Evidence Based Birth®

On this episode of the EBB podcast, we are talking with Avital Norman Nathman, author and freelance writer about trends in birth and parenthood in the US. Avital is a freelance writer and editor who focuses her work on motherhood, maternal health, gender and reproductive rights and justice. Her writing, which places a feminist lens on a variety of topics, including motherhood, maternal health, gender, reproductive rights, and cannabis, can be found in a variety of print and online articles for outlets like The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, VICE, and more. Her first book, The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood to Fit Reality, provides a platform for diverse voices that often get left out of the conversations surrounding parenting. Avital is currently working on two new books. She is a co-editor for an anthology on abortion, and her upcoming book, The Perfect Birth Myth, combines research, expert analysis, and narrative experiences to look at the intersection of the birth industry and the health care system to understand how this ideal of the perfect birth came about, why it's a red herring, and how we can do better to ensure that all folks who are pregnant can have access to quality care and the chance at a birth that is safe and that they are comfortable with. Avital discusses the evolution of "motherhood" from the early aughts and "Mommy blogging" to internet activism, connection, and the ongoing "mommy wars" of the internet. Additionally, Avital discusses her upcoming and ongoing projects related to writing about the current state of having a baby in the US healthcare system and political climate, while calling out the experiences of marginalized populations and bringing forth the less obvious but very important consequences of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Trigger Warning: abortion, miscarriage, hemorrhage, Dobbs decision, Roe v. Wade, maternal healthcare deserts, birth trauma Resources: Listen to the following podcast:

• EBB 87 – Cristen Pascucci on How to Disagree on Birth Topics – Respectfully!
• EBB 240 – Top Five Most Surprising Findings from the Abortion Research Guide with Dr. Dekker & Doctoral Candidate Tyler Jean Dukes

Find EBB's Abortion Research Guide here: Ebbirth.com/birthjustice Follow Avital's work: https://www.themamafesto.com Twitter: @themamafesto IG: @themamafesto

In today's episode, we talk with Emily Helgerson, an EBB Childbirth Class Graduate about how taking the EBB Childbirth class helped her navigate transferring from a birth center to the hospital after experiencing premature rupture of membranes while being positive for Group B Strep. Emily Helgerson holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education in Spanish, with a minor in Italian, from the University of Minnesota and a master's in second language teaching with a focus on immersion from McGill University. Emily taught Spanish immersion elementary school before deciding to stay home with baby Teddy, after he was born. Her and her partner, Brad, live in Minneapolis with their toddler and two cats. In 2023, it was announced that Emily will be the new Dean of Skovsøen, the Danish language village in Northern Minnesota. Emily shares how the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class provided tools, resources and preparation that her and her partner were able to practice throughout pregnancy and remain empowered when they faced a hospital transfer. Emily talks about her Golden Ticket team, with her partner, doula (who is also her mom!) and the team of midwives between the birth center and the hospital. We will also introduce a newer research topic regarding placenta size, placental measurement and its correlation to newborn health outcomes. Content Warning: Group B Strep, Antibiotics for group B Strep, Heart decelerations, birth center transfer to hospital Resources: Check out EBB's Signature Articles:

• EBB Signature Article on PROM
• EBB Signature Article on GBS

Follow Emily Helgerson's Parenting Group on IG @Common Ground Parenting Listen to the following podcasts:

• Listen to EBB 262 to hear about advocating for your newborn in the hospital
• Listen to EBB's Group B Strep Podcast Series here
• Listen to EBB's Webinar replay here
• Listen to Lisa Taylor's Podcast Birth Matters

Check out these pregnancy books · Ina May's Guide to Childbirth · The Birth Partner · Mayo Clinic Guide to Your Baby's First Years · Pregnancy Day-by-Day book Blooma's Prenatal Yoga Learn more about Spinning Babies here Subscribe to Jen McLellans pregnancy week by week here Learn more about Sharon Quinn's EBB Childbirth Class here

