Evidence Based Birth®

In this episode, I interview certified nurse midwife Olivia Favela-Gary. Olivia has been a CNM for over five years, and has been a registered nurse for 10 years. She currently practices in Los Angeles and Southern California in a Federally Qualified Health Center, and attends births in a hospital setting working mostly with underserved and high risk populations. She also frequently works as a first assistant for cesarean births. Olivia hosts the podcast This American Midwife, and is mom to a daughter and a son. 

Olivia reveals what it’s like to give care in the L.A. area, and the special needs required by people in vulnerable populations - such as immigrants, women who are trafficked and abused, or those who are homeless or drug addicted. 

We also discuss how to teach doctors about the midwifery model of care, and we cover the evidence on induction of labor.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: 

Contact Olivia via email ([email protected]) or Instagram.
 
Check out Olivia’s podcast, This American Midwife, on iTunes and at messy.fm.

For more information on inductions, visit the Evidence Based Birth® blog article on The ARRIVE Trial, as well as our Natural Labor Induction Series.

In this episode, I interview midwife and Evidence Based Birth Professional member Afua Hassan. Afua has practiced as a midwife since 1984. In 2011, she expanded her home birth practice and founded The Birthing Place, Houston's first freestanding birth center owned and operated by a black midwife. The name "The Birthing Place" was chosen by Afua in response to her observation that many women felt that they needed a hospital and a doctor to deliver babies. In her practice, Afua's philosophy is that the mother is the captain of the birth, the partner is the co-captain, and she - as midwife - is the advisor. As of today, she has assisted in nearly 1200 births. We discuss Afua's initiatives to educate women on the hospital system and the medical model of care, as well as the steps she is taking to support the women in her community.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: Learn more about Afua and The Birthing Place here. Check out her recent feature on the Today Show at the same link! You can also find The Birthing Place on Facebook and Instagram.

In this episode, I interview midwife and Evidence Based Birth Professional member Afua Hassan. Afua has practiced as a midwife since 1984. In 2011, she expanded her home birth practice and founded The Birthing Place, Houston’s first freestanding birth center owned and operated by a black midwife. The name “The Birthing Place” was chosen by Afua in response to her observation that many women felt that they needed a hospital and a doctor to deliver babies. In her practice, Afua’s philosophy is that the mother is the captain of the birth, the partner is the co-captain, and she - as midwife - is the advisor. As of today, she has assisted in nearly 1200 births.

We discuss Afua’s initiatives to educate women on the hospital system and the medical model of care, as well as the steps she is taking to support the women in her community.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: 
Learn more about Afua and The Birthing Place here. Check out her recent feature on the Today Show at the same link!

You can also find The Birthing Place on Facebook and Instagram.

In this episode, I interview Caley O'Brien about her empowering birth experience and being one of the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. Caley has been married to her husband Kent for two years, and they live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is now a stay-at-home parent to her baby Solomon, and describes herself as a "crunchy hippie". Caley and Kent took the EBB Childbirth Class with their local Instructor, Cat LaPlante. We discuss how Caley intentionally and strategically built trust with her hospital birth team, and the impact that had on everyone involved with the experience. While her birth was empowering and positive, Caley also shared some challenges and she and Kent were equipped to handle during labor.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class. We're hosting free webinars all about the EBB Childbirth Class on February 5 (for parents) and February 6 (for birth pros). Don't miss this behind-the-scenes tour - register here! To learn more about the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class, click here. To find an EBB Childbirth Class and Instructor near you, click here.

In this episode, I interview Caley O’Brien about her empowering birth experience and being one of the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. Caley has been married to her husband Kent for two years, and they live in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. She is now a stay-at-home parent to her baby Solomon, and describes herself as a “crunchy hippie”. Caley and Kent took the EBB Childbirth Class with their local Instructor, Cat LaPlante.

In this episode, I interview Nichole Croft and Todd Jackson of New Jersey. Their first baby was born in the summer of 2018, and they were among the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. They were taught by EBB Instructor Cat LaPlante, and were referred to the class by their doula after inquiring about pain management techniques. Listen as they describe their birth experience and how they utilized what they learned in their EBB class. From understanding the basics of natural birth, to learning about advocacy, comfort measures, birth planning and building relationship with hospital staff, Nicole and Todd felt confident and prepared for their birth.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: We're hosting free webinars all about the EBB Childbirth Class on February 5 (for parents) and February 6 (for birth pros). Don't miss this behind-the-scenes tour - register here! To learn more about the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class, click here. To find an EBB Childbirth Class and Instructor near you, click here.

