Babies in Common

Join us as we talk with Kirsten Kowalski-Lane, CNM, CPM about her journey from birth doula to homebirth midwife to hospital midwife to birth center midwife...and how she managed to co-found and co-own the first midwife-owned birth center in Massachusetts. 

The American Association of Birth Centers defines a birth center as a home-like setting where care providers, usually midwives, provide family-centered care to healthy pregnant women. Most birth centers are located separately from hospitals, while a few are physically inside hospital buildings. In-hospital birth centers must meet certain standards for independence and must be separate from the Labor and Delivery unit in order to be considered true birth centers.

In the U.S., 98.8% of births take place in hospital labor and delivery units, with physicians attending 86% of these births. In contrast, 0.3% of births take place in birth centers, where nurse-midwives and midwives provide most of the care. Among women who give birth in hospitals, approximately 85% are considered low-risk.

Recorded Wednesday, November 18, 2020.

To learn more about this fantastic option for birthing, please visit https://www.sevensistersmidwifery.com

The words we use matter! Join us today as we explore the words we use when talking about feeding and parenting. 

Our guest today is my dear friend Renee Beebe, who is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in private practice in Seattle, Washington.  She’s been a lactation consultant for more than 20 years, doing home visits and working in a naturopathic physician’s office, where she sees families and assists with frenotomies.  She’s the proud mother of two grown women and in her spare time she loves to garden, play violin and hike in the nearby mountains.

You can learn more about Renee at http://www.second9months.com.

Listen in as Emily, a nursing mom of 5+ years, talks with us about planning to breastfeed while on a significant medication, navigating postpartum depression, what it’s like to nurse the same child for 5 years, and about the concept of respectful parenting.  Emily has been a middle school English teacher for 14 years and recently finished her second masters degree in Counseling Psychology with a special interest in parent coaching.  She lives in Central Massachusetts with her husband and daughter.

Recorded Wednesday, October 14, 2020. 
Join Melissa and Jeanette as they answer listener questions about feeding babies!

Today is Wednesday, October 21, 2020 and we will be discussing the TummyTime Method with its creator, occupational therapist Michelle Emanuel. Michelle comes to us with more than 20 years of experience as an occupational therapist who worked with babies in a neonatal intensive care unit and in pediatrics and eventually saw the need for a private practice, where she also weaves her passion for anatomy as an cranio-sacral therapist, myofunctional therapist, infant massage instructor and she’s also a yoga teacher, too! She developed the TummyTime Method and trademarked it after she noticed that there was so much more to having babies play on their bellies and how integrating physiological and anatomical movements, along with touch and play, can impact how babies feed, digest and connect with their parents and caregivers. 

In this episode, we discuss:
~the background of the Back to Sleep Campaign and tummy time?
~what occupational therapists do in a NICU
~how Michelle developed the TummyTime Method
~when to start it, how to do it, how often, what if baby cries
~what if baby rolls over on their own before 4 months, especially when parents are trying to have baby spend time on their belly
~the various areas that the TummyTime Method addresses...
Postural Asymmetries  (Torticollis, head turning or feeding preference to one side)
Plagiocephaly / Brachycephaly / Scaphocephaly (cranial molding or flattening)
Oral Restrictions (Tongue, Lip and Buccal Ties)
GI issues, Reflux, colic type symptoms, decreased bowel movements, etc
Fussiness, Armoring, Stiffness, Body Tension
Sensory Processing and Integration Sensitivities and Difficulties
Latch and Breastfeeding Issues
Oral Rest Posture / Tongue Posture Deficits
Breathing issues:  snoring, squeaky breathing, laryngomalacia, etc
 
You can learn more about Michelle and the TummyTime Method at http://www.tummytimemethod.com.

Recorded on Wednesday, October 14, 2020.  Melissa and I answer questions from the Babies in Common community about feeding babies...breast, bottle and solid foods.  We put the word out we would be doing this and had folks in our Facebook groups contribute!
 
We dispel myths that exist about feeding babies and share information that every expectant and new parent should know.  

If you have questions about feeding, email [email protected].

Join us as we learn from Sejal Fichadia, a certified  infant massage instructor and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who is also an experienced postpartum doula and certified TummyTime Method instructor. Originally from India, she now lives in Oregon with her husband and kids.  She’s currently offering online infant massage and TummyTime Method classes, so check out her website, http://kindredmothercare.com.

Hear how our guest, an anesthesiologist and mother of four, endured birth trauma (trigger warning--this episode contains descriptions of actions of an aggressive and traumatic nature) and how she navigated the system to file complaints against the perpetrators of the trauma.  She discusses what she did to prepare for her births, what happened and the trauma she endured at the hands of a doctor and nurse.  She also shares what else she's doing to heal and what she recommends others do to prevent birth trauma and what to do if you find yourself in a similar situation.

Join us as we answer listener questions about pregnancy and birth!

Join us as we talk with postpartum doula and trainer Rachel Hess, about how queer parents can empower themselves as they encounter care providers (and other parents) as well as how those who aren't part of the queer community can help to stop oppressive actions and comments during the perinatal period.

Rachel has virtual support groups for queer parents and you can learn more about those at http://www.rachelhessdoula.com