Evidence Based Birth®

Latest Episodes:

EBB 198 - Evidence on Eating and Drinking During Labor Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

On today's episode, we're going to take a deep dive into the research evidence on eating and drinking during labor! In this episode, I talk about the history of anesthesia and food and oral fluids during labor— starting in the 1940s and moving forward to current times. I also talk about Nothing by Mouth (NPO) policies in hospitals, and discuss how researchers have reframed the topic for birthing people today as one of bodily choice. I also talk about whether or not people should be able to eat once they experience medical interventions such as an epidural (because many hospitals around the world still forbid food once you have an epidural!) Content warning: In this episode, I talk about maternal death and labor complications.

RESOURCES:

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.

EBB 197 - Addressing Perinatal Mental Health for Communities of Color with the co-founders of the Perinatal Mental Health Alliance for People of Color, Divya Kumar, Jabina Coleman, and Desirée Israel Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

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/).

EBB 196 - Pelvic Biomechanics and Movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

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

EBB 195 - Grief and Healing Through Pregnancy and Infant Loss with Full Spectrum Doula, Rose Rankin Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

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/).

EBB 194 - Nutrition and Real Food in Pregnancy with Lily Nichols, RDN Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

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

EBB 193 - Evidence on Essential Oils during Pregnancy, Birth, and Postpartum Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

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/

EBB 192 - Raising Awareness and Advocacy for Sickle Cell Anemia Families with Advocate and Intuitive Womb Worker, Carissa Hunter Sep 15, 2021

Show notes

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Carissa Hunter about advocacy for families with sickle cell anemia.

After her daughter was born with a blood disorder called sickle cell anemia, Carissa started on a quest for healthy living and is now an intuitive womb worker— a holistic practitioner with many specialties in holistic healthcare. Specializing specifically in intuitive healing, ancestral lineage healing, energy, and sound healing, Carissa also is experienced in medical herbalism, and aromatherapy and she also practices as a stillbirth, birth, and bereavement doula.

We will talk about Carissa's personal experience growing up with the sickle cell trait (one copy of the gene), as well as being a parent to a child with sickle cell anemia (two copies of the gene). We also talk about Carissa's experience with unlearning and relearning many things around sickle cell anemia and her advocacy work to raise awareness about this blood disorder.

Content warning: we mention issues with sickle anemia, traumatic birth experiences, high-risk pregnancy, and pregnancy termination due to genetic conditions.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Carissa Hunter here (https://www.healingjourneyintuitive.com). Follow Carissa on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/healingjourneyintuitively).

Learn more about the Sickle Cell Foundation of Tallahassee here (https://sicklecellfoundation.org/tag/tallahassee/).

Learn more about the Sickle Cell Foundation and find a chapter near your here (https://www.sicklecelldisease.org/).

EBB 191 - Cultural Awareness in Birth and Postpartum Work with Community Doula and EBB Instructor, Marnellie Bishop Sep 08, 2021

Show notes

On today's podcast, we talk to Marnellie Bishop about life as a birth/postpartum doula and childbirth educator and the importance of cultural awareness in birth work.

Marnellie Bishop (she/her) is a certified birth and postpartum doula and childbirth educator. Serving the Portland, Oregon community, Marnellie takes on the role as a board member and director of finance and operations at Community Doula Alliance.

Prior to pursuing her passion to support families in their perinatal journey, Marnellie completed a bachelor's degree in business administration and used her degree to help grow and sell her family's printing company. As a second-generation immigrant to Filipino parents, Marnellie understands the intersectionality that many immigrant families face when it comes to identifying their parenting styles through the lens of their cultural background and today's parenting values.

We will talk about Marnellie's journey to becoming a birth and postpartum doula after being inspired by personally supporting the birthing needs of her friends. We also talk about the obstacles Marnellie faced and overcame as a birth and postpartum doula while amplifying the importance of respecting cultural traditions and customs when serving immigrant families or families who speak English as a second language in Portland, Oregon.

