Evidence Based Birth®

On today's podcast, I talk with Tania Silva Meléndez  and Tamara Trinidad González, CPM, birth workers and Evidence Based Birth® Instructors about giving birth and midwifery care in Puerto Rico.   Tania Silva Meléndez  is a certified birth, postpartum, and abortion doula serving families in Puerto Rico since 2009. She's also a certified childbirth educator and breastfeeding/chestfeeding educator and counselor. She is the general coordinator of the team of Caderamen, a nonprofit community-based organization that works towards reducing inequalities in reproductive care, and she also supports Alimentación Segura Infantil, a community-based organization born after the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 to support breastfeeding and chestfeeding families in their lactation journeys, help them relactate their children when needed. Tania is also a human rights activist and advocate in her community and part of the Observatorio de Violencia Obstétrica in Puerto Rico and Las Mingas de Aborto, an abortion doula collective that offers free support in Puerto Rico.   Tamara Trinidad González, CPM, is a community parteira/midwife, perinatal educator and herbalist born and raised in Puerto Rico. Tamara is a mother of two children who were born at home with midwives and has been actively involved in birth work for 10 years. She holds a Master of Science in midwifery with foundations in botanical medicine from Bastyr University and is a certified professional midwife. Her midwifery and herbal practice is called Semilla Creciente, Midwifery & Herbalism.   In this episode, Tania and Tamara have a very candid conversation about the realities of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care in Puerto Rico. They speak to how Puerto Rico’s birth landscape has been negatively impacted by the island’s history of colonialism, economic crisis’, environmental changes, and changes in political power. This has culminated in a system with far too few midwives and obstetricians, as well as high surgical birth rates, low VBAC rates, high prematurity rates, and more. Both Tania and Tamara educate our listeners on these issues but also raise awareness to the community organizations who have the trust of the pregnant and postpartum families they serve and the work being done to better support the families of Puerto Rico.   If you are interested in joining with Tania and Tamara and volunteering your time or skills to help them reform the maternal health system in Puerto Rico, they are currently looking for volunteers with experience in law, public relations, funding, data collection, research, and writing. OR if you have resources, or access to connections that could help fund their work, please email puertoricobirthrights@gmail.com.     Resources: Read about the history of Puerto Rico: ·  How to hide an empire by Daniel Immerwahr ·  Puerto Rico: What everyone needs to know by Jorge Duany   · Learn more about Caderamen, a nonprofit organization that has a service program that is called SePARE, which offers education and doula services, midwifery services and naturopathic medicine services, social workers, mental health by clicking here. · Learn more about the Asociación de Parteras of Puerto Rico here. · Learn more about Alimentación Segura Infantil, a community-based organization born after the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 to support breastfeeding and chestfeeding families in their lactation journeys by clicking here.  · Learn more about Observatorio de Violencia Obstétrica in Puerto Rico here. · Learn more about Las Mingas de Aborto, an abortion doula collective that offers free support in Puerto Rico here.    Check out the work by Puerto Rican journalist Biana Graulau here: https://www.youtube.com/@BiancaGraulau/videos   If you would like to read a transcript of this episode in Spanish, please visit the blog post here or you can watch the captions in Spanish on YouTube.   For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow 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

