Evidence Based Birth®

On this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Michelle Browder, artist, activist, and the creator of the Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy Monument in Montgomery, Alabama, established to honor the three Mothers of Gynecology. Michelle Browder is a nationally recognized artist, activist, and amplifier, bridging the racial divide through art, history, and conversation. Michelle's artwork has been exhibited in art galleries around the world, most notably, the Rosa Parks Museum located in Montgomery, Alabama. In September 2021, she created a monument to honor three enslaved women, Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, in Montgomery, Alabama. This monument is a reminder of the inhumane treatment and experimentation on enslaved Black bodies. The medical procedures that we have access to today in gynecology have been perfected because of them. The monument honors these Black women and all those that came after to correct the historical narrative around the beginnings of gynecology. Michelle shares with us how she originally learned about the dark history of Anarcha, Lucy and Betsy and the inspiration to create a monument about the true founders of the field of gynecology. Not only is Michelle working to correct the history of gynecology, she discusses her progress and future plans to bring access, care, and healing to families and practitioners in the 21st Century, at the same site of the torture of Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy, the Mothers of Gynecology. In the words of Michelle, y'all ain't ready! Trigger Warning: anti black racism, the use of the N-word, experimentation on enslaved women, sexual trafficking and sexual abuse, postpartum suicidal ideation. Resources: Follow Michelle's Work Instagram: @anarchalucybetsey Twitter @mothersofgyno and on Facebook Sign up for Michelle's newsletter and learn more about the 2024 conference here https://www.anarchalucybetsey.org Read the following books: Say Anarcha by J.C. Hallman and check out his informative YouTube series here Take my Hand by Dolen Perkins and learn more about Relf Sisters here Medical Bondage by Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa Learn about Africatown Learn about what Evidence Based Birth is doing to fight racism and download free handouts here Read more reproductive justice research on EBB's Birth Justice page

In this episode of the EBB Podcast, we dive into the updated research on Nitrous Oxide. I discuss the following topics: What is Nitrous Oxide? How is it used? How commonly is Nitrous Oxide used around the world? How does Nitrous Oxide impact overall satisfaction in birth? What are the benefits of Nitrous Oxide? What are the risks of using Nitrous Oxide? And lastly, as always, we will discuss the bottom line! Resources & References For Practitioners Association of Ontario Midwives: Nitrous Oxide Tip Sheet For Parents EBB videos/articles: Painless Birth and Pain Perception During Childbirth EBB Podcast: Episode 15: Nitrous oxide EBB Podcasts: Birth Stories (5 birth stories with nitrous) Episode 76: Pushing Through Anxiety in Birth with Parent Emily Fleenor Episode 147: Long Preterm Birth with Caitlyn Martens Episode 158: Empowering Hospital Birth Experience during COVID-19 with Fiona and Craig Castleton Episode 163: Stress and Anxiety During Pregnancy with Nathalie Walton, CEO of Expectful Episode 202: A Fast First-Time Birth Experience with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Haley Grachico Other Resources: News Articles Contemporary OB/GYN: Nitrous oxide's revival in childbirth Cosmopolitan: Why I Used Laughing Gas to Ease My Labor Pain The Atlantic: Using Laughing Gas to Relieve the Pain of Childbirth The New York Times: The Rise of Laughing Gas in the Delivery Room NPR: Laughing Gas Gives Women Another Option to Manage Labor Pain NPR: Bill of The Month: $4,836 Charge for Laughing Gas During Childbirth Is No Joke Today: Laughing gas for childbirth is on the rise in the US. What took so long? References For a full list for references, please access https://evidencebasedbirth.com/nitrous-oxide-during-labor/

In this episode we talk with Jessica King, an EBB Childbirth Class graduate, about their journey to parenthood and the importance of finding support networks before, during, and after pregnancy. Jessica grew up in Upstate New York and then moved to Boston to get her Master's in architecture. While in Boston, she met her wife and fellow upstate New Yorker, Sarah. They started working on creating their family three years ago, and they welcomed their daughter this past November! Jessica and Sarah are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor, Anna Sutkowski. Their family currently lives in St. Louis with their two dogs. Jessica and her wife, a surgical resident, decided to take the EBB Childbirth Class to ease their anxieties and demystify the process of labor and delivery. In this podcast episode, Jessica opens up about her family's struggles, setbacks, and joy in their journey from assisted reproduction to postpartum. Jessica also shares how she was able to use the skills and knowledge learned in the course to advocate for herself postpartum when she had difficulties with lactation and a postpartum mood disorder. We wrap up this episode by talking about how knowing you are not alone can make all the difference in the world. Trigger Warning: assisted reproduction, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), pregnancy loss, bleeding in pregnancy, epidurals, preeclampsia, newborn jaundice, and postpartum mood disorders. Resources: Learn more about Anna Sutkoski and her EBB Childbirth Class here For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On this episode the EBB Podcast, we talk with Brandi Jordan, the founder of The Cradle Company and the Dear Doula podcast, all about supporting infant mental health using a whole family approach. Brandi is a board-certified lactation consultant, pediatric sleep specialist, newborn care specialist, and a postpartum doula. Brandi's work as a consultant, parenting group leader and in-home practitioner have led her to develop a unique philosophy of gentle parenting techniques that are pragmatic, practical, and a healthy approach for the whole family. In 2018, Brandi founded the National Association of Birth Workers of Color and currently hosts the Dear Doula podcast. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California where she's also an adjunct faculty lecturing in infant mental health and culturally competent mental healthcare. Brandi talks with us about how to find our unique skills and assets to bringing our whole selves into birth work. Once you know what sets you apart, you can connect with the right clients for you to make this work more sustainable. Brandi believes that whatever you think might be your deficit in this work – is actually your assets – it is exactly the type of support certain clients will need. Additionally, she discusses the growing field of infant mental health and how we can support families across the spectrum of development and bring a more holistic and comprehensive approach, a whole family approach, to caring for infants in the prenatal and postpartum periods. Resources: Follow Brandi's work: Follow Brandi on Instagram Follow the Dear Doula podcast on Instagram here Listen to Rebecca Discuss Circumcision, Water Births, and Evidence Based Care on Brani's Dear Doula Podcast here Connect with the Cradle Company here Listen to the following EBB Episodes: EBB 118 – How to Have a Healthy Postpartum Transition with Dr. Alyssa Berlin

In this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Cheyenne Varner, the founder of The Educated Birth, about intersectional reproductive health and the importance of birth education to be more inclusive and representative. Cheyenne, is a professional certified birth and postpartum doula and founder of The Educated Birth. The Educated Birth creates intersectional reproductive health education content, from online articles to social media posts to digital and print teaching tools for reproductive health workers. Cheyenne also publishes Everyday Birth Magazine, a print and digital magazine with the same mission to make information and education about pregnancy and postpartum more inclusive. Cheyenne shares her journey from nonprofit work to doula work to now finding herself as the founder of The Educated Birth and the publisher of Everyday Birth Magazine. We discuss the importance of how we talk about pregnancy, how it is shown in pop culture and how most often, images and stories of pregnancy and childbirth are not realistic, representative, or inclusive of real people and their communities. Cheyenne has a passion for making everyone feel safe, seen and protected during vulnerable times. This is evident in how she centers all of her projects in the support, protection and education of communities who have historically been excluded from storytelling and imagery within the birth space. Resources: Learn more about Cheyenne's work at · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth · Life's work Documentary Signup for one of Cheyenne's workshops here Follow Cheyenne's work on Instagram: · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth Support Cheyenne's work on her Patreon here Learn more about Roots Community Birth Center here Learn more about the Richmond Doula Project here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this Mini Q&A episode of the EBB podcast, I will be answering a variety of questions that have recently been asked of us, including: 1. What if my hospital won't let my healthy newborn go home before 48 hours? 2. Are modern ultrasounds better at detecting big babies? 3. What's the maximum time a vacuum can be used during a vacuum assisted delivery? 4. Does EBB have any new resources I should know about? References/Resources: Read the AAP Guidelines on Hospital Stays for Healthy Term Newborn Infants here Visit the NAABB here Read the U.S. Department of Labor article on the Newborns' and Mothers' Protection Act here Read the UpToDate article on vacuum assisted delivery (subscription only) here Resources Read the New Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article on Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work (and links to all the free handouts) here Check out the EBB Pocket Guide to Interventions here Listen to the following EBB Podcast Episodes: EBB Podcast 190 Updated Evidence on Big Babies here EBB Podcast 244 Evidence on AROM, AVD and Internal Monitoring here EBB Podcast 265 Evidence on Anti-Racism in Healthcare and Birthwork here Find an EBB Childbirth Class here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we will be sharing with you an excerpt from a live webinar featuring Dr. Rebecca Dekker all about debunking the myths of Premature Rupture of Membranes, GBS, & Waterbirth. We discuss the following topics: The Updated Evidence on Premature Rupture of Membranes - There are two new meta-analyses on GBS-- but they have limitations and cannot be applied to countries that screen and treat GBS. New guidelines are included from ACNM, ACOG & the Association of Ontario Midwives. The myths on GBS - We review what the microbiome is, the influence of probiotics, and why antibiotics are used. How Waterbirth can be used for labor - We covered the differences in association guidelines of waterbirth, as well as, reviewed the significant results for the risks and benefits of waterbirth from the largest and highest-quality study on waterbirth to date! This is podcast breaks down the topics for parents and professionals to be informed and empowered! LECTURE HANDOUTS For lecture handouts from the webinar, click here: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GBS-PROM-Waterbirth-Webinar-April-2023-for-Handout.pdf EBB SIGNATURE ARTICLES Evidence on Premature Rupture of Membranes https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-inducing-labor-water-breaks-term/ Evidence on Group B Strep: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/groupbstrep/ Evidence on Inducing for Due Dates https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducin... Evidence on Waterbirth https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/ EBB PODCASTS EBB 230 – An Inspirational Home Waterbirth Story with EBB Childbirth Class Parent Shelitha Owens EBB 223 – An Empowering Hospital Water Birth Story with Samantha Parker and Justin Fontaine EBB 261 – Mini Q&A on Group B Strep EBB 257 – The Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy: Part 2 EBB 254 – The Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy: Part 1 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Association of Ontario Midwives on PROM: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/prom-term Full list of References can be found on our blog post here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class. Content warning: We will mention labor, medical interventions (i.e. antibiotics, epidural), hospital transfer, waterbirth, pain, premature rupture of membranes, gendered language, medications in labor, vaginal/pelvic birth, Group B Strep, inductions, cervical exams

