Evidence Based Birth®

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Carissa Hunter about advocacy for families with sickle cell anemia. After her daughter was born with a blood disorder called sickle cell anemia, Carissa started on a quest for healthy living and is now an intuitive womb worker— a holistic practitioner with many specialties in holistic healthcare. Specializing specifically in intuitive healing, ancestral lineage healing, energy, and sound healing, Carissa also is experienced in medical herbalism, and aromatherapy and she also practices as a stillbirth, birth, and bereavement doula.  We will talk about Carissa’s personal experience growing up with the sickle cell trait (one copy of the gene), as well as being a parent to a child with sickle cell anemia (two copies of the gene). We also talk about Carissa’s experience with unlearning and relearning many things around sickle cell anemia and her advocacy work to raise awareness about this blood disorder. Content warning: we mention issues with sickle anemia, traumatic b

On today's podcast, we talk to Marnellie Bishop about life as a birth/postpartum doula and childbirth educator and the importance of cultural awareness in birth work. Marnellie Bishop (she/her) is a certified birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. Marnellie has additional training as an Evidence Based Birth®  Instructor and Hypnobabies Hypno-Doula. Serving the Portland, Oregon community, Marnellie takes on the role as a board member and director of finance and operations at Community Doula Alliance. Prior to pursuing her passion to support families in their perinatal journey, Marnellie completed a bachelor's degree in business administration and used her degree to help grow and sell her family's printing company. As a second-generation immigrant to Filipino parents, Marnellie understands the intersectionality that many immigrant families face when it comes to identifying their parenting styles through the lens of their cultural background and today's parenting values. We will talk about Marnellie

In this episode I am joined by Erin Wilson, MPH, a research editor at Evidence Based Birth, to discuss the latest research on Big Babies. In this episode, we cover: What is considered a "big" baby? Can we accurately predict if a baby will be born big? Does it really matter if a baby is born big? What are the risks? Could suspecting that you're pregnant with a big baby be more harmful than helpful? Is early induction beneficial for big babies? RESOURCES: You can access all of the references for this podcast, as well as a full-length Signature Article and one-page handout on Big Babies by visiting ebbirth.com/bigbaby. Don't forget that we also have several resources for people who are pregnant with gestational diabetes: Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes: ebbirth.com/diagnosinggdm Inducing Labor for Gestational Diabetes: ebbirth.com/inducinggdm For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Janiya Mitnaul Williams, IBCLC, about becoming a lactation consultant and the importance of Black Breastfeeding Week. Janiya Mitnaul Williams is an international board certified lactation consultant, a registered lactation consultant, and a certified lactation counselor who has been supporting nursing families since 2007. She holds degrees from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Union Institute & University in Speech, Language Pathology in Audiology, and Health and Wellness with a concentration in Human Lactation. Janiya is the program director of the Pathway 2 Human Lactation Training Program at North Carolina A&T State University. She also works for the Women's and Children's Center at Cone Health as a perinatal educator researcher, community liaison, and doula services coordinator. In 2015, Janiya created Mahogany Milk Support Group in order to promote, encourage and normalize nursing for Black and Brown families. That same y

On today's podcast, we are talking with Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class parent, Kathryn Remivasan, about her experience giving birth to a posterior-positioned baby. Kathryn and her husband, Dushyant, are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor and doula, Julie Fors. Dushyant and Kathryn are software engineers. They live in Chicago with their two cats, dog, and now beautiful baby girl, Elakshi, who Kathryn gave birth to in January 2021. We talk about Kathryn’s use of a “marathon training” mindset to have an unmedicated birth during the pandemic. We also talk about Kathryn’s experience of including medical interventions during her birth, as well as how she coped with postpartum recovery after a long labor. Content warning: We talk about COVID, infant/labor trauma, the use of medical interventions while in labor, and postpartum anxiety/recovery. RESOURCES: Learn more about Julie Fors here (https://journeyforwardbirthandparenting.com/).  Learn more about Rush University