On this episode of the Evidence Based Birth podcast, I talk with Marea Goodman of Restore Midwifery and Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery, all about their work and their new book Baby Making For Everybody- A Guide for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents.   Marea Goodman, CPM, pronouns she/her/they, is the licensed midwife specializing in pregnancy, birth, postpartum and conception care for the LGBTQ+ community. She's the co-author of the new book Baby Making For Everybody- A Guide for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents and the founder of PregnantTogether, an online community for queer people and their allies throughout trying to conceive pregnancy and the postpartum.   Ray Rachlin, she/they, is a licensed midwife, certified professional midwife, author, and founder of Refuge Midwifery. Since 2017, Ray has been providing fertility care, home birth care, and community education throughout the greater Philadelphia area and South Jersey. Ray is also co-author of the book Baby Making For Everybody, which just came out in April 2023. Ray and her family live in West Philadelphia.   Marea and Ray join me to discuss their practices as queer midwives and the work they are doing to make the fields of midwifery, fertility, and reproductive health more inclusive, more transparent, and more accessible to the clients they serve. Through their new book, they have demystified and provide comprehensive education on everything regarding baby making from nutrition to legal matters. Their work is the definition reproductive justice – by inviting more families to be included and safe in this space.   Resources: ·       Follow Marea’s work on Instagram @Restore_Midwifery ·       Follow Ray’s work @refugemidwifery ·       Follow the impact of Marea and Ray’s new book on Instagram @babymakingforeverybody and check for additional information and resources on their blog  ·       Join the community PregnantTogether  and on Instagram   Check out the following books: ·       Complete Lesbian Conception Pregnancy Birth. ·       Taking Charge Of Your Fertility    For legal information about family formation near you, check out Family Equality here https://www.familyequality.org   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.

On today's episode we are bringing back one of the most popular Signature Article episodes on the Evidence on Birthing Positions. Listen and learn more about: How upright birthing positions benefit pregnant people and babies, How common are upright birthing positions and understanding your options, Which birthing positions are best supported by evidence, and, For people with epidurals, which birthing positions are best supported by evidence. Read more about The Evidence on: Birthing Positions on the blog.  For parents - learn more about your options and sign up for the EBB Childbirth Class here . For birth professionals - get access to the full-length signature articles here.  Don't forget to join the conversation on social:  Instagram TikTok YouTube  

Content note: We strongly encourage you to listen to EBB Podcast Episode 277 The Evidence on PROM and check out our recently updated Signature Article on PROM here before listening to this episode.    Content Warnings: Discussion of viability, complications with preterm birth, causes of preterm birth, and racism.    On this episode of the EBB Podcast, we bring you a mini episode on the research on Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes. We are excited to share this episode as an extension of the recent Signature Article update on PROM.    In this episode, I will cover the following topics:   What is Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM)? How Common is it?  What Causes Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM)?  When does Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) occur? Treatment Options for Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) Risks associated with Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) Prevention of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) and Pre-Term Birth  Racism and Pre-Term Birth  Resources for PPROM   The PPROM Foundation: PPROM Facts Nationwide Children’s Hospital: PPROM Facts Cleveland Clinic: Term PROM and PPROM Facts Continuing Education for Medical Practitioners: Premature Rupture of Membranes EBB Signature Article: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work The March of Dimes: PPROM  Read our Signature Article on GBS here  Read our Abortion Resource Guide here   Guidelines for PPROM American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists 2020 (addresses both PROM and PPROM, free text not available) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) 2022 Queensland Health Clinical Guidelines 2018  Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2022 Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada 2022 (free text not available)   Listen to the following EBB Episodes and read the associated Signature Articles:  EBB 277 - Evidence on PROM  EBB 175 - Evidence on Midwives  EBB 265 - Evidence on Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work  EBB 21 - Evidence on Doulas  EBB 240 - Top 5 Surprising Findings from the EBB Abortion Research Guide with Dr. Dekker & Doctoral Candidate Tyler Jean Dukes    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 BirthChildbirth Class.  

