Evidence Based Birth®

On today's podcast we talk with Haley Grachico about her intense, fast birth experience at a freestanding birth center. Haley and her husband, Dr. Ismael, are graduates of the EBB Childbirth Class. Iz completed his general surgery residency at Oregon Health and Science University just 13 days before their daughter Josefine's arrival. A week after Josefine was born, the Grachico family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, where Is joined a private practice general surgery group. Haley is enjoying time with Josefine and their two dogs, Duke and Bentley. Haley has since then started a new parents group in town and is exploring options to possibly become a doula and to support families in a different way in their new community. We talk about Haley and Dr. Iz's experience taking the EBB Childbirth Class, and the importance of them having a doula to help with their different perspectives on birth and medicine. We also talk about Haley's intense, fast birth and how the influence of her empowering birth support inspired her in wanting to become a future doula to support other families in her community. RESOURCES: Learn more about the Oregon parenting group, "The Parent Trip" here. Listen to EBB 15 on nitrous oxide here. View our YouTube video on nitrous oxide here. Learn more about the third stage of birth from our signature article here. Learn more about HypnoBirthing here. 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast we're going to talk with Paula Richards about advocacy work as a trauma-informed nurse educator. Paula Richards (she/her) is a perinatal nurse and nurse educator who likes to nerd out about OB-related nursing professional development on Instagram under the handle @NurseBrownGirl. Paula joined the Evidence Based Birth® Instructor program in the spring of 2020 and she's also a guest teacher in the videos of our Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class where we talk about interventions during childbirth. We talk about Paula's journey to become a nurse and her experience of unlearning traumatic childbirth practices that are problematic and harmful for birthing people. We also talk about the gap between evidence, human rights, and actual practice, as well as the need for more ethical nurse education. Content warning: We will talk about traumatic childbirth and obstetric abuse. This episode also contains strong language, swear words, and how binary language/terminology is routinely used in labor and delivery. If you'd prefer to read a transcript without swear words you can find that on our blog here. RESOURCES: Learn more about Paula Richards on Instagram here. Learn more about The Business of Being Born here. Learn more about "Are There Benefits to Uterine Massage in the Third Stage of Labor" here. Learn more about the Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) here. Learn more about "white supremacy culture" by Tema Okun here. Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here. Learn more about Mandy Irby of The Birth Nurse here. Learn more about Maggie Runyon of Your Birth Partners Podcast here. 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's episode, we celebrate our 200th episode on the Evidence Based Birth®podcast, where Ihotu Ali, EBB Research Associate, will be talking with our founder, Rebecca Dekker, about solidarity in birth work. In this episode, Ihotu asks Rebecca about her cultural upbringing, and Rebecca reflects candidly on racism and cultural differences she witnessed as a child growing up in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. We also explore the harmful impacts of white privilege and white supremacy on birth and reproductive justice work, as well as oppressive agendas that harm communities of color and other marginalized communities. Ihotu and Rebecca also talk about solutions such as doing inner work, educating yourself, understanding your ancestry, creating solidarity with those from other cultural groups, protecting Black women and girls (vs. being a savior), and being aware of how your actions and words may have harmed people from marginalized groups. Content warning: We mention racism, white supremacy culture (including aspects of anti-black white supremacy), the uprisings in Minneapolis, the murder of George Floyd, racialized violence against Black communities. RESOURCES: Listen to EBB 143 - "Birthing in a World with Reproductive Justice" here. Listen to EBB 199 - " Writing about Racism's Effects on Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes" here. Learn more about "Readings For Diversity And Social Justice" by Maurianne Adams, Warren Blumenfeld, Carmelita Rosie Castaneda, Heather Hackman, Madeline Peters, and Ximena Zuniga here. Learn more about Minnesota Healing Justice Network here. Learn more about the Oshun Center for Intercultural Healing here. Learn more about Ijeoma Oluo here and "So You Want To Talk About Race" here. Learn more about Ibram X. Kendi's "So You Want To Be Antiracist" here. Learn more about Tema Okun's "Aspects of White Supremacy Culture" here. Learn more about Dr. Sayida Peprah here. 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Ihotu Ali, MPH, who is writing about research on the effects of racism on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Ihotu ("love" in the Idoma language) (she/her) is a prenatal and Maya Abdominal massage therapist with a Master's in Public Health, and a doctoral student in Chiropractic Medicine. Ihotu is the granddaughter of a traditional Nigerian Chief, of Polish-Irish farmers, is a graduate of Columbia University. Ihoutu also conducted maternal health research with the United Nations before becoming a doula in 2011. Fascinated by the connections between western and traditional medicine, Ihotu spent a decade studying Afro-Indigenous and global cultural practices for childbirth, ancestral, and womb healing, which she is now alongside medical training in chiropractic care and the neuroscience of spirituality and meditation. Ihotu is the co-founder of the Minnesota Healing Justice Network, featured in Rolling Stone Magazine for their focus on rest for residents and healers through the 2020 Uprising. In