The Birth Ease Podcast

In her series on the pelvic floor, Michelle re-airs her fun and educational conversation with physical therapist, Susan Clinton, and Michelle discuss the profound connection between our pelvic floor and our voice. Susan explains how our pelvic floor functions, ways to become more aware of our pelvic floor muscles, and what a ‘kegel’ exercise or pelvic floor lift is and isn’t. (So many women are taught to do this exercise incorrectly.)  And, no, leaking urine is not just a normal part of pregnancy and birth! 

"A lot of mothers will come in and see me as a PT and say, "You know, I've been doing my pelvic floor exercises or kegels for a long time, and it's not helping." And sure enough they can actually lift their pelvic floor very nicely. But I notice that when they cough, that pelvic floor muscle isn't responding and coming up, or [if] they sneeze. You know, so it's not working when they need it. They can make it work, but what we want to do is make it work when we need it. We've got [to have] that pelvic floor coming up and reacting so that we don't leak [urine]."—Susan Clinton

About Susan:

Susan C. Clinton PT, DScPT, OCS, WCS, FAAOMPT, WHNC is an award-winning Physical Therapist in professional achievement and co-owner of Embody Physiotherapy and Wellness. She is an international instructor of post-professional education in women’s health (including GI issues in Women), orthopedic manual therapy, and business psychology. She is on Faculty at Andrews University in the Doctor of Science in PT program.  She serves as a Master Coach for the Integrative Women’s Health Institute and is an active professional/clinical mentor.  She is the co-founder and board member for the Global Women’s Health Initiative (GWHI) and is the Co-host of the podcast, “Tough to Treat” guide to treating complex patients and “The Genius Project” bridging pain science to clinical practice.

Connect with Susan:

Website:  www.embody-pt.com 

Email:  [email protected]

Facebook: Susan Coel Clinton

Twitter:  @SClintonPT

Instagram:  @sclintonpt

Linked In:  @susancclinton

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

To begin her series on the pelvic floor, Michelle re-airs this information packed conversation with Lynn Schulte, founder of The Institute for Birth Healing, regarding the ways pelvic health can enhance our body’s ability to give birth and heal postpartum. Lynn explains the physical mechanics of the pelvic joints, the pelvic bones, and pelvic floor muscles and how they are meant to work together for birth. Lynn shares why she doesn’t recommend doing lots of kegel exercises during pregnancy to prepare for birth, why coached “purple pushing” during birth is really counterintuitive to releasing the baby, and how the vocalizations in birth help relax the pelvic floor. She explains why the issues are in our tissues and how healing can occur swiftly when we listen to the patterns held within the pelvis. Lynn also shares about her yearly Birth Healing Summit which is a free online event for birth professionals. 

“...A lot of what we bring in our body to the pregnancy and to the birth can influence that birth. So there’s pre-existing things that a person might be carrying in their body that can influence whether or not that birth is going to go really smoothly or it’s gonna be more challenging.”—Lynn Schulte

About Lynn Schulte:

Lynn Schulte, BSPT, is a Women’s Health Physical Therapist with over 30 years’ experience and is the founder of the Institute for Birth Healing. She has been helping moms heal from all the multitude of issues women experience after birth and is now teaching courses to bodyworkers to help them do the same. She found a common birth pattern that shows up in the pelvis after birth and knows how to effectively release these patterns.She offers a certification process to help birth professionals to become Birth Healing Specialists.

Connect with Lynne Schulte:

Website: https://www.instituteforbirthhealing.com

Facebook:  @InstituteforBirthHealing 

YouTube: Institute for Birth Healing - Lynn Schulte, PT

Instagram: @Instituteforbirthhealing 

Central Florida Birth Healing Specialist:

https://www.thebalancedpelvis.com/

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

Listen in to the second part of Michelle’s conversation with Sabia Wade. Together, they explore the ways in which the current medical system is failing us from patient to physician and the reality that many birth professionals carry secondary trauma due to the hierarchical system and the very nature of birth itself. They discuss why self-care is a vital responsibility for all birth workers. Sabia encourages expecting families to demand and require curiosity from the providers and caregivers that are assisting them with their care. 