On this episode of the EBB podcast, I talk with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and founder of The Melanated Mammary Atlas®, all about cultural humility and educating clinicians and birth workers about identifying and diagnosing conditions that present in Black and Brown breasts/chests.   Nekisha Killings, holds a master's in public health (MPH) and is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). She's an equity strategist and maternal and child health advocate who speaks, teaches and facilitates on topics related to equity and dismantling bias across various sectors. She is also a director of equity, inclusion, and belonging with the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association and consults with organizations on implementing creative strategies to better support marginalized communities. As a leader in the field, she wrote the chapter titled Cultural Humility in the latest core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care and continues to wow audiences with new realizations that positively impact their approach to business and life.   Nekisha shares how she's working to change the face of lactation education and bring equity, inclusion, diversity and most importantly training and education to clinicians and birth workers around the normalization of Black and Brown breasts/chests, as well as, identifying and diagnosing clinical conditions that present on melanated skin. Not only is Nekisha working to revolutionize how we understand many pathologies in lactation, she shares how she has been entrusted to carry forward in the production of the pivotal Breastfeeding Atlas and ensure that future clinicians and folks vested in the lactation dyad have access to accurate, complete, and inclusive information.   Content Warning: Discussion of birth/lactation trauma and lack of diversity and inclusion in lactation training.   Resources:   Follow The Melanated Mammary Atlas® on Instagram  Follow Nekisha on Instagram    Learn more and subscribe to The Melanated Mammary Atlas® here  Learn more about Nekisha and her work here   Find The Breastfeeding Atlas here    Learn about the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association  Learn about Black Breastfeeding Week    Listen to EBB episodes:   EBB 214 - Supporting Pumping Parents in Lactation with IBCLC, Nichelle Clark EBB 211 - Supporting Expectant Families through Birth and Lactation with Birth Doula and EBB Program Team Assistant, Rikki Jenkins EBB 189 - Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams   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 of the EBB Podcast, I talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduates, Dr. Maria Rosselson and Nim Guttman their surprise pregnancy, and equally surprising home birth.   Dr. Maria Rosselson is a physician practicing as a board certified ophthalmologist in the Chicago area. Her husband, Nim Guttman, is an architect. They've been married since 2016 and live with their dog, Asher.   Maria and Nim share their experiences taking the EBB Childbirth Class and how it resulted in an evolution of thought for Maria as a physician and discuss extensively what it was like to surprisingly grow their family well after they thought that chapter of their lives was behind them. Their life took a surprising turn when they found themselves unexpectedly expecting their first child, a baby girl, in the Fall of 2022. Their baby's arrival into the world was just as unexpected, an unanticipated, unplanned, unmedicated home birth.   Content Warning: discussion of unplanned pregnancy, unplanned home birth, and a 911 call. There is also a mention of witnessing a postpartum maternal death in medical school.   Resources: Learn about about the topics discussed in this episode at the following EBB resources: EBB Signature Article on Pregnancy at Age 35+ Natural Induction Podcast Series Pocket Guide to Induction Podcast Listening Guide  Learn about 312 Doulas here  Learn more about taking the EBB Childbirth Class with Heather McCullough here   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.

On this episode of the EBB podcast, we interview Hakima Payne, founder and executive director of Uzazi Village, about her creation of the Village Circle, an innovative Afrocentric model of prenatal and postpartum care.    Hakima Payne, holds a bachelor's in nursing and a master's in nursing education. She is the founder of Uzazi Village, a nonprofit working to eliminate maternal health disparities in African American communities, as well as the founder of The Village Doula Program, which is a community-based home visiting community health worker program for pregnant families. She also created Chocolate Milk Cafe, a breastfeeding support group for Black families, the Village Circle, which is an Afrocentric group prenatal care model, and a curriculum called Culturally Congruent Care, which is an anti-racist medical education curriculum. Hakima sits on her local Fetal Infant Mortality Review board to address Black infant mortality and has been appointed by her city's mayor to serve as a health commissioner. Mama Hakima is a certified trainer for community health workers and she speaks nationally on the topics of Black maternal and infant health.    Ms. Payne works relentlessly to make birth safer, the village healthier, and to promote anti-racist models of care for African American families. She is the subject of a documentary that just came out called Sister Doula, and she's going to be featured in a second upcoming documentary called Pregnancy and Prejudice.    Hakima talks with us about her work in improving maternal health in Kansas City. Not only is Hakima bringing an innovative model of care to her community, that includes access to community-based, Afrocentric prenatal care, doulas, herbalists, a chef and more, she is proving that it works. Through partnerships with a team of epidemiologists and a local university, Hakima is able to measure and quantify their client experience and demonstrate how Uzazi Village improves birth and postpartum outcomes. Hakima discusses the unique aspects of the Village Circle model and why each piece is important to the care of the community.   Resources:  Learn more about Uzazi Village here (uzazivillage.org) Follow Uzazi Village on Instagram and Facebook.  Follow Hakima on Instagram @hakima_the_dreama Find a screening for the Sister Doula documentary here: sisterdoulafilm.com Watch the trailer for Pregnancy and Prejudice here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc43eQZX468 Listen to EBB Episodes:  EBB 274 - Honoring the Mothers of Gynecology with Michelle Browder EBB 260 - Midwifery, Community Birth Work, and Plant Medicine in Louisana with Ms. Divine Bailey-Nicholas EBB 229 - Evidence on Doulas: Community-Based Models, the Pandemic, and Reimbursement with the Research Team  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.  Sign up for the EBB Newsletter here.  Check out the Birth Justice page here. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.     