On today’s podcast, we have the pleasure to talk with our honored guests, Dr. Monica McLemore and Dr. Jamila K. Taylor, about postpartum justice and the need for Medicaid coverage for the entire postpartum year. Dr. Monica McLemore is a tenured associate professor at the University of California-San Francisco in the family healthcare nursing department, an affiliated scientist with advancing new standards in reproductive health, and a member of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health. She retired from clinical practice as a public health and staff nurse after a 28-year clinical nursing career in 2019. Dr. McLemore's program of research is focused on understanding reproductive health injustice. Dr. Jamila K. Taylor is a director of health care reform and senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where she leads TCF's work to build on the Affordable Care Act and develop the next generation of health reform to achieve high quality, affordable and universal coverage in America. Dr. Taylor also works on iss

On today’s podcast, we will be talking with Tyler Jean Dukes, my doctoral fellow intern.  Tyler (she/her) is a doctoral candidate and graduate instructor at Texas Christian University. Over this past year, Tyler has been working with me as part of a graduate fellowship program. Tyler specializes in the medical humanities and early British literature. She is also a trained childbirth doula, which informs her scholarly and personal interests. Tyler teaches many classes at TCU, including “Introduction to Literature, Fiction, and Narrative Medicine,” and she is one year away from graduating with her Ph.D. We talk about her research with integrating childbirth and birth work into her doctoral studies in literature. We also talk about what Tyler discovered about the history of prenatal ultrasounds and pelvic exams. I encourage everyone to listen to EBB 174 with The Black OBGYN Project and EBB 180 with Stephanie Tillman, who is an expert on trauma-informed pelvic care.  Content warning: We talk about the history of

On today's podcast, we talk about how to evaluate clinical research and how it is actually carried out. We are currently in the midst of a free 30-day trial of the EBB Pro Membership, and this podcast episode is a sample part of a class series inside the membership! Have you ever wondered how research is carried out, and why certain things are studied... but why other aspects of birth and midwifery care are not? Do you know how many billions of dollars are spent in the U.S. research industry each year, and what that money is spent on? In this podcast, Dr. Dekker will walk you through the timeline of how research is carried out, who decides what research gets funded, and why so much research has come from a racist and patriarchal lens. You'll also learn about the importance of one of the newest fields of science called "clinical and translational research." Content Warning: We will be talking about racism and sexism in research, and how this has led to an increase in heart disease deaths among women. And I sha

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Mary Kathryn DeLodder about licensing certified professional midwives in Kentucky.  Mary Kathryn DeLodder (she/her) is a consumer advocate and leader of the Kentucky Birth Coalition. From 2012 through 2019 she worked on efforts to license certified professional midwives in Kentucky. She is now working on legislation to improve access to birth centers in Kentucky.  We will talk about how Mary Kathryn first became interested in helping pass the midwifery licensure bill in Kentucky and the beginnings of forming the Kentucky Home Birth Coalition. We will also talk about the challenges that were against legalizing certified professional midwives to practice in Kentucky and the wave of collective support that helped to push the bill to get passed.  RESOURCES: Learn more about Mary Kathyrn DeLodder and the Kentucky Birth Coalition here (https://www.kentuckybirth.org). Follow the Kentucky Birth Coalition on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KentuckyBirthCoalition/) and In

On today’s podcast, we have an exciting takeover in celebration of Pride Month. We have Mystique Hargrove, Kortney Lapeyrolerie, and Nadine Ashby to talk about their experiences as Black queer and trans birth workers. Mystique (She/They) is the radical femme CEO, and creator of "The Black Birth Healer." Mystique is a holistic birth and postpartum wellness specialist who is certified as a full spectrum doula, a lactation educator, a childbirth educator, and a Diaspora death doula. Mystique is a Pathway 3 IBCLC mentee, an Evidence Based Birth Instructor®, and our podcast coordinator. Currently, Mystique is a Ph.D. student with a research focus on inclusive services and advocacy in perinatal mental health for Black LGBTQ+ individuals.  Kortney (She/They) is a queer Black healing justice activist, birth worker, conflict mediator, and content creator. She is the founder and organizer of the Queer Doula Network, which maintains a digital LGBTQIA+ birth work and birth work-adjacent directory, provides workshops, and

