'Evidence-Based' Maternity Care: Limits, Bias, and How to Navigate It with Guest, Midwife Beth Russell

The birth-ed podcast

The birth-ed podcast
'Evidence-Based' Maternity Care: Limits, Bias, and How to Navigate It with Guest, Midwife Beth Russell
Oct 10, 2025 Season 5 Episode 3
Megan Rossiter, birth-ed

Think scientific evidence is going to give you a clear a 'best' path forward in your birth decision making? Unfortunately, it's rarely that simple. With midwife Beth Russell, we explore the messy middle where numbers meet lived experience: why absolute risk matters more than scary “your risk doubles” headlines, how studies like the Big Baby Trial get misread, and why nuance changes everything. 

In this episode you will understand:

  • How 'evidence' is created in the first place.
  • What to consider and what to ask when evidence is being shared with you.
  • What other facts influence the gathering of evidence and creation of clinical guidelines, so you can think critically about the choices you are making.
  • What practical steps you can take to hold power in the choices youre making for you birth.

An incredibly helpful episode for you to understand birth within the context of the system in which it's happening. 

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