on and in every part of our body; collectively it’s called the ‘microbiome’. A healthy…
Jul 6, 2025 · 39:37
Doulas play a specific role at birth, but what is it? I interviewed Doula Poppy Child from @popthatmumma about what a doula is, what they do, how much they cost and questions to…
Jun 29, 2025 · 47:38
Having a vaginal birth after caesarean can be a tricky thing to navigate BUT there are some strategies that will increase your chances of having a vaginal birth if that’s what…
Jun 22, 2025 · 44:10
Hypnobirthing is a powerful technique that you can use to work with pain in labour. It’s easy to learn and adds to your tool kit if you are gathering strategies to help you feel…
Jun 15, 2025 · 51:49
A great birth doesn’t happen by accident, there are things that you can do to influence the events of your birth. In this episode Mel shares some strategies that you can apply to…
Jun 8, 2025 · 1:08:44
You can be the mistress of your birth experience. Let’s talk about what part YOU play in what happens to you during your birth. This week I speak to Alice Bleathman and we derive…
Jun 1, 2025 · 53:17
There are controllable factors that you can start using today that will reduce the chances of your vulva or vagina tearing during childbirth. This episode lists the strategies…
May 25, 2025 · 1:14:14
The BIG BABY trail, The SWEPIS study, the ARRIVE trial, The INDEX trial and the 35/39 trial. The 5 BIG studies that often get used to endorse the use of induction for suspected…
May 18, 2025 · 52:09
Mel is talking all about the labour process. The focus is on how you can identify and understand labour and how it progresses so you can be prepared for each part of it. We start…
May 10, 2025 · 58:03
Are you exploring the option of homebirth? Today Renee Bargh, mum of 2 and television host tells the story of her 2 different births. One through MGP with an epidural and…
May 4, 2025 · 52:33
Want to increase your chances of a low-intervention vaginal birth in hospital? This episode is for you! If you attend hospital to give birth, you have approximately a 50% chance…
Apr 27, 2025 · 1:00:33
Routine vaginal examinations can cause more harm than good. Sometimes they are needed but most of the time they are not. Vaginal examinations are offered as routine surveillance…
Apr 20, 2025 · 1:11:15
Today we talk about all of your ultrasound options in pregnancy. Mel and her guest Phil Jones (sonographer) discuss the full menu of ultrasound options offered to women during…
Apr 6, 2025 · 41:35
If you’re pregnant, chances are you’ll feel nauseous or be vomiting. It’s really common! And in this episode I explain 10 strategies that could help reduce and manage your…
Mar 30, 2025 · 57:47
What to do when you’re ‘over-due’, what does it mean to be over-due? Is it dangerous? Why do they want to induce you? Is your placenta failing or your baby in danger? Mel looks…
Mar 23, 2025 · 50:13
Can you decline recommendations given to you by your care provider? And If you do, what kind of reaction can you expect. In this episode Mel gives insider details of how the…
Mar 16, 2025 · 1:17:32
Iron deficiency and anaemia in pregnancy occur for nearly 50% of women. In this episode, Mel and her guest Jaimee Smith discuss how to identify iron deficiency early in pregnancy…
Mar 9, 2025 · 1:26:44
Are you pregnant and have been told that your baby is too big or too small? Do they want to induce you or give you a caesarean because of it? This is for you if you’ve been told…
Mar 2, 2025 · 1:08:05
The incredible science of how our brains change during pregnancy, birth and parenting with Neuroscientist Dr Sarah McKay. Sarah is the author of The Women's Brain Book—The…
Feb 23, 2025 · 33:04
This is part 2 all about pre-eclampsia. Episode 138 and 139 give a deep dive into what preeclampsia is, ways to prevent and diagnose it, and today we talk about what happens if…
Feb 16, 2025 · 50:08
In this episode Mel finally talks about pre-eclampsia (she can avoid it no longer!). Mel explains what pre-eclampsia is, how to diagnose it, how it develops and some strategies…
Feb 9, 2025 · 1:10:33
Professor Hannah Dahlen joins Mel to discuss modern day Midwifery and the hope that she has about reclaiming our Midwifery heritage. Hannah believes that we are SO close to a…
Feb 2, 2025 · 55:54
The RSV vaccine during pregnancy has just been approved for use in Australia and the Australian government is providing it for free to all pregnant women. Mel goes over the…
Jan 26, 2025 · 1:11:25
Mel invites experienced Lactation consultant and published author Lucy Webber to the podcast to ask her Breastfeeding questions. Lucy answers some questions that address the most…
Jan 19, 2025 · 50:03
Part 2 of the risks of induction. Episode 133 was all about the assessment and first steps of induction and this episode follows on with the risks of the final steps of induction…
Jan 12, 2025 · 59:40
Having your labour induced has risks. This episode is part 1 of a discussion of the labour induction process and the associated risks that go along with each stage of an…
Jan 5, 2025 · 59:32
Dr Melanie Jackson is the host of the Great Birth Rebellion podcast but do you really know her? Mel's husband Dan interviews her to get to the bottom of who she is and what she…
Dec 29, 2024 · 57:40
Angela Duce (from Guardian Doula’s diary: the podcast) interviews Mel about Myth busting and truth telling about birth. Angela had questions about homebirth, choosing your birth…
Dec 22, 2024 · 1:24:03
The Australia’s mothers and babies report is released every year and this covers the findings of the 2024 release - Mel and her guest Dr Kirsten Small pick apart the findings and…
Dec 15, 2024 · 45:07
After you have your baby, you’ll also give birth to your placenta, but what is the placenta? How do you give birth to it? In this episode, Mel shares 3 methods of placental birth…
Dec 8, 2024 · 1:23:38
A birth keeper is a vague and obscure term used to describe some unregulated birth workers who attend births. No one except the birth keeper themselves really knows the full…
Dec 1, 2024 · 41:18
Your perineum is a part of your body that is designed to repair itself after childbirth. 70% of women will have some kind of tear or cut to their perineum during childbirth. Many…
Nov 24, 2024 · 55:57
Consumer advocacy organisations are significant agents for change in maternity care. In this episode, we delve into the powerful story behind The Perth Birth Link, an advocacy…
Nov 17, 2024 · 35:58
The medicalisation spectrum is 101 when you are planning a birth that feels safest and most satisfying to you. Understanding where you sit on the medicalisation spectrum is the…
Nov 10, 2024 · 55:53
What does the research say about being over 35 years old and pregnant? Mel looks through some research papers to help you understand how your care provider is calculating risk…
Nov 3, 2024 · 1:11:23
When a baby is in a breech (head up) position for labour and birth, women are faced with unique challenges of care provider incompetence and fear. Many clinicians don’t know how…
Oct 27, 2024 · 1:20:19
Getting your baby to sleep might feel like the hardest part of your parenting journey. Have you ever been advised to let you baby ‘cry it out’ or been told to just ‘put your baby…
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