response to burnout among healers, Ihotu formed the Oshun Center for Intercultural Healing - an interracial collective offering support to apprentices, as well as public courses on decolonizing and democratizing medicine and small business. Ihotu teaches on cultural birth and bodywork, appropriation, racism in health care, allyship, and economic justice tools like the sliding scale fee. In this podcast episode, we talk about Ihotu's shift towards researching the effects of racism on pregnancy and birth outcomes. We also talk about how Ihotu practices self-care as a researcher of heavy topics, and the scope of our upcoming EBB Signature Article which will cover the history of racism and the evidence on racism's effects on preterm births, low birth weight, and perinatal mortality. Content Warning: We mention racism, preterm birth, police violence, COVID-19, maternal-infant death, and other adverse health outcomes. RESOURCES: Learn more about Ihotu Ali here and The Oshun Center here. Learn more about the Minnesota Healing Justice Network here. Follow the Minnesota Healing Justice Network on Facebook and Instagram. Listen to EBB 143, "Birthing in a World with Reproductive Justice" here. Learn more about Ancient Song here. Follow Ancient Song on Instagram and Facebook. Learn more about Dr. Rachel Hardeman and the Roots Community Birth Center here. Learn more about Dr. Hardeman's research here. Read Dr. Hardeman's Stolen Breaths here. Learn more about Dr. Sayida Peprah here. Learn more about Black Mamas Matter Alliance here. Learn more about the Momnibus Act bill here. Learn more about the Medicaid Postpartum Expansion here. Listen to EBB 187 with Dr. McLemore and Dr. Taylor here. Learn more about Jennie Joseph here. Learn more about Commonsense Childbirth here. Learn about "The JJ Way: Community-Based Maternity Center Evaluation Report" here. Listen to EBB 136 here. 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Exploring the history of anesthesia and food during labor, challenging NPO policies, discussing bodily autonomy and the impact of medical interventions on eating. Delving into the risks of aspiration during childbirth, advancements in anesthesiology, and evolving hospital policies on food intake.

On today's episode, we have EBB podcast coordinator, Mystique Hargrove, talking with the co-founders of the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color, Divya Kumar, Jabina Coleman, and Desirée Israel. Divya Kumar (she/her) is a psychotherapist for And Still We Rise, LLC, and a licensed certified social worker. Ms. Kumar is also a certified lactation counselor and holds a certification in perinatal mental health from Postpartum Support International. Ms. Kumar specializes in perinatal mental health for BIPOC individuals, people who identify as first and, second-generation immigrants, and people who have experienced trauma as they navigate the transition to parenthood. Jabina Coleman (she/her) is a "United States Breastfeeding Committee Cultural Change Maker" awardee and a dynamic regional speaker. Jabina is a licensed social worker, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and is the creator of "Everyone Wants to Hold the Baby, Who Will Hold the Mother?" a call to action highlighting the lack of support Black birthing people are receiving before, during, and after pregnancy, as well as to educate birth workers, families, and communities on the importance of advocacy for equitable and safe perinatal health practices. Desirée Israel (she/her) is a licensed clinical social worker, reproductive psychotherapist, herbalist, certified breastfeeding specialist, and trained birth worker specializing in perinatal mental health, reproductive justice, and the Black birthing experience. She is devoted to the liberation of ALL Black families of the Diaspora by using African-centered modalities and rituals to achieve holistic wellness. Additionally, Desirée is a co-founder of the Bloom Collective, a liberation-focused reproductive justice space serving Baltimore City. They talk about how they co-created the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color through their experience of seeing the lack of people of color in the perinatal mental health profession. They also talk about emphasizing the needs of communities of color regarding postpartum wellness. Content warning: They will talk about postpartum depression, postpartum mental health, perinatal mortality, and morbidity. RESOURCES: Learn more about the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color (PMHAPOC) here (https://linktr.ee/pmhapoc). Follow PMHAPOC on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pmhapoc/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pmhapoc). Learn more about Divya Kumar here (http://www.divyakumar.org/). Follow Divya on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bothbrownand_). Learn more about Jabina Coleman and The Lactation Therapist here (https://www.thelactationtherapist.com/). Follow The Lactation Therapist on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thelactationtherapist). Learn more about Desirée Israel and The Bloom Collective here (https://www.motherlandco.com/). Follow The Bloom Collective on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bloominbaltimore). Learn more about Postpartum Support International (PSI) here (https://www.postpartum.net/). Learn more about The Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression here (https://www.mass.gov/doc/ellen-story-commission-on-postpartum-depression-presentation-482019-0/download). Learn more about National Perinatal Task Force here (https://perinataltaskforce.com/). Learn more about Jennie Joseph here (https://jenniejoseph.com/) and here (https://commonsensechildbirth.org/). Listen to Jennie Joseph's EBB podcast interview here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/solutions-for-the-crisis-in-american-maternity-care-with-jennie-joseph/). Learn more about the Patient Healthcare Questionaire-2 (PHQ-2) here (https://www.chpscc.org/_literature_243927/The_Patient_Health_Questionnaire_(PHQ-2)) and here (https://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/practice-settings/assessment/tools/patient-health). Learn more about Graeme Seabrook here (https://www.graemeseabrook.com/). 