Birth Kweens

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Ep 79: Postpartum Fertility with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack Apr 04, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we're talking with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack about postpartum fertility. Lisa is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control, conception, and monitoring overall health. In her new book The Fifth Vital Sign, Lisa debunks the myth that regular ovulation is only important when you want children by recognizing the menstrual cycle as a vital sign. Drawing heavily from the current scientific literature, Lisa presents an evidence-based approach to fertility awareness and menstrual cycle optimization. She hosts the Fertility Friday Podcast, a weekly radio show devoted to helping women connect to their fifth vital sign by uncovering the connection between menstrual cycle health, fertility, and overall health. Here's what you'll hear about in this episode:

Lisa's background and how she got into this field
A brief overview of the fertility awareness method
The benefits of using FAM for birth control
How fertility changes after pregnancy and breastfeeding
When fertility returns after giving birth
The effectiveness percentage of the fertility awareness method
Some misconceptions about FAM
Challenges of using FAM as birth control in the postpartum period

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Ep 78: All About Babywearing with Emily E. Little, Ph.D. Mar 28, 2019

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In this episode we're talking with Emily E. Little, Ph.D. all about babywearing/carrying.

Emily completed her Ph.D. at University of California, San Diego in developmental psychology with a specialization in anthropogeny, which is the study of human origins. Her research program examines maternal-infant health behavior from a cultural and psychological perspective, focusing on the intersection of physical contact, breastfeeding, and communication. She has used her skills as a Certified Lactation Educator Counselor (CLEC) and a Volunteer Babywearing Educator (VBE) to conduct health outreach programs internationally, including lactation education programs for community health centers in Bolivia and Kangaroo Mother Care training programs for maternal health centers in Guatemala.

Emily is the founder and director of the nonprofit organization Nurturely. She was inspired to start Nurturely to promote increased collaboration between researchers, physicians, community health workers, and caregivers in conducting impactful, interdisciplinary research and implementing evidence-based outreach programs to support the health and development of infants and their caregivers.

Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

Emily's background and how she became interested in babywearing and infant attachment
When/why research began on the topic
How babywearing can positively impact preterm babies
How babywearing is different in the US versus other cultural contexts
The relationship between babywearing and infant feeding
Emily's current research projects
Babywearing and infant development
Babywearing and hip dysplasia
How early you can start wearing your baby and how long you can continue
A little info about different types of carriers
Notes on babywearing safety
Info about the work that Emily's non-profit, Nurturely, is doing and how it ties into babywearing
Some links to the resources that were mentioned in this episode:
- Just one example of the cultural uniqueness of the US with regard to our relatively little amount of physical contact with infants: mothers in the US are in physical contact with 3- to 4-month-old infants for 18% of a 24-hour period in comparison with communities in Africa where mothers are in physical contact with infants 79%-99% of the time
- Benefits of direct skin-to-skin contact for preterm/term infants in the hours immediately after birth (just a few of my favorites, definitely not an exhaustive list!): lower infant cortisol reactivity, decreased postpartum depression symptoms, increased infant alertness, improved infant motor and cognitive development, increased breastfeeding duration, decreased time to deliver the placenta, analgesic effects, improved sleep cycles, increased neural development, improved social engagement/reciprocity in childhood
- Benefits of babywearing/carrying (without direct skin-to-skin) in the months postpartum: increased likelihood of secure attachment to caregivers, decreased crying, associated with increased responsiveness to infant hunger cues, breastfeeding duration, connection to decreased incidence of hip dysplasia
- Connection between responsive feeding and childhood obesity and development of infant hunger cues (potentially also related to the responsiveness that is facilitated by direct breastfeeding versus bottle feeding, another cool study on this here)
- Nurturely and link to donate if anyone wants to support more babywearing/breastfeeding research!

Ep 77: Treatment Options for Tongue & Lip Ties with Dr. Najmeh Hannanvash, DDS, MSD Mar 21, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, we're speaking with Dr. Najmeh Hannanvash, DDS, MSD about treatment options for tongue and lip ties. Dr. Hannanvash is a board certified pediatric dentist who owns and operates Little Star Pediatric Dentistry in San Diego, CA. Here's what we cover:

Hannanvash's background and how she got into this field
The anatomy of ties (what they are, where they're located, the different types, etc.)
Info about posterior tongue ties and how they're different from a "regular" tongue tie
Who's qualified to diagnose a tie and what the diagnostic criteria are
Long-term implications of tongue/lip ties besides just feeding issues
How a tongue/lip tie revision is performed. What a family can expect during and after the procedure.
The pros and cons of each revision method
What the after care is like for a revision (healing, stretches, follow up appts, etc.)
How often the revisions are successful and what defines success
Whether a tie always requires a revision. The factors a family should take into consideration when making the decision.
Hannanvash's opinion on the reasons behind the sharp increase in tongue tie diagnoses in recent years
Suggested resources from Dr. Hannanvash:
- Kotlow's website: www.kiddsteeth.com
- Ghaheri's website: www.drghaheri.com
- Click here to view the study on the incidence of lingual ties that Dr. Hannanvash refers to in the episode
- Facebook group (international): Tongue Tie Babies Support Group
- Facebook group (California): California Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Support Group
- H's site (info on procedure and pre/post protocol): www.littlestardentistry.com
- Families in the San Diego area can call or email Dr. H for more info: 619-630-4000 or admin@littlestardentistry.com

Ep 76: Tongue Ties & Breastfeeding with Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC is a lactation consultant in San Diego, CA. She launched the San Diego Breastfeeding Center in 2009 and has recently published her first book, Latch: A Handbook for Breastfeeding with Confidence at Every Stage. Robin was kind enough to sit down with the Birth Kweens to discuss the feeding implications of tongue and lip ties. Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

What tongue and lip ties are (different types, where they're found anatomically, etc.)
How tongue/lip ties are diagnosed and whether lactation consultants are qualified to make a diagnosis
How ties can impact breastfeeding and whether they always present a problem
When ties usually start to impact feeding (whether it's immediate or if issues can present later on)
Whether a tie can impact a bottle fed baby
Some of the things that parents can look for at home that might signify their baby has a tie
What parents should do if they suspect their baby has a tie (including what type of care provider they should see to get it diagnoses/treated)
What kind of lactation/feeding support a family usually needs after getting their baby's tongue and/or lip ties revised
Robin's input on why it seems like there's such a high incidence of lip and tongue ties these days
Resources suggested by Robin
- Catherine Watson Genna's website and
- Ghaheri's website
- SDBFC's blog on tongue/lip ties
- YouTube video about infant factor breastfeeding issues
- Frenectomy Home Care Info video
- https://tonguetie.net/?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=3
Click here to listen to Robin's first interview with us about how to set yourself up for success with breastfeeding
Click here to buy Robin's book!

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Ep 75: Preeclampsia, Induction, & Home Birth: Birth Stories with Stephanie Miller Mar 07, 2019

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Stephanie Miller is a wife and mom of two boys from San Diego, CA and she's sharing both of her birth stories with us in this episode! Stephanie planned to have her first son, James, in a hospital-based birth center but that plan changed when she was diagnosed with preeclampsia at 38 weeks pregnant. She was admitted for an induction right away and James, via an unmedicated vaginal delivery. James spent some time in the NICU after birth and the whole hospital experience proved to be a bit challenging for their family. When Stephanie got pregnant with their second son, Henry, she and her husband Alex opted for a home birth (with kweens Karly and Ali!). Henry was born peacefully at home after a healthy pregnancy that did not include any issues with blood pressure! Tune in to hear Stephanie share how each of her labor and birth experiences were unique and how the comprehensive prenatal care she received during her second pregnancy was aimed at preventing issues such as preeclampsia.

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Ep 74: Weird & Wonderful Birth Rituals from Antiquity & Beyond Feb 28, 2019

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In this episode, we're joined by one of our favorite past guests, Monica Toombs (see ep14 and ep15 to listen to her birth stories)! She's a research beast and took the time to look up tons of info about weird and wonderful birth rituals from antiquity and beyond! Tune in to this episode to hear some strange facts and cool stories about how humans have been growing and birthing babies since they started walking upright on this planet. We promise you're in for a wild (and somewhat disgusting) ride!

For those who are interested, here's the list of sources Monica used to put together this episode:

Ep 73: Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy with Dr. Stanton Hom, DC Feb 21, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of Birth Kweens, we're talking with Dr. Stanton Hom, DC about chiropractic care in pregnancy. Here's what we cover:

Stan's background and how he became a chiropractor
A basic explanation of what chiropractic care is and what's in the scope of practice for a chiropractor
The goal of chiropractic and how it's different from the typical medical model of care
Why chiropractic care is so helpful during pregnancy
When to start getting adjustments prenatally
The specific pregnancy-related conditions that chiropractic adjustments can treat
How to figure out whether a chiropractor is experienced in treating pregnant people (what questions to ask, special trainings to look for, etc.)
Click here to get Dr. Stan's free audio report "The Top Prenatal Chiropractic Care Mistakes Expectant Patients Make and How to Avoid Them"

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Ep 72: Breech Birth with Nicole Morales, LM, CPM Feb 14, 2019

Show notes

Nicole Morales, LM, CPM is a home birth midwife, Approved Spinning Babies Trainer, and Certified Birthing From Within Mentor from San Diego, CA. She has an extensive amount of knowledge and experience regarding breech birth which is why we asked her to come on the show and talk with us about this often misunderstood topic. Here's an overview of what's covered in this episode:

Nicole's background, including how she became a birth worker and her own experience giving birth to a breech baby
The point of pregnancy at which it's normal/common for a baby to be breech vs. the time when someone might want to begin activities to encourage a baby to turn
Why breech birth is so controversial and the potential problems it presents
Studies on the safety of vaginal breech birth, including the highly problematic Term Breech Trial that led to a drastic reduction in vaginal breech delivery
The different types of breech presentation and how common it is for babies to present breech
Tips for how to prevent a baby from being breech
Things you can do to encourage a breech baby to turn head down, including body work and an external cephalic version (ECV)
Some possible causes of a breech presentation
The opportunities for reflection and introspection that come with a breech presentation (and all pregnancies, really)
Resources:

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Ep 71: Healing from Birth Trauma with Jennifer Summerfeldt, MACP Feb 07, 2019

Show notes

In this episode of Birth Kweens, we're talking with Jennifer Summerfeldt, MACP about birth trauma. Jennifer is a counselor who has nearly two decades of experience working in maternal health and psychology. In addition to being a counsellor, she's also been a childbirth advocate, maternal educator, doula, midwifery apprentice, and published writer. She is the founder and creator of the Healing After Birth program, where she uses her expertise and voice to help advance the dialogue on motherhood, mental health, and healing. She is the author of the book Healing After Birth. Here's what we cover with Jennifer:

Jennifer's background and how her own pregnancy and birth experiences led her to the field of maternal mental health
How to define trauma, specifically as it relates to birth
Signs and symptoms of birth trauma
Some theories on why many new parents find it so difficult to identify that they've experienced birth trauma and/or reach out for help
Some misconceptions about trauma
How to define dysregulation of the nervous system and why it's an important concept to understand when it comes to healing from trauma
The relationship between trauma and shame
How to get started working through a traumatic birth experience when it seems completely overwhelming/impossible
The important role that meditation plays in healing from trauma
Find binaural beats on Sacred Acoustics
Click here to buy Jennifer's amazing book, Healing After Birth

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Ep 70: A Couple of Great Birth Stories with Dominique Richey Jan 31, 2019

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Dominique Richey is sharing her two birth stories with us this week! Dominique is a mom of two who lives with her family in the Houston, TX area. Both of her children were born in San Diego (her 6yo daughter at a hospital and her 4yo son at home with kween Karly!). Both were unmedicated vaginal deliveries, although they were two very different experiences. The birth of her daughter was long and relatively uneventful (healthy baby born after a few days of labor), but Dominique experienced a lot of push back from the hospital staff. Because she didn't feel well supported from the hospital during her first birth, she opted for a home birth for baby #2. Her son's labor also spanned a couple of days and was a very positive experience aside from a pretty significant shoulder dystocia. We hope you enjoy listening to these two awesome birth stories from one badass kween!

Support our sponsor and get the important men in your life a great personalized gift from Swanky Badger. Enter code KWEENS at checkout for 10% off!

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