Evidence Based Birth®

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

On today’s podcast, we will be talking with EBB Childbirth Class parents, Janae and Andrew Rick, as they share their unique birth story about their vaginal breech birth.  Janae is a senior graphic designer for a makeup company. Andrew is in the restaurant industry working as a bar back and bartender in Minneapolis.  After recently buying their first home at St. Paul Park in October of 2020, they gave birth to their first baby, a boy named Jenoa, in January 2021, who arrived exactly on his due date. Janae and Andrew are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class with instructors, Heather Christine Struwe and Rhonda Fellows.  We talk about their experience with learning about their options of having a vaginal breech birth. We also talk about their unique birthing story and having amazing support during the COVID-19 pandemic.  RESOURCES Learn more about Heather Cristine Struwe here (https://holisticcontinuum.com/). Follow Heather Christine on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/hc.heatherchristi

On today's podcast, I am excited to welcome a special guest and my friend, Cristen Pascucci of Birth Monopoly! Cristen and I talk about how to file hospital complaints when people experience mistreatment or unsafe care during childbirth.  Content warning: Obstetric violence, birth trauma, and sexual assault in obstetrics.  A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and creator of the online course, Know Your Rights: Legal and Human Rights in Childbirth for Birth Professionals and Advocates. She is also co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project and host of Birth Allowed Radio, a podcast. Cristen is a leading voice in the field of maternity care, speaking around the world and consulting privately on issues related to birth rights and birthing options. Cristen and I talk about the formal process of how one can submit a complaint to the hospital and state licensing boards if they experienced mistreatment or unsafe

On today’s podcast, we will be talking with our honored guest, Dr. Amber Warmsley. Dr. Warmsley is a wife of five years to an amazing husband and a mother of two young children. She's a native Southern Californian transplanted to the D.C. metro area who will always love the beach. Dr. Warmsley is also an attending board-certified practicing OB-GYN with 8 years experience, 12 years if you count residency (which you definitely should). Dr. Warmsley is currently Chairperson of the department of OB-GYN and hospitalist site director at a hospital in Maryland. Dr. Warmsley is passionate about fostering a collaborative care approach to pregnancy-related care and creating a safe, positive, and uplifting birthing experience. She believes that all women and families deserve compassion, respect, dignity, and shared decision-making from their birthing team.  RESOURCES: Learn more about The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) here (www.acog.org). Hishikawa, K., Kusaka, T., Fukuda, T., et al. (2020).

On today's podcast, we will be talking about the evidence on using erythromycin eye ointment for newborns. As this is a controversial topic, I am excited to talk about the intriguing research evidence and the history of eye ointment regarding how it started and why it was used in the past, as well as why it is still being used today. We have covered this topic before here in our Signature Articles. We will also discuss whether or not it is effective for its designed purpose, along with antibiotic resistance, the benefits and risks of using eye ointment on newborns, and alternatives to use in place of eye ointment.  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

n 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. Content Warning: We will be talking about maternal mortality and racism. 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. We also talk about the significantly high rates of maternal mortality among Black and Brown individuals and racism in birth work.  Hoang and Brooklyn's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOBNp5cuEQpBDY3

On today's podcast, we talk with L&D nurse, Ann Marie Gilligan, about perinatal positioning during labor. Ann is a labor and delivery nurse in Minnesota, who is trained in high-risk obstetrics and advanced fetal monitoring, certified through Waterbirth International and also, certified as a sexual assault nurse examiner. Ann has 30 years of labor and delivery experience, ranging from the start-up team for an independent birth center to working at a level three high-risk labor and delivery unit to working as a legal nurse consultant and prenatal yoga instructor. Ann has extensive experience caring for families who want an unmedicated birth as well as caring for people with high-risk conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled diabetes, postpartum hemorrhage, and sepsis. Ann has also traveled to Bolivia and Tanzania, where she taught high-risk obstetrics and maternal positioning for optimal fetal positioning. More recently, Ann became an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor in 2020 and is a Spinning Babies®

I'm pleased to share with you today's podcast episode, which is a comprehensive update of the research evidence on COVID-19 and pregnancy and childbirth! To view the scientific references for this article, visit the COVID-19 resource page here and look for the February 17, 2021 podcast episode text. In this podcast episode, I cover: The current global situation What we know so far about prevention/vaccines during pregnancy Testing and diagnosis Symptoms during pregnancy Risk of hospitalization and severe/critical illness in pregnancy Treatment of COVID-19 during pregnancy Risks to the fetus, including the risk of preterm birth Timing of birth if you're infected with COVID-19 Whether its possible to transmit COVID-19 to the fetus in utero Antibody transfer during pregnancy and through human milk Newborn outcomes and best practices when a baby is born to an infected parent Hospital policies on permitting birth partners Hospital policies on permitting doulas Changes we've seen to labor and delivery practices du

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Nathalie Walton, CEO of the Expectful app, about coping with anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum— especially when you have a high-risk pregnancy. Nathalie is the CEO of Expectful, the number one meditation and sleep app for growing families. She has spent the last eight years in leadership roles at Airbnb, Google, and eBay. As a new mother to her 10-month old son Everett, Nathalie experienced the failure of the U.S. healthcare system as it pertains to nurturing the mental and emotional well-being of pregnant and new parents. She joined the team at Expectful to provide universal access to evidence-based wellness solutions such as meditation to help millions of people around the world navigate the new stage of parenthood. **Content Warning: This episode includes a birth story with placental abruption, emergency cesarean, and NICU admission.**  Natalie talks with us about her journey to parenthood, including how she prepared for her “marathon” high-risk pregnan

On today's podcast, we are talking with Jamie and Ryan English about their unexpectedly long but empowering hospital birth, as well as the effects of severe diastasis recti on the labor process. Jamie and Ryan are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class, which they took with EBB instructor Jennifer Anderson. Ryan is a commercial property manager and Jamie is a photographer. They moved to Sacramento a few years ago from San Diego, California, and at the same time they found out they were pregnant with their baby girl.  We talk about how Jamie and Ryan prepared for their birthing experience as first-time parents during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk about Jamie’s long labor experience due to the effects of having severe diastasis recti.  Learn more about Katy Bowman and her book, “Diastasis Recti: The Whole-Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation” here (https://linktr.ee/nutritiousmovement). Follow Katy on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nutritiousmovement/?