On this episode of the EBB Podcast, I am so excited to bring you brand new, evidence on premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at term!      We are releasing today’s episode to celebrate the update of our Signature Article on the Evidence on PROM.     In today’s episode, I am going to cover the following topics related to PROM: What are the membranes, and what does it mean to say they’ve “ruptured”? Membrane rupture can help prepare the body for the process of childbirth—but why? What is it like when your water breaks before labor? What are some risk factors that might increase the chances of your water breaking before labor? What is the “24-hour clock for PROM,” and where did it come from? If you have PROM, how long does it take for labor to start on its own? How are GBS and PROM related? What does the research evidence say on Induction versus Waiting for Labor for term PROM? What are the professional guidelines? What is the Bottom Line? Resources: For a full list of resources and references please visit our blog on the Evidence on PROM here.   To read the full Signature Article on PROM and download our 1-Page Handout, click here.   Watch our special video on PROM on our YouTube Channel   Listen to EBB Episodes: EBB 268 – Debunk the Myths of Premature Rupture of Membranes, GBS, & Waterbirth with EBB Founder, Dr. Dekker  EBB 275 – A PROM, GBS, and Birth Center Transfer Story with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Emily Helgerson   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.

July 26, 2023 - For today's episode, we are highlighting one of our favorite podcast episodes with the replay of an interview with Lily Nichols, RDN, all about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Content warning: gestational diabetes, high-risk pregnancies, food insecurities, "failed diet therapy", NICU, and interventions On today’s podcast, we’re going to talk with Lily Nichols, RDN, about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Lily Nichols (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy and the author of two books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily’s bestselling books have helped tens of thousands of families, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have even influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally. In this episode, we talk about the difference between eating real food and processed food in pregnancy, and the best ways to use nutrition to “stack the deck in your favor” for a lower-risk, healthier pregnancy. Lily talks candidly about the gap between evidence and nutritional practice, the importance of protein and choline in pregnancy, and why blood sugar management is so important in pregnancy. Resources: Read the Evidence Based Birth article on Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes here Visit Lily Nichols’ website here: https://lilynicholsrdn.com Find the books “Real Food for Pregnancy” and “Real Food for Gestational Diabetes” on Amazon or wherever books are sold! You can also buy “Real Food for Pregnancy” at Lily’s shop here Read Lily’s article about protein in pregnancy here: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/protein-requirements-pregnancy/ Read Lily’s article about 9 Myths about Gestational Diabetes: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/9-gestational-diabetes-myths/ Visit the Women’s Health Nutritional Academy here: https://whnacademy.com/ Join Lily’s Gestational Diabetes course here: http://realfoodforgd.com/online-course/ Follow Lily on Instagram @lilynicholsrdn 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 EBB podcast, we are talking with Avital Norman Nathman, author and freelance writer about trends in birth and parenthood in the US.   Avital is a freelance writer and editor who focuses her work on motherhood, maternal health, gender and reproductive rights and justice. Her writing, which places a feminist lens on a variety of topics, including motherhood, maternal health, gender, reproductive rights, and cannabis, can be found in a variety of print and online articles for outlets like The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, VICE, and more.    