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In Your Own Time: How western medicine controls the start of labour and why this needs to stop
Staggeringly, over a third of all pregnant women have their labour medically induced, and this is accompanied by a tsunami of avoidable medical interventions. Worldwide, this trend is growing at an alarming rate. This is despite both a lack of evidence demonstrating its benefits and a wealth of evidence indicating the significant short- and long-term negative impacts of induction on the health and wellbeing of mothers and their babies.
In this timely book, Dr Sara Wickham demystifies the evidence and highlights the significant discrepancies between guidelines and what we really know about the benefits of supporting women to birth spontaneously. With her renowned ability to make complex issues understandable, her holistic approach and more than twenty-five years’ experience as a midwife and researcher, Dr Wickham draws on a wide range of evidence, including the voices of women and practitioners, to answer vital questions such as: How accurate are due dates? Is it really that risky to wait? Does induction make a difference? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we address the induction epidemic?
In Your Own Time is both a masterclass in what the evidence really says about induction of labour and a fascinating insight into how birth has come to be controlled by Western medicine.
In this timely book, Dr Sara Wickham demystifies the evidence and highlights the significant discrepancies between guidelines and what we really know about the benefits of supporting women to birth spontaneously. With her renowned ability to make complex issues understandable, her holistic approach and more than twenty-five years’ experience as a midwife and researcher, Dr Wickham draws on a wide range of evidence, including the voices of women and practitioners, to answer vital questions such as: How accurate are due dates? Is it really that risky to wait? Does induction make a difference? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we address the induction epidemic?
In Your Own Time is both a masterclass in what the evidence really says about induction of labour and a fascinating insight into how birth has come to be controlled by Western medicine.
- GenresParentingNonfiction
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2021
108 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 2, 2023
A fantastic (and quick) read. Insightful and well researched. Gave me the confidence to trust my body and my baby when it felt like the rest of the world was screaming that I should have had the baby already. 42+6days. Happy healthy baby. Happy healthy mum with a natural spontaneous labour and birth.
October 23, 2024
I didn't find “In Your Own Time” as helpful as I had expected, but maybe that’s my fault for choosing the wrong book. I was hoping this would offer more detailed information about the various methods of induction and the specific medical indications for inducing labor, along with the evidence behind each. Instead, the book focuses more on the general philosophy of avoiding unnecessary inductions rather than providing a clear breakdown of the medical options. Perhaps reading “Inducing Labour: Making Informed Decisions” (another of Wickham’s titles) would have offered more of the detailed information I was looking for.
I felt the key points of this book could have been conveyed with fewer words, however there were some insightful ideas conveyed throughout. Chapter 6, which discusses big babies was interesting and could be quite useful for some families, though it wasn't particularly relevant to my situation.
The main takeaway I had from the book was, in the absence is a clear medical indication, it’s probably best for most women to avoid routine induction until 42 weeks gestation. However, Wickham does not address by how much the risk of stillbirth actually increases after this time or if being induced at this time has been shown to reduce adverse outcomes which felt like quite a significant omission.
I felt the key points of this book could have been conveyed with fewer words, however there were some insightful ideas conveyed throughout. Chapter 6, which discusses big babies was interesting and could be quite useful for some families, though it wasn't particularly relevant to my situation.
The main takeaway I had from the book was, in the absence is a clear medical indication, it’s probably best for most women to avoid routine induction until 42 weeks gestation. However, Wickham does not address by how much the risk of stillbirth actually increases after this time or if being induced at this time has been shown to reduce adverse outcomes which felt like quite a significant omission.
April 13, 2022
Incredible! And so important. Every pregnant person/pregnant person to be/healthcare professional/ birth worker has to read
August 5, 2022
Recommended to me by my midwife in week 39 of pregnancy when my resolve to have an induction/intervention free birth was starting to waver.
After reading the intro I was sold - devoured the rest of it in less than a day.
Author comes across as phenomenally intelligent yet communicates in a way that is easy to understand. Every single assertion made is backed up with hard data. Utterly convincing. I shall be recommending this book to every pregnant person I know (infact I already have and I only bought it yesterday!)
After reading the intro I was sold - devoured the rest of it in less than a day.
Author comes across as phenomenally intelligent yet communicates in a way that is easy to understand. Every single assertion made is backed up with hard data. Utterly convincing. I shall be recommending this book to every pregnant person I know (infact I already have and I only bought it yesterday!)
January 15, 2023
As someone on the verge of birthing a child and also being offered an induction for a LGA (large for gestational age) baby - this book was really useful to help me consider the pros and cons of induction.
I didn’t have any sense of the increase in inductions being offered to women with some areas in the U.K. offering an induction to 50% of women. Nor was I aware of the long term impacts of being offered an induction and what this meant for subsequent pregnancies, eg increased need for c section. The most important take away for me is that it is such an area with hugely contradictory evidence or small sample sizes which are then used to normalise to huge swathes of the population, without an acknowledgment of the very real individual differences that exist between every person. There is **no** one size fits all here. The particularly pertinent studies for me were around shoulder dystocia which were quoted by the doctor who said I should have an induction by a said date to avoid the risk of it - although this can happen in normal size babies too.
