Current Research
Researching into physiological plateaus helps to bring much needed policy change at a large scale! See what we are currently working on and – more importantly – feel welcome to share your own projects! We’re excited to hear from you and we would love to feature the variety of physiological plateaus research happening across the globe.
About the PAUSEMATTERS Study
The PAUSEMATTERS Study explores natural pauses during labour and birth, so-called physiological plateaus. Such plateaus are at a high risk of being misinterpreted as ‘abnormally slow labour progress’ (labour dystocia), which contributes to an increased risk of unnecessary medical interventions and poorer birth outcomes.
The PAUSEMATTERS Study is vital, because it will generate high-quality scientific evidence of physiological plateaus that can help protect women from unnecessary interventions. The PAUSMATTERS study seeks to strengthen midwifery knowledge and practice, which is often different to bio-medical models of thinking. This study can also help validate midwives’ experiences with high-quality robust data and can generate supportive evidence for midwifery models of care (such as continuity of care in private practice) and homebirth services.
PAUSEMATTERS Study Progress
PAUSEMATTERS Research Team
Marina Weckend
Lead Investigator
Perth, Australia
Ciara O’Brien
Research Project Officer
Perth, Australia
Clare Davison
Associate Investigator
Perth, Australia
Julia Leinweber
Associate Investigator
Berlin, Germany
Nicky Leap
Associate Investigator
Bristol, UK / Australia
Sara Bayes
Associate Investigator
Perth, Australia
Sally Tracy
Associate Investigator
Perth, Australia
Loukia Spineli
Biostatistician
Hannover, Germany
Erika Derzapf
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Kate Toniolo
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Amy Hampel
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Lou Gibbons
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Collaborating in the PAUSEMATTERS Study – Calling Midwives !
Are you a midwife who supports women during homebirths in Western Australia? We would love to collaborate with you! The PAUSEMATTERS Study relies on continuous collaborations with midwives across WA throughout 2024 to 2025. Please consider supporting this vital research as a paid Practice Partner, with very little demands on your time. You can find FAQ in the downloadable information leaflet below, email us, or give us a call… We would love to welcome you on board of our team!
Participating in the PAUSEMATTERS Study – Calling Women !
Are you planning a homebirth in Western Australia? Is your baby due in 2024 or 2025? Please consider taking part in our study! Participating is as simple as giving permission for your midwife to share information with us, and completing a short questionnaire after your birth. Your participation is valuable, can help us understand healthy birth patterns better and bring positive change for more women and families who birth in WA, across Australia, and beyond. If your midwife is already collaborating with us, she will hand you a PAUSEMATTERS Participant Information Booklet at one of your antenatal visits. You can also find the booklet for download below.
Your midwife is not yet collaborating with us? Not a problem! Please click the button below to register your interest. After you register, we will contact you, and we will also ask your midwife if she would like to collaborate with us on this research project. If you are not sure if your midwife is collaborating with us or not, never hesitate to ask her, or register your interest below and we will find this out for you.
Results of the PAUSEMATTERS Study
Results of the PAUSEMATTERS Study will become available in late 2025. We will start sharing early insights a bit earlier as the study progresses, so feel welcome to follow us on social media or visit this website again in a while.
About the WEPAUSE Study
Many women experience pauses during labour or a labour pattern that they (or their health provider) perceive as slow. We are conducting this research to understand how women experience pausing/slowing labour and how this affects their overall birth and maternity care experience.
The primary aim of this research is to explore women’s lived experiences of physiological plateaus during childbirth, including how these experiences affect the access to and engagement with health services in Australia.
The WEPAUSE Study has recently completed data collection in Australia and will launch in Germany soon!
WEPAUSE Study Progress in Australia
WEPAUSE Study Progress in Germany
WEPAUSE Research Team
Marina Weckend
Lead Investigator
Perth, Australia
Clare Davison
Associate Investigator
Perth, Australia
Hanna Gehling
Lead German Study Arm
Fulda, Germany
Ciara O’Brien
Research Assistant
Perth, Australia
Erika Derzapf
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Kate Toniolo
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Amy Hampel
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Kristy Fenner
Community Advisor
Perth, Australia
Participating and collaborating in the WEPAUSE Study
The WEPAUSE Study has completed data collection in Australia in July 2024. The same study will launch in Germany soon. If you wish to participate in Germany, please stay tuned via our social media channels or this website, where we will announce the study launch!
Interested in collaborating? Considering replicating this study in another language or setting? Wishing to build upon this study, or interested in accessing data? Never hesitate to get in touch, either via our contact form or directly with the responsible researchers. We welcome new collaborations, and we are excited that you share our interest in this research topic!
Results of the WEPAUSE Study
Results for the WEPAUSE Study will become available soon. We will present findings for the first time at the ACM National Conference in Melbourne in September 2024. Dissemination of findings via this website and via social media will take a little longer, commencing in late 2024. A scientific publication with all the details of this study is anticipated for 2025.
Feature Your Research Project Here
Are you researching physiological plateaus?
Consider featuring your research here for some added publicity, connection with peer researchers, or to facilitate participant recruitment. Share as much or as little as you like. Do you only have a project title and a bit of text, what your research is about? Perfectly fine. Are you keen to keep people updated of your project’s progress? Great, then let us add a project timeline for you and share your highlights with our community. No project is too small to be featured here. We want to showcase the variety of research that is happening around the globe, facilitate collaborations, and help your important project to get the publicity it deserves.
Are you a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD student, exploring physiological plateaus as part of your studies? You are warmly invited to share your project here. Please discuss with your supervisors which information can be shared publicly, and which information you might wish to withhold as you go. Never hesitate to reach out – we look forward to hearing from you!
