Episode 6: Alternative therapies in maternity care

Tea & Toast: Talking Birth

Episode 6 of the Tea & Toast podcast sees the team considering the use of complementary and alternative medicine and therapies in pregnancy and birth. Joined by midwifery lecturer and researcher Dr. Catriona Jones, they discuss why women might choose to use complementary therapies, have a look at some of the issues around evidence and contemplate the role of the midwife in this area.
References
Dekker, R. (2018) Aromatherapy during labor for pain relief. Evidence Based Birth [blog post] https://evidencebasedbirth.com/aromatherapy-for-pain-relief-during-labor/

Hall HG. Griffiths DL. McKenna LG (2011) “The use of complementary and alternative medicine by pregnant women: a literature review.” Midwifery 27(6):817-24
Jones C, Marsh J (2015) Complementary and alternative medicines applied to maternity care. In Fundamentals in Midwifery.

Jones C. (2012) Complementary and alternative medicine in the maternity setting10, British Journal of Midwifery, Vol 20, No 6, pp 409 – 418.

Jones, C. (2011) The efficacy of lavender oil on perineal trauma: A review of the evidence.11 Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (in press), Vol 17 (4), pp 215 – 220.

Jones, C. (2009) Safety of lavender oil in the treatment of perineal trauma12. British Journal of Midwifery, 17 (9), 567–570

NICE (2019) Antenatal care for uncomplicated pregnancies. Available from: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg62/chapter/1-guidance#management-of-common-symptoms-of-pregnancy

Royal College of Midwives (2017) Position Statement Complementary Therapies and Natural Remedies. Available from:

https://www.rcm.org.uk/media/2304/complementary-therapies-and-natural-remedies.pdf

Smith CA, Collins CT, Levett KM, Armour M, Dahlen HG, Tan AL, Mesgarpour B. Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD009232. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009232.pub2. Accessed 11 January 2021.

Smith CA, Collins CT, Crowther CA. Aromatherapy for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD009215. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009215. Accessed 11 January 2021.

Tiran, D. (2018) Complementary Therapies in Maternity Care: an evidence based approach. London: Singing Dragon