On this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Michelle Browder, artist, activist, and the creator of the Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy Monument in Montgomery, Alabama, established to honor the three Mothers of Gynecology. Michelle Browder is a nationally recognized artist, activist, and amplifier, bridging the racial divide through art, history, and conversation. Michelle's artwork has been exhibited in art galleries around the world, most notably, the Rosa Parks Museum located in Montgomery, Alabama. In September 2021, she created a monument to honor three enslaved women, Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey, in Montgomery, Alabama. This monument is a reminder of the inhumane treatment and experimentation on enslaved Black bodies. The medical procedures that we have access to today in gynecology have been perfected because of them. The monument honors these Black women and all those that came after to correct the historical narrative around the beginnings of gynecology. Michelle shares with us how she originally learned about the dark history of Anarcha, Lucy and Betsy and the inspiration to create a monument about the true founders of the field of gynecology. Not only is Michelle working to correct the history of gynecology, she discusses her progress and future plans to bring access, care, and healing to families and practitioners in the 21st Century, at the same site of the torture of Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy, the Mothers of Gynecology. In the words of Michelle, y'all ain't ready!

Trigger Warning: anti black racism, the use of the N-word, experimentation on enslaved women, sexual trafficking and sexual abuse, postpartum suicidal ideation.

Resources: Follow Michelle's Work Instagram: @anarchalucybetsey Twitter @mothersofgyno and on Facebook Sign up for Michelle's newsletter and learn more about the 2024 conference here https://www.anarchalucybetsey.org Read the following books:

• Say Anarcha by J.C. Hallman and check out his informative YouTube series here
• Take my Hand by Dolen Perkins and learn more about Relf Sisters here
• Medical Bondage by Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens
• Under the Skin by Linda Villarosa

Learn about Africatown Learn about what Evidence Based Birth is doing to fight racism and download free handouts here Read more reproductive justice research on EBB's Birth Justice page

In this episode of the EBB Podcast, we dive into the updated research on Nitrous Oxide. I discuss the following topics:

• What is Nitrous Oxide?
• How is it used?
• How commonly is Nitrous Oxide used around the world?
• How does Nitrous Oxide impact overall satisfaction in birth?
• What are the benefits of Nitrous Oxide?
• What are the risks of using Nitrous Oxide?
• And lastly, as always, we will discuss the bottom line!

Resources & References

For Practitioners

• Association of Ontario Midwives: Nitrous Oxide Tip Sheet

For Parents

• EBB videos/articles:
  • Painless Birth and Pain Perception During Childbirth
• EBB Podcast:
  • Episode 15: Nitrous oxide
• EBB Podcasts: Birth Stories (5 birth stories with nitrous)

• • Episode 76: Pushing Through Anxiety in Birth with Parent Emily Fleenor
  • Episode 147: Long Preterm Birth with Caitlyn Martens
  • Episode 158: Empowering Hospital Birth Experience during COVID-19 with Fiona and Craig Castleton
  • Episode 163: Stress and Anxiety During Pregnancy with Nathalie Walton, CEO of Expectful
  • Episode 202: A Fast First-Time Birth Experience with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Haley Grachico

• Other Resources: News Articles

• • Contemporary OB/GYN: Nitrous oxide's revival in childbirth
  • Cosmopolitan: Why I Used Laughing Gas to Ease My Labor Pain
  • The Atlantic: Using Laughing Gas to Relieve the Pain of Childbirth
  • The New York Times: The Rise of Laughing Gas in the Delivery Room
  • NPR: Laughing Gas Gives Women Another Option to Manage Labor Pain
  • NPR: Bill of The Month: $4,836 Charge for Laughing Gas During Childbirth Is No Joke
  • Today: Laughing gas for childbirth is on the rise in the US. What took so long?

