Birth Kweens

Latest Episodes:

Ep 28: The Beast of Hormonal Birth Control with Holly Grigg-Spall Mar 22, 2018

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In this episode, Karly and Ali chat with Holly Grigg-Spall about hormonal birth control. Holly is the author of "Sweetening the Pill: Or How We Got Hooked On Hormonal Birth Control". She is consulting producer on a documentary inspired by her book, directed by Abby Epstein and executive produced by Ricki Lake. Holly is also currently an ambassador for the Daysy fertility tracker and a marketing consultant for several women's health-centric companies. She has a ton of knowledge about the pitfalls of hormonal birth control and shares some great stuff with the kweens! Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

Holly's own experience with hormonal birth control, including all of the terrible side effects she experienced and how she finally got off of it
The lack of information and education about the pill that Holly was given by her health care providers before she went on the pill and how this lack of informed consent is a major issue for many women
Some of the major misconceptions about the pill
A quick overview of what taking the pill actually does to your hormones (SPOILER ALERT: it's not great)
The differences between first, second, and third generation hormonal contraceptives and which one is best (if being on a hormonal contraceptive absolutely can't be avoided)
An overview of the side effects of hormonal birth control and why we should think twice about using it
The importance of ovulation and menstruation and how we've somehow been led to believe that these things AREN'T necessary physiological processes for women to experience
The options for non-hormonal birth control
- Caya Single Size Diaphragm and Diaphragm Gel
- Daysy Fertility Tracker
- The book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler
Where IUDs fall on the spectrum of hormonal birth control and whether they cause similar side effects as the birth control pill
Why Holly thinks that hormonal birth control is "addictive" and why so many women continue using it despite the negative side effects
Holly's relationship with her cycle now

Click here to order a copy of Holly's book and here to join the Birth Kweens Facebook group!

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The Birth Kweens get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and women's health. For more from us, visit birthkweens.com. Follow us on Instagram @BirthKweens and email us at birthkweens@gmail.com with your questions, suggestions and feedback.

Ep 27: Acupuncture, Birth Stories & Authentic Living with Jamie Boyd, L.Ac. Mar 15, 2018

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In this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, Karly and Ali talk with Jamie Boyd, L.Ac. about her work as an acupuncturist, her training in midwifery, and her own birth experiences. Jamie is the proud mother to two radiant girls in San Diego, CA. She has been a licensed acupuncturist with a Master's of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine since 2006. She started her journey with women's health in 2002 as a homebirth midwife assistant for Catherine Chichakian LM, CPM. While working as an assistant homebirth midwife, Jamie attended the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. She completed her internships with Rady's Children's Hospital, UCSD's Geriatric Clinic and the San Diego Hospice and Palliative Impatient Care Center. She also studied gynecology and pediatrics in China at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine's hospital. Her simultaneous training in two of the oldest healing arts has offered her a unique vantage point in understanding the causes and conditions of wellness in this human life. Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

Jamie's educational background and how she became interested in eastern medicine
Her interest in using acupuncture for hospice care and how that led her to attending acupuncture school at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego
How Jamie became involved in the San Diego birth community and how her experience as a birth assistant intersected with her acupuncture practice
The story of Jamie's time spent living and working at a Buddhist monastery in India and how that led to the birth of her first daughter
The story of Jamie's first birth, a planned home birth turned cesarean, and what it was like to heal from and process that experience
The story of Jamie's second birth, a planned home VBAC turned hospital VBAC
How Jamie's personal journey with a variety of health issues has allowed her to provide more compassionate, empathetic, and holistic care to her own patients
The basic concept of Chinese medicine and why/how it can be such an essential treatment modality during pregnancy (and the rest of life!!)
The importance of spending time every day in a parasympathetic state (aka - "rest and digest" mode) and how not giving your body this rest period can negatively impact your hormones and your overall health
The pregnancy and women's health related issues that can be treated with acupuncture, including important considerations if you want to use it to induce labor

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Ep 26: Comfort Measures for Labor & Birth Mar 08, 2018

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Karly and Ali get down to the nitty gritty details of coping with the pain of labor and birth. They explain why it's essential for every birthing person to learn about non-medical coping techniques (even if they plan to use pain medication during their birth) and they review the best tools and techniques for pain management. Here's an overview of everything that's covered in this episode:

The reasons why it is SO important to know a variety of non-medical pain management coping techniques, including times when birth goes too quickly to use medication or when meds don't work effectively
What the 5 elements of birth are and why they're an essential part of pain management in labor
Why you should consider hiring a doula for your birth (including this great article on the evidence for doulas)
The reasons it's SO important to do some sort of childbirth education during pregnancy
Helpful tools in labor:
- Bucky 40 Blinks – the best eye mask in all the land!
- Birth ball (great for pregnancy, labor, and postpartum!)
  - 65cm
  - 75cm
- Cooling towels
- Massage tool
- Lacrosse Ball
- Hand held fan
- Essential oils (don't forget cotton pads to put the oils on!)
- Heating pad
- TENS unit
Coping techniques in labor:
- The 3 R's – relaxation, rhythm, ritual (as mentioned in The Birth Partner by Penny Simpkin)
- Vocalizations/low moans
- Movement and changing positions
  - Check out The Birth Partner for some great diagrams of all the different labor/birth positions
- Breath work
- Hydrotherapy
- Light touch/massage, sacral counter pressure, hip squeeze
- Visualizations (i.e. breathing to your baby, walking/running up and over a hill, progressive relaxation throughout your entire body)
- Music (Deep Theta by Steven Halpern is one of Ali's favorites)
- The mindset of birth
  - You are stronger than you even realize. Believe in yourself!
  - Stay in the moment. You can do anything for a minute! You are going to give birth one breathe at a time.
  - Remember, this is pain with a purpose.
- Be SURE to stay hydrated and well fed. Being undernourished and dehydrated can increase pain and difficulty of labor while reducing your energy/ability to cope
Why it's so important to choose your birth team carefully and only invite people who support your birth goals
Why you might consider choosing a code word to use in labor, that way your team will know when to encourage you and when to order up that epidural!
How to communicate your preferences to the staff at your birthing location, including some guidelines for putting together your birth preferences sheet
Books/resources to help you and your birth partner(s)
- The Birth Partner by Penny Simpkin
- Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn by Simpkin, Whalley, Keppler, Durham, & Bolding
- Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan
- Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon
- Birthing From Within by Pam England
- Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke
- The Big Book of Birth by Erica Lyon
- Hypnobabies – Childbirth Hypnosis

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Ep 25: Cannabis in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding with Heather Thompson Mar 05, 2018

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In this episode, Karly interviews Heather Thompson of Elephant Circle, a birth justice organization in Colorado. Heather is a molecular and cellular biologist, clinical researcher, birthworker and queer parent. She has worked on issues related to reproductive health for more than 25 years, advocating for equity, access and autonomy in childbirth. Currently she is the Deputy Director of Elephant Circle, a birth justice organization where she gets to combine her background in increasing access to physiologic birth with science and community organizing. She is passionate about supporting the family unit and helping families navigate their own journey, particularly as it relates to maternity care, birth and legal marijuana in Colorado. In recent years, Heather has also increased the time she spends creating conversation with white people about whiteness and racism.

Here's a summary of our conversation:

Heather introduces herself, and talks about herself, her colleague Indra Lusero and what they do at Elephant Circle.
Heather clarifies that she is not an activist for cannabis in pregnancy or breastfeeding
Marijuana is actually a racially derogatory term, Heather prefers to use the word cannabis
Because some people are using cannabis in pregnancy and lactation, Heather aims for "harm reduction" and arming people with the best legal and scientific information possible
the harms and risks of cannabis use are very different conversations
cannabis in pregnancy has been studied for a very long time
Heather discusses the different findings and difficulty in interpreting extracting helpful information from the studies
Social beliefs about cannabis use in pregnancy in our dominant culture
The "crack baby" and their cognitive outcomes
the legal aspects of using cannabis during pregnancy even when its legal in your state
the role child protective services can play in your life if you are using cannabis while pregnant or breastfeeding
What every parent should know about the laws around cannabis in their state
Medical providers are mandatory reporters of drug use among pregnant women
How long after you use cannabis you can test positive
Discrimination associated with cannabis use

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Ep 24: Exercise for Pregnant & Postpartum Kweens with Colleen Flaherty, NSCA-CSCS Mar 01, 2018

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The Birth Kweens sit down with Colleen Flaherty, NSCA-CSCS of Prokreate to discuss healthy movement in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Colleen is a strength coach for women during pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum as well as an educator for trainers and health professionals. She's incredibly knowledgeable about women's health and fitness, specifically how a woman's fitness needs change during the childbearing cycle. Here's an overview of what's discussed in this episode:

Colleen's background and how she found her niche as a women's strength coach with a specific focus on pregnancy and postpartum exercise
What healthy movement in pregnancy looks like and what benefits you get from being active in a safe way throughout pregnancy
How important it is to tailor pregnancy workouts to help prepare women for the unique challenges of labor, birth, and the postpartum period
What unhealthy movement in pregnancy looks like and what negative consequences women can suffer from doing too much or too little physical activity in pregnancy
How women can assess whether their fitness instructors/coaches know how to properly modify for pregnancy and postpartum
Colleen's rule of thumb for helping her clients know when a particular exercise/movement is harmful or inappropriate for their body
Some general guidelines for how a workout routine should be adjusted during pregnancy
A few tips on body mechanics and basic exercises for women who are returning to physical activity after giving birth
An overview of the fantastic resource Spinning Babies. (Pregnant kweens – if you haven't checked this site out yet, do it now!!!)
How Colleen's training regiments for pregnant women intersect with the concepts taught in Spinning Babies
What diastasis recti is, how you can tell if you have it after pregnancy, and what to do about it if you do
Katy Bowman's website (as mentioned by Colleen)
When it's safe to return to physical activity after giving birth and what that might look like, including some do's and don'ts
An instructional video by The Tummy Team for how to check yourself for diastasis recti

If you'd like to connect with Colleen and check out all of the pregnancy and postpartum fitness resources she has to offer, you can find her website here. If you want to connect with her on social media, you can check out her Instagram and Facebook.

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Ep 23: Julia's Birth Stories Feb 22, 2018

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In this episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali talk with the lovely Julia Evans about her two births. Julia had her first baby, Ollie, in an out-of-hospital birth center, and her second baby, Edie, was born at home. Karly was lucky enough to be present at both births, once as the birth assistant and once as the midwife. Ali and Karly talk with Julia about what it was like to have two unmedicated births, what made her choose a home birth the second time around, and what it's like to reflect back on her birth experiences now that her kids are 8 and 10 years old. Julia also shares about experiencing a long and difficult back labor with her first, having a postpartum hemorrhage with her second, and bridging the gap between her pre-birth expectations and the realities of her birth experiences after it was all said and done. This is a really great episode full of candid stories and lots of laughs. We hope you enjoy it, kweens!

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Ep 22: PCOS: My Ovaries are a Mess! with Amy Medling Feb 15, 2018

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On this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, Karly and Ali talk with Amy Medling, the PCOS Diva. Amy is a certified health coach who specializes in working with women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, who are frustrated and have lost all hope when the only solution their doctors offer is to lose weight, take a pill, and live with their symptoms. In response, Amy founded PCOS Diva and developed a proven protocol of supplements, diet, and lifestyle programs that offer women tools to help gain control of their PCOS and regain their fertility, femininity, health, and happiness. Here's an overview of exactly what is covered in this episode:

The definition of PCOS, including symptoms and how PCOS is usually diagnosed (including the fact that 50% of women who have PCOS are misdiagnosed!)
Amy's own journey with PCOS and how she struggled with symptoms for years before actually being diagnosed in her 30s (when she began struggling with secondary infertility)
The various nutrient deficiencies that women with PCOS commonly deal with and some possible reasons why they exist
How and why Amy began seeking alternatives to western medicine to treat her own PCOS
The essential role that diet plays in treating PCOS and how important it is to understand blood sugar and the impact that different foods have on blood sugar regulation
How inflammation is really at the root of PCOS and the role that dietary changes play in reducing inflammation
How mental and emotional healing and growth is an essential part of effective PCOS treatment
The longevity of PCOS – it's not something that will ever go away so treatments must be sustainable
The role that supplements play in treating PCOS (click here if you're interested in purchasing some of Amy's own line of supplements!)
Click here to enroll in Amy's amazing PCOS Diva program. She'll guide you through the process of treating your PCOS in a natural and holistic way. Do NOT miss out!!!
Click here to buy Amy's book Healing PCOS: A 21-Day Plan for Reclaiming Your Health and Life with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

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Ep 21: Elimination Communication: When Tiny Humans Use the Toilet Feb 08, 2018