Her first book, The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood to Fit Reality, provides a platform for diverse voices that often get left out of the conversations surrounding parenting. Avital is currently working on two new books. She is a co-editor for an anthology on abortion, and her upcoming book, The Perfect Birth Myth, combines research, expert analysis, and narrative experiences to look at the intersection of the birth industry and the health care system to understand how this ideal of the perfect birth came about, why it’s a red herring, and how we can do better to ensure that all folks who are pregnant can have access to quality care and the chance at a birth that is safe and that they are comfortable with.   Avital discusses the evolution of “motherhood” from the early aughts and “Mommy blogging” to internet activism, connection, and the ongoing “mommy wars” of the internet. Additionally, Avital discusses her upcoming and ongoing projects related to writing about the current state of having a baby in the US healthcare system and political climate, while calling out the experiences of marginalized populations and bringing forth the less obvious but very important consequences of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.   Trigger Warning: abortion, miscarriage, hemorrhage, Dobbs decision, Roe v. Wade, maternal healthcare deserts, birth trauma   Resources: Listen to the following podcast: EBB 87 – Cristen Pascucci on How to Disagree on Birth Topics – Respectfully! EBB 240 – Top Five Most Surprising Findings from the Abortion Research Guide with Dr. Dekker & Doctoral Candidate Tyler Jean Dukes Find EBB's Abortion Research Guide here: Ebbirth.com/birthjustice   Follow Avital's work: https://www.themamafesto.com Twitter: @themamafesto IG: @themamafesto

In today's episode, we talk with Emily Helgerson, an EBB Childbirth Class Graduate about how taking the EBB Childbirth class helped her navigate transferring from a birth center to the hospital after experiencing premature rupture of membranes while being positive for Group B Strep.   Emily Helgerson holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education in Spanish, with a minor in Italian, from the University of Minnesota and a master's in second language teaching with a focus on immersion from McGill University. Emily taught Spanish immersion elementary school before deciding to stay home with baby Teddy, after he was born. Her and her partner, Brad, live in Minneapolis with their toddler and two cats. In 2023, it was announced that Emily will be the new Dean of Skovsøen, the Danish language village in Northern Minnesota.   Emily shares how the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class provided tools, resources and preparation that her and her partner were able to practice throughout pregnancy and remain empowered when they faced a hospital transfer. Emily talks about her Golden Ticket team, with her partner, doula (who is also her mom!) and the team of midwives between the birth center and the hospital.     We will also introduce a newer research topic regarding placenta size, placental measurement and its correlation to newborn health outcomes.   Content Warning: Group B Strep, Antibiotics for group B Strep, Heart decelerations, birth center transfer to hospital     Resources:   Check out EBB's Signature Articles: EBB Signature Article on PROM EBB Signature Article on GBS   Follow Emily Helgerson’s Parenting Group on IG @Common Ground Parenting    Listen to the following podcasts:  Listen to EBB 262 to hear about advocating for your newborn in the hospital Listen to EBB's Group B Strep Podcast Series here Listen to EBB's Webinar replay here Listen to Lisa Taylor’s Podcast Birth Matters   Check out these pregnancy books   ·      Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth ·      The Birth Partner ·      Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby’s First Years ·      Pregnancy Day-by-Day book   Blooma’s Prenatal Yoga Learn more about Spinning Babies here Subscribe to Jen McLellans pregnancy week by week here Learn more about Sharon Quinn's EBB Childbirth Class here

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 EBB 169 – The Importance of Postpartum Doula Care with Ali Buchanan    

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.