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Dr. Stephanie Mitchell about starting a midwifery-led birth center.  Dr. Mitchell is a certified nurse-midwife who earned her BSN from Curry College, along with her MSN and her doctorate of Nursing Practice from Frontier Nursing University. Dr. Mitchell is the founder of The Birth Sanctuary of Gainesville, Alabama, a freestanding birth center under development that will be the first Black-owned birth center in the state. She is actively involved in teaching others on Instagram as @doctor_midwife. We will talk about Dr. Mitchell’s journey to becoming a nurse-midwife and her passion for restoring Black-led midwifery care to the people of Alabama. We also talk about how Dr. Mitchell calls out harmful obstetric practices against Black birthing bodies, and how she advocates for the importance of creating safer and affirmative services in perinatal healthcare.  **Content warning: We talk about implicit bias and racism.** RESOURCES: Learn more about Stephanie Mitchell and

On today’s podcast we are excited to feature Feminist Midwife, Stephanie Tillman (she/her), a midwife at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Stephanie is on the Board of Directors of Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health and the Midwest Access Project. Stephanie is also a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives Ethics Committee and is an advisory committee member of the Queer and Transgender Midwives Association.  We talk about Stephanie’s journey to becoming a midwife involved in trauma-informed care. We also talk about the importance of active consent regarding pelvic exams and forced medical interventions in birth work. Stephanie also shares her thoughts about the ARRIVE trial's effects on 39-week elective inductions in the Chicago area. **Content Warning: We will be talking about obstetric abuse, sexual assault, trauma, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and gaslighting.** RESOURCES: Learn more about Stephanie Tillman and “Feminist Midwife” here (https://www.feministmidwife.com/). Read Ste

On today's podcast, we are thrilled to share with you an empowering and transformative home birth story from Trish and Mimi Ang. Trish (she/her) and Mimi (she/her) are first-time parents to their baby boy, Aspen Kai, and they are graduates of the EBB Childbirth Class. Mimi and Trish fell in love three years ago over rock climbing, and pushed up their home insemination plans last year due to COVID.  We spoke with Trish and Mimi about using an alternative process for their family planning, as well as their refreshing experience taking an EBB Childbirth Class with their doula and EBB instructor, Shalin Butterworth. They also describe their empowering home birth experience (including how they overcame some challenges!) and the supportive care provided by their midwives and doula. RESOURCES: Learn more about Shalin Butterworth here (https://www.sozenbirthservices.com/). Follow Shalin on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/sozenbirthservices/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sozenbirth/).   Learn more abo

On today’s podcast, I'm so excited to welcome Dr. Shannon Clark. Dr. Clark is a double board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist and maternal-fetal medicine specialist focusing on the care of people with perinatal or fetal complications in pregnancy.   With a special interest in pregnancy after the age of 35, Dr. Clark has been inspired not only by the experiences of friends and patients but by her own personal experience of trying to get pregnant in her forties. We talk about Dr. Clark’s journey to her role in as an OB/GYN serving pregnant people over the age of 35, and her own challenging, personal experience of getting pregnant (with twins!) for the first time at the age of 42. **Content warning: We will talk about miscarriage, fertility issues, and pregnancy complications.** RESOURCES: Learn more about Dr. Shannon M. Clark and “Babies After 35” here (https://www.babiesafter35.com/). Follow Dr. Clark on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/babiesafter35/), TikTok (tiktokbabydoc), and Instagram (tps://www

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Mera and Dimitri about having their fourth baby after the age of 35 and giving birth before they could make it to the hospital.  Mera is a freelance writer, enrichment educator, and mom of four living in South Carolina. Dimitri is an army veteran studying computer science and a father of four in South Carolina. Mera and Dimitri recently gave birth to their baby in October of 2020. And they took the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth class with EBB instructor, Juliann Lee, who is also based in South Carolina.  We will talk about their very exciting birth story about giving birth in their living room before they could make it to the hospital. We also talk about their experience of pregnancy after 35 and feeling prepared to advocate for the birth that they wanted after taking the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth class.  **Content warning: We will talk about prior birth trauma.** Learn more about Juliann Lee here (https://www.littleorchidsbirth.com/meet-juliann).  For m