There is so much left to takeaway from this book, and so much food for thought. It’s so important to read because it’s easy to get bogged down on the standard NHS guidance which doesn’t necessarily reflect the right “individual” choice. Great book!
I didn’t have any sense of the increase in inductions being offered to women with some areas in the U.K. offering an induction to 50% of women. Nor was I aware of the long term impacts of being offered an induction and what this meant for subsequent pregnancies, eg increased need for c section. The most important take away for me is that it is such an area with hugely contradictory evidence or small sample sizes which are then used to normalise to huge swathes of the population, without an acknowledgment of the very real individual differences that exist between every person. There is **no** one size fits all here. The particularly pertinent studies for me were around shoulder dystocia which were quoted by the doctor who said I should have an induction by a said date to avoid the risk of it - although this can happen in normal size babies too.
There is so much left to takeaway from this book, and so much food for thought. It’s so important to read because it’s easy to get bogged down on the standard NHS guidance which doesn’t necessarily reflect the right “individual” choice. Great book!
September 28, 2024
A necessary, reassuring read for those in the waiting phase of pregnancy... in this book Dr Sara Wickham explores the evidence (and lack of evidence) surrounding "due dates", induction of labour vs. waiting and the risks and benefits of these options for women/birthing people who are "overdue", have a raised BMI, are Black or Brown or are over 35 years old.
Perhaps at times a little wordy and complex for my tired, third trimester brain, however this is likely necessary to convey the nuance of the issues surrounding the topic!
Revisiting this book in third trimester has been really helpful and it is an incredibly valuable resource for expectant parents and clinicians alike in understanding the issues facing our modern maternity world.
Thank you Dr Sara Wickham for another excellent book!
Perhaps at times a little wordy and complex for my tired, third trimester brain, however this is likely necessary to convey the nuance of the issues surrounding the topic!
Revisiting this book in third trimester has been really helpful and it is an incredibly valuable resource for expectant parents and clinicians alike in understanding the issues facing our modern maternity world.
Thank you Dr Sara Wickham for another excellent book!
May 2, 2023
I'd give this a 4.5, it was a bit repetitive and dry, however, Dr. Wickham made sure to drive home the importance of her message.
Induction does not lead to safer, better, or useful outcomes without several warranted medical reasons.
Risk and pathology are not often correlated. This is another key message we should be societally cognizant of.
The book also addresses myths about induction regarding systemic racism, advanced maternal age, and BMI.
This is a great read for someone who is unsure what the real science has to say - and often not say - about induction and due dates.
Induction does not lead to safer, better, or useful outcomes without several warranted medical reasons.
Risk and pathology are not often correlated. This is another key message we should be societally cognizant of.
The book also addresses myths about induction regarding systemic racism, advanced maternal age, and BMI.
This is a great read for someone who is unsure what the real science has to say - and often not say - about induction and due dates.
May 20, 2024
a little bit textbooky (and I enjoy science) but really really great ideas and well explained. It definitely gave me new perspectives and ideas over induction that I didn’t think of prior, and it debunked a LOT of myths around inductions/health later on for the baby/and some other pregnancy knowledge. I think this is a great book to inform you on your own decisions prior to conforming to why society deems as normal for birth and labor
December 28, 2022
Exceptionally good reading about induction for any pregnant person and their partner who are facing with the decision whether to induce or not. Gave me courage to postpone mine (reason being: big baby, which the book also gives good hindsight). Really loved the holistic approach and the ways it described how inductions became so prevalent in modern society.
October 22, 2022
Really important reading grounded in evidence and studies whilst also questioning the validity of some of these. However the style may be better suited to someone degree level educated and so might not reach all audiences
February 10, 2024
Yet another excellent book from Dr Wickham. Highly recommended read for any parent.
I didn’t in the end finish reading the book as my little one arrived early at 34 weeks - so much for all the worry about going overdue ha!
I didn’t in the end finish reading the book as my little one arrived early at 34 weeks - so much for all the worry about going overdue ha!
October 27, 2025
This was alright, I read as it was recommended to me on making better choices RE induction of labour but I actually think (as others in the reviews have said) that her other book would have been much better for this. It wasn’t a total waste, just not quite where I was looking to start.
January 2, 2023
An amazing perspective of the current data that's set out in an easy to read way. Really opened my mind to some new ideas about induction of labour.
September 17, 2023
A brilliantly researched and written book and one I truly believe all pregnant women should consider reading before birth.
November 2, 2023
Great book for empowering yourself with good evidence and critical thinking.
December 3, 2023
Really interesting read on induction. A must for all pregnant people. Taking off a star because of the lack of inclusive language when talking about birthing people.
December 28, 2023
Easy to understand, thoroughly researched book about how western medicine pathologises pregnancy. A must-read for anyone who is pregnant and planning to birth in the hospital system.
February 26, 2024
Wonderfully informative, giving research in a really digestable way and an antidote to some of what is just automatically given to birthing people as standard.
August 22, 2023
eye opening
I wish I had read this before my first birth experience, it would have stopped our birth trauma from happening!
I wish I had read this before my first birth experience, it would have stopped our birth trauma from happening!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews