Too many moms and babies are dying in the US! Many of those tragedies are avoidable. We have seen this problem, talked about the problem, and yet, the problem still exists. Poor outcomes can happen because of lack of respect and not listening to what is being said by the patient, especially BIPOC patients.  

Today we are speaking to Dr. Renée Canady, a relationship-driven leader and author of the recently published book, “Room at the Table: A Leader’s Guide to Advancing Health Equity and Justice.”  She is recognized as a national thought leader in the areas of health inequities and disparities, cultural competence, and social justice. Dr. Canady has been highly influential in broadening the discussion of health equity and social justice while serving on numerous national boards, review panels, and advisory groups.  

We wanted to talk with her after we learned what she is doing to advance change for pregnant and birthing women and families in the Detroit area. Join us to learn about her leadership in bringing about positive change for birthing families. She left us with this thought: “Don’t get tired of doing the right thing. There will be a benefit to you, to me, and to generations if we don’t throw in the towel”.  

Listen and Learn: 

• What it means to look through an equity lens 

• How productive outrage and righteous indignation can make changes for the better 

• How these types of conversations impact the life expectancy of mothers and babies 

• Why we need to understand that the mom is the expert of the mom 

• What servant leadership has to do with positive change 

• The difference between power and empowerment 

• How understanding generational birth experiences can change the current culture of a mom and family 

Resources, Mentions & Related Products from InJoy 

More about Dr. Canady  

• To learn more about “Room at the Table,” click here. 

Podcasts 

• Getting Uncomfortable About Health Equity with Natalie Burke  

• Mama Bird: Serving the Community Through Compassionate Doula Services 

• Creating Breastfeeding-Friendly Communities  

Blogs 

• Language Justice: Perinatal Education in Multiple Languages Means Healthier Outcomes for All 

• Walking Across Kenya to Support Safe Births and Secure Families: Reflections and Lessons Learned  

Webinars 

• The Impact of Racism in Healthcare and the Perinatal Period – Part 1 

• The Impact of Racism in Healthcare and the Perinatal Period – Part 2 

Gestational diabetes changes the direction of many women’s pregnancies.  Once the determination is made, things are not so straightforward after that.  In this podcast we will explore how the path to birth changes once a diagnosis is made and what women can do to have a birth with as few complications as possible. We also look at what women can do to prevent the diagnosis in the first place. 

We discussed this important topic with Lily Nichols, who is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition guidance. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is the co-founder of the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy and the author of two books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily’s bestselling books have helped tens of thousands of mamas (and babies!). They are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses and have even influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally.  

Listen and Learn: 

• How women can change things in their lives to avoid gestational diabetes

• What impact exercise has on blood sugar levels 

• How much education most OBs/MFMs/FMOBs have in nutrition and gestational diabetes 

• What tests are currently used to look for gestational diabetes and how accurate they are 

• Why old standards of test outcomes are still in practice and what newer options are available that may be more predictive How the morning meal affects blood sugar levels 

Resources & Mentions: 

Lily Nichols’ Website  

Related Products from InJoy:

Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum

Understanding Birth Curriculum

Understanding Prenatal Nutrition 

When a mother has the devastating experience of leaving the hospital without a baby and perhaps only a memory box, many in our society expect them to get on with living and go back to their normal life.  But their life is changed forever, and many don’t recognize or acknowledge that. Today we will hear the story of grief, anger, a battle, and finally, a life’s purpose for one mother who had to walk this hard path. Through her mission, she struggled to get family leave extended to grieving parents, so no one would have to suffer as she did. She also discovered the importance of providing resources for self-care and connection to bereavement groups.

Elizabeth “Liz” O’Donnell is a steadfast infant loss advocate leading the charge in raising awareness and prevention of stillbirth and infant mortality. Her daughter, Aaliyah, was born still in 2020. Today, she runs a one-woman non-profit, Aaliyah in Action, keeping her daughter’s spirit alive, supporting mothers and families across the country who experience the pain of losing a baby, and advocating for legislation that could reduce the number of U.S. stillbirths. Liz is also a Director of Awareness for PUSH for Empowered Pregnancy, a grassroots initiative that advocates for evidence-based, respectful, and equitable maternity care aimed at preventing loss when possible. Before her advocacy work, Liz was a dedicated D.C. Public Schools elementary math and science schoolteacher for 7 years. 