"For me, it is always important for anyone that I interact with to know that they are the expert of themselves. And that I am here to assist in whatever ways that I can. That's my job. That's who I am. I am never going to be the person who is the all-mighty knowing. But I can assist you in what you know about yourself. And I can assist you in learning new things about yourself, and you can assist me in learning more. That's the kind of energy that needs to be brought to birth work and just to people to people interactions."—Sabia Wade

About Sabia C. Wade:

Sabia is a radical doula, educator, doula business coach, reproductive justice advocate, and somatic practitioner in training that is elevating the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Sabia embraces the role as a liberator of self by equity, autonomy, and justice for every body!

In 2015, Sabia's doula journey began as a volunteer doula with The Prison Birth Project. In the role as a volunteer doula, Sabia assisted incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents, as well as parents in recovery for two years. In these two years, Sabia gained knowledge not only about birth but also about topics such as obstetric violence, the Black maternal crisis, and reproductive justice. That experience has been the foundation of who Sabia is, all that Sabia does, and who Sabia is becoming.

In 2018, Sabia founded the nonprofit organization, For The Village, a community doula program that provides free and low-cost doula services to underrepresented communities. They are currently partnered with Project Concern International and Birth Roots Birth Center to better outcomes for Black birthing people in San Diego, CA.

Sabia's experience and knowledge inspired the creation of the Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT) in 2019. The goals of BADT are bringing necessary education to birth workers seeking to go beyond the standard doula role and into advocacy for the underrepresented and increase accessibility to BADT by creating an online platform, as well as providing affordable options to participating birth workers. 

In 2020, Sabia officially started the training to become a Somatic Experience Practitioner with the Somatic Experience Trauma Institute (SETI) after embodying the practice into her own life for about two years, and is now a proud member of the board of directors for SETI.  

Connect with Sabia Wade:

Websites: https://theblackdoula.com/,   https://www.badoulatrainings.org/

Facebook:  @doulasabia, @birthingadvocacy

Instagram: @theblackdoula, @birthingadvocacy

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Show:  Birth Ease

Listen in to part 1 of this 2 part conversation as Sabia Wade shares how the mix of birth, trauma, anti-racism, and advocacy has brought purpose and drives Sabia's mission for equity, autonomy, and justice for every body and the revolutionary projects she is up to. Together Michelle and Sabia discuss the importance of being your full self as a birth worker and remembering to openly focus on the spaces that fill you with joy. They explore the shifts that are happening within the birth community, why it is a disservice to those we serve if we avoid harder conversations, the reality that  everyone deserves to be seen, and why trusting relationships are paramount to affecting change.

"Really what I like is birthing new aspects of people. Really what I like is holding space for people. Really what I like is celebrating and being present for the good and bad. ... I try to put it out there to be my full self so that people can come to me as their full selves and know that I can hold that space because I, too, am a full person."—Sabia Wade

About Sabia C. Wade:

Sabia is a radical doula, educator, doula business coach, reproductive justice advocate, and somatic practitioner in training that is elevating the voices and experiences of marginalized communities. Sabia embraces the role as a liberator of self by equity, autonomy, and justice for every body!

In 2015, Sabia's doula journey began as a volunteer doula with The Prison Birth Project. In the role as a volunteer doula, Sabia assisted incarcerated and formerly incarcerated parents, as well as parents in recovery for two years. In these two years, Sabia gained knowledge not only about birth but also about topics such as obstetric violence, the Black maternal crisis, and reproductive justice. That experience has been the foundation of who Sabia is, all that Sabia does, and who Sabia is becoming.

In 2018, Sabia founded the nonprofit organization, For The Village, a community doula program that provides free and low-cost doula services to underrepresented communities. They are currently partnered with Project Concern International and Birth Roots Birth Center to better outcomes for Black birthing people in San Diego, CA.