Content warning: We mention COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd, systemic oppression, Cesarean, and birthing complications such as late-term loss and preeclampsia.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Marnellie Bishop and Hanau Doula here (https://hanaudoula.com/). Follow Marnellie on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/hanaudoula).

Learn more about Community Doula Alliance here (https://communitydoulaalliance.com/). Follow Community Doula Alliance on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/communitydoulaalliance) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/communitydoulaalliance/).

Learn more about Hypnobabies® here (https://www.hypnobabies.com/).

Learn more about Oregon Health Authority here (https://www.oregon.gov/oha/Pages/index.aspx).

Learn more about Wall of Moms here (https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896174019/what-the-wall-of-moms-protests-say-about-motherhood-race-in-america).

Learn more about Black Lives Matter here (https://blacklivesmatter.com/).

EBB 190 - Updated Evidence on Big Babies Sep 01, 2021

Show notes

In this episode I am joined by Erin Wilson, MPH, a research editor at Evidence Based Birth, to discuss the latest research on Big Babies. In this episode, we cover:

What is considered a "big" baby?

Can we accurately predict if a baby will be born big?
Does it really matter if a baby is born big? What are the risks?
Could suspecting that you're pregnant with a big baby be more harmful than helpful?
Is early induction beneficial for big babies?

RESOURCES:

You can access all of the references for this podcast, as well as a full-length Signature Article and one-page handout on Big Babies by visiting ebbirth.com/bigbaby. Don't forget that we also have several resources for people who are pregnant with gestational diabetes: Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes: ebbirth.com/diagnosinggdm Inducing Labor for Gestational Diabetes: ebbirth.com/inducinggdm 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.

EBB 189 - Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams Aug 25, 2021

Show notes

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Janiya Mitnaul Williams, IBCLC, about becoming a lactation consultant and the importance of Black Breastfeeding Week.

Janiya Mitnaul Williams is an international board certified lactation consultant, a registered lactation consultant, and a certified lactation counselor who has been supporting nursing families since 2007. She holds degrees from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and Union Institute & University in Speech, Language Pathology in Audiology, and Health and Wellness with a concentration in Human Lactation.

Janiya is the program director of the Pathway 2 Human Lactation Training Program at North Carolina A&T State University. She also works for the Women's and Children's Center at Cone Health as a perinatal educator researcher, community liaison, and doula services coordinator. In 2015, Janiya created Mahogany Milk Support Group in order to promote, encourage and normalize nursing for Black and Brown families. That same year, Janiya also became the first person of color and non-registered nurse to be hired as a lactation consultant for the hospital system at Cone Health.

Janiya is very passionate about creating diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of lactation to promote better health outcomes for Black and Brown marginalized and underprivileged families because they have the greatest lactation barriers to overcome.

We will talk about challenges Janiya experienced during her journey to becoming a lactation consultant. We also talk about cultural barriers in lactation, the importance of Black Breastfeeding Week, and creating her own Pathway 2 Human Lactation Training Program at North Carolina A&T State University.

Content warning: We will discuss the cultural barriers and historical trauma (i.e. slavery) in the field of lactation.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Janiya Mitnaul Williams' Pathway 2 Human Lactation Training Program at NC A&T State University here (https://www.ncat.edu/caes/departments/family-and-consumer-sciences/lactation-cert.php). Follow Janiya on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/janiyamwilliams). Follow Mahogany Milk on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mahoganymilk/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mahoganymilk).

Learn more about NC A&T State University here (https://www.ncat.edu). Follow NC A&T State University on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ncatsuaggies/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ncatsuaggies).

Learn about Union Institute & University here (https://myunion.edu/).

Learn about the Mary Rose Tully Training Initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill University here (https://sph.unc.edu/cgbi/lactation-consultant-training/).

Learn about International Board of Certified Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBCLE) here (https://iblce.org/).

Learn more about Black Breastfeeding Week here (https://blackbreastfeedingweek.org/). Follow Black Breastfeeding Week on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BlackBreastfeedingWeek), Twitter (https://twitter.com/BlkBfingWeek), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/blkbfingweek/).

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