The Birth Lounge Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 208: Tongue Ties & Oral Dysfunction with Erika Higginbottom, MS, OTR/L Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Erika is a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist in the state of Massachusetts. She completed her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at Regis College in Weston, MA, and she also received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brandeis University. She has a diverse background working with infants, children and teens in school-based settings, early intervention, and private practice. Erika has trainings in tethered oral tissues, Michelle Emmanuel's Tummy Time! Method, visual-vestibular techniques, reflex integration, feeding, and oral motor skills. Additionally, she is trained in Handwriting without Tears. Erika lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts. She is the mother to Jordan (3) and Lila (infant). In her spare time, she enjoys playing outside with her children, jogging, watching Boston sports and meditating. Erika is a level I Reiki practitioner.

Ep. 207: How to Find an OBGYN + Care Team with Malia Funk Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Today HeHe is sitting down with Malia Funk of The POV. Covering everything you need to know about using this FemTech tool to find a provider that you want and deserve. The POV is a curated marketplace of modern healthcare offerings designed for women+. Our goal is to help women and uterus-owners choose the best care option available.

Follow along with POV: Thepov.us

Ep. 206: Benefits of Chiropractic Care Oct 25, 2022

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How young is too young? The benefits of chiro care, babywearing, the impacts of vaginal vs c section delivery on musculoskeletal structure and development, oral ties and tethers, and how to find a pediatric chiropractor in your area!

Dr. Ashtiani is the owner and treating chiropractor at Essence Chiropractic & Wellness located in San Antonio, Texas. Chiropractors focus on the structure and condition of the body influences and body functions and its ability to heal itself. The mind-body relationship is instrumental in maintaining health and in the healing processes. Dr. A specializes in pediatric and the perinatal period.

www.essence-chiro.com

Ep. 205: Pushing Effectively with Melissa Chappell, LDEM, CPM Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

Melissa Chappell, LDEM, CPM is a midwife and owner of two birth centers in Utah, as well as a doula trainer of over 20 years. She is passionate about women’s health from a holistic and nourishing perspective, and advocates for women’s wellness in all areas of their lives. She has worked with midwives and birthing women all over the world, including in Haiti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and loves seeing how women’s lives improve with access to safe and effective midwifery care. She’s the owner of Fresh Melissa, a company dedicated to creating tasty treats that are also healthy. She is the mother of 4 children and 3 grandchildren that she adores. In between catching babies, Melissa loves to explore as much of the world as she can – from international travel to exploring the mountains in her backyard.

Ep: 204: Are Cervical Checks Important? Oct 11, 2022

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Ep. 203: The Know Your Rights Map (Obstetrical Violence) Sep 26, 2022

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A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media. Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth.

facebook.com/birthmonopoly
instagram.com/birthomonopoly

Ep: 202: Carseat Safety with Dahlia Rizk Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

As fall and winter weather approaches and we all begin reaching for those coats we are re-sharing our episode about carseat safety with Dahlia Rizk of Buckle Me Baby Coats.

About Dahlia:

My 3 kids, 2 cats, dog and I live in New Hampshire where winter is long and cold and like you our lives are super busy.

I want my kids to be safe and warm in the winter but I found myself too tired to wrestle their winter coats off in the car seat every single trip.

One day, feeling overwhelmed with all the taking the coat off - put the coat on, I thought if the zipper wasn’t in the middle this wouldn't be a problem… and I realized I had a super simple and easy fix to the winter coat problem!!

Excited, I spoke with every coat manufacturer imaginable. I thought they would jump on the idea and together we would quickly get the coat out to all parents but none of them believed that coats needed to be redesigned for the car seat.

They weren’t in the trenches though – I was – and I knew other parents needed car seat coats too but this was pre-social media and I didn't have a way to talk to parents directly so I focused on my growing family and going back to school and getting a degree.

A few years ago on a grey depressing March day I saw a mom in a parking lot. Her daughter was screeching while wrapped in a blanket that was dragging through the slush. I looked at the moms face and she looked as tired and defeated as I felt when I thought of the coats.

I knew that look and felt her pain. I thought to myself who needs the big guys Ill tell parents myself, so I had a sample made, made a video with my nephew and posted to Facebook. My post went viral - parents loved them! In a few short years Buckle Me Baby Coats has grown from shipping out of my kitchen to shipping all over the world.

Outside of Buckle Me Baby Coats I'm also a mental health counselor – running a mental health private practice where I treat adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Follow along:

www.bucklemecoats.com

Ep. 200: 5 Scripts to Help You Navigate Hospital Policy during Labor Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

THIS IS OUR 200TH EPISODE!! I can not believe that we have had 200 hang outs, 200 conversations about your rights and 200 times that you prioritized yourself and your birth so you can have a better birth! This is the way to a world that has no birth trauma and women are truly in control of their birth experiences again!

Exciting news in that The Birth Lounge doors are open! They are open September 5th-9th! You can join at https://www.thebirthlounge.com/join

In this episode, I will teach you how to can respectfully navigate the conversations around your birth goals and have your preferences honored! We are going to talk about declining routine cervical exams, declining an IV and continuous fetal monitoring as a low risk laborer, advocating for pushing in any other position than on your back and how to decline an unnecessary induction that does not feel aligned with you.

Links mentioned in the episode:

Evidence-Based Induction Guide: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/induction

History of Lithotomy position: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.77.5.636

Failure to Progress: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Failure-to-Progress-Handout.pdf

Inducing for Due Dates in *NOT* evidence based: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/

Ep. 199: Gestational Diabetes with Leslee Flannery Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Leslee is a registered dietitian who specializes in gestational diabetes. She has been working with pregnant moms for eight years and is passionate about women advocating for their health. Lesley founded the better blood sugar Method coaching program for Gestational diabetic moms in January 2020. In the program Leslee teaches women how to enjoy the foods they love while managing blood sugars confidently!

She also has a husband and two young boys that keep her very busy! Leslee enjoys to be outdoors in her free time either hiking, gardening, or watching her boys play sports!

Follow along:

@gestational.diabetes.nutrition

Ep. 198: A Vaginal Breech Birth Story Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

HeHe sits down with Cassidy Piney to share Cassidy's breech birth story. Cassidy is a mother of two daughters, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Her first baby was born at home with midwives. Her second baby was breech and was born vaginally in hospital with a team of midwives. You don't want to miss this one!

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