In this episode, I interview Nichole Croft and Todd Jackson of New Jersey. Their first baby was born in the summer of 2018, and they were among the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. They were taught by EBB Instructor Cat LaPlante, and were referred to the class by their doula after inquiring about pain management techniques.

In this episode, I interview Michelle Wilson, one of the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. Michelle has one son, Matthew, and is a stay-at-home mom in Berea, Kentucky. Michelle and her husband Matt were very passionate about gathering as much information as possible prior to Matthew's birth. They chose to plan a natural childbirth in a hospital setting, and Michelle labored with non-drug comfort measures for nearly 24 hours. Circumstances eventually led the baby to be born via cesarean. While Michelle's c-section was an option she chose and was a good experience for her, she did end up with postpartum hemorrhaging.We discuss the evidence on postpartum hemorrhage in subsequent births, as well as the pros and cons of elective c-sections versus VBAC.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: We're hosting free webinars all about the EBB Childbirth Class on February 5 (for parents) and February 6 (for birth pros). Don't miss this behind-the-scenes tour - register here! To learn more about the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class, click here. To find an EBB Childbirth Class and Instructor near you, click here. California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative OB Hemorrhage Toolkit VBAC Facts Further studies to explore: Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention and Treatment Risk Factors for Severe Postpartum Hemorrhage After Cesarean Delivery: Case-Control Studies Guise 2010 meta-analysis for the AHRQ Landon et al. (2017) NIH (2010) Consensus Statement Association of Ontario Midwives VBAC Guidelines Landon et al. (2016). "What We Have Learned About Trial of Labor After Cesarean Delivery from the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Cesarean Registry." Seminar Perinatol Aug;40(5):281-6 Landon et al. (2004) Smith et al. (2002)

In this episode, I interview Michelle Wilson, one of the first parents to take the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. Michelle has one son, Matthew, and is a stay-at-home mom in Berea, Kentucky. Michelle and her husband Matt were very passionate about gathering as much information as possible prior to Matthew’s birth. They chose to plan a natural childbirth in a hospital setting, and Michelle labored with non-drug comfort measures for nearly 24 hours. Circumstances eventually led the baby to be born via cesarean. 

While Michelle’s c-section was an option she chose and was a good experience for her, she did end up with postpartum hemorrhaging.We discuss the evidence on postpartum hemorrhage in subsequent births, as well as the pros and cons of elective c-sections versus VBAC.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES: 

We're hosting free webinars all about the EBB Childbirth Class on February 5 (for parents) and February 6 (for birth pros). Don't miss this behind-the-scenes tour - register here!
To learn more about the Evidence Based Birth  Childbirth Class, click here.
To find an EBB Childbirth Class and Instructor near you, click here.
California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative OB Hemorrhage Toolkit
VBAC Facts
Further studies to explore:
Postpartum Hemorrhage: Prevention and Treatment
Risk Factors for Severe Postpartum Hemorrhage After Cesarean Delivery: Case-Control Studies
Guise 2010 meta-analysis for the AHRQ
Landon et al. (2017)
NIH (2010) Consensus Statement
Association of Ontario Midwives VBAC Guidelines
Landon et al. (2016). “What We Have Learned About Trial of Labor After Cesarean Delivery from the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Cesarean Registry.” Seminar Perinatol Aug;40(5):281-6
Landon et al. (2004)
Smith et al. (2002)

In this episode, I interview AnnaMarie and Drew Stoudenmire of Greenville, South Carolina. They are parents to Otto - their first baby - who at the time of recording was only seven weeks old. AnnaMarie and Drew took one of the first Evidence Based Birth Childbirth classes in the U.S., taught by EBB Instructor Mary Kury. They heard about the class from a nurse practitioner, who recommended Mary as a childbirth education instructor. Listen as AnnaMarie and Drew tell their exciting water birth story, and how they applied what they learned in their Evidence Based Birth Childbirth class as they rushed to their birth center!

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.