Tannice Hemming continues her new podcast Am I Allowed: Your Body, Your Baby, Your Choice, with Episode Three: “Infinite ignorance versus the illusion of knowledge”

“So many people today - and even professional scientists - seem to me like somebody who has seen thousands of trees but has never seen a forest. A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical insight is the mark of distinction between a mere artisan or specialist and a real seeker after truth.” ― Albert Einstein

This episode deals with:

A mini, crash course in the scientific method, including:

An introduction to what different research studies are and why that’s important A brief discussion of the ethics of researching medicine and the pregnant person Evidence presentation and critical thinking

Discussing critical skills in the context of weighing up evidence when it comes to your own risk and personal medical history, Tannice navigates the limitations of the scientific method, the balance of opinion and the quest for absolute truth via experimental ethics and evidence presentation. It’s a tricky balancing act, understanding how very dry, difficult medical journal articles relate to your understanding of what’s important to you in order to then make a decision. More so when or if it conflicts with the advice you’re receiving from medical professionals, based on their opinion and National guidelines that might not always be as useful as they first seem.

With a look back at her own obstetric history and a look forward to the future, Tannice will sweep you through a mini crash course in weighing up evidence in part 2 of the “evidence gathering” section of her 7-part podcast series.

Episode Three Links Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guidelines: How evidence-based are they? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4245184/ OptiBreech Trial: About the feasibility study: https://optibreech.uk/about-the-feasibility-study/ Critical Appraisal Skills Programme: https://critical-appraisal-skills-programme.teachable.com/ Down to Birth Podcast Episode on Breech Birth with Dr. Stu Fischbein: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4LTCDZPldOE0rqLSSP30n7?si=Bs8cvJtZTMSrg5LkUBEpjQ&context=spotify%3Ashow%3A57ohCp2ITwqa3s87FiSEyT - An American, “evidence-based straight talk on having a safe and informed birth” with Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig. “Dr. Stu Fischbein is an OBGYN in California and one of the very few providers who will attend home breech and twin birth. Breech babies make up about 6% of pregnancies at term but few women will experience a vaginal breech birth”

Episode Three Further reading/study Critical Thinking Skills Hub: https://www.sussex.ac.uk/skills-hub/critical-thinking

Info from HRA NHS for clinicians on writing Plain Language Lay Summaries: https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/best-practice/writing-plain-language-lay-summary-your-research-findings/

Two useful websites to learn more about critical thinking - https://senseaboutscience.org/ and https://goodthinkingsociety.org/

Risk, theory, social and medical models: A critical analysis of the concept of risk in maternity care: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613810001178

Tannice Hemming continues her new podcast Am I Allowed: Your Body, Your Baby, Your Choice, with Episode Two: “Citation needed: facts are stubborn but enquiry is sacred”

“Making decisions without information and evidence is like stabbing in the dark. Though it might not always feel like it, everything you do when you’re pregnant is a choice you are making. Even when you’re just doing what’s recommended, that’s a choice.”

Presenting the results of her survey, “antenatal info in pregnancy”, that garnered an incredible 264 responses in just 48 hours, Tannice introduces the varied places pregnant women and people source their information.

With caveats on her survey recruitment and sampling, Tannice delves into the results and discusses some of the pitfalls of all the different available info sources. This introduction to evidence gathering will equip you with knowledge about your rights, evidence-gathering traps and give you the confidence to ask for evidence, starting out with understanding and assessing “risk”. She also covers the language of healthcare and the difficulties of challenging authority figures.

Content warning: please note this podcast details the anonymous experiences of survey respondents that might be triggering to some listeners. They are not graphic in nature, but discuss attitudes of healthcare professionals that might be upsetting to hear. There are mentions of hypothetical baby loss, in relation to a birthing person’s choices. This podcast also uses direct quotes that were not originally written with inclusion in mind. However, this podcast is dedicated to additive language for the benefit of inclusion for all: feedback is always welcomed.

Tannice Hemming introduces Am I Allowed: Your Body, Your Baby, Your Choice with Episode One: Is Informed Choice an Illusion?

Using examples from her five pregnancies and three births in 2016, 2018 and 2020, Tannice talks about the concept of informed choice and why it’s so crucial within maternity care. This introduction to her six-part series on informed consent, decision-making, advocating for yourself and evidence-gathering discusses important concepts including

shared decision making, clinician-service user power imbalance, information presentation, and the influence of attitudes and values

Introducing the concept of falsification, based on the work of scientific philosopher Karl Popper, Tannice also discusses the varied influences on the choices of women and birthing people, discussing the pitfalls of solely using other people’s experiences to influence your decision making.

For a quick guide to the concept of falsification, watch this Radio 4 video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf-sGqBsWv4