May 17, 2023 - On today's episode we are honoring Pelvic Floor Awareness Month with a replay episode from one of our most popular episodes, an interview with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin all about pelvic floor health in both pregnancy and postpartum. Content warning: discussion of sexual function and dysfunctions in plain terms. In this episode, I will be talking with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin. Dr. Martin is a pelvic floor specialist for 13 years and now an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor. Dr. Martin is the owner and founder of JMM Health Solutions. She's created a few programs for pregnant individuals as well as two coaching programs, one of them being a 12-week program for people with endometriosis, and the other being a four-week program for individuals suffering from dyspareunia. We talk about the benefits of pelvic floor therapy for pregnancy and postpartum. We also talk about the importance of advocating for accessible pelvic care services. Learn more about Dr. Juan Michelle Martin here (https://www.jmmhealthsolutions.com/). Follow Dr. Martin on Instagram here (www.instagram.com/thepelvicperspective). View Dr. Martin's pelvic floor topic videos on YouTube for JMM Health Solutions here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKNEkVefn_wLgrqlf4wyXHw). Learn more about Academy of Pelvic Health (APH) here (https://aptapelvichealth.org/). Follow APH on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/aptapelvic/). Learn more about Herman & Wallace here (https://hermanwallace.com/). Follow Herman & Wallace on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/HermanandWallace/). Listen to recent EBB episodes about Pelvic Floor Health & Postpartum: EBB 256 - Top 3 Recommendations for Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction after Birth with Dr. Sarah Duvall EBB 264 - Top 3 Tips for Exercise in Pregnancy with Mamastefit For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On this episode of the Evidence Base Birth® Podcast, we talk with Barbie Christianson, RN all about fundal massage. We discuss what the evidence actually says about this routine procedure versus what happens in everyday practice, and why this practice continues to persist in routine preventative care. Barbie Christianson is a nurse, community educator and advocate, as well as a parent of four young children. Their mission is to communally dismantle oppressive structures specifically in reproductive/perinatal healthcare while contributing to the expansion of existing Black and/or Indigenous led community-based care structures. Barbie's special focus is on addressing and eliminating obstetric violence using trauma informed perinatal advocacy, care, and education. Barbie shares her passion and skills in trauma informed care with our audience by sharing useful scripts for obtaining informed consent, explaining how to guide patients in their own assessments and massage, and offers many ways to maintain a calm and compassionate nature to a procedure known as the "devil's massage." Content Warnings: Uterine/fundal massage, obstetric violence and assault, pospartum hemorrgage Resources: Learn more about active management in the thrid stage of labor in our Signature Article: The Evidence on Pitocin During the Thrird Stage of Labor here Follow the BadAssMotherBirther in Instagram here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On this episode of the EBB Podcast, we talked with EBB Childbirth Class Graduates, Priscilla and Nathan Layman about how the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class prepared them for a home birth and their unexpected hospital transfer with a NICU stay. Nathan and Priscilla are happy parents who live and work in San Antonio, Texas. Nathan is a pipeline engineer and Priscilla splits her time between caring for their 19-month-old daughter and providing part-time psychotherapy services, as a licensed clinical psychologist. Join us as Nathan and Priscilla share their experience learning advocacy skills reviewed in the EBB Childbirth class and how they were used during their daughter's unexpected NICU stay after their homebirth transfer. We also talk about their birth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how empowered they felt with their support team in birth and postpartum. Content Warnings: 911 call, emergency transfer to the hospital for low oxygen state in a newborn, respiratory support for an infant in a neonatal intensive care stay. Resources: Access EBB's Signature Article on The Evidence on: Waterbirth here Learn more about Deborah Persyn and Leche and Mimi lactation services here Find the book Bringing Home Baby and other resources by Gottman here Learn more about Lea-ann Goettsch's Evidence Based Birth Childbirth class and other services here References: Bovbjerg, M.L., Cheyney, M., Caughey, A. B. (2022). "Maternal and neonatal outcomes following waterbirth: a cohort study of 17,530 waterbirths and 17,530 propensity score-matched land births." BJOG 129 (6): 950-958.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34773367/ Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episodes listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's episode we are celebrating the release of Part 3 of our BRAND NEW Signature Article, "The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work!" EBB Research Editor Ihotu Ali, the lead author on this paper, talks with Rebecca Dekker about how Evidence-Based Equity Tools are solutions that can collectively move Black and Brown voices, leaders, innovative programs, accountability conversations, supportive funding, and legislation from the sidelines to the mainstream. You can find all three parts of our NEW Signature Article, The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work here: www.evidencebasedbirth.com/antiracism Join the conversation to learn more about: Equity vs equality and diversity vs mending broken relationships The Evidence Based Equity Triad The Midwifery Model of Care - What about midwives in birth centers or other community spaces Community-Based Doulas - Support and mentor a doula of color and expand sustainability of the doula profession through employee benefit models Reparations and Transformative Justice - Transformative Justice in Leadership Challenges Additionally, learn how you can answer the call as a birth worker and become an ally in the fight for reproductive justice. Resources: Find the Black Birthing Bill of Rights® from the NAABB here Find The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work here All of our Free Handouts, including "Getting Started," "Quiz on Anti-Racism," "Afrofuturism in Birth" and "Fighting Anti-Black Racism in Birth" are available here Listen to EBB Episodes: EBB 136 – Solutions for the Crisis in American Maternity Care with Jennie Joseph here EBB 161 – Addressing Maternity Bias and Infant Care with Irth App Founder, Kimberly Seals Allers Here EBB 170 Addressing Mistreatment in Childbirth Care with Birth Monopoly Founder, Cristen Pascucci here EBB 220 – Fighting Bias in the Birth Room with Irth App Founder, Kimberly Seals Allers Here EBB 229 Evidence on Doulas: Community-Based Models, the Pandemic and Reimbursement with the Research Team Here EBB 251 – Naseema McElroy, Founder of Financially Intentional, Shares her Courageous Story of Speaking up as a Labor and Delivery Nurse Here Watch videos on Tranformative Justice: Watch Adrienne Maree Brown discuss transformative justice here An example of Restorative Justice: (the Tinkerbell story) told in a YouTube video here Find the Article, "Are corporations psychopaths?" here Find the book on defensiveness: Why Do I Do That? Psychological Defense Mechanisms and the Hidden Ways They Shape Our Livesby Joseph Burgo here Find a black birth worker near you at www.systemmidwife.com Learn more about: The Sheppard Towner Act of 1921 here Maternal Mortality Review Commissions here The life and legacy of Loretha Weisinger , the mother and founder of the community-based doula here About HealthConnect One, who offers trainings for community-based doulas around the country The Birth Sanctuary Earth's Natural Touch doulas National Black Midwives Alliance Melanated Midwives The National Association for the Advancement of Black Birth Commonsense Childbirth A Wombman's Way Warrior Midwife training Jamaa Birth Village Birth Center Equity Kentucky Birth Coalition Learn Birthing Place BX and Womb Bus Follow Ihotu Ali's work on Instagram here Follow the Oshun Center for Intercultural Healing and their work in Minneapolis here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Want to get involved at EBB? Check out our Professional Membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, we talk with Gina and Roxanne, the sister duo behind Mamastefit about how fitness can keep you comfortable and pain-free during pregnancy and birth. Gina Conley and Roxanne Albert are the sister duo of MamasteFit. Together they offer childbirth education, specializing in labor and pelvic biomechanics and pre and postnatal fitness programming. Located in Aberdeen, North Carolina, you can train with them in person or you learn from them all over the world with their Instagram account and online classes. Additionally, Gina, has her master's in exercise science, runs the MamasteFit in-person perinatal fitness training facility and she discusses how she supports families as a birth doula. Roxanne, is a labor and delivery nurse, recently serving as a birth assistant in a freestanding birth center and tells us how being a student midwife influences her understanding of the body in birth. Today, we talk with Gina and Roxanne about their own experiences being pregnant and how it inspired the creation of Mamaste Fit. They explain how an understanding of one's body during pregnancy and birth can impact the birth experience. We talk about fitness and how movement and pelvic biomechanics can minimalize pregnancy-related discomfort and prepare your body for labor. Check out the resources below to follow along and learn more! Resources: Find MamasteFit on social media: Instagram Facebook YouTube For more information about their courses and offerings, check out their website here Listen to EBB Episode EBB 256 - Top 3 Recommendations for Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction after Birth with Dr. Sarah Duvall, Found of Core Exercise Solutions here EBB 155 - Pelvic Floor Health in Pregnancy and Postpartum with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin here EBB 196 - Pelvic Biomechanics and movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum here EBB 224 - Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait with Ihotu Ali, Erin Wilson, and Rebecca Dekker here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode we talk with Sabia Wade about her new book, Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free. Sabia Wade (she/ they) is the founder of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, an accessible and inclusive training program for community care workers, and the founder of For the Village, a nonprofit providing doulas at no or low cost to low-income and marginalized communities in San Diego, California, as a coach, board member, investor, educator, and programming development consultant for organizations throughout the birth and reproductive health space. Every part of Sabia's work centers on liberation of all people through Reproductive Justice. Sabia talks with us about the process of writing a book for birth workers about Reproductive Justice and how we can create the future we want for all birth people. Sabia introduces us to the ideas of Birth Neoterism and Black Luxury. Through these key concepts, Sabia shares how we can learn from our history, find hope in our present and recreate the future of birth in America. Sabia's hope for the readers of their book, is that they are able to engage on their own journey in interacting with the book and connecting through the storytelling and working through the somatic exercises to work through trauma and towards healing. In those spaces of healing and caring for ourselves can we begin the process of collective liberation. Resources: Find Sabia's book Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free here Follow Sabia's work here Follow Sabia on Instagram here Sign up for The Birth Neoterist Newsletter here Listen to EBB's previous interview with Sabia, EBB 124 - Health Disparities, Advocacy and the Coronavirus with Sabia Wade here Listen to EBB 251 - Nasmeea McElroy, Founder of Financially Intentional, Shares her Courageous Story of Speaking up as a Labor and Delivery Nurse Find the book, Transformed by Birth by Brita Buchnell here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode we talk with Emily Chandler and Taylor Washburn, EBB Childbirth Class graduates about their experiences in the childbirth class; their informed and empowered hospital birth; and how they navigated an extended hospital stay for newborn jaundice. Emily, is a marine scientist, and Taylor, is a teacher and rowing coach in the Boston area. Together, they love hiking, biking, rowing, and taking advantage of the great outdoors. And they're also very busy taking care of their baby. While pregnant, Emily dove headfirst into learning about pregnancy, birth, and the state of maternity care in the United States. Emily and Taylor took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with EBB instructor Chanté Perryman. Emily and Taylor share their experiences in the EBB Childbirth Class and how that informed many of the decisions they made regarding their birth plan, including Taylor being both inspired and empowered to "catch" their baby. They also share how they used the advocacy skills learned in class to better communicate with their providers and each other. After experiencing the birth they desired, complications arose when Emily experienced difficulty breastfeeding and inadequate lactation support. Difficulty was further exasperated when their newborn was diagnosed with jaundice leading to an extended hospital stay. Content Warnings: extended hospital stay due to newborn jaundice, "yellow baby," difficulty breastfeeding, syringe feeding, lack of lactation support poor latch, heel pricks and bilirubin testing, treatment for elevated bilirubin, poor outcomes for Black and Brown infants with jaundice Resources: Access the CDC article on Jaundcie here Access the Evidence Based Birth® Signautre Articles on: The Evidence on Premature Rupture of Membranes here The Evidence on Group B Strep here The Evidence on Pitocin® in the Third Stage here Listen to EBB 145- Fatherhood and Advocacy in Birth with JacMichael Perryman here Listen to EBB 244 - Evidence on AROM, AVD and Internal Monitoring here Learn more about Chanté Perryman's EBB Childbirth Class and services here or on her Instagram account @babydreamsmc Learn more about The Nest Collaborative for lacation support here References: Here are the scientific references on jaundice for the blog article: · Dunn, P. M. (2003). Dr Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802) of Lichfield and placental respiration. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed;88:F346– 8. · Katheria, A. C., Lakshminrusimha, S., Rabe, H., et al. (2017). Placental transfusion: a review. Journal of Perinatology; 37:105-111. · McDonald, S. J., Middleton, P., Dowswell, T., et al. (2013). Effect of timing of umbilical cord clamping of term infants on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD004074 · Ashish, K. C., Rana, N., Malqvist, M., et al. (2017). Effects of Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping vs. Early Clamping on Anemia in Infants at 8 and 12 months: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr;171(3):264-270. · Mercer, J. S., Erickson-Owens, D. A., Deoni, S. C. L., et al. (2018). Effects of Delayed Cord Clamping on Four-Month Ferritin Levels, Brain Myselin Content, and Neurodevelopment: A Randomized Controlled Trial. · Andersson, O., Lindquist, B., Lindgren, M., et al. (2015). Effect of delayed cord clamping on neurodevelopment at 4 years of age: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Pediatr;169:631–8. · CDC article on Jaundice: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/jaundice/facts.html Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this bonus episode, we wrap up our 2-part series on Group B Strep in Pregnancy, where I answer some of your questions following the first two episodes. Here are the questions answered in this bonus episode: Is it possible to retest between an initial GBS swab and going into labor? Are there things that can be done to get a negative test before labor occurs? If you are GBS positive in one pregnancy, are you likely to be positive in subsequent pregnancies? Discussion about an important limitation to one of the studies in our GBS update. Discussion about risk factors and the "Other Risk Factor" approach vs the Universal Screening approach Is there evidence for screening for GBS twice in the same pregnancy? Make sure you listen to Part 1 and Part 2 to review the updated GBS research. Resources: Listen to EBB 254: Group B Strep in Pregnancy Part 1 here Listen to EBB 257: Group B Strep in Pregnancy Part 2 here Listen EBB 87: Cristen Pascucci on How to Disagree on Birth Topics Respectfully! here Learn more about the use of antibiotics in labor in our Pocket Guide to Labor Interventions References: Parente V, Clark RH, Ku L, Fennell C, Johnson M, Morris E, Romaine A, Utin U, Benjamin DK, Messina JA, Smith PB, Greenberg RG. Risk factors for group B streptococcal disease in neonates of mothers with negative antenatal testing. J Perinatol. 2017 Feb;37(2):157-161. doi: 10.1038/jp.2016.201. Epub 2016 Nov 17. PMID: 27853322; PMCID: PMC5280520. Kabiri D, Hants Y, Yarkoni TR, Shaulof E, Friedman SE, Paltiel O, Nir-Paz R, Aljamal WE, Ezra Y. Antepartum Membrane Stripping in GBS Carriers, Is It Safe? (The STRIP-G Study). PLoS One. 2015 Dec 31;10(12):e0145905. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145905. PMID: 26719985; PMCID: PMC4697801. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, we're going to talk with Ms. Divine Bailey-Nicholas, midwife apprentice, doula, certified lactation counselor, and master herbalist about her career in birth work, advocacy and plant medicine in Louisiana. We learn how she utilizes a community model of care that brings resources and education to combat maternal health deserts in the Deep South of the US. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Ms. Divine is proud of her Delta, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia roots. Her cultural foundation breathes through her plant medicine and birth work. Currently, Ms. Divine is a charter member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Louisiana chapter, where her role is historian. She's a member of the Healthy St. Landry Steering Committee and member of the Community Partners Advisory Sub-Community for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Divine is also the founder and executive director of Community Birth Companion, a nonprofit organization working to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates through childbirth education, breastfeeding support, and community doula support in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, where she resides with her husband and four children. Ms. Divine shares the reality of maternity care in the Southern US, including high rates of morbidity, mortality, and poor infant outcomes, especially among Black women. Ms. Divine shares how she has been inspired by the work of Grand Midwife Shafia Monroe to become a resource to her community and is working to improve birth outcomes and combat maternal health deserts through her perinatal safe space, the Community Birth Companion. Through a community model of care, Ms. Divine is providing education and empowerment to the families she serves. Additionally, Ms. Divine shares insight into her work as a Master Herbalist and teaches courses to support families in pregnancy and postpartum. Content warning: maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, maternal care deserts, health care inequalities, racism Resources Follow Ms. Divine's work on her social media channels: Instagram Facebook Learn about Ms. Divine's services or sign up for Ms. Divine's courses on plant medicine on her website here Learn more about Ms. Divine's work with Community Birth Companion on their website here Follow the Community Birth Compnaion on social media: Instagram Facebook Additional Resources: Listen to EBB 152 – Shafia Monroe on Traditional Black Midwifery, Spirituality, and Community Advocacy here Learn more about Safia Monroe on her webite and follow her work on Instagram Listen to EBB 56 – Listening to Black Midwives: Ms. Charlotte Shilo-Goudeau here Listen to EBB 156 – Nicole Deggins of Sista Midwife Productions on Navigating Systemic Racism in Birth Work here Read Kelena Reid Maxwell's Dissertation Birth Behind the Veil: African American Midwives and Mothers in the Rural South here Find the Black Birthing Bill of Rights here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, we're going to talk with Ruth Greene, birth doula, Evidence Based Birth® Pro Member, and Co-owner of Having a Baby in China Consulting Services, about the challenges of giving birth in a foreign country and how pregnancy and childbirth can unite us despite our unique cultural & lived experiences. After the birth of her second baby in a local hospital in China, Ruth began volunteering to support other foreigners as they struggled to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system. Ruth's passion drove her to seek formal training as a doula and childbirth educator. In May 2022, Ruth partnered with the creators of havingababyinchina.com to open an official Chinese company that offers breastfeeding, doula, and consulting services. Ruth's clients hail from every corner of the earth, from South Africa to Brazil, to England, to Iran, and, of course, China. No matter the cultural or personal background, Ruth considers it an absolute privilege to be invited into the sacred space of pregnancy and birth. Ruth shares her own experiences giving birth in China and how she came to find herself immersed in birth work and making a career of helping similar families navigate the process themselves. Ruth highlights the many differences and unique cultural traditions around having a baby in China, like the Zuo Yue Zi, or the "sitting month." Despite the differences, Ruth has found that experiences of pregnancy and birth unite us all. Resources: Check out Ruth's website here Email Ruth directly at [email protected] Follow Ruth on Instagram - Having a Baby in China Find Ruth on WeChat - ID: GirlTravelor Listen to her Podcast: Having a Baby in China You can also find Having a Baby in China on WeChat from her podcast page linked above Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode we talk with Samantha Reisz, EBB Childbirth Class graduate about her experiences taking the class and preparing for a waterbirth in a hospital with her "Golden Ticket" birth team, who were skilled and prepared to manage a placental cord avulsion also known as cord snapping. Samantha Reisz, she/her, is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Human Development at Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington, just outside of the Portland, Oregon area. She completed her bachelor's in Psychology and master's in Infant Mental Health from Mills College in Oakland, California when she first began studying childbirth. Samantha then earned her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied infant parent relationships and the transition to parenthood. Samantha is a passionate scholar and educator. After years of studying these topics academically, she finally was able to live her own research with the birth of her first child. Samantha lives in Vancouver, Washington with her baby, partner, and two dogs. Samantha shares how she prepared to give birth for the first time with the use of a doula who recommended the EBB Childbirth Course. Samantha and her partner planned for a waterbirth in a hospital with an OBGYN attending the birth. After experiencing the beautiful waterbirth she had desired, complications arose in the 3rd stage with a placental cord avulsion. Her "Golden Ticket Birth Team" was skilled and prepared to support her through this experience. Content & Trigger warning: complications in the third stage of labor, active management of the third phase, umbilical cord snapping or avulsion, excessive blood loss Resources: Find out more about Samantha's work and research here. Find out about Scarlett Lynsky's EBB Childbirth Education class here and listen to her EBB Podcast interview here. Read the EBB Sigature Article on The Evidence on Waterbirth here Read the EBB Signature Article on Eating & Drinking here Listen to the EBB Natural Induction series here Find out more about the Evidence on Nitrous Oxide in EBB Episode 15 here Listen to all the EBB Podcast Episodes on Waterbirth and Cord Avulsion: Find EBB 4 – Waterbirth and the Newborn Microbiome here Find EBB 11 – Evidence on: Waterbirth here Find EBB 202 - A Fast First Time Birth Expereince with Childbirth Class Graduate, Haley Grachico here Find EBB 223 – An Empowering Hospital Water Birth Story with Samantha Parker and Justin Fontaine here Find EBB 230 – An Inspirational Home Waterbirth Story with EBB Childbirth Class Parent Shelitha Owens here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! References: Bovbjerg, M.L., Cheyney, M., Caughey, A. B. (2022). "Maternal and neonatal outcomes following waterbirth: a cohort study of 17,530 waterbirths and 17,530 propensity score-matched land births." BJOG 129 (6): 950-958. Access the article here Burns, E. E., Boulton, M.G., Cluett, E., et al. (2012). "Characteristics, interventions, and outcomes of women who used a birthing pool: a prospective observational study." Birth 39(3): 192-202. Access the article here Schafer, R. (2014). "Umbilical cord avulsion in waterbirth." J Midwifery Womens Health 59(1): 91-94. Access the article here Sidebottom, A.C., Vacquier, M., Simon, K., et al. (2020). "Maternal and neonatal outcomes in hospital-based deliveries with water immersion." Obstet GYnecol 136(4): 707-715. Access the article here For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, we continue to bring you the Updated Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series, where we talk about the evidence on alternative treatments for GBS and answer some of your FAQs about this hot topic. In Part 2, we'll be talking about: The "Other Risk Factor approach," Alternatives to antibiotics for GBS, including Chlorhexidine and garlic, Vaccines, Probiotics, Topical use of human milk, Address frequently asked questions Review the Guidelines from 3 countries We wrap up with the Bottom Line on the Updated Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy. Content Warning: GBS-related stillbirth, infant death, critical illness of newborns, vaccines, antibiotics, and racial disparities in GBS positive results and GBS disease in newborns. References and Resources: For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode here. Find about more about colloidal silver here Learn more about Neonatal Sepsis here Learn more about the National Guidelines for screening and treating GBS in the USA, UK, and Canada: Guidelines in America: ACOG Recommendations for Prevention of Group B Strep Early Onset Disease in Newborns AAP Guidelines for Management of Infants at Risk for Group B Strep Disease Guidelines in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom National Screening Committee Recommedations Recommendations from the Royal College of Obstetrians Guidelines in Canada Recommendations from the Society of Obstetrians and Gynaecologists Recommendations from the Association of Ontario Midwives Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with physical therapist and founder of Core Exercise Solutions, Dr. Sarah Duvall (she/her) about connecting with your pelvic floor and preventing dysfunction after birth. Dr. Sarah Duvall, CPT is the founder of Core Exercise Solutions, a center for continuing education and online programs focusing on the pelvic floor. She uses her platform to share her passion for empowering individuals to connect with their bodies in pregnancy and heal holistically after birth. When she's not hanging off the side of a mountain, Sarah is also a wife, mom, and adventure sports athlete who enjoys writing and presenting through her social media platforms and figuring out how her clients can continue to pursue their dreams and lead strong adventurous lives. In this episode, we talk about the importance of pelvic floor physical therapy. Sarah walks us through several pelvic floor exercises to help us understand how to connect with our bodies and understand what types of dysfunction might impact our daily lives. Additionally, Sarah educates us on the importance of connecting with and caring for our bodies after a Cesarean birth. Trigger warning: pelvic organ prolapse, Cesareans, incontinence, use of gendered language. Resources: Learn more about Sarah's work here Follow Sarah's work on Instagram here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