On today’s podcast, I'm excited to talk with Kimberly Seals Allers. Kimberly is an award-winning journalist, five-time author, international speaker, strategist, and advocate for maternal and infant health. A former senior editor at Essence, and a writer at Fortune Magazine, Kimberly is a leading voice on the socio-cultural complexities of motherhood. Kimberly is also the founder of Irth, a new app to address bias in maternity and infant care. We talk about how Kimberly’s new app, Irth, which addresses biased maternal care and cultural competency when serving marginalized communities. We also talk about the challenges Kimberly overcame after launching Irth.   **Content Warning: We discuss racism/racial violence, Black maternal mortality, and infant mortality.** Learn more about Kimberly Seals Allers and the Irth app here (https://birthwithoutbias.com/who-we-are). Follow Kimberly Seals Allers on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iamKSealsAllers/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iamksealsallers/?hl=en

On today’s podcast, we will be speaking with Mystique Hargrove, EBB Featured Instructor, and our new Podcast Coordinator. Mystique (She/They) is a certified full spectrum doula who serves BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of color), and LGBTQ+ individuals in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mystique also serves as an advisory board member for the United States Lactation Consultant Association, and is a Certified Lactation Educator, as well as a Certified Childbirth Educator. Mystique completed her Master of Science in Clinical and Mental Health Counseling from North Carolina A&T State University, along with a Marriage and Family Counseling Certification. Mystique earned a Certification in Wellness and Nutrition Consulting and Counseling, and her Certification in Reiki I and II, along with her certification as a Reiki Master. As a Black, Latinx, and Indigenous birth worker, Mystique has experience in herbal medicine and ancestral healing practices under Black, Latinx, and Indigenous teachers, and elder curan

On today's podcast, we are going to talk about the research evidence on failure to progress.  We also talk about what studies have shown about the normal length of labor, as well as the benefits and risks of having a longer pushing time. We encourage you to visit https://evidencebasedbirth.com/failuretoprogress to get all the research references and a one-page handout. 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, I interview Fiona and Craig Castleton about their birthing experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fiona and Craig welcomed their first baby in April 2020 — when everything was locked down. To prepare for their experience, they took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor, Shalin Butterworth, who also happened to be their doula. We talk about their experience taking the online Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class and how Shalin helped mentor them in comfort measures and advocacy. We also talk about birthing during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they advocated for themselves during pregnancy and during the birth. Fiona has shorter stature and had a history of spinal fusion surgery as a teen, and she had to navigate conflicting medical opinions about her ability to have an epidural or, even whether or not she could have a vaginal birth. In the end, Fiona and Craig used their advocacy skills and had an empowering unmedicated hospital birthing experience as first-time

On today's podcast, I wrap up all the resources we created at Evidence Based Birth in 2020, as well as the challenges we faced as a team. I also talk about what our plans are for the year 2021. This was not an easy podcast to record. How do you sum up a year like 2020? Like many of you, our team members at EBB have experienced loss and grief, uncertainty and anxiety, stress, and burnout. Somehow our team pulled together to continue getting evidence based information to the public. We leaned on each other— when some of us were having difficulties, others pitched in... then roles would quickly reverse. "Teamwork makes the dreamwork" was frequently mentioned in our Slack channel! In the end, we were still able to fulfill our EBB mission (making research evidence publicly available) while caring for ourselves and our families. And I am incredibly proud of our team for that accomplishment. I'd encourage you to check out today's podcast to learn about all the resources that were created for you this year at Evid

In today’s episode, I interview Nicole Deggins, a Certified Nurse Midwife and one of the country's leading birth advocacy experts.. She served as faculty for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and sits on the Louisiana Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review committee, the Louisiana Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies council, and is a consultant for the Global Infant Safe Sleep Center. Nicole has provided guest lectures to public health students at universities and has provided training and consultation to many local and national agencies, including the New Orleans Maternal Child Health Coalition, Birthing Project USA, Birthmark Doula Collective, Healthy Start New Orleans, New Orleans WIC and others.  **Trigger Content Warning: This episode talks about systemic racism in birth work and racial trauma.** As we wrap up the "International Year of the Nurse and Midwife," I'm grateful to Nicole Deggins for coming on the podcast. Don't miss this episode, where Nicole talks about Black midwifery, labor and delive

On today’s episode, I will be talking with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin. Dr. Martin is a pelvic floor specialist for 13 years. 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://ww

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Grace Murphy and Roderick Murphy about their home birth during COVID. Grace Murphy has been married to Roderick Murphy for the past two years, and they were high school sweethearts. Grace and Roderick are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® childbirth class with EBB instructor, Heidi Duncan. They welcomed their firstborn son, Edmond, on June 14th of 2020. Roderick has been in the Army for the past six years, and just transferred to the civilian world in July of 2020, so they've been through three nine-month deployments throughout their dating and marriage.  We will talk about their experience with having to plan and prepare for a homebirth during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk about helpful suggestions for other families who are wanting to homebirth. 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 Pinteres