We are thrilled to announce that we have updated the research information on one of our most popular articles, the Evidence on Advanced Maternal Age. My mom had her first baby at the age of 19, and that was "normal" back then. But today, it seems like delaying pregnancy until your 30s or older is becoming the norm. All around the world, the average age at first birth is going up and reaching record highs! So needless to say, the topic of "Advanced Maternal Age" affects a LOT of people! In today's podcast, I share the recording from our webinar on AMA that will include the actual statistics on the health outcomes for people who are pregnant at 35 and older. The recording also includes some storytelling and discussion of the implications of this research data. Hopefully, the information in the podcast and the Signature Article will be helpful either to you or someone you know. Feel free to forward this article to anyone you think might be interested! Content warning: We will talk about statistics on stillbir

Today's podcast episode is focused on a very important topic— the Evidence on Midwives. We've been asked for years to publish an article or podcast on the evidence on midwifery care, and we felt there was no better day to release a podcast episode on this topic than May 5th, International Day of the Midwife! In this episode, I discuss the different types of midwives, the history of midwifery care (and how it was nearly eliminated in the U.S.), and the research on the better health outcomes that are seen when families are randomly assigned to receive midwifery-led care. We also talk about the effects of racism and mistreatment in obstetric care, and how midwives — especially midwives of color— are a critical solution to the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. With the theme of the 2021 International Day of the Midwife being, “Follow the data and invest in midwives,” we are honored in this podcast episode to talk about why we need more midwives of color, and to acknowledge the Black grand midwives who have re

On today’s podcast, we are thrilled to share with you an important interview with the co-founders of The Black OBGYN Project, Dr. Rachel Bervell, and Dr. Tamandra Morgan.  Dr. Rachel Bervell, a graduate of Harvard and Georgetown University, is the founder of the nonprofit organization “Hugs for Ghana," and co-founder of “The Fresh Resource Urban Initiative Team” or FRUIT, which addresses food insecurity and underserved communities through health literacy and nutrition courses. Dr. Bervell continues today to be dedicated to vulnerable communities and patients and serves as a medical consultant for the University of California, San Francisco's “Voices for Birth Justice” and as a women's health practitioner. Dr. Tamandra Morgan, a graduate of Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a second-year resident physician in OB/GYN at the University of California, San Francisco. In Chicago, Dr. Morgan was a leader in the Urban Medicine program and volunteered at the male health forum on

In this week’s podcast, we wrap up our mini-series on breech babies by covering the latest research on external cephalic version (ECV) for breech positioned babies! Topics covered in this podcast episode include updated information on: How common it is to have a breech positioned baby How often people are offered and receive an ECV for a breech baby The effectiveness of ECV for lowering the risk of Cesarean Benefits and risks of the ECV procedure Pain management during an ECV Timing of an ECV and techniques that can increase effectiveness Effects of a prior Cesarean on the ECV success rate And more!  To read the transcript and see all of the research references, just go to https://evidencebasedbirth.com/breechversion Resources: EBB Signature Article on Breech Version https://evidencebasedbirth.com/breechversion EBB Podcast 171: Breech Vaginal Birth EBB Podcast 172: Interview with Breech without Borders Visit Breech without Borders at https://breechwithoutborders.com Read our Signature Article all about Fa

On today’s podcast, we have the pleasure to talk to our honored guests, Dr. Rixa Freeze and Dr. David Hayes about breech vaginal birth.  Dr. Rixa Freeze has a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and is a researcher, professor, and mother of four children. Her current research specialization is vaginal breech birth, and she's president of Breech Without Borders, a 501(c)3 non-profit. She also blogs at Stand and Deliver. Dr. David Hayes, MD, is an OBGYN who works at Harvest Moon Women’s Health with an academic background and a passion for science and its proper application to clinical medicine. Dr. Hayes has worked for Medecins Sans Frontieres, Doctors Without Borders, and is trained in critical care obstetrics.  We with talk about the evidence-based research around breech vaginal birth. We also talk about their innovative approach to breech vaginal birth training with Breech Without Borders.  RESOURCES: Learn more about Breech Without Borders here (https://www.breechwithoutborders.org/).  Learn more about Dr. Fr