In today's podcast, we talk with Laurisa Paul, a Registered Nurse, EBB Pro Member and founder of Girls Who Know® about her journey towards teaching girls what they need to know and respect about their bodies. Laurisa was the winner of our EBB Pro Member September Circle Community challenge, where she won the opportunity to have her work featured on the podcast. I am excited to share my conversation with Laurisa where she talks about her passion for helping others love themselves fully and feel their inherent worth and power. Laurisa resides in Texas where she is a mother of five and an outdoor adventurer. Medically trained, Laurisa stumbled across home birth when she was actively seeking to improve her own birth experiences and since then she has worked as a midwife assistant. Laurisa is a mother of five, a writer, a Registered Nurse, home-birther and midwife advocate. She has a deep passion for diversity and a profound respect for people and their story. She is a lover of outdoor adventure and dreams of being a world traveler and story catcher. In this episode, she discusses her own journey to motherhood and the experiences from her five births, ranging from high intervention births in a hospital to unmedicated and low intervention homebirths. Each experience shaped who she has become as a mother and as a nurse catapulting Laurisa into her passion of working with the next generation and educating high school students about the physiology of birth, not just how to prevent pregnancy. Laurisa is the founder of the organization Girls Who Know, which inspires girls to love who they are and to know and respect their bodies. Girls Who Know prepares girls with what they need to know to make courageous, informed decisions for their lives. Content Warning: use of forceps & vacuum, episiotomy, forced to push on back, obstetric violence, trauma, suffering, postpartum hemorrhage, gendered language, discussion of a fatal motor vehicle crash Resources: Check out Laurisa's organization Girls Who Know® here Follow Laurisa on social media via Instagram here and her Facebook here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode, we bring you the Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy, in anticipation of the research update to the Signature Article on Group B Strep in Pregnancy. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series. In today's Part 1, we'll be talking about: The evidence on GBS during pregnancy The evidence on testing for GBS The evidence on antibiotics, including the pros and cons of giving antibiotics during labor for GBS. Content Warning: GBS-related stillbirth, infant death, critical illness of newborns, antibiotics, disparities, access to health care. References and Resources: For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode here. Find the CDC GBS Prevention App for Obstetric Providers here Find the ACOG GBS Prevention Guidelines here Listen EBB 87: Cristen Pascucci on How to Disagree on Birth Topics Respectfully! here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