References

For a full list for references, please access https://evidencebasedbirth.com/nitrous-oxide-during-labor/

In this episode we talk with Jessica King, an EBB Childbirth Class graduate, about their journey to parenthood and the importance of finding support networks before, during, and after pregnancy. Jessica grew up in Upstate New York and then moved to Boston to get her Master's in architecture. While in Boston, she met her wife and fellow upstate New Yorker, Sarah. They started working on creating their family three years ago, and they welcomed their daughter this past November! Jessica and Sarah are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor, Anna Sutkowski. Their family currently lives in St. Louis with their two dogs. Jessica and her wife, a surgical resident, decided to take the EBB Childbirth Class to ease their anxieties and demystify the process of labor and delivery. In this podcast episode, Jessica opens up about her family's struggles, setbacks, and joy in their journey from assisted reproduction to postpartum. Jessica also shares how she was able to use the skills and knowledge learned in the course to advocate for herself postpartum when she had difficulties with lactation and a postpartum mood disorder. We wrap up this episode by talking about how knowing you are not alone can make all the difference in the world. Trigger Warning: assisted reproduction, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), pregnancy loss, bleeding in pregnancy, epidurals, preeclampsia, newborn jaundice, and postpartum mood disorders. Resources: Learn more about Anna Sutkoski and her EBB Childbirth Class here

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Ready to get involved?

• Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here
• Find an EBB Instructor here
• Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On this episode the EBB Podcast, we talk with Brandi Jordan, the founder of The Cradle Company and the Dear Doula podcast, all about supporting infant mental health using a whole family approach. Brandi is a board-certified lactation consultant, pediatric sleep specialist, newborn care specialist, and a postpartum doula. Brandi's work as a consultant, parenting group leader and in-home practitioner have led her to develop a unique philosophy of gentle parenting techniques that are pragmatic, practical, and a healthy approach for the whole family. In 2018, Brandi founded the National Association of Birth Workers of Color and currently hosts the Dear Doula podcast. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California where she's also an adjunct faculty lecturing in infant mental health and culturally competent mental healthcare. Brandi talks with us about how to find our unique skills and assets to bringing our whole selves into birth work. Once you know what sets you apart, you can connect with the right clients for you to make this work more sustainable. Brandi believes that whatever you think might be your deficit in this work – is actually your assets – it is exactly the type of support certain clients will need. Additionally, she discusses the growing field of infant mental health and how we can support families across the spectrum of development and bring a more holistic and comprehensive approach, a whole family approach, to caring for infants in the prenatal and postpartum periods. Resources: Follow Brandi's work:

• Follow Brandi on Instagram
• Follow the Dear Doula podcast on Instagram here
• Listen to Rebecca Discuss Circumcision, Water Births, and Evidence Based Care on Brani's Dear Doula Podcast here
• Connect with the Cradle Company here

Listen to the following EBB Episodes:

• EBB 118 – How to Have a Healthy Postpartum Transition with Dr. Alyssa Berlin

In this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Cheyenne Varner, the founder of The Educated Birth, about intersectional reproductive health and the importance of birth education to be more inclusive and representative. Cheyenne, is a professional certified birth and postpartum doula and founder of The Educated Birth. The Educated Birth creates intersectional reproductive health education content, from online articles to social media posts to digital and print teaching tools for reproductive health workers. Cheyenne also publishes Everyday Birth Magazine, a print and digital magazine with the same mission to make information and education about pregnancy and postpartum more inclusive. Cheyenne shares her journey from nonprofit work to doula work to now finding herself as the founder of The Educated Birth and the publisher of Everyday Birth Magazine. We discuss the importance of how we talk about pregnancy, how it is shown in pop culture and how most often, images and stories of pregnancy and childbirth are not realistic, representative, or inclusive of real people and their communities. Cheyenne has a passion for making everyone feel safe, seen and protected during vulnerable times. This is evident in how she centers all of her projects in the support, protection and education of communities who have historically been excluded from storytelling and imagery within the birth space. Resources: Learn more about Cheyenne's work at · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth · Life's work Documentary Signup for one of Cheyenne's workshops here Follow Cheyenne's work on Instagram: · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth Support Cheyenne's work on her Patreon here Learn more about Roots Community Birth Center here Learn more about the Richmond Doula Project here

Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!!

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Ready to get involved?

• Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here
• Find an EBB Instructor here
• Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

In this Mini Q&A episode of the EBB podcast, I will be answering a variety of questions that have recently been asked of us, including: 1. What if my hospital won't let my healthy newborn go home before 48 hours? 2. Are modern ultrasounds better at detecting big babies? 3. What's the maximum time a vacuum can be used during a vacuum assisted delivery? 4. Does EBB have any new resources I should know about? References/Resources:

• Read the AAP Guidelines on Hospital Stays for Healthy Term Newborn Infants here
• Visit the NAABB here
• Read the U.S. Department of Labor article on the Newborns' and Mothers' Protection Act here
• Read the UpToDate article on vacuum assisted delivery (subscription only) here

Resources

• Read the New Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article on Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work (and links to all the free handouts) here
• Check out the EBB Pocket Guide to Interventions here
• Listen to the following EBB Podcast Episodes:
  • EBB Podcast 190 Updated Evidence on Big Babies here
  • EBB Podcast 244 Evidence on AROM, AVD and Internal Monitoring here
  • EBB Podcast 265 Evidence on Anti-Racism in Healthcare and Birthwork here
• Find an EBB Childbirth Class here

Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!!

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Ready to get involved?

• Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here
• Find an EBB Instructor here
• Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we will be sharing with you an excerpt from a live webinar featuring Dr. Rebecca Dekker all about debunking the myths of Premature Rupture of Membranes, GBS, & Waterbirth.

We discuss the following topics:

1. The Updated Evidence on Premature Rupture of Membranes - There are two new meta-analyses on GBS-- but they have limitations and cannot be applied to countries that screen and treat GBS. New guidelines are included from ACNM, ACOG & the Association of Ontario Midwives.
2. The myths on GBS - We review what the microbiome is, the influence of probiotics, and why antibiotics are used.
3. How Waterbirth can be used for labor - We covered the differences in association guidelines of waterbirth, as well as, reviewed the significant results for the risks and benefits of waterbirth from the largest and highest-quality study on waterbirth to date!

This is podcast breaks down the topics for parents and professionals to be informed and empowered!

LECTURE HANDOUTS

• For lecture handouts from the webinar, click here: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/GBS-PROM-Waterbirth-Webinar-April-2023-for-Handout.pdf

EBB SIGNATURE ARTICLES

• Evidence on Premature Rupture of Membranes https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-inducing-labor-water-breaks-term/
• Evidence on Group B Strep: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/groupbstrep/
• Evidence on Inducing for Due Dates https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducin...
• Evidence on Waterbirth https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/

EBB PODCASTS

• EBB 230 – An Inspirational Home Waterbirth Story with EBB Childbirth Class Parent Shelitha Owens
• EBB 223 – An Empowering Hospital Water Birth Story with Samantha Parker and Justin Fontaine
• EBB 261 – Mini Q&A on Group B Strep
• EBB 257 – The Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy: Part 2
• EBB 254 – The Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy: Part 1

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Association of Ontario Midwives on PROM: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/prom-term

Full list of References can be found on our blog post here.

Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!!

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on:

• TikTok
• Instagram
• Pinterest

Ready to get involved?

• Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here
• Find an EBB Instructor here
• Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Content warning: We will mention labor, medical interventions (i.e. antibiotics, epidural), hospital transfer, waterbirth, pain, premature rupture of membranes, gendered language, medications in labor, vaginal/pelvic birth, Group B Strep, inductions, cervical exams

May 17, 2023 - On today's episode we are honoring Pelvic Floor Awareness Month with a replay episode from one of our most popular episodes, an interview with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin all about pelvic floor health in both pregnancy and postpartum.

Content warning: discussion of sexual function and dysfunctions in plain terms.

In this episode, I will be talking with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin. Dr. Martin is a pelvic floor specialist for 13 years and now an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor. 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://www.facebook.com/aptapelvic/).
• Learn more about Herman & Wallace here (https://hermanwallace.com/). Follow Herman & Wallace on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/HermanandWallace/).
• Listen to recent EBB episodes about Pelvic Floor Health & Postpartum:
  • EBB 256 - Top 3 Recommendations for Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction after Birth with Dr. Sarah Duvall
  • EBB 264 - Top 3 Tips for Exercise in Pregnancy with Mamastefit

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/),
• Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.