Birth Kweens

In this special bonus episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali talk with Sera Bonds, the founder and CEO of the incredible aid organization Circle of Health International. Sera is an activist committed to working towards balancing the scales of access, equity, and availability in women's reproductive healthcare. She has training in midwifery, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women's Studies, and a Masters Degree in Public Health. The Birth Kweens had her on the show to talk about the amazing work that Circle of Health International is doing all over the world and to encourage people to support their efforts. Here’s an overview of what you’ll hear in this episode:

• Sera’s background and how she ended up starting Circle of Health International
• How and why the midwifery model of care is a central tenant to the way that COHI operates
• How COHI differs from most other aid organizations
• Stories about various aid projects, both past and present – where COHI got involved, how they helped, and why it was successful

Not only is this organization doing incredible work, but they're doing it in a culturally sensitive way that places high value on the needs and perspectives of the community that they're serving. The Birth Kweens are huge supporters of COHI and its unique, women-centered approach to aid work. We know that resources are limited for many people, but if you are able please consider supporting Circle of Health International in one of the following ways:

• If you’d like to donate money to support COHI, click here
• If you’d like to donate supplies, click here
• If you’re interested in getting involved with COHI as a volunteer, click here 
• More information about the In Her Shoes Campaign and the Go the Distance Campaign

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women’s health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

In this episode, Ali and Karly talk with the wonderful Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP about fertility issues and using Chinese medicine to support people who are trying to conceive. Bridgit practiced Chinese medicine for 13 years and is a certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition practitioner. She became passionate about women's health and fertility after her own difficult postpartum period. She currently runs an online women's health community called Women's Wellness Collaborative and has her own podcast, Women's Wellness Radio. Here's an overview of what she shared with the Birth Kweens in this episode:

• How infertility is viewed from a Chinese medicine perspective and how that differs from the perspective of western medicine
• Some of the Chinese medicine techniques used to treat infertility
• How acupuncture can be used in conjunction with western fertility treatments like IUI and IVF to increase the chances of success
• The role that Functional Diagnostic Nutrition can play in treating infertility
• The impacts of stress on fertility
• The mental and emotional impact that infertility can have on people who are TTC and the importance of getting support throughout that process
• How reducing inflammation can help with infertility

If you're interested in signing up for Bridgit's Perfect Periods course, click here. (This is a great resource for anyone struggling with infertility, heavy or irregular periods, and PMS – it's not to be missed!)

If you'd like to receive Bridgit's free fertility eBook, click here.

If you'd like to receive the series of interviews with fertility experts featured in Bridgit's Fertility Week Series, go to the homepage of her website, scroll down until you see "Fertility Week" on the right hand side, and input your contact info.

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

In this episode, Ali and Karly talk with the wonderful Bridgit Danner, LAc, FDNP about fertility issues and using Chinese medicine to support people who are trying to conceive.

This week on the Birth Kweens podcast, Dr. Elizabeth Winter joins Karly and Ali to talk about cervical dysplasia. Dr. Winter is naturopathic doctor in San Diego, CA who specializes in women's health and pediatrics. She is extremely knowledgeable about cervical dysplasia and offers a wealth of information about alternative treatment methods. Here's what you will learn about in this episode:

• What is cervical dysplasia and how is it diagnosed
• The connections and differences between cervical dysplasia, HPV, and cervical cancer
• What it means when the results of a pap smear come back abnormal
• The role that a colposcopy and cervical biopsy play in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical dysplasia
• Risk factors for HPV and cervical dysplasia
• How to diagnose and treat HPV in men (and how it differs from diagnosis and treatment in women)
• The following [startling] facts: Approximately 70-80% of women and 50-60% of men will contract HPV at some point in their life, and it is estimated that at any given time ~79 million people are positive for HPV.
• Whether women should get pap smears and be treated for cervical dysplasia while they're pregnant
• The traditional medical approach to treating cervical dysplasia, including LEEP procedures, cryo surgery, laser therapy, and cone biopsies
• The alternative treatment options for cervical dysplasia and HPV, including oral supplements, suppositories, and cervical escharotics
• The pros and cons of opting for the alternative treatment vs. traditional medical treatment
• Why it's important for pregnant women to be aware of the potential impacts of cervical scar tissue on the process of labor

If you'd like to find out more about Dr. Winter's naturopathic approach to treating cervical dysplasia or schedule a consultation with her (she offer's Skype consults!), you can visit her website here.