In this episode we talk with Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class graduate, Leah Bergman about her experiences navigating a recommended 38-week induction due to a diagnosis of Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Leah Bergman is a new mom and has recently made the decision to leave her full-time job as a church musician to be able to dedicate more time to her family and raising her daughter. When she's not involved in music or busy with the baby, Leah enjoys cooking, knitting, coloring, sewing, and going on walks with her husband, Gunnar, and dog, Winnie. In this episode Leah shares how she was inspired by a friend to read Babies are Not Pizzas and on the recommendation of her midwife found the EBB Childbirth Class. Leah and her husband were planning for birth with as few interventions as possible, until an ultrasound showed signs of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). In collaboration with their midwifery team, they pivoted their plans and began to prepare for an induction at 38-weeks. Leah walks us through the difficulties in trying to make informed, evidence-based decisions about pregnancy and how they opted to induce at 38-weeks. Additionally, Leah shares her long two-part induction story and insights into how she was able to use the EBB Childbirth Education to advocate for herself during her induction and after delivery. Despite not having the birth she was originally planning, Leah reminds us that with education and preparation, you can achieve the positive and empowering birth you want, even if it isn't what you originally expected. Content Warning: intrauterine growth restriction or fetal growth restriction, risk of stillbirth associated with IUGR, medical interventions to induce labor, labor induction, pregnancy complications, high risk pregnancy, frequent ultrasound and NST testing, mention of risk of Cesarean birth, mention of the risk factors for IUGR: placental insufficiently, genetic and congenital problems in pregnancy, anti-phospholipid antibodies, baby born small for gestational age Resouces: Find out more about Anna Sutkowski's doula practice and EBB Childbirth classes here. Find out more about Rebecca's book, Babies are Not Pizzas here. Intrauterine Growth Restrictions: Listen to Dr. Nicole Rankin's podcast in IUGR here. Access a Medscape article on Fetal Growth Restriction (requires a free account) here. UpToDate article on Fetal Growth Restriction (requires a paid account) here Inductions: Listen to the EBB Podcast Episode 153: The Pros and Cons of the Foley and Dilapan-S for Cervical Ripening During an Induction here. Listen to the EBB Podcast Episode 222: Navigating Induction and Pregnancy at 35+ with EBB Instructor and Birth Fusion Founder, Jennifer Anderson here. Obtain a copy of EBB Pocket Guide to Labor Inductions here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this episode we talk with EBB Instructor Leslie Greene, about doula advocacy and empowering families through the EBB Childbirth education class. Leslie Greene, pronouns, she/her, is a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, baby wearing consultant and Evidence Based Birth Instructor and founder of Peridot Births. Leslie's work reflects her passion for birth justice, and she has a special interest in supporting Black and brown birthing families and members of the LBGTQIA+ community. Leslie is also the mom of a rising first grader and loves to spend her time with her adopted Shih Tzu and tabby kitten when not working. We talk about the importance of doula advocacy. Leslie talks about her personal journey to becoming a childbirth educator and a doula, as a form of activism to address the Black maternal health crisis in American. She describes how to step into the birthing space as a collaborative advocate to center the parent's experience for their birth. Content Warning: discussion of the murder of George Floyd, maternal mortality for African Americans, Black maternal health crisis, systemic racism, politics, obstetric violence, racism, forced cervical exams, perineal massage with baby shampoo, poverty, substance use, teen pregnancy, lack of prenatal care, colonization, slavery, and the COVID-19 pandemic Resources: Listen to EBB 218 – The Evidence on Perineal Massage during Labor with Dr. Rebecca Dekker here Check out and follow all of Leslie's work: o Leslie's Evidence Based Childbirth Education site can be found here o Leslie's Doula Services can be found here o Follow Leslie's work on Instagram here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Today, I am excited to share a replay of one of my favorite birth stories featured on the Evidence Based Birth® podcast. EBB childbirth class graduates, Brooklyn and Hoang Pham, share their power and miraculous birth story, which became an instant classic and truly touched my heart. As a content warning, we talk about the significantly high rates of maternal mortality among Black and Brown individuals and racism in birth work. On today's podcast, we will be talking with Brooklynn and Hoang Pham. Brooklynn and Hoang currently live in Davis, California, and are the parents to Marvel, who turned seven months last December. Brooklynn is the senior managing director of Teach For America in Sacramento, and Hoang is finishing up his final year of law school at UC Davis School of Law. They took the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth class with EBB instructor, Shalin Butterworth, and are here to share their birth story. We will talk about Brooklynn's and Hoang's empowering experience when they attended the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth class and how it prepared them to feel ready for their powerful and miraculous birth with their doula and EBB instructor, Shalin. Resources: Sign up for the EBB Newsletter here. Learn more about the EBB Instructor program here and find an instructor or course here. Hoang and Brooklyn's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOBNp5cuEQpBDY3-3Bnl6eQ/ Instagram: @_hoangpham Twitter: @_hoangpham Birthplace Lab: You can explore the maps at https://www.birthplacelab.org/maps/. There is a How To video with tips on using the interactive maps: https://www.birthplacelab.org/how-to-explore-the-maps/. Visit BirthPlaceLab.org to learn about your state's score! Research References: Balde, M. D., Nasiri, K., Mehrtash, H., et al. (2020). Labour companionship and women's experiences of mistreatment during childbirth: results from a multi-country community-based survey. BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Nov;5(Suppl 2):e003564. Click here. Bohren, M. A., Berger, B. O., Munthe-Kaas, H., et al. (2019). Perceptions and experiences of labour companionship: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD012449. Click here. Bohren, M. A., Hofmeyr, G. J., Sakala, C., et al. (2017). Continuous support for women during childbirth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017 Jul 6;7(7):CD003766. Click here. Vedam, S., Stoll, K., MacDorman, M., et al. (2018). Mapping integration of midwives across the United States: Impact on access, equity, and outcomes. PLoS One. 2018 Feb 21;13(2):e0192523. Click here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast we talk with Naseema McElroy, Labor and Delivery nurse and the Founder of Financially Intentional about racism, workplace trauma, and inequities in the US healthcare system. We also discuss how to find your voice and stand up for human rights within the system. Naseema McElroy started as a Labor and Delivery nurse and later became the Founder of Financially Intentional, a personal finance platform normalizing Black wealth. Naseema is the mother of two daughters and loves sharing her passion for financial independence and nursing with her followers on Instagram and through her Financially Intentional Podcast: Nurses on Fire. Naeema discusses her personal experiences in raising concerns about patient safety within a hospital system and how to protect yourself, legally and financially, in the process. She also shares her story regarding her viral Instagram video about the importance of representation in healthcare and the potentially far-reaching consequences when representation is lacking. Trigger Warnings: mental health, workplace trauma, obstetric violence, systemic racism, racism and inequities in the US healthcare system, patient safety, Black mortality, Black morbidity Resources: Follow Naseema's Instagram account Financially Intentional here Learn more about Financially Intentional here Listen to Naseema's Podcast, Financially Intentional Podcast (formerly Nurses of Fire) here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this week's episode, I'm going to cover the "2022 A Year in Review" and reflect on all the projects and research we accomplished at Evidence Based Birth®. I share my favorite projects and podcast episodes from this year; the top five most downloaded episodes in 2022; and discuss the research recap on the four updated Signature Articles: o Signature Article on the Evidence on Birthing Positions o Signature Article on the Evidence on Eating and Drinking in Labor o Signature Article on the Evidence on IV fluids o Signature Article on the Evidence on Freidman's Curve and Failure to Progress + 1-page handout on Debunking Pelvic Shapes Thanks for tuning in and supporting Evidence Based Birth® in 2022! Because of you we were able to surpass over 4 million downloads –putting us in the top 5 percent of all podcasts! Thank you for helping us to uplift birth workers and empower families with evidence-based knowledge. Content Warning: abortion & medical interventions Resouces: Find the updated Signature Article on the Evidence on Birthing Positions here Listen to the associated Podcast episodes on Birthing Positions: 196 – Pelvic Biomechanics and Movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum 221- Evidence on Birthing Positions and Tried-and-True Midwifery Practices for Protecting the Perineum 241- The Updated Evidence on Birthing Positions Find the updated Signature Article on the Evidence on Eating and Drinking in Labor here Listen to the associated Podcast episodes on Eating and Drinking: 198 & 233 – Updates on Eating During Labor Fina the updated Signature Article on the Evidence on IV fluids here Listen to the associated Podcast episodes on IV fluids: 235 – Evidence on IV Fluids with Dr. Rebecca Dekker 208 – Advocating for Your Rights in Birth with EBB Childbirth Class Graduation Cheyanne Saenz 104 – The Evidence on Saline Locks Find the updated Signature Article on the Evidence on Freidman's Curve and Failure to Progress here Listen to the associated Podcast episodes on Failure to Progress: 224 – Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait with Ihotu Ali, Erin Wilson, and Rebecca Dekker 196 – Pelvic Biomechanics and Movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum 75 – Birth in Twilight Sleep – the Experiences of Rebecca's Mom Debunking Pelvic Shapes Handout and the Abortion Research guide can be found here. Free Public Webinars: Spring Webinar: Failure to Wait Fall Webinar: Evidence on Pitocin Rebecca's Favorite Projects: Protecting the Perineum Series 221 – Evidence on Birthing Positions and Tried-and-True Midwifery Practice for Protecting the Perineum 218 – The Evidence on Perineal Massage During Labor with Dr. Rebecca Dekker 216 – The Evidence on Perineal Massage for Preventing Tears in Childbirth with Dr. Rebecca Dekker 206 – Evidence on Perineal Tears and the Importance of Avoiding Episiotomy with EBB Founder, Dr. Rebecca Dekker Abortion Research Guide 240: Top Five Most Surprising Findings from the EBB Abortion Research Guide with Dr. Dekker & Doctoral Candidate Tyler Jean Dukes Reproductive Justice 217 – Disability Justice in Birth and Parenting with Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu 234 – Tackling Fatphobia in Lactation with Kristin Cavuto 243 – Importance of Kick Counting for Preventing Stillbirth with Stephaney Moody, Health Equity Ambassador of Count the Kicks 227 – Amplifying the Need for Intersectional Birth Support for QTBIPOC Birthing People with Xian Brooks of the Dandy Doula 238 – Black Fatherhood and Fighting Anti-Black Racism with Brandon Diggs Williams, Licensed Clinical Social Worker 228 – Uplifting Radicalized Birth Work with Anna, The Pocket Doula 229 – Evidence on Doulas: Community-Based Models, the Pandemic and Reimbursement with the Research Team Most downloaded Episodes in 2022 #5 - 235 – Evidence on IV Fluids with Dr. Rebecca Dekker #4 – 222 – Navigating Induction and Pregnancy at 35+ with EBB Instrutor and Birth Fusion Founder, Jennifer Anderson #3 - 224 – Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait with Ihotu Ali, Erin Wilson, and Rebecca Dekker #2 - 221 – Evidence on Birthing Positions and Tried-and-True Midwifery Practice for Protecting the Perineum #1 – 241 – The Updated Evidence on Birthing Positions Watch Bringin' in Da Spirit Trailer here Listen to Team EBB's 2022 Spotify Playlist here