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Brittany Sharpe McCollum about pelvic biomechanics, movement, and fetal positioning during labor. Brittany Sharpe McCollum, CCE(BWI), CD(DONA), CLC (she/her) is the owner of Blossoming Bellies Wholistic Birth Services in the greater Philadelphia PA area, providing childbirth education classes, birth doula services, and dynamic labor support and pelvic biomechanics training workshops for both professionals and expectant parents. Brittany is a sought after guest at many international childbirth related conferences, including a standing room only presentation at the Evidence Based Birth conference in 2019. In this episode, we talk about the importance of movement in birth, and the best ways to facilitate fetal positioning within the pelvis. Brittany takes a deep dive into incorporating positions and movement with the use of epidurals, her "5-4-3" rule, why subtle movements can make a big difference during labor, and how understanding pelvic biomechanics is a key to minimizing interventions during birth. RESOURCES: Read the EBB Signature Article on the Evidence on Birthing Positions at https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birthingpositions Visit Brittany Sharpe McCollum's website here: www.blossomingbelliesbirth.com Sign up for Brittany's upcoming Fetal Positioning workshops here You can also buy "Baby Got VBAC: An Inspiring Collection of Wisdom for Better Births After a Cesarean" here For parents, sign up for Brittany's free webinar "Practical Pushing: Efficiency and Well-Being in Labor's Second Stage" Follow Brittany on Instagram @blossomingbelliesbirth 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Rose Rankin about grief and healing through pregnancy and infant loss. Rose Rankin (she/her) is a full spectrum doula from Brooklyn, New York, who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rose focuses her work on parents who are experiencing a loss, have a pregnancy with a child who is incompatible with life, or have a child with a terminal condition. Rose has been on the other side of this work numerous times before and her mission is to provide the care that we sometimes never knew we needed when we are grieving. We talk about Rose's personal experience of pregnancy and infant loss, and how it inspired her to become a Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) doula. We also talk about Rose's experience as a PAIL doula for her community and how to better support those who have experienced loss during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Content warning: We will mention grief, pregnancy complications, stillborn birth, miscarriage, late-term loss, and infant loss. RESOURCES: Learn more about Rose Rankin on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/tranquildoulaservices/). 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

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 prenatal nutrition policy internationally. In this episode, we talk about the difference between eating real food and processed food in pregnancy, and the best ways to use nutrition to "stack the deck in your favor" for a lower-risk, healthier pregnancy. Lily talks candidly about the gap between evidence and nutritional practice, the importance of protein and choline in pregnancy, and why blood sugar management is so important in pregnancy. If you'd like to watch a video of this interview, just visit the EBB YouTube channel here! Or visit our webpage for the transcript. Resources: Read the Evidence Based Birth article on Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes at https://ebbirth.com/diagnosinggdm Visit Lily Nichols' website here: https://lilynicholsrdn.com Find the books "Real Food for Pregnancy" and "Real Food for Gestational Diabetes" on Amazon or wherever books are sold! You can also buy "Real Food for Pregnancy" at Lily's shop here Read Lily's article about protein in pregnancy here: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/protein-requirements-pregnancy/ Read Lily's article about 9 Myths about Gestational Diabetes: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/9-gestational-diabetes-myths/ Visit the Women's Health Nutritional Academy here: https://whnacademy.com/ Join Lily's Gestational Diabetes course here: http://realfoodforgd.com/online-course/ Follow Lily on Instagram @lilynicholsrdn

In this episode I am joined by Anna Bertone (she/her), MPH, a research consultant at Evidence Based Birth®, to discuss the evidence on aromatherapy and essential oils for use during pregnancy, labor/birth, and postpartum. In this episode, we cover: What is aromatherapy, where did it come from, and how does it work? What have researchers found on essential oils for nausea and vomiting, stress reduction, and immune function during pregnancy? Which essential oils have been found to be effective for reducing labor pain and anxiety, encouraging labor progress, and treating post-Cesarean symptoms? What does the research say about aromatherapy for use postpartum, including with post-Cesarean symptoms, perineal trauma, sleep, and depression and anxiety? Are there any important safety precautions to be aware of, and what is the bottom line? This episode was inspired by a peer-reviewed article we published in Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, in a special symposium that was edited by Shilpa Babbar, MD, MS, FACOG. Reference: Bertone, A. C., & Dekker, R. L. (September 2021). "Aromatherapy in Obstetrics: A Critical Review of the Literature." Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology 64(3): 572-588. Here are some other resources we mentioned: Access the EBB Pain Management Video Series here https://evidencebasedbirth.com/category-pain-management-series/ You can find the abstract of our research paper, as well as a complete list of references used in this podcast can be found on PubMed here https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33927109/ 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/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.