Listen and Learn:

• What hospitals traditionally do when a baby is born still
• How it feels for one mom to leave the hospital with empty arms
• That some states give FMLA leave for the parents of loss, and some don’t
• Why Liz created this package for other grieving moms
• What is in the Self Care Box and why many hospitals now give out the boxes
• How you can share the importance of post-loss care with your hospital or agency

Resources & Mentions:

• Aaliyah in Action
• Push for Empowered Pregnancy
• Count the Kicks
• Elizabeth O'Donnell - [email protected]

Related Products from InJoy:

Guide to Grief and Healing After the Loss of Your Baby

Join us for the latest information on perinatal addiction.  We will explore the most commonly used substances that affect the lives of families and their babies during pregnancy and postpartum. We also discuss the new legislation in some states that has changed the way that parents with substance use issues are treated.  Since it’s been proven that punitive measures do not lead to change with people who have this complicated problem, new laws were put into place with the hope that women with substance use issues start prenatal care earlier. You’ll also learn how educators and other birth workers can offer resources for those who want to seek help.  

Our guest, Dr. Kaylin Klie, MD, MA is an addiction medicine specialist who works at UCHealth in Colorado as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry with a special focus on perinatal addiction. She is the founder of the Denver Health and University of Colorado OB Addiction Medicine clinics, which provide integrated peripartum care and substance use assessment and treatment for pregnant and mothering women.  Dr. Klie has been on a steering committee member for the State of Colorado Substance Exposed Newborn task force, and the co-chair for Provider Education. She served on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Maternal Mortality Review Committee, helping healthcare workers and the public understand the impact substance use continues to have on maternal morbidity and mortality in Colorado. 

Listen and Learn  

• How legislative changes for Colorado families include that substance exposure during a pregnancy alone is no longer automatically considered child abuse or neglect

• How a punitive response to substance use in pregnancy has negative health effects for families, instead of being helpful  

• What is meant by “context more than the toxicology” in helping to keep a plan of safe care for the family 

• That substance use covers a wide variety of products that people are addicted to 

• How to think about what kind of support a person who uses substances may need 

• When we welcome people with substance use into our services and classes, it helps them seek prenatal care rather than waiting due to fear 

Resources & Mentions

Get in touch with Dr. Klie:  [email protected] 

Related Products from InJoy

• Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum
• Understanding Birth Curriculum
• Understanding Breastfeeding Curriculum
• Alcohol & Pregnancy
• You Can Quit! How to Stop Smoking During Pregnancy
• Healthy Steps for Teen Parents 

Mama Bird Doula Services' mission is to improve the maternal health outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) and their babies in their community.  They believe that all birthing persons and their families should feel Safe, Seen, and Heard. Through lived experience, the founder of Mama Bird, Birdie Johnson, came to understand the importance of having complete support and information to make decisions for the best possible outcomes.  Knowing that this support and information is often missing, she made it her mission to be sure that others would have a better birth and postpartum experience than she had. Because knowledge is power, she set out to make the childbearing year better for those in her community.  

Today’s podcast includes the history of Mama Bird Doula Services as we visit with Felicia Hawkins, Director of Doula Program, and Emma Lemke, Director of Communications and Outreach.  Felicia is a seasoned healthcare professional and dedicated advocate for expectant mothers and Mama Bird’s Doula Mentor. With 24 years of dynamic patient/client care, a doula certification, and robust nursing expertise, Felicia brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to the organization. Her alignment with Mama Bird's mission of empowering BIPOC pregnant individuals for better birth outcomes further amplifies her impact as Mama Bird’s Doula Mentor.  Emma is a dedicated professional with a background in program management and volunteer coordination, driven by her fervent commitment to reproductive justice. Her unwavering commitment to reproductive justice, bodily autonomy, queer and trans liberation, and anti-racism is evident and aligns with Mama Bird’s mission of increasing visibility for families of color.  

Listen and Learn:  

• What gap was seen in maternity care for first black and then all people of color that Mama Bird aims to close  

• Who qualifies for the services Mama Bird Doula Services offers 

• What challenges or barriers do Mama Bird’s clients face 

• How the doulas who work with Mama Bird are trained 

• What the “Care-Team” model is  

• Who funds the work that the organization does 

• What makes Mama Bird's services different from other organizations 

• How listeners can create a program similar to Mama Bird in their own area 

Resources & Mentions: 

Mama Bird Doula Services 

InJoy Products: 

Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum

Understanding Birth Curriculum

Understanding Breastfeeding Curriculum

Understanding Your Newborn Curriculum 

For more than 40 years, the Nurse-Family Partnership has been improving the lives of first-time mothers and their babies! Nurses from the organization work with families for the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy until the baby reaches 2 years of age. You have probably heard of this community health program but may not have been sure of all they do.  Listen in to learn more about their successes with the more than 380,000 families that NFP nurses have served since 1996.  Perhaps some of your clients would benefit from the program! 