In this episode, we are talking with Scarlett Lynsky (she/her) from Hatchings Doula all about her experiences as an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor and two-time gestational surrogate. Scarlett Lynsky was born, raised, and practices as a doula and childbirth educator in Portland, Oregon. Fascinated by childbirth from an early age, and inspired by Grantly Dick-Read's Childbirth Without Fear, she decided to become a Childbirth Educator and Doula in 2009. Over the last 13 years, Scarlett has attended over 200 births. She is passionate about informed consent, bodily autonomy and tuning in to each birthing person's needs at any given moment. Scarlett has two children of her own as well as completing two "extra credit births" in the form of gestational surrogacy. She continues to be in awe of the transformative power of birth and the strength and bravery of every birthing person. In this episode, Scarlett shares how she came into birth work and why she chose to pursue two very different but equally beautiful surrogacy journeys. We discuss the nuances of being a surrogate and the importance of open and clear communication between the gestational carrier, the intended parent(s), and their support and care teams. Content Warnings: fertility/infertility, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, bleeding in pregnancy, subchorionic hemorrhage, abortion, pregnancy termination, assisted reproduction, IVF, 3rd party reproduction, gendered language, adoption, maternal mortality, high risk pregnancy, discussion of down syndrome, pregnancy complications related to uterine loss Resources and References: Find out more about Scarlett's EBB Childbirth Class and Doula services on her website here and follow her on Instagram here. Childbirth Without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural Childbirth by Grantly Dick-Read (1959), find a copy here Learn about agency Scarlett worked with in Oregon, Northwest Surrogacy Center here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we talk with Jencie Richtman, an Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class graduate, about her experience taking the EBB Childbirth Class to help navigate her VBAC. Jencie and her husband are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class with EBB instructor Julie Fors. Jencie is a mother of two living in the north suburbs of Chicago with her husband. Jencie used the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class as a tool to help her with her VBAC with her second child. In this episode, we hear both of Jencie's birth stories. Her first birth was an induction that resulted in a Cesarean, and the second, was the healing VBAC experience she was hoping for. Jencie explains how the EBB Childbirth Class helped her and her support team to plan for the birth she desired. She shares how important it was finding a provider and a hospital that supported her choices which helped her to process and heal from the trauma she experienced during her first labor and birth. Content Warnings: induction, failed induction, BMI, Cesarean, vaginal birth after Cesarean, birth trauma, informed consent, birth guilt, use of coercive language, obstetric violence, high intervention birth, delayed bonding, gendered language, difficulty breastfeeding, COVID-19 Resources and References Read EBB's Signature Article on Skin-to-Skin Care after a Cesarean here. Evidence Based Birth® Podcast Episodes regarding VBACs: EBB 113 – The Evidence on VBAC EBB 209 – Providing Unbiased VBAC Access and Support with VBAC Facts® Founder, Jen Kamel EBB 79 – Life of a Doula Part 1. – from Cesarean to VBAC EBB 232 – Advocacy, VBAC, and Becoming a Home Birth Midwife with Melek Oz Find out more about Julie For's EBB Childbirth Class and other services on her website Journey Forward here and follow Instagram here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Certified Nurse Midwife and Founder of The Vagina Chronicles, Aiyana Davison (She/Her), about her transition from hospital midwifery to a home birth practice. Aiyana is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women's Health Nurse Practitioner currently practicing in Southern California. While she has worked for the past six years at a large hospital-based teaching facility, she recently started her own home birth practice and has plans to open a birth center. Aiyana has been featured on a wide variety of platforms including ESSENCE, Peanut, Elvie, Ovia Health, and Mama Glow. Aiyana uses her social media platforms and website, The Vagina Chronicles, to help bridge the knowledge gap in people understanding their bodies as well as taking charge of their health care. Aiyana focuses her work on healing long-standing historical trauma within the Black community by sharing and vocalizing stories and supporting Black people as they traverse the healthcare system. In this episode, we talk about the midwifery model of care in the United States and Aiyana's experiences working in a hospital-based setting, her home birth practice and her associations with a free standing birth center. Additionally, we talk about the excitement of new Black midwives entering the field, and, conversely, the associated apprehensions of Black midwives due to professional burnout and lack of interprofessional collaboration and community support. Content Warning: Poor birth outcomes, professional burnout, miscarriage, abortion, trauma, home birth, Black birth, birth work Resources: The Vagina Chronicles Aiyana's Pregnancy Prep Course can be accessed here. All sales through 12/3/22 are at a discounted rate in honor of The Vagina Chronicles 5 Year Anniversary. Find The Vagina Chronicles on Social Media: · Instagram · Twitter You can learn more about Aiyana's home birth practice, Village House Wellness, here and follow Village House Wellness on Instagram. Learn more about Kindred Space Birth Center here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Molecular Biologist and Founder of Free to Feed, Dr. Trill Paullin (She/Her), about misconception in infant feeding and infant food reactivity. Dr. Trill is mother to two beautiful daughters who had severe infant food reactions to proteins transferred from her diet to breast milk. After processing the painful fact that she could hurt her children through breastfeeding, she started researching how to produce breast milk they could properly digest. Dr. Trill has discovered that many parents experience the same troubling situation. She has created a place for parents to find answers to their questions about infant food reactivity and empower them to reach their feeding goals. Free to Feed was born to provide the research, resources, and support she wished they had early on. They have started this mission by creating an annual subscription to empower parents through their food allergy journey, a tracking app built specifically for this space, personal consultations, as well as an allergy friendly post-natal multivitamin. Free to Feed's team is working hard towards launching an at-home test strip that will allow parents to analyze their breast milk for allergens. We talk about the misconceptions of allergy versus intolerance, what food reactivity actually looks like and how it occurs, and the common foods infants react to and how to remove them from human milk. Content Warning: fear of a child dying, a description of a serious infant food reaction with bloody diapers, and gendered language related to lactation. Resources: Free to Feed Find Free to Feed (@freetofeed) on Social Media: Instagram Facebook TikTok Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

To celebrate the upcoming release of our Intervention Pocket Guide, we are going to share with you some of the new research on interventions! Last week I had so much fun on Episode 244 sharing the research on amniotomy (or AROM), assisted vaginal delivery (also known as forceps or vacuum assisted delivery), and internal monitoring. Today I'm going to reveal information from the Pocket Guide on 3 more interventions-- Pitocin Augmentation, Regional Analgesia (Epidurals and Spinals), and Cesareans. Content note: discussion of the benefits and risks of these interventions, including the risk of mortality. Resources: Make sure you're on the Pocket Guide wait list by going here Pitocin Augmentation: · Webinar on the Evidence on Pitocin · EBB #131 Evidence on Pitocin in the Third Stage of Labor · EBB #224 Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait webinar (also on YouTube with PowerPoint slides) Regional Analgesia: · EBB YouTube series on Pain Management https://evidencebasedbirth.com/category-pain-management-series/ Cesareans · EBB 113 Evidence on VBAC · EBB 236 Unexpected Cesarean after a normal vaginal birth with Katie Kane · EBB 226 Emergency Cesarean with Mandy Childs · EBB 62 Unplanned Cesarean with Michelle Wilson · EBB 79 From a Cesarean to VBAC with Chanté Perryman · Breech Series episodes 171 (vaginal breech story with Janae and Andrew Rick), 172 (Breech Vaginal Birth evidence with Dr. Rixa Freeze and Dr. David Hayes), 173 (evidence on ECV for breech) For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