Sabia's experience and knowledge inspired the creation of the Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings (BADT) in 2019. The goals of BADT are bringing necessary education to birth workers seeking to go beyond the standard doula role and into advocacy for the underrepresented and increase accessibility to BADT by creating an online platform, as well as providing affordable options to participating birth workers. 

In 2020, Sabia officially started the training to become a Somatic Experience Practitioner with the Somatic Experience Trauma Institute (SETI) after embodying the practice into her own life for about two years, and is now a proud member of the board of directors for SETI.  

Connect with Sabia C. Wade:

Websites: https://theblackdoula.com/,   https://www.badoulatrainings.org/

Facebook:  @doulasabia, @birthingadvocacy

Instagram: @theblackdoula,  @birthingadvocacy

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Show:  Birth Ease

Listen in as Amy Gendron shares with Michelle the ways in which Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture support families when they want to conceive a child and during postpartum recovery. Amy explains the vital importance of nutrition to nourish, support, and rebuild the body after birth and the role placenta encapsulation can play in that. Together they stress the cultivating  of community and putting a plan in place to receive non-judgemental help and support after the baby is born. 

"There's a few different mechanisms that they can demonstrate with western research what acupuncture does and it releases endorphins, it boosts the immune system, and it regulates inflammation. … In particular postpartum, what mother doesn't want immune system supported, what mother doesn't want her inflammation, you know, her healing mechanisms to be working, and what mother does not want feel-good hormones floating through her? It's really great at regulating everything."—Amy Gendron

About Amy Gendron: 

Amy began her journey in holistic health as a personal trainer, mentored by a black belt martial artist. Amy specializes in sports medicine, cosmetic acupuncture, and women’s health. She has trained as a doula, and in 2013 she traveled to China completed an externship which included herbal medicine for women’s health with nationally renowned Dr. Shui. Last year, Amy was one of the few American physicians invited to attend a Physiological Regulating Medicine program in Milan, Italy. Amy’s approach to healing empowers her patients to live with vitality, by integrating the best wellness and medical practices. She works as a specialty physician in several clinics in Central Florida area.

Connect with Amy Gendron:

Website: www.amygendron.com

Instagram: @acu_amy_g

Facebook: Amy Gendron, AP

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease  Placenta Services

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

Listen in as Jasmine Katatikarn shares her almost 6-year long fertility journey with Michelle. Together they discuss how difficult and lonely infertility can be for so many, the importance of advocating for yourself, as well as finding someone to talk to or a way to process and release the feelings and emotions such as grief, loss, guilt, and shame that often accompany infertility. Jasmine also explains when she was at the lowest point in her fertility journey, she decided to apply the creative and strategic mindset that she uses in her career as an artist. From this mindset, she created The FREEdom Method Fertility Training which assists other women on their fertility journey by helping them to  Find their core values, Reframe their challenge, Exploring creative solutions, and Execute their plan. 

"That's also like another part of the fertility journey. It's this roller coaster. It's this emotional roller coaster of like ups and downs where you get completely deflated after, you know, a failed cycle. Because you have your hopes up, and then, the big thing about fertility is, and that is why people often say fertility warriors, is cause we have to pump ourselves back up. It is like, not only are you alone in your journey, but like you go through these huge devastions. You can't wallow in it…because you have to keep up hope. And, it's hard."—Jasmine Katatikarn

About Jasmine Katatikarn: 

Jasmine is a computer animation artist and certified life coach living in New York City. After nearly six years of trying to conceive, she was given the crippling news that she would have less than a 1% chance of having a biological child. At one of the lowest points in her life, Jasmine realized that she could begin to approach her fertility journey from the mindset she uses as an artist. A mindset that combines creative reframing, problem-solving, and action always to ensure forward movement. 

