Join us as we discuss all the typical questions modern parents have about homebirth with Rachel Blessington, RN/BSN, CPM, LMT, who has worked as a doula, labor & deliver nurse and midwife.

According to a study published in the journal “Birth” in 2019 by MacDorman & Declercq,  after a gradual decline from 1990–2004, the number of out-of-hospital births increased from 35,578 in 2004 to 62,228 in 2017. In 2017, 1 of every 62 births in the US was an out-of-hospital birth (1.61%). Home births increased by 77% from 2004–2017, while birth center births more than doubled. Out-of-hospital births were more common in the Pacific Northwest, and less common in the southeastern states such as Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Today’s podcast focuses on the “Frequently Asked Questions” around having a homebirth. However, the history of why today’s American women largely give birth in hospitals attended by physicians, instead of at homes or birth centers with midwives, is incredibly important to the understanding of why many families, even medical professionals themselves, choose homebirth today. In fact, you might even want to pause this podcast and Google:  Our Bodies Ourselves, The History of Midwifery and read their short 2012 article before continuing!  As you’ll learn, the history of obstetrics and hospital birth in the United States was founded upon racism, classism, misogyny and a belief that labor & birth is a destructive pathology rather than a normal, healthy bodily function.

We'll talk about safety, typical practices, choosing midwives, pain relief options, what happens in an emergency, how a transfer to a hospital happens and what makes homebirth care special.  We'll also discuss who is a good candidate for a homebirth, insurance and resources for families who are interested in exploring this option for their birth.

If you would like to learn more about Rachel and homebirth, please visit embracemidwifery.care

Join us as we talk with Kristen Johnson, a mother of two who decided to give a most amazing gift to another couple (who she didn't know) to carry their baby. She shares with us her birth stories, the process of deciding to become a gestational carrier, the matching process with a couple in need, the process of getting pregnant, how she (and her family) felt about her during that pregnancy, the birth of that baby and where things are now, a year and a half later. 

Join us as we speak with Rachel Gaillard Smook, PhD, a clinical psychologist in private practice, about how parents can navigate the communication struggles that come up as one is expecting a new baby and as couples have a new baby in the family. She shares some valuable wisdom and answers some questions sent in by members of the Babies in Common Community.

Rachel specializes in working with women related to fertility struggles, pregnancy, birth and new parenthood.  She's also a Gottman Method couples therapist. Her practice is located in Northborough, Massachusetts and she also offers consultations via video conference.  

Find Dr. Smook at http://birchtreepsychology.com

Recorded August 12, 2020.

Join us as we talk with two moms (one with a corporate job, Marlena Shaffer, and one who works in a surgical intensive care unit as a nurse, Julie Longchamps) about preparing to go back to work and pumping at work.  We discuss their initial breastfeeding experiences, tips for approaching bosses and human resources, finding an appropriate space to pump at the office, laws about pumping at work, making sure you have all your equipment, milk storage, bottles and so much more!

Join us as we hear Dr. Emily Garcia Sega's story of how she switched maternity providers very late in pregnancy so she could increase her chances for the birth she wanted, including discussing her experiences of trying to turn her breech baby. We hope switching maternity care providers isn't something you feel that you need to do, but in case you do, it IS your right and the choice of your care provider is considered the most important choice you'll make as far as determining how your birth will go!

Join us in discussing inducing lactation with Alyssa Schnell, lactation consultant in private practice and author of Breastfeeding Without Birthing, Alyssa Schnell, IBCLC.

You can learn more about Alyssa's services for parents, parents-to-be and professions at https://www.breastfeedingwithoutbirthing.com

Join us as we speak with Dr. Julia Reznik, a functional medicine physician in private practice about "preconception optimization", epigenetics, milk supply and the microbiome.  Integrating functional medicine into your life might be the best thing you've done for yourself in a long time!

Join us as we talk with Dr. Amy Brown, professor and prolific author, about what influences how we feed our babies, breast, formula and solid foods! 

Amy Brown, PhD is a professor at Swansea University in Wales, where she oversees the master of science program in Child Public Health.  She started her studies in psychology and the arrival of her first baby sparked her interest in the barriers that women face when it comes to breastfeeding.  She went on to have two more children and got a PhD, too!  She has spent the last 12 years lookin at how psychology, culture and society can put up barriers to breastfeeding, but her work focuses on how we can improve breastfeeding rates by providing better support to families.

Dr. Brown has more than research 100 papers on barriers to meeting breastfeeding goals in the first years.

What we also enjoy about Amy is that she’s funny and fearless--follow her on Twitter Amy’s Twitter @Prof_AmyBrown and other social media platforms to get a taste of how she does her part to defend the facts about human milk and breastfeeding against those who wish to spread lies and untruths...

Professor Brown has authored SIX books (and all in the last five years!):

• Breastfeeding Uncovered (2016)
• Why Starting Solids Matters (2017)
• The Positive Breastfeeding Book, (2018)
• And THREE books in 2019:
  • A Guide to Supporting Breastfeeding for the Medical Profession
  • Informed is Best: How to spot fake news about your pregnancy, birth and baby
  • Breastfeeding Grief and Trauma Matter
• AND she just released a BRAND NEW book last FRIDAY, which she’ll tell us about!  

She is also a blogger and international keynote speaker, working tirelessly aiming to change the way we think about breastfeeding, parenting and caring for our babies.

Find out how the law and corporations influence child safety and what YOU can do to protect children. Join us as we go in-depth about childproofing--the practical recommendations, various quality brands, services you can find as well as how the law and corporations influence what is put on the market and what is recalled and when.  You'll be surprised! Our guest is Kimberly Amato.  Kim is a physical therapist, CPR Instructor, retired Childbirth Educator and retired Birth Doula, founder of Meghan’s Hope, an organization to raise awareness of furniture tip-over and advocate for stronger furniture safety laws.  Author of Author of Out of the Darkness: Coping with and Recovering from the Death of a Child and Childproofing and Child Safety Advocate.  Kimberly lives in Central Massachusetts with her husband, with whom she does ballroom dance competitions and two almost-grown boys.
You can learn more about furniture tip-over on Kim’s website, meghanshope.org.

Join us as we talk with Kelly Shultz, mom of two, about how she navigated through a challenging year (and more) of nursing, continued through her pregnancy, had an unusual birth with her daughter and then tandem and extended nursing with both of them.