EBB 244: Evidence on Artificial Rupture of Membranes, Assisted Vaginal Delivery, and Internal Monitoring. We are so excited to announce the upcoming release of a new Evidence Based Birth(R) Pocket Guide, all about Interventions! To give you a sneak peek to the Invention Pocket Guide, we are diving into the research and evidence on artificial rupture of membranes, assisted vaginal delivery an internal monitoring. Content note: Discussion of the benefits and risks of these interventions, including forceps and vacuum-assisted deliveries, which can be associated with birthing trauma for birthing people and babies, as well as the risk of mortality. Resources: Make sure you're on the Pocket Guide wait list by going here Amniotomy References: Kawakita, T., Huang, C-C, and Landy, H. J. (2018). Risk Factors for Umbilical Cord Prolapse at the Time of Artificial Rupture of Membranes. AJP Rep 8(2): e89-e94. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29755833/ Simpson, K. R. (2020). Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction and Augmentation, 5th Edition. AWHONN Practice Monograph 24(4): PS1-S41. https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-019-2491-4 Smyth, R. M., Markham, C. & Dowswell, T. (2013). Amniotomy for shortening spontaneous labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 6:CD006167. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23780653/ Alfirevic, Z., Keeney, E., Dowswell, T., et al. (2016). Methods to induce labour: a systematic review, network meta-analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis. BJOG 123(9): 1462-1470. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27001034/ de Vaan, M. D. T., ten Eikelder, M. L. G., Jozwiak, M., et al. (2019). Mechanical methods for induction of labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 10: CD001233. https://www.cochrane.org/CD001233/PREG_mechanical-methods-induction-labour Simpson, K. R. (2020). Cervical Ripening and Labor Induction and Augmentation, 5th Edition. AWHONN Practice Monograph, 24(4), PS1-S41. https://nwhjournal.org/article/S1751-4851(20)30079-9/abstract Assisted Vaginal Delivery References: NHS article on forceps or vacuum delivery https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/what-happens/forceps-or-vacuum-delivery/ Bailey, P. E., van Roosmalen, J., Mola, G., et al. (2017). Assisted vaginal delivery in low and middle income countries: an overview. BJOG 124(9): 1335-1344. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28139878/ CDC Wonder Database Feeley, C., Crossland, N., Betran, A. P., et al. (2021). Training and expertise in undertaking assisted vaginal delivery (AVD): a mixed methods systematic review of practitioners views and experiences. Reprod Health 18(1): 92. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8097768/ Crossland, N., Kingdon, C., Balaam, M. C. (2020). Women's, partners' and health care providers' views and experiences of assisted vaginal birth: a systematic mixed methods review. Reprod Health 17:83. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7268509/ Hook, C. D., Damos, J. R. (2008). Vacuum-Assisted Vaginal Delivery. Am Fam Physician 78(8): 953-960. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2008/1015/p953.html Tsakiridis, I., Giouleka, S., Mamopoulos, A., et al. (2020). Operative vaginal delivery: a review of four national guidelines. J Perinat Med 48(3): 189-198. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31926101/ Verma, G. L., Spalding, J. J., Wilkinson, M. D., et al. (2021). Instruments for assisted vaginal birth. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD005455.pub3/full Internal Monitoring References: Euliano, T. Y., Darmanjian, S., Nguyen, M. T., et al. (2017). Monitoring fetal heart rate during labor: A comparison of three methods. J Pregnancy 2017: 8529816. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368359/ Neilson, J. P. (2015). Fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) for fetal monitoring during labor. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 12: CD000116. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD000116.pub5/full Harper, L. M., Shanks, A. L., Tuuli, M. G., et al. (2013). The risks and benefits of internal monitors in laboring patients. Am J Obstet Gynecol 209(1): 38.e1-38.e6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3760973/ Bakker, J. J. H., Verhoeven, C. J. M., Janssen, P. F., et al. (2010). Outcomes after internal versus external tocodynamometry for monitoring labor. N Engl J Med 362(4): 306-13. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa0902748?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Frolova, A. I., Stout, M. J., Carter, E. B., et al. (2021). Internal fetal and uterine monitoring in obese patients and maternal obstetrical outcomes. Am J Obstet Gynecol MFM 3(1): 100282. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33451595/ Bakker, J. J. H., Janssen, P. F., van Halem, K. (2013). Internal versus external tocodynamometry during induced or augmented labor. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 8: CD006947. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006947.pub3/full van Halem, K., Bakker, J. J. H., VerHoeven, C.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Stephaney Moody, a Health Equity Ambassador and an advocate for Healthy Birthday and Count the Kicks about the importance of kick counting to prevent stillbirth. Stephaney Moody's passion for stillbirth prevention came after her family experienced loss, when her sister lost her daughter. Upon learning about the inequities that persist in stillbirth outcomes in the African-American Community, she felt led to join the fight against preventable stillbirth and strive for equity. Stephaney is also the Founder of Black Women's Health and Wellness Webcast which addresses issues that impact the health and wellbeing of African-American women. She also serves in her community as a Pastor at New Beginnings Discipleship Ministries and as a Chaplain to the Des Moines Police Department. We will talk about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester to prevent stillbirth. Stephaney shares how her family has been affected by stillbirth and how she became involved in Kick the Counts, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention public health awareness campaign for expectant parents in the 3rd trimester. We will discuss the evidence on kick counting and how Count the Kicks and Healthy Birthday's public health and awareness campaigns are having a direct impact on stillbirth rates in the United States and abroad. A video with this episode will also come out later today at our YouTube channel here. **Content warning: pregnancy loss, stillbirth, racial inequities in healthcare, maternal mortality, maternal morbidity infant mortality** Resources: Count the Kicks Evidence and Resources here. Download the Count the Kicks App here Healthy Birthday Resources here Find Count the Kick on Social Media: Instragam Youtube Twitter Facebook Stephaney moderates the Black Women's Health and Wellness group here. Research discussed: Tveit, J.V., et al. (2009). "Reduction of late stillbirth with the introduction of fetal movement information and guidelines - a clinical quality improvement." BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 9:32: http://europepmc.org/article/PMC/2734741 Sadovsky, E. and Yaffe, H. (1973). "Daily fetal movement recording and fetal prognosis." Obstet Gynecol 41(6): 845-850. https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/1973/06000/Daily_Fetal_Movement_Recording_and_Fetal_Prognosis.8.aspx Leader, L. R., Baillie, P. and Van Schalwyk, D. J. (1981). "Fetal movement and fetal outcome: A prospective study." Obstet Gynecol 57(4): 431-436. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7243088/ For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we have a fun episode where we talk with Labor & Delivery Nurse and the founder of Bundle Birth, Sarah Lavonne, about supporting families so that they can have a confident and empowered birth experience. Sarah Lavonne, pronouns she/her, a pioneer in nursing and birth education, is the founder & CEO at Bundle Birth, A Nursing Corporation. Sarah is a Registered Nurse Certified in inpatient Obstetric Nursing, a certified childbirth educator, and a certified lactation education counselor. With a vision to unite patients, support persons and medical personnel together through education and support, Sarah and her team at Bundle Birth have fearlessly developed a community of learning and inspiration across labor and birth. Sarah dreams of all birthing people having, not only a healthy birth with safe outcomes, but healthy birth memories. She offers a spectrum of services from support to on-demand classes to a robust online YouTube presence. In this episode, Sarah shares her journey to helping families and nurses shift from nervous and overwhelmed to confident and transformed. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video **Content Warning: Mention of pediatric loss.** Resources: Sarah Lavonne, Bundle Birth YouTube channel Instagram TikTok We talked about Ana Paula Markel's doula training program, check it out here. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok Instagram Pinterest Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here Find an EBB Instructor here Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Have you ever thought about what position you would like to use to give birth? Most movies and television series depict birthing positions such as back-lying or semi-sitting in bed. But many people, if given the choice, instinctively choose a more upright position for birthing their baby—such as hands-and-knees, squatting, or kneeling. What is the evidence on the different positions that can be used to help push your baby out? And why are the lying or semi-sitting positions so frequently recommended (or even required) in hospital settings? Join Dr. Rebecca Dekker, the founder of Evidence Based Birth, as we explore in-depth evidence on this topic! To learn more about the research on this topic, and to download a free 1-page handout, visit ebbirth.com/birthingpositions. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video. Content Note: perineal tears, the lithotomy position, forceps and vacuum deliveries, and obstetric violence related to being coerced or forced to push and deliver on your back. Resources: For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode Check out our Signature Article and download our 1-page handout... Evidence on: Birthing Positions Other relevant episodes: EBB 196: Pelvic Biomechanics and Movement in Labor EBB 221: Birthing Positions and Tried-and-True Midwifery Practices EBB Podcast Series on Protecting the Perineum EBB 224: Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait To listen to stories from parents who switched providers after learning the evidence, visit EBB Podcast episodes #127, 186, 208, 223, and 231 For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ebbirth) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/ ). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/ ), Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ ) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class.