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

The Birth Kweens sit down with naturopathic doctor Elizabeth Winter to talk about cervical dysplasia. Dr. Winter offers excellent information about what it means to be diagnosed with cervical dysplasia, how it's different from HPV, and what alternative treatment options are available to address both of those issues.

In this week's episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali dive into the gross parts of being a birth worker. After doing this job for a number of years, they both have PLENTY of stories about the hilarious and disgusting things that happen at births. A few of the high points include what it's like to have someone's water break into your shoes, how your hands smell after wearing latex gloves while being submerged in a birth tub for hours on end, and a detailed look into Ali's post-birth sanitation routine (spoiler alert: she's a germaphobe). Listen along as they laugh about their favorite stories and even share a few personal faux pas!

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

Karly and Ali dive into the gross parts of being a birth worker. After doing this job for a number of years, they both have PLENTY of stories about the hilarious and disgusting things that happen at births. A few of the high points include what it’s like to have someone’s water break into your shoes, how your hands smell after wearing latex gloves while being submerged in a birth tub for hours on end, and a detailed look into Ali’s post-birth sanitation routine (spoiler alert: she’s a germaphobe).

In this week's episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali talk with acupuncturist and massage therapist Ryan Lee about healing from a cesarean birth. Ryan has lots of experience with scar tissue remediation so Karly and Ali interview him about the impacts of c-section scar tissue and ways to heal from a surgical birth. Here's an overview of the high points of this episode:

• What is scar tissue and why can it be harmful
• The abnormal lines of pull that result from cesarean scars and the impact on the rest of the body
• The function of fascia
• The symptoms/issues that can result from cesarean scar tissue
• The healing power of deep diaphragmatic breathing
• Ways to treat c-section scars and how doing scar tissue remediation can improve seemingly unrelated issues in the rest of the body
• The essential role that nutrition plays in postpartum healing
• Using castor oil packs and essential oils to aid in healing

Thanks for listening, Kweens! We hope you enjoy learning more about healing c-section scars. (Also, we are sorry about the sub-par quality of this week's audio. Your Birth Kweens are podcast amateurs and are still trying to work out the bugs in the system. Thanks for sticking with us!)

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

In this week's episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali talk about healing from a cesarean birth with acupuncturist and massage therapist Ryan Lee. They explore the impacts of the scar tissue that results from a c-section and discuss ways to heal from a cesarean birth.

In this week's episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali discuss cesarean births. The Kweens explain the practical ins and outs of c-sections (how the surgery usually goes, what you can expect your partner's role to be, etc.). They also delve into some of the emotional/mental aspect of this kind of birth. In the Kweens' humble opinion, the natural birth community doesn't do a very good job of preparing women for necessary, unplanned cesareans and oftentimes the result is unnecessary birth trauma and shame. The goal of this episode is to de-vilify necessary or desired cesareans and to emphasize that natural, vaginal birth is NOT morally superior to a birth with interventions. Here are some of the specifics covered in this episode:

• WHO's recommendations for cesarean rates
• The possible downside of using labor/birth affirmations
• The importance of mentally preparing for any kind of birth, no matter what kind of birth you're planning to have
• The misconception that just because birth is a 'natural' bodily function, that means it always goes smoothly or that it's within our control
• The importance of taking the moral judgment out of medical interventions. They aren't inherently good or evil, they are simply tools to be used when they are needed or desired.
• Reasonable expectations to have regarding interventions in birth
• Some things that come up during pregnancy/birth that necessitate a cesarean
• How to have a gentle, family-centered cesarean (great article from Wellness Mama)
• Vaginal seeding
• Microbirth Documentary
• Planned vs. unplanned cesareans, and how unplanned cesareans are different than emergency ones
• How most cesareans go, from surgery prep to the recovery

Whether a cesarean was necessary or planned, they still require special healing. Join us next week for a discussion on healing from a cesarean and how a c-section scar can influence a woman's overall physical health.

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at [email protected] with your questions, suggestions and feedback.