Melanie The Midwife

Melanie The Midwife Midwife in Private practice, Host of the Great Birth Rebellion Podcast, Midwifery Mentor and Research

Melanie lives in the Blue Mountains with her Husband and two children and has been a midwife in private practice, and providing homebirth services, since 2009. She has a passion for providing minimal intervention care and has respect for the physiological process of pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period. Melanie loves to see the powerful process of birth unfold and watch families blossom as pregnancy and birth unfolds. Her passion for midwifery led her to complete her PhD, called "birth outside the system", in 2015, and she has held positions in midwifery research, midwifery lecturing and National Policy development at the Australian College of Midwives along side her work as a midwife. Melanie has a degree in Naturopathy and incorporates alternative therapies and nutritional guidance into her midwifery care.

Have had it up to HERE when folks minimise the risks of routine induction and suggest that there are no gains to staying...
05/10/2026

Have had it up to HERE when folks minimise the risks of routine induction and suggest that there are no gains to staying pregnant beyond 39 weeks…

I could talk about it for an hour at least (and we did)…If you are wondering about the actual research behind induction practices I invite you to listen to episode 152 of The Great Birth Rebellion Podcast where myself and Professor Hannah Dahlen pick apart the 5 big induction studies:

• the big baby trial
• the SWEPIS study
• the ARRIVE trial
• the INDEX trial and
• the 35/39 trial

Don’t let anyone talk you into a routine induction at 39 weeks until you understand the research and reasoning behind this recommendation

Have a listen to episode 152 of The great birth rebellion podcast podcast for the full conversation

30/09/2026

You’re pregnant and the plan is to ‘go with the flow’ when it comes to pregnancy and birth plans… sister - I need to tell you, the flow is medical. Some women want a highly medically managed pregnancy and birth - If that’s you, going with the flow might work for you, because ‘the flow’ is medical.

If you want something different though - if you want less intervention and more control over what happens to your body and your baby during pregnancy and birth… lock into The great birth rebellion podcast The great birth rebellion podcast

I’ve got you covered sister 🔥

30/09/2026

Take a hot bath in pregnancy, it’s ok! The truth is that if your CORE internal body temperature raises above 38.9C in the first trimester of pregnancy there is a small increase in the chance of defects for your baby BUT it is very hard to raise your core body temperature to this level during a hot bath or shower… or even in a dry sauna! Many cultures continue sauna and bath use through pregnancy because they know:

1. External temperature is different to core temperature
2. Staying hydrated is important
3. Pregnant women know how to listen to their body - if you feel uncomfortable or too warm - just get out
4. It’s very hard to raise your core body temperature without noticing - and the research shows that it’s very hard to accidentally raise your core temperature with sensible bath and sauna use

If you want to have a bath sister - take a bath 🛀

Follow me Dr Melanie Jackson (PhD) and The great birth rebellion podcast for more HOT pregnancy and birth education 🔥

Yes! You can have a hot bath and sauna during pregnancy. In a 2018 study from the British Journal of sports medicine cal...
28/09/2026

Yes! You can have a hot bath and sauna during pregnancy. In a 2018 study from the British Journal of sports medicine called ‘heat stress and fetal risk: environmental limits for exercise and passive heat stress during pregnancy: a systematic review with best evidence synthesis’ concluded:

🔥 That no women (across 12 different studies) exceeded the 38.9C threshold during exercise, bathing or sauna.

🔥 women can safely sit in hot baths (40C) and dry saunas (70C) for up to 20 minutes at any pregnancy stage without exceeding a core temperature of 38.9C

Get the full story and discussion of other research papers on today’s episode of the great birth rebellion episode 222.

Read the research papers in the resource folder comment PODCAST to get the link to get access to the resource folder. Comment PODCAST

25/09/2026

🍊The convergence 2027 🍊a place to find your people, fill your cup and be completely loved while learning from wonderful and wise people from around the world. The convergence is a place for deep, slow and rich learning - it's not for everyone but it is for YOU if you are ready to slow down, replenish your nervous system and bask in the collective oxytocin of the convergence
🔥 secure your place now at melaniethemidwife.com
🔥 Join us in Sydney Darling Harbour August 13th-15th 2027
🔥 Long Payment plans ending 30th Sept 2026 - it's time to get your ticket

24/09/2026

Will s*ex cause a miscarriage? won't my partners 🍆 be poking the baby in the face? What shouldn't I do during s*ex when pregnant? All this and more in this weeks episode of podcast, episode 221.

I tell you why s*ex is safe in pregnancy and under which circumstances s*ex and or**sm should be avoided. I also give some very juicy tips on how to keep it comfortable, fun and or**smic for both parties 🎉🎉

Get into it 😆 on episode 221 of the Great Birth rebellion podcast

20/09/2026

Is my partners 🍆 poking the baby in the face?
Your questions about s in pregnancy answered! Todays episode of the great birth rebellion podcast (ep.221) answers all your questions about s in pregnancy - including this one that you're all wondering about but never brave enough to ask...

Listen to episode 221 to understand why s in pregnancy is SAFE most of the time - I'll let you know what is off limits when having s during pregnancy and how to solve some common problems like pain and low libido.

Have fun sisters!

16/09/2026

That was a lot of reminders about the posterior space, must be important...

access the posterior space in the pelvis when resolving shoulder dystocia. Easiest way to access the posterior space is with a woman on hands and knees. Posterior Space, Posterior space - rotate don't pull.

Get the full story of how to prevent, diagnose and manage shoulder dystocia on episode 220 of the great birth rebellion podcast.

14/09/2026

Rule one of managing shoulder dystocia. The baby's head is not a handle! Do not pull or apply traction to the baby's head. I repeat, the baby's head is not a handle. To know exactly what to do instead, listen to episode 220 of the great birth rebellion podcast.

13/09/2026

Shoulder dystocia filled clinicians with dread and women with fear - but you'll be surprised to know that is incredibly rare, occurring in approximately 0.5-1.5% of births. This week is all about shoulder dystocia on podcast and I've had a look at the research on current shoulder dystocia practice and techniques to see which ones work best, and which ones we can skip over.

For 18 years I've also been discovering from other midwives which manoeuvres are their go-to manoeuvres every time (because they work incredibly well!). For me, it's inviting the woman to turn onto hands and knees to take advantage of the generous amount of space in the posterior part of her pelvis and accessing the posterior arm.

Have a listen to episode 220 of The Great Birth Rebellion podcast out now to get a handle on how to manage shoulder dystocia effectively without having to memorise mnemonics.

Address

Blue Mountains
Springwood, NSW

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

0425 280 682

Website

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