October 5, 2022 – In honor of National Midwifery Week, I am so excited to present to you a podcast replay with the esteemed midwife Jennie Joseph. Jennie was featured on EBB episode 136 in 2020, and since then she has gone on to become the first Black midwife to own an Accredited Midwifery school (Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery) in the U.S.. Jennie was also announced as Time Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2022! If you haven't listened to this episode yet, you should!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time Jennie was talking— she blew me away with her passion, her wisdom, her ability to call out nonsense, and her storytelling prowess. So, if you're interested in learning more about the crisis in U.S. childbirth care, and what we can do about it… please educate yourself with this replay of Episode 136 with Midwife Jennie Joseph, a true change agent! Replay – In this episode I welcome Jennie Joseph, one of the world's most respected midwives and authorities on women's health. She's a true advocate for systematic reform that puts families first in health care. Jennie is the founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth, Inc., and is also creator of The JJ Way®, a patient-centered model of care. Jennie has worked in European hospitals, American birth centers, clinics, and home birth environments. She's been instrumental in the regulation of Florida midwives, and currently owns a Florida-licensed midwifery school, the Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery. Jennie speaks worldwide to doctors, other practitioners, policy makers, and members of the U.S. Congress, including testifying at Congressional briefings on Capitol Hill. Jennie and I talk about solutions for the crisis in American maternity care. Don't miss this powerful conversation. Trigger Content Note: This episode contains discussion of hysterectomy with non-consented ovarian removal, slavery, the prison and medical industrial complexes in the U.S., racism causing preterm births, racial discrimination during postpartum hemorrhage, and there will be use of gendered language. Resources: Click here (https://commonsensechildbirth.org/) for information on Commonsense Childbirth Inc., and here (https://savinglives.biz/the-jj-way/) to learn about The JJ Way. For more on the Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery, click here (https://commonsensechildbirth.org/midwife-and-doula-training/). Learn about the National Perinatal Task Force here (https://perinataltaskforce.com/). Follow Jennie Joseph on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeJennie/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iamjenniejoseph/?hl=en), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/JennieJoseph?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor) For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/), and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ebbirth) Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/), Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In today's episode, hosted by Evidence Based Birth® founder, Dr. Rebecca Dekker, along with Doctoral Candidate Tyler Jean Dukes, we talk about the five most surprising findings from compiling the EBB Abortion Research Resource Guide: 5) Research on the demographics of who has abortions as well as statistics on who supports/opposes abortion, 4) Historical research on the last time abortion was illegal in the U.S., and how the historical oppression of midwives relates to past campaigns against abortion, 3) Statistics on why so few people view adoption as a viable "alternative" to abortion, 2) History (past and present) of officials trying to "protect" fetuses while abusing pregnant people in immigrant detention centers, and 1) the funding and goals of crisis pregnancy centers, which outnumber abortion clinics in the U.S. threefold. The Abortion Research Resource Guide that we discuss in this podcast is available at: ebbirth.com/birthjustice. The Birth Justice page also features a video that our team recorded, explaining how the overturning of Roe v. Wade impacts our audience of childbearing families and birth workers, what we decided to do in response, and our boundaries for engaging with the public on this topic. TRIGGER WARNING: in this topic we will be talking openly about abortion research and history, which can be a very triggering topic. If, while listening to this podcast or reading the transcript, you feel your heart rate going up, or feel foggy, angry, intensely emotional, or unable to shake a past memory, it could be that you are experiencing a trigger. A trigger is a sign that you need to turn inward to process these emotions, and not outward to lash out at us. Some tips for inward processing include journaling, going outside, meditating, praying, breathing, holding and being physically close to a loved one, or talking with a trusted friend or counselor. We will also not shy away from talking about the history of racism, genderism, and how these topics inter-relate with abortion. We will also use a mix of gendered and gender-inclusive language, depending on the era of when the research was published and the population that was being studied. Other topics discussed include: · Maternal mortality · Slavery · Abuse in Immigrant detention centers · Religion · Adoption OUR BOUNDARY: prior to sending questions or comments to us on this topic, that you first watch the video mentioned above (or read the transcript) and then read the "Read Me First: FAQ" document inside of the Abortion Research Resource Guide, as your questions are most likely answered inside that document. IF you still have questions after looking at the Read Me First document, then you can submit feedback via the feedback form inside the Abortion Research Resource Guide. The feedback form is the best way to communicate your thoughts with us. We thank you for respecting our boundaries in this matter. Resources & References: SisterSong Reproductive Justice Definition For a full list of scientific and book references, see the blog post that goes along with this topic. Access the FREE EBB Abortion Research Resource Guide hosted at ebbirth.com/birthjustice. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video: https://youtube.com/evidencebasedbirth. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit https://evidencebasedbirth.com. Find us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ) Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth) TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ebbirth) Ready to get involved? Check out our EBB Professional Membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/ ). Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ ) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

A Dream Preterm Birth Experience in Brazil with EBB Parents, Luciana Arraes and Jonathan Moyer On today's podcast, we're talking with EBB Childbirth Class parents, Luciana Arraes and Jonathan Moyer, about their preterm birth experience in Brazil and how their preparation and knowledge paired with a "Golden Ticket" birth team provided the birth of their dreams. Luciana (she/her) is a Brazilian violinist who plays in the National Theater Symphony in Brasilia, Brasil. Luciana is married to Jonathan (he/him), who is an American pianist who has a large studio of piano students. Together, they welcomed their baby in July at 35 weeks gestation. We talk about their experience taking the EBB Childbirth Class, where they learned how to recognize all the phases of labor, and how having a "Golden Ticket" birth team helped them get exactly what they wanted in the birth of their baby. We also talk about supporting the baby, by providing care for the birthing parents. Content Warning: Pre-term labor, jaundice, infant weight loss, bodyfeeding supplementation with a cup, advocacy, and gendered language. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video. Resources: Livre Maternagem and follow on instagram @livrematernagem Birth Reborn (O Renascimento do Parto) - Documentary March of Dimes - Preterm Labor & Baby Follow Luciana and Jonathan on Instagram @luciana.arraes and @jomopiano, respectively. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/ ), and TikTok Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/ ) Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ ) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Brandon Diggs Williams (he/him), BSW, MSW, LCSW, about Black fatherhood, parenting in partnership, self-care, and fighting anti-Black racism. Mr. Williams currently works full-time at the Durham VA Medical Center (DVAMC), providing individual, couples, and (primarily) group therapy through the VA. He specializes in personal/spiritual development, transformative thinking, and cultural competency with a focus on the Black community. Mr. Williams is involved in multiple efforts that contribute to ally-ship, diversity and inclusion, and anti-Black racism efforts at the departmental and facility level at the Durham VA. He created, developed, and facilitates "The Invisible Struggle" therapeutic group which focuses on providing clinical mental health care for veterans dealing with stress unique to Black people in America. And serves on multiple boards/teams at the DVAMC including: The Antiracism and Black Equity Advisory Board, the Diversity and Inclusion Workgroup, and the Social Work Service Social Justice Committee. He created and leads a community organization called "Lion Tamers" that is dedicated to the holistic development of Black men. In this episode, we talk about Mr. William's balance of self-care, and self-awareness in the changing family dynamic, and the partnership between he and his wife. Content Warning: We mention anti-Black racism, internalized racism, and Christian beliefs related to gender roles. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video. EBB 145 – Fatherhood and Advocacy in Birth with JaMichael Perryman EBB 189 - Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the YouTube episodes listed above!! Follow Brandon Diggs Williams on Instagram @thediggsmethod You are The Best Thing by Tarana Burke and Brené Brown White Fragility by Dr. Robin DiAngelo Key & Peele - Black Ice Video Jane Elliot Experiment - PBS - Frontline - "A Class Divided" Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad The Mis-Education of the Negro by Dr. Carter G. Woodson The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Dr. Rheeda Walker, PhD For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, Visit www.ebbirth.com Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ) Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/ ) Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/ ), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Nikki Hunter-Greenaway, Nurse Practitioner and IBCLC, about the formula shortage this year and meeting your community at where they are to provide the concierge reproductive health care they deserve. Nikki Hunter-Greenaway, AKA, Nurse Nikki is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Nikki is the proud owner of Bloom Maternal Health, which provides Telehealth and house calls to pregnant and postpartum families in both Texas and Louisiana. In 2018, she co-founded the New Orleans Breastfeeding Center and Café au Lait Breastfeeding Circle for families of color, and co-founded Nikki and Nikki Lactation Career Consultants to help Black, Indigenous, and People of Color demystify the path to becoming an IBCLC. Her goal is to improve maternal health outcomes through community education, peer mentorship, and patient-centered care. We will talk about challenges and insights Nurse Nikki experienced during her journey to becoming a lactation consultant. We also talk about cultural barriers in lactation, the importance of meeting folks where they are, and the effects of the formula shortage on the communities she serves. Content warning: We will discuss the cultural barriers and in the field of lactation, gendered language (breastfeeding), plus mentions of historical trauma, horizontal violence, formula shortage, maternal mortality rates, infant mortality rates, abortion, postpartum depression, classism, Black maternal disparities, and racism. Resources: Nikki's FNP and IBCLC practice: Nurse Niki NP Cafe au Lait in New Orleans Follow Nikki on Instagram @nursenikkinp and on YouTube at "Nurse Nikki NP" EBB 189 – Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams WHO International Code of Marketing of Breast - Milk Substitutes Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of YouTube episodes you listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@ebbirth), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/ ). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Apply to be an EBB Instructor here (https://www.evidencebasedbirth.com/instructor ) Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ ) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class

In today's podcast, we're going to be talking with EBB Childbirth Class Parent, Katie Kane about the birth of her second baby. Unexpectedly, her second baby was in a breech position, leading to a surgical birth after the unmedicated vaginal birth of her first baby. Katie Kane is a high school counselor who lives in New Jersey with her two daughters, husband, and dog Roscoe. Katie is the first EBB Childbirth Class graduate to tell both of her birth stories on the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast! Katie talks about her journey with a breech baby, including all of the tools and techniques she used for support throughout her pregnancy. Ultimately, the baby persisted in the breech position, and she was able to experience a family-centered cesarean by speaking with her birth team. Katie's story is perfect for anyone planning a cesarean or writing a cesarean birth plan. She talks about healing physically, and emotionally, and speaks of advocating for her family's wishes amid an unplanned surgical birth. Content warning: breech birth, unexpected cesarean birth, fear of death, postpartum anxiety, perinatal anxiety, postpartum rage, thoughts/fears of maternal death and includes some gendered language. Resources: Listen to Katie's first Interview with Rebecca here: EBB 127 – An unmedicated hospital birth with Katie Kane Chiropractic Prenatal Care & the Webster Technique: https://icpa4kids.com/training/webster-certification/webster-technique/ Spinning Babies (for fetal positioning/breech babies): https://www.spinningbabies.com EBB 111 – Positioning Breech Babies with Dr. Elliot Berlin EBB 171 – The Experience of a Unique Vaginal Breech Birth with Janae and Andrew Rick EBB 172 – Breech Vaginal Birth with Dr. Rixa Freeze and Dr. David Hayes EBB 173 - Evidence on External Cephalic Version for Breeched Positioned Babies Take the EBB Childbirth Class and find an Instructor near you! https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/