Our guests are Jane Pray, Sara Lynch, and Wendy O’Shea, who are all part of this program in various capacities.  Jane is a Director of Regional Nursing Practice at the National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership. She helps with vision and strategic planning for the Nursing Department.  Sara has worked for NFP for over 25 years. She is now the Senior Manager for Nursing Education.  She manages the nursing teams and facilitates education sessions and webinars. Wendy is a Senior Manager for Nursing Practice where she has worked for six years.  Before coming to NFP, Wendy was a nurse in maternal child health in Pennsylvania.  

Listen and Learn: 

• How the family leads the relationship with her nurse and how the organization is client-centered  

• What positive outcomes are reached with first-time families in the program, including decreasing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates, especially those that continue to work with their nurse for two years 

• How helping families be self-sufficient has broader economic benefits 

• How the Community Advisory Board in each town helps connect families with resources 

• Who is eligible to become a Nurse-Family Partner client 

• What additional services, beyond medical checks, NFP helps with 

• How cultural sensitivity is built into their training and displayed everyday 

Resources & Mentions:  

• More info on Nurse-Family Partnership  

• NFP Moms 

Related Products from InJoy:

• New Parent Clips
• Parenting BASICS
• Stages of Labor
• Understanding Birth Curriculum
• Understanding Breastfeeding Curriculum
• Understanding Fatherhood Curriculum

Most of us listening today live in a well-resourced country and have access to skilled obstetrical/perinatal care. Although we do not have a perfect healthcare system here in the U.S., it is hard to imagine the realities of birth in the places in Africa we are going to talk about today.  

When complications arise in the U.S. and other western countries, there are medications, supplies, and trained providers to respond in most cases.  But in Africa, there may not be any skilled birth attendants or the equipment they need to save lives during a birth if things go awry.  Many women receive little or no prenatal care. In fact, the lifetime risk of a woman dying from complications of childbirth in Africa can be as high as 1 in 38, compared to 1 in 7,500 in the U.S. Complications that may be handled without too much difficulty in a well-resourced country may lead to tragedy there.  

In this episode, we will hear firsthand about the challenging situations and needs that medical providers have in various places in Africa as we speak with Dr. George Mulcaire Jones, founder of Maternal Life International. He decided that something needed to be done to improve outcomes and save as many lives as possible, while respecting each area’s unique culture. Through his eye-opening stories of mothers’ experiences, we will explore practical solutions to improve outcomes and how we can all help, even though we may be worlds away.  

Dr. George Mulcaire-Jones is the founder and director of Maternal Life International.  He worked in Cameroon for two years with Mission Doctors Association and continues to work in various countries in Africa. He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed a family medicine program at the University of Minnesota and an obstetrical fellowship at Sacred Heart and Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Washington.  He practiced family medicine and obstetrics for 29 years in Butte, Montana.  In addition to his work with Maternal Life International, he is the project director for the Southwest Montana Community Opioid/Substance Use Coalition and has been a consultant for the Montana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. He and his wife Mary have 6 children and 10 grandchildren.   

Listen and learn: 

• Why Maternal Life International was born 

• How a stable family partnership impacts birth outcomes 

• How maternal death impacts more than just the lost mom and baby 

• Why having ultrasounds available increases the likelihood of getting other prenatal care 

• How in bringing medical provider training to locations in Africa, the teacher also becomes the learner 

• What the three “delays” are that impact outcomes 

• What causes stunting in children in Africa 

Join us in supporting Dr. George’s life-saving work in Africa! 

InJoy is honored to support the work of Maternal Life International (MLI). Their Safe Passages program is run by a very small team and can really use your help. Your donations will allow the program to purchase practical items to care for pregnant women in resource-scarce areas. 

Learn more and donate.

Resources:  

Maternal Life International – Safe Passages 

How can a free app help prevent over 30% of stillbirths in Iowa?  Join us as we discuss the amazing organization that founded the project now used by many pregnant people to do just that.  Megan will take us through the history of the organization and the development of the Count the Kicks app and other educational materials available on their website.  She will also share the background and definition of stillbirth.  The fact that stillbirth affects about 21,000 babies every year in the US should help us all understand how important it is to help parents take preventable measures whenever possible.   

Megan is the Program Director at Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the national non-profit organization that created the Count the Kicks evidence-based stillbirth prevention program.  She oversees the organization’s programming work, including grants, system and policy change work, and app development. Megan believes that knowledge truly is power. She used the Count the Kicks app during her pregnancies and has three healthy and rambunctious children. She is proud to be part of such an important organization with a powerful mission of saving babies. 

