Evidence Based Birth®

On this episode of the EBB podcast, I talk with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and founder of The Melanated Mammary Atlas®, all about cultural humility and educating clinicians and birth workers about identifying and diagnosing conditions that present in Black and Brown breasts/chests.   Nekisha Killings, holds a master's in public health (MPH) and is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). She's an equity strategist and maternal and child health advocate who speaks, teaches and facilitates on topics related to equity and dismantling bias across various sectors. She is also a director of equity, inclusion, and belonging with the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association and consults with organizations on implementing creative strategies to better support marginalized communities. As a leader in the field, she wrote the chapter titled Cultural Humility in the latest core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care and continues to wow audiences with new realizations that positively impact

In this episode of the EBB Podcast, I talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduates, Dr. Maria Rosselson and Nim Guttman their surprise pregnancy, and equally surprising home birth.   Dr. Maria Rosselson is a physician practicing as a board certified ophthalmologist in the Chicago area. Her husband, Nim Guttman, is an architect. They've been married since 2016 and live with their dog, Asher.   Maria and Nim share their experiences taking the EBB Childbirth Class and how it resulted in an evolution of thought for Maria as a physician and discuss extensively what it was like to surprisingly grow their family well after they thought that chapter of their lives was behind them. Their life took a surprising turn when they found themselves unexpectedly expecting their first child, a baby girl, in the Fall of 2022. Their baby's arrival into the world was just as unexpected, an unanticipated, unplanned, unmedicated home birth.   Content Warning: discussion of unplanned pregnancy, unplanned home birth, and a 911 cal

On this episode of the EBB podcast, we interview Hakima Payne, founder and executive director of Uzazi Village, about her creation of the Village Circle, an innovative Afrocentric model of prenatal and postpartum care.    Hakima Payne, holds a bachelor's in nursing and a master's in nursing education. She is the founder of Uzazi Village, a nonprofit working to eliminate maternal health disparities in African American communities, as well as the founder of The Village Doula Program, which is a community-based home visiting community health worker program for pregnant families. She also created Chocolate Milk Cafe, a breastfeeding support group for Black families, the Village Circle, which is an Afrocentric group prenatal care model, and a curriculum called Culturally Congruent Care, which is an anti-racist medical education curriculum. Hakima sits on her local Fetal Infant Mortality Review board to address Black infant mortality and has been appointed by her city's mayor to serve as a health commissioner. M

On this episode of the EBB Podcast, I am so excited to bring you brand new, evidence on premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at term!      We are releasing today’s episode to celebrate the update of our Signature Article on the Evidence on PROM.     In today’s episode, I am going to cover the following topics related to PROM: What are the membranes, and what does it mean to say they’ve “ruptured”? Membrane rupture can help prepare the body for the process of childbirth—but why? What is it like when your water breaks before labor? What are some risk factors that might increase the chances of your water breaking before labor? What is the “24-hour clock for PROM,” and where did it come from? If you have PROM, how long does it take for labor to start on its own? How are GBS and PROM related? What does the research evidence say on Induction versus Waiting for Labor for term PROM? What are the professional guidelines? What is the Bottom Line? Resources: For a full list of resources and references please

July 26, 2023 - For today's episode, we are highlighting one of our favorite podcast episodes with the replay of an interview with Lily Nichols, RDN, all about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Content warning: gestational diabetes, high-risk pregnancies, food insecurities, "failed diet therapy", NICU, and interventions On today’s podcast, we’re going to talk with Lily Nichols, RDN, about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Lily Nichols (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is 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 families, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have even influenced prena

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 bir

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 empower

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 lear

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 Natha

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 t

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 bi

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 childbi

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

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: 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. The myths on GBS - We review what the microbiome is, the influence of probiotics, and why antibiotics are used. 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 handou

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.jmmhea

On this episode of the Evidence Base Birth® Podcast, we talk with Barbie Christianson, RN all about fundal massage. We discuss what the evidence actually says about this routine procedure versus what happens in everyday practice, and why this practice continues to persist in routine preventative care.   Barbie Christianson is a nurse, community educator and advocate, as well as a parent of four young children. Their mission is to communally dismantle oppressive structures specifically in reproductive/perinatal healthcare while contributing to the expansion of existing Black and/or Indigenous led community-based care structures. Barbie’s special focus is on addressing and eliminating obstetric violence using trauma informed perinatal advocacy, care, and education.   Barbie shares her passion and skills in trauma informed care with our audience by sharing useful scripts for obtaining informed consent, explaining how to guide patients in their own assessments and massage, and offers many ways to maintain a calm

On this episode of the EBB Podcast, we talked with EBB Childbirth Class Graduates, Priscilla and Nathan Layman about how the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class prepared them for a home birth and their unexpected hospital transfer with a NICU stay.   Nathan and Priscilla are happy parents who live and work in San Antonio, Texas. Nathan is a pipeline engineer and Priscilla splits her time between caring for their 19-month-old daughter and providing part-time psychotherapy services, as a licensed clinical psychologist.   Join us as Nathan and Priscilla share their experience learning advocacy skills reviewed in the EBB Childbirth class and how they were used during their daughter’s unexpected NICU stay after their homebirth transfer. We also talk about their birth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how empowered they felt with their support team in birth and postpartum.   Content Warnings: 911 call, emergency transfer to the hospital for low oxygen state in a newborn, respiratory support for

On today’s episode we are celebrating the release of Part 3 of our BRAND NEW Signature Article, "The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work!" EBB Research Editor Ihotu Ali, the lead author on this paper, talks with Rebecca Dekker about how  Evidence-Based Equity Tools are solutions that can collectively move Black and Brown voices, leaders, innovative programs, accountability conversations, supportive funding, and legislation from the sidelines to the mainstream. You can find all three parts of our NEW Signature Article, The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work here: www.evidencebasedbirth.com/antiracism Join the conversation to learn more about: Equity vs equality and diversity vs mending broken relationships The Evidence Based Equity Triad The Midwifery Model of Care - What about midwives in birth centers or other community spaces Community-Based Doulas - Support and mentor a doula of color and expand sustainability of the doula profession through employee benefit models R

In this episode, we talk with Gina and Roxanne, the sister duo behind Mamastefit about how fitness can keep you comfortable and pain-free during pregnancy and birth.   Gina Conley and Roxanne Albert are the sister duo of MamasteFit. Together they offer childbirth education, specializing in labor and pelvic biomechanics and pre and postnatal fitness programming. Located in Aberdeen, North Carolina, you can train with them in person or you learn from them all over the world with their Instagram account and online classes. Additionally, Gina, has her master's in exercise science, runs the MamasteFit in-person perinatal fitness training facility and she discusses how she supports families as a birth doula. Roxanne, is a labor and delivery nurse, recently serving as a birth assistant in a freestanding birth center and tells us how being a student midwife influences her understanding of the body in birth.   Today, we talk with Gina and Roxanne about their own experiences being pregnant and how it inspired the

In this episode we talk with Sabia Wade about her new book, Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free.   Sabia Wade (she/ they) is the founder of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, an accessible and inclusive training program for community care workers, and the founder of For the Village, a nonprofit providing doulas at no or low cost to low-income and marginalized communities in San Diego, California, as a coach, board member, investor, educator, and programming development consultant for organizations throughout the birth and reproductive health space. Every part of Sabia's work centers on liberation of all people through Reproductive Justice.   Sabia talks with us about the process of writing a book for birth workers about Reproductive Justice and how we can create the future we want for all birth people. Sabia introduces us to the ideas of Birth Neoterism and Black Luxury. Through these key concepts, Sabia shares how we can learn from our history, find hope in our present and recr