Now a mom to two miracle children, Jasmine now teaches this same artist's mindset to help others find control in their fertility journey. She is the founder of The FREEdom Method fertility training which helps women release the emotions, stress, and pure exhaustion of their fertility journey easily by approaching it with a mindset of an artist so they can live a life where no obstacle will ever get in their way of being “happy.” Jasmine has been featured on various fertility organizations like @wearerobyn, and @resolveorg during Infertility Awareness Week 2020. 

About Jasmine Katatikarn: 

Book a Free 30-minute Strategy Call (limited availability): https://jazzkatat.com/call/

FREE Fertility Training: https://bit.ly/FertilityTraining

Instagram: https://bit.ly/jazzkatat_Instagram

YouTube: https://bit.ly/jazzkatatYouTube

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

As we move into November, Michelle finishes up her series honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness with this tender conversation with Heidi Faith, president and CEO of Stillbirthday. Heidi shares her very personal journey that led her to found Stillbirthday Global Network, which is an internationally trusted benevolent organization whose philanthropic mission is simply to doula: to nurture sources of perinatal bereavement, strengthen skills of healthcare professionals and increase healthy engagement of perinatal related needs among communities. Together Heidi and Michelle discuss the depth of the resource that Stillbirthday is for families experiencing baby loss and for professionals alike, suggestions for supporting a bereaved mother,  the ways in which grief is like a tapestry,  and a reminder that it is okay to be vulnerable and go slowly when navigating grief.  

“A woman experiences a miscarriage literally every minute. Every minute in just the US alone.”—Heidi Faith

About Heidi Faith:

Heidi is an international speaker and the founder, president, and CEO of Stillbirthday, which is the legacy of her fourth child, who died and was born in the first trimester on April 19, 2011. The vision for Stillbirthday is not only deeply personal, intimate and closely special, but is here to spread our paradigm globally of truly understanding the importance and sacredness of the places where birth and bereavement meet. With a background in social work and counseling of abused and at-risk youth, when Heidi became pregnant with her first child she felt her calling shift to clinical perinatal psycho-spiritual therapy and birth support work.

As an Emergency Services Chaplain and certified Grief & Loss Coach, Heidi completed her studies through the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and is a member of the American Academy of Christian Counselor’s (AACC) Grief, Crisis and Disaster division.

Heidi holds certificates through Cascade Christian Childbirth Association in birth education and labor support and is a member of the International Christian Childbirth Coalition.  As a double certified crisis pregnancy counselor in pre- and post-abortive counseling, she began the Newborn Adoption Doula Network, which provides birth support to families experiencing the transition of fostering or adoption.  Heidi has received additional training through Kansas City Hospice and Palliative Care, and Hospice Foundation of America’s Hospice Clergy End-of-Life Education Project. Her long term goal is to open Stillbirthday Palliative Birth Center.

Contact Heidi:

Website: stillbirthday.com

Facebook: stillbirthday.com

Instagram: @stillbirthday

Contact Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

In this special episode honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Michelle continues her  conversation with Gary Vogel, LMHC perinatal grief expert and founder of HEAL, a Central Florida support group for bereaved parents. Gary shares the beautiful story of The Angel of Hope and how we here in Central Florida acquired our own statue. Together they discuss the vital role of the validation of our grief experience, feelings, and emotions plays; the impacts of the word “should” and the shame it can create; how grief is transformational; and how our US culture no longer has outward signs of bereavement and the value that can bring.   

"I think as a culture, we've gotten much, much better at recognizing that this is something that does take place. The reality is that every year in the United States approximately one million families will experience a pregnancy loss."—Gary Vogel

About Gary Vogel, LMHC:

Gary is Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has been in private practice since 1980 in the Central Florida area. His specialties include dealing with anxiety and depression, addictions, grief & loss (especially the loss of a child), post-traumatic stress, and general "life adjustment".

As a Clinical Psychotherapist and through his own personal experience of losing his daughter, Chelsea, to stillbirth, Gary has helped thousands of parents struggling with the loss of a child.