In today's episode, hosted by Evidence Based Birth® founder, Dr. Rebecca Dekker, we talk about four major topics related to updated research evidence on IV Fluids: 1) research on how IV Fluids can affect the length of labor, 2) research on how IV Fluids can impact breast/chest/body feeding, 3) the relationship between fluids, newborn weight, and blood sugar levels, and 4) finally, review the current recommendations surrounding IV use in labor. This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video As a content note, this episode includes a discussion of newborn weight drop, newborn feeding struggles, and Cesareans. The current episode is taught by Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN (she/her). Dr. Dekker is a nurse with her PhD, who is the founder and CEO of EBB. Content warning: Cesarean, breastfeeding/chestfeeding struggles, infant weight drop Resources: For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode Check out our Signature Article blog post and download our 1-page handout on: Evidence on: Eating and Drinking During Labor Evidence on: IV Fluids During Labor Evidence on: Failure to Progress Additional podcasts to listen to include: EBB 12 - Epidurals & Breastfeeding EBB 104 – The Evidence on Saline Locks Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the YouTube episodes you listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/ ), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/ ), Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/ ). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ ). Become an EBB Instructor with Applications opening April 24th! https://www.evidencebasedbirth.com/instructor Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/ ), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ ) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this week's podcast I interview Cheri Grant RN, ICCE, CLC, ICD, CLD, CD BDT(DONA), known in the birth world as "the peanut ball lady." She is the founder, chief contributor and inspiration for Premier Birth Tools. For over 45 years, she has served women as a labor and delivery nurse, childbirth educator, lactation consultant, national speaker, author, doula, and doula trainer. She has helped with well over 2,700 deliveries in the span of her career. Cheri is also the founder of Tulsa Doulas, a community group that has helped train and support doulas for over 20 years. Cheri's interest in peanut balls began when she first saw their use in labor in 1985. At that time, they were just straddled. In the 2000's, the usage of peanut balls was refined to the side-lying position, and interest in them began to grow among birth professionals. They are used with and without an epidural, and can be effective in shortening labor. Premier Birth Tools promotes education via its website, as well as Peanut Ball Ambassadors and Authorized Peanut Ball Trainers. Cheri discusses peanut ball positions and other new information on this tool. Content Warning: Episode contains gendered language. Resources: Connect with Cheri at the Premier Birth Tools website and Facebook page. Purchase her book The Peanut Ball: Basic and Advanced Techniques. Contact Premier Birth Tools for a free information packet for doulas, L&D nurses, midwives and nursing instructors. Learn more about the Evidence on: Birthing Positions Signature Article here For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options), our Instructor Program and, for parents, check out our Childbirth Education Classes

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with the founder of Every Baby Eats, licensed clinical social worker, and IBCLC, Kristin Cavuto Kristin Cavuto, pronouns she/they, is a licensed clinical social worker in IBCLC and private practice in central New Jersey. Her practice specialties are low supply, parental and infant mental health, and the intersection of ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender in the care of the new family. Kristin is the mother of two children who nursed full-time despite maternal insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) and who are now 16 and 13. Kristin is also an anti-racist activist and an LGBT+ activist, a member of Transformative Works fandoms, and makes fighting for a better world part of their daily life. We talk to Kristin about supporting families struggling with feeding infants in a realistic, family-centered, and non-disparaging way. We also talk about fatphobia as a form of oppression and marginalization in medicine and birth and what we can all do to challenge bias and model acceptance Content warning: We mention the intersection of fatphobia and racism. Resources: EBB 99 – Plus Size Pregnancy and Birth with Jen McLellan Harvard Implicit Bias Test Fat Phobia Scale Revisited by Robinson, Bacon, et al. HAES (Health at Every Size) The Body is Not An Apology National Association for the Advancement of Fat People To follow Kristin on Facebook Kristin's current project: https://www.everybabyeats.com/

Today, we are going to explore brand new updates to the Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article, Evidence on: Eating during Labor! We talk about four major topics: Nutritional needs during labor New info on gestational or pre-gestational diabetes and eating during labor New research on anesthesiology and its relationship to eating and drinking during labor, and Finally, how body mass index and fatphobia relate to anesthesia concerns, and what that has to do with eating during labor. Content Warning: pregnancy-related death, anesthesia-related death, fatphobia and anesthesia, microaggressions related to health care workers' reaction to ethnic foods Resources: Refer to previous podcast episode: EBB 198 - Evidence on Eating & Drinking (linked on blog post below) Check out our Signature Article… Evidence on: Eating and Drinking during Labor at Check out our Signature Article... Evidence on: IV Fluids on Labor Check out our Signature Article... Evidence on: Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes Fat Phobia and It's Racist Past and Present: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/893006538 For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode

Today, I am so excited to present to you a replay of one of our most popular episodes on the Evidence Based Birth® podcast, and that is an episode from 2020 with special guest, Shafia Monroe. Before we get started with the replay, I wanted to let you know that this episode contains discussion of Black infant and maternal mortality related to racism, slavery and Jim Crow, and racism that continues to affect people's lives today. Shafia gave us such an inspirational episode in 2020, that we wanted to bring it back for those of you who are new to EBB, or for those of you who've listened to it before. Whenever I listen to this episode, it fills me with a sense of awe for Black traditional midwives, and it gives me hope while it reminds me of the tenacity of the human spirit. So join us today as we replay this episode and you go on a storytelling journey with Mama Shafia Monroe about spirituality and traditional midwives. In today's podcast episode, we're going to talk with Shafia Monroe about the role of the traditional midwife. Shafia Monroe is a public health professional, a midwife, a motivational speaker, founder of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, or ICTC, which was the first US-based black midwives and doulas professional organization. Shafia is also an author, infant mortality prevention specialist, doula trainer, and president of Doula Ready, LLC. Since 2002, she has trained thousands of people in doula trainings, with one-third of them going on to become midwives. In 2012, Shafia received her Master of Public Health from Walden University. In 2014, she opened Shafia Monroe Consulting, a cultural competency training service. Shafia has received numerous awards for her work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Midwife Hero Award. In this podcast, Ms. Monroe discusses the history of Black traditional midwifery and incorporating spirituality into birth work. We also talk about Shafia's experience becoming a traditional Black midwife, along with her passion for advocacy in birth work through her doula program and her community. **Trigger Content Warning: This podcast episode discusses racism and infant loss.** Resources Learn more about Shafia Monroe and SMC Full Circle Doula Birth Companion Training here (https://shafiamonroe.com/). Follow Shafia on Instagram and Black Midwife Cooking here (https://www.instagram.com/shafiamonroe/). Follow Shafia on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/Shafia_SMC). Follow Shafia on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/shafiamonroeconsulting/). Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/) to see the Evidence Based Birth® list of Birth Justice Resources, including research on racism and maternal health. More resources are listed on the the blog post at https://www.evidencebasedbirth.com/152

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Melek Öz about vaginal birth after Cesarean (VBAC), advocacy, and becoming a home birth midwife! Content note: Mention of weight loss and racism. Melek Öz (she/her) is a home birth midwife living with her family in South Austin, Texas. She moved to Austin in 2001 to attend the University of Texas, where she completed both her undergraduate studies and law school before transitioning to birth work. Melek has been active in birth advocacy for more than a decade throughout her childbearing years and now as a home birth midwife. With her first pregnancy, Melek was told by her OB that her pelvis was "too small." She was pressured into an early induction that turned into a preventable Cesarean. Fresh out of surgery, Melek's OB told her, "Now that you've had one Cesarean, all your babies will have to be born by Cesarean." In this podcast episode, Melek goes on to share her subsequent birth stories, in which she had a CBAC (Cesarean Birth after Cesarean) under general anesthesia, as well as a vaginal birth after 2 C-sections (VBA2C). Midwifery care helped her have "a really joyous and an incredible experience, and I'm lucky that I had all 3 experiences that I did, because it helped kind of round out and balance my views on birth." Melek went on to pursue a career as a doula and eventually a home birth midwife! In this episode, we talk about the power of midwifery care, unpacking racism/classism and how it affects midwifery students, and how we can advocate for VBAC access in our communities. She also gives great tips for people who are considering a VBAC or thinking about going into midwifery! Resources: Follow Melek Öz on Instagram (@midwifemelek) and visit her website at http://www.midwifemelek.com/ EBB Podcast #113: The Evidence on VBAC EBB Podcast #209: Providing Unbiased VBAC Access and Support with Jen Kamel of VBAC Facts Visit the VBAC Facts website: https://vbacfacts.com Visit the International Cesarean Awareness Network website https://www.ican-online.org/ EBB Podcast #224: Failure to Progress (info on racist beliefs about pelvic shapes) Tema Mercado teaches workshops on decolonizing apprenticeships at La Matriz Birth (https://www.lamatrizbirth.com/) and @matrizmidwife on Instagram Luz de Atabey (https://www.instagram.com/lampatx/) project in Austin focused on accessible perinatal care and support (QTBIPOC-led) Kmom passed away in 2019, but her blog, "The Well Rounded Mama," is still maintained by her loving family at https://wellroundedmama.blogspot.com/, where you can find many articles about fat phobia and VBAC. EBB Professional Membership (includes scholarship options!) https://evidencebasedbirth.com/membership ' Non-profit fundraising organization Black Home Birth Matters: https://www.blackhomebirthmattersatx.org/

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class Parents, Lisa Mangini and Anand Swaminathan about their high-intervention birth story! So many people have negative associations with interventions— but Lisa and Anand's story shows how you can still experience a joyful, empowering birth, even in the midst of complications! Lisa Mangini is a writer living in Central Pennsylvania with her husband, Anand and young son. She teaches English and creative writing at a university and is in the early stages of writing a book about becoming a parent. I think Lisa is the first person I've heard of who found the EBB Childbirth Class through a neurologist! During her first pregnancy (which ended in a miscarriage), Lisa had her first tonic-clonic seizure. Lisa had to dive into a journey to manage her seizure disorder and several other health conditions, all while trying to conceive and then eventually getting pregnant. Lisa and Anand's story is perfect for anyone who is facing a high-risk pregnancy or supporting clients who are high-risk! Lisa talks about dealing with prenatal anxiety, switching hospitals and providers, deciding to hire a doula, and how a calm, experienced midwife can be a huge asset during a high-risk birth situation. Content warning: We mention miscarriage, prenatal anxiety, high levels of medical intervention, seizures, and fear of dying during childbirth Resources: Follow Lisa at @lisaquarius and Lisamangini.com Find an EBB Childbirth Class at https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirthclass EBB Signature Article on doulas at https://evidencebasedbirth.com/doulas EBB Podcast episode 175 on the evidence on midwives https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-midwives/ EBB Podcast episode 186 on a high-risk pregnancy with Angela Jones https://evidencebasedbirth.com/a-positive-pregnancy-and-birth-outcome-with-multiple-high-risk-labels-with-ebb-childbirth-class-parent-angela-jones/

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class Parent, Shelitha Owens about her inspirational home waterbirth story. Shelitha Owens (she/her) is an environmental policy manager who lives in Oaklawn Illinois, a suburb of Chicago with her husband Bobby, their dog, Reeses and their new baby, Alexander, who was born on June 18, 2021. Having a biology background, Shelitha has always been fascinated with anatomy and was curious about pregnancy and birth. After having her son at home with a planned water birth, Shelitha's interest in birth work skyrocketed as she enjoys talking to new and expecting parents about their birth stories. We talk about how her experience in the EBB Childbirth Class supported her positive mindset related to the stages of labor and birth. She felt confident with the knowledge helping her and her partner prepare for their home waterbirth. Content note: We mention grief, implicit bias/racism, and medical trauma, and there is gendered language related to finding out baby's sex. Resources: Signature Article on Waterbirth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/ Research on Racial Disparities and Systemic Racism in Childbirth YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUmqcRCXysM EBB Childbirth Class: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/