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In this episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast, Karly and Ali sit down with Monet Combs to discuss elimination communication (EC). Monet is a doula and certified Go Diaper Free coach in San Diego, CA. She has both personal and professional experience with EC and she shares her infinite wisdom with the Kweens! Here's an overview of what you'll hear about in this episode:

What exactly is elimination communication?
How to decide whether EC is right for your family
Common misconceptions about EC, including how EC doesn't have to make your life more difficult (and, in fact, if it IS making your life harder, then you're doing it wrong!)
The difference between EC and potty training and how EC-based techniques can be used to help kids older than 18 months who are potty training
Monet's personal journey with EC – when she started it with her daughter and what it's been like for them.
How a baby communicates their need to go to the bathroom and how their care takers can learn those cues
The practical steps involved with learning and implementing EC with your baby
How working families can incorporate EC into their lives
The environmental benefits of EC
Products mentioned in this episode:
- If you're interested in reading Go Diaper Free by Andrea Olson (aka - the 'bible' of EC), click here. (**this is for babies 0-18 months)
- Click here to read The Tiny Potty Training Book by Andrea Olson (**for kids 18 months and up)
- If you want to buy the Potette Plus, click here
- You can find the Baby Throne (a seat reducer for infants) here
- Click here to find the top hat potty and tiny trainers baby underwear
- Buy the squatty potty for babies (aka – the Squattypottymus) here
If you'd like to check out Monet's website to learn more about her consultation services or sign up for her upcoming "Intro to EC" class, click here.

Thanks for listening to another episode of the Birth Kweens Podcast! As always, we'd love to hear from you so shoot us an email (birthkweens@gmail.com) or reach out to us on Instagram (@birthkweens) to give us your feedback about this episode and share your own experience with EC. Cheers, kweens!

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Ep 20: Menstruation Conversation with Nicole Jardim Feb 01, 2018

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This episode of Birth Kweens features the amazing Nicole Jardim, The Period Girl! Nicole is a Certified Women's Health Coach and the creator of Fix Your Period which is a series of programs that empower women to reclaim their hormone health using a method that combines simplicity and sass. Her incredible work has impacted the lives of thousands of women around the world in effectively addressing issues like PMS, PCOS, infertility, amenorrhea, and many more. Nicole is also the co-host of The Period Party, a top-rated podcast on iTunes—be sure to tune into that if you want to learn more about how to fix your period—and she's the co-creator of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition's hormone health continuing education course. Nicole was generous enough to take time out of her busy schedule to chat with the Birth Kweens about all things menstruation! Here's an overview of what you'll hear about in this episode:

Nicole's background and how her own period problems led her down the career path that she's on now
The issues that can arise for women as a result of taking the birth control pill
The multitude of women's health issues that can be addressed through Nicole's Fix Your Period program, such as severe PMS symptoms, heavy or painful periods, irregular cycles, infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, and so much more!
Why having balanced hormones is essential, even if you aren't worried about your fertility!
The unique fertility challenges that postpartum women face and how the commonly prescribed mini pill might be doing more harm than good
A few hilariously embarrassing period stories
Some relatively simple diet and lifestyle changes that can drastically improve hormone health (and overall quality of life!)

If you are interested in signing up for Nicole's amazing Fix Your Period program, click here! And be sure to follow Nicole on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date with all of her amazing work!

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Ep 19: The Birth of Tabitha Jan 25, 2018

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In this episode of Birth Kweens, Karly and Ali talk with Genavie and Colt Stevens about the birth of their 6th child, Tabitha. Karly was lucky enough to be the midwife for their home birth and Ali has a great time interviewing the three of them about Tabitha's birth. The highlights of this episode include:

A quick overview of Genavie's first 5 births, which included 4 medicated vaginal deliveries and 1 emergency cesarean
What it was like to recover (both physically and emotionally) from the emergency cesarean with baby #5
How Colt had a vasectomy after baby #5 because they were SO SURE that they were done having kids
The issues that Colt had with the vasectomy (can anyone say ACHY BALLS!?) and how Gen and Colt came to the decision to reverse the vasectomy and try for another one
The process of deciding to have a VBAC at home for baby #6
Gen and Colt's expectations of how Tabitha's labor and birth would go (quick and relatively easy) vs. how labor ACTUALLY went (long, challenging, and full of dad jokes)
Gen and Colt's feelings about home birth and what it was like to have a baby in front of their 5 older kids

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