Listen and Learn:  

• How the lifesaving organization began 
• Which number is higher, stillbirth or deaths due to SIDS 
• What are the disparities in stillbirth for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families 
• Why number of kicks AND strength of kicks matters 
• How the app helps lower parents’ anxiety and helps them bond with their baby prenatally 
• When and how to download the app and to tell others how to do it 
• What languages the app is available in 
• How we can bring this subject up with pregnant families without planting scary ideas 
• Who should be talking about the Count the Kicks app 

Resources & Mentions:  

https://countthekicks.org/ 

Megan Aucutt’s contact info [email protected] 

Related Products from InJoy:

Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum

Understanding Birth Curriculum

About 10% of newborns will spend some time in the NICU, and you probably know at least one family who has spent time there. Join us for an inside look at the NICU with Megan Teague as she shares a vivid story of what caring for babies and families looks like on a daily basis.  You will learn how to incorporate information about a potential stay in the NICU into your interactions with pregnant families to make them aware but not overwhelmed. This information can also help you understand the scope of work that goes on in the NICU and how to support families with newborns in the NICU as they navigate their NICU journey.  

Megan Teague attended Regis University in Denver, CO where she graduated with a BSN in 2005. She has worked at Lutheran Medical Center her entire career, first as a mom/baby nurse and then in their Level 3 NICU for the past 17 years. She has an RNC certification for NICU, is a preceptor, and is a member of the unit-based council. Megan is also a supervisory RN at her children’s school, and she teaches several prenatal classes, including CPR/safety, grandparenting, and newborn care. Megan loves working in the NICU because it is the perfect mix of skills, advocacy, education, and emotional support.  

Listen and Learn: 

• How nurses can be an advocate for the babies in the NICU 
• How family-centered care impacts the NICU experience 
• How nurses and other professionals can respond to the actual needs of patients, including teaching, negotiating, and respecting their needs 
• What key information families need before bringing their babies home from the NICU 
• What Family Integrative Care is and how many take advantage of it 
• How lactation assistance helps make sure NICU parents who breastfeed succeed 
• The impact PMADs have on families in the NICU and other available resources 
• What is “NICU-itis” and how it can be overcome  
• What safe sleep looks like for a preemie in an open crib at home  
• How Recovery Nurse Advocates work with mothers who have substance use concerns 
• What NICU information should be shared in childbirth education classes, if any 

Resources: 

Nourish and Bloom Perinatal Behavioral Health Program:  [email protected] or call 303-318-2621 

Recovery Nurse Advocates: Michelle Dueto ([email protected]) and Stacy Hernandez ([email protected])  

Megan Teague can be reached at [email protected]  

Related Products from InJoy:

Understanding the NICU & Your Baby Curriculum

Join us to better understand the poignant topic of perinatal suicide.  Perinatal suicide is the leading cause of maternal mortality from pregnancy to 1 year after birth, accounting for 23% of all maternal deaths.  Listen to learn about the static risk factors that can increase the chance of suicide, along with.  some dynamic risk factors that may appear for the first time in pregnancy and postpartum. Understanding the warning signs is important for all who work with pregnant and new mothers/birthing persons.  In our role with families, what can we do to listen and refer them to the proper resources?  What types of resources are available in your area? 

Our guest, Lindsay G. Lebin, MD is a psychiatrist specializing in women’s behavioral health and consultation-liaison psychiatry. She received her MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She completed psychiatry residency at the University of Washington and a consultation-liaison psychiatry fellowship at University of California San Francisco. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include integrated care, psychosocial oncology, and reproductive psychiatry. She also engages in scholarly work in medical education and has presented nationally on various education-related topics.

Listen and Learn:

• Why suicide is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality
• How suicidal thoughts are common and occur across a spectrum of risk
• That screening for suicidal thoughts is an important first step and must be followed up by a risk assessment
• What range of interventions are available and what the protective factors for suicide are
• How safety planning and connection to care can be powerful interventions for many

Resources & Mentions: 

• Postpartum Support International Helpline – 800-944-4773 call or text Help to same number
• Postpartum Support International
• National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: https://mchb.hrsa.gov/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline
• Suicide screening tools: https://zerocuicide.edc.org/toolkit/identify/screen-options
• Colorado links, look for similar in your area:
• Postpartum Support International, CO Chapter http://www.postpartum.net/colorado/
• Parents Thrive Colorado: https://parentsthrive.org/resources/​
• Colorado Crisis Services: https://coloradocrisisservices.org/​
• University of Colorado Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Outpatient Clinic and Services

InJoy Products:

• Understanding Postpartum Health & Baby Care Curriculum
• Understanding Self Care After Birth Video Program & Web App
• Complete Postpartum Teaching Solution
• Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum
• Understanding Birth Curriculum