Gary has been facilitating the support group HEAL (Helping Endure InfAnt Loss) for couples who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss since 1991. He has written three books on the subject of perinatal and neonatal loss. Gary has testified to House and Senate Subcommittees concerning legal issues surrounding these losses. He has lobbied in the state legislature for the passage of a bill to allow parents of a stillborn to receive a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth. The bill was unanimously passed into law in 2006. Gary has appeared on national and local television, and has traveled across the country speaking on the unique issues experienced by parents who have incurred the loss of a child. Gary is proud to be a member of the Board of Directors for the SIDS Alliance of Florida.

Gary feels his greatest achievement is bringing the Angel of Hope to Central Florida, which hosts two ceremonies a year at our site, one on October 15th, a National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy & Infant Loss, and December 6th, a day of remembrance at all Angel of Hope sites for parents who have lost a child. 

Resources:

HEAL: Helping Endure infAnt Loss Support Group

Link:   Helping Endure Infant Loss (HEAL)

Angel of Hope Central Florida: 

Facebook: @AngelofHopeCFL

Website: https://angelofhopecfl.wordpress.com/

Grief Resources:

https://www.birtheaseservices.com/baby-loss-grief-resources

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

In this special episode honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Michelle has a two part conversion with Gary Vogel, LMHC perinatal grief expert and founder of HEAL, a Central Florida support group for bereaved parents. Together they discuss how the loss of a child disrupts our perception of the natural order of things, what grief is and isn't, and the 3 tasks of grieving. Gary shares that the trauma associated with the sudden loss of a child qualifies many bereaved parents for the diagnosis of  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and a part of their journey of dealing with their loss is working through that PTSD component. Because of the enormous impact perinatal loss has on a relationship, the divorce rate after the loss of a child is twice the national average. Gary explains that everyone’s journey through grief is unique to them, and couples can and do grieve differently. Understanding these differences helps prevent miscommunication and misunderstandings that can happen when one partner imposes their grieving style on the other partner. The experience of losing a child has the capacity to either tear the relationship apart or make it stronger.

"And I think one of the biggest components of that [what grief is and what grief isn't] is that most people have the thought that grieving is about death, and it is not. That is actually a fallacy. That is actually a myth. Grieving is not about death, it is about loss. ...The intensity of our grief is directly proportional to the value to us of who we lost."—Gary Vogel

About Gary Vogel, LMHC:

Gary is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and has been in private practice since 1980 in the Central Florida area. His specialties include dealing with anxiety and depression, addictions, grief & loss (especially the loss of a child), post-traumatic stress, and general "life adjustment".

As a Clinical Psychotherapist and through his own personal experience of losing his daughter, Chelsea, to stillbirth, Gary has helped thousands of parents struggling with the loss of a child.

Gary has been facilitating the support group HEAL (Helping Endure InfAnt Loss) for couples who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss since 1991. He has written three books on the subject of perinatal and neonatal loss. Gary has testified to House and Senate Subcommittees concerning legal issues surrounding these losses. He has lobbied in the state legislature for the passage of a bill to allow parents of a stillborn to receive a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth. The bill was unanimously passed into law in 2006. He has appeared on national and local television, and have traveled across the country speaking on the unique issues experienced by parents who have incurred the loss of a child. Gary is proud to be a member of the Board of Directors for the SIDS Alliance of Florida.

Gary feels his greatest achievement is bringing the Angel of Hope to Central Florida, which hosts two ceremonies a year at our site, one on October 15th, a National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy & Infant Loss, and December 6th, a day of remembrance at all Angel of Hope sites for parents who have lost a child. 

Resources:

HEAL: Helping Endure infAnt Loss Support Group

Link:   Helping Endure Infant Loss (HEAL)

Central Florida and Online Baby Loss Support Resources: 

https://www.birtheaseservices.com/baby-loss-grief-resources

Angel of Hope Central Florida: 

Facebook: @AngelofHopeCFL

Website: https://angelofhopecfl.wordpress.com/

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupport

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease