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The Happy Birthway Podcast — Kids & Family
The Happy Birthway Podcast

New: Hear your voice on The Happy Birthway Podcast! Call 203-759-8639 to ask me a question or leave a comment that I will answer on the podcast.

Unpopular opinion: A healthy mom and healthy baby are NOT enough. Why don’t we pay attention to a mother’s experience and perceptions of her birth enough?

I’m an L&D nurse revealing insider secrets that you won’t learn in your standard childbirth ed class. We explore every facet (from opposite extremes) of not just birth, but the experience of womanhood and childbearing. Along with women sharing their experiences vulnerably, a slew of experts gift us with knowledge we never thought we needed. I throw in an extra layer to the discussion by exploring the implications of Judaism and Jewish culture on the reproductive experience. This show spans way beyond pregnancy and birth, with topics on sex, birth control, birth trauma, perinatal mental health, postpartum realities, breastfeeding, sleep training, diet culture, infertility, realities of our healthcare system, Jewish law, and so much more.

The information here is not intended to give you medical advice or replace the care of a qualified healthcare provider.

Latest Episodes:

9. Giving Birth Under Rocket Fire May 23, 2021

Show notes

Fewer deaths doesn't make it ok to fire rockets at civilians. It's time to tell the truth about what's going on in Israel and the far-reaching effects that Hamas's missile attacks have on their targets. Hear about what it's like to give birth when your country is under attack. Sarah Amar, an American emigre to Israel, tells us about her experience having a c-section an hour before hundreds of rockets began raining on her hospital. Although her entry into motherhood came at the worst time, she manages to laugh and look at the bright side of this horrific experience.

Stand With Us is an organization that fights antisemitism and supports Israel around the world. Find them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/standwithus/

To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow:

1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

8. Speak Up & Advocate For Yourself May 16, 2021

Show notes

Get ready to laugh until you cry in this second part of Rachel's birth story. She shares her funny take on labor, being sent away by the hospital when she came for her induction, how she managed when her epidural didn't work and how to put a medical student to good use. She gives moms who are scared of labor encouragement and strength. The most important lesson she teaches us though is how hard yet empowering it was to say no when things didn't feel right.

Rachel Safer is the writer and creator behind @modestisthenewblack and rachelsarasafer.com. She is also podcast host to "A Safer Space" which can be found on Patreon. Rachel is an ASL student with hopes to become an ASL interpreter while she juggles all the dreams with the responsibilities of being a full time mom to her little guy AY.

To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Find products mentioned in this episode and other episodes on the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow:

1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

7. When Your Mother Was Never Pregnant May 09, 2021

Show notes

As an adoptee, Rachel Safer tells us how that influenced her feelings around pregnancy. Her story sharing style is hilarious as she bemoaned all of the discomforts of her pregnancy. Rachel tells us about her hospitalization when she got Covid in her 9th month, how sharing her pregnancy with the public brought on lots of unsolicited feedback and teaches us a lesson about self advocacy to get the medical care you deserve.

Rachel Safer is the writer and creator behind @modestisthenewblack and rachelsarasafer.com. She is also podcast host to "A Safer Space" which can be found on Patreon. Rachel is an ASL student with hopes to become an ASL interpreter while she juggles all the dreams with the responsibilities of being a full time mom to her little guy AY.

To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow:

1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

6. The Humanness of High Risk May 02, 2021

Show notes

Despite Dr. Karkowsky's extraordinary knowledge and expertise in the highly specialized and complex area of high risk obstetrics, she infuses her care with a high level of compassion and empathy, remaining cognizant of the complexity of her patients' lives outside of the medical sphere. These patients are often unexpectedly thrust into this world, having to learn a new language and sometimes needing to make very difficult decisions, neither choice being ideal. She is a master storywriter and captivating story teller. We talk about the barriers of a complicated healthcare system, the pitfalls of having too much compassion, her experiences of working as a doctor in Israel and how Rabbinical and medical authorities can clash and merge when it comes to the extraordinary lifecycle event of reproduction. Dr. Karkowsky completed medical school at Mount Sinai, her residency at Harvard University Hospitals, followed by a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM). She now works as a high risk obstetrics specialist in New York City. Chavi also lived in Tel Aviv with her family for several years, and worked at an ultra-Orthodox hospital in Northern Israel, experiences she loves to talk about. Chavi has written for the Atlantic, Slate, the Washington Post, and other publications. "High Risk: Stories of Pregnancy, Birth, and the Unexpected" (Liveright/Norton 2020) is her first book, and is available everywhere that books are sold. Chavi lives in NYC with her wonderful partner, Josh, and their four stir-crazy kids. She can be reached via her website, www.chavikar.com.

To continue the conversation, and learn more about similar topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow:

1. Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

5. Pandemic Baby After a Pandemic Wedding Apr 25, 2021

Show notes

My sister-in-law Rivka Raizel had her wedding and her first baby during the Covid pandemic. Because of the unexpected circumstances, she and her husband (my baby brother!) had to put their plans of moving in Israel on hold. They finally gained entry only to find themselves back in the States to have their first baby near family. As a foreigner, RR found the Israeli healthcare system complicated and confusing, and she compares and contrasts it with her prenatal care in the US. She had a vision for how she wanted her birth to go but alas, as it often happens, things turned out differently. We talk about her hospital doula restrictions, her baby's bris and what happened when her baby went into distress at the end of her labor.

To learn even more about these topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow our show:

1. Leave a review and your feedback on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

4. Postpartum and Getting To Mikvah w/ Dr. Elissa Hellman Apr 18, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Elissa Hellman is an experienced, board certified OB/GYN who has been in practice in midwest for the past ten years. She is also the physician at The Confident Kallah, a telemedicine gynecology practice focused on the needs of Jewish women who observe Taharat HaMishpacha (Jewish family purity laws). She consults on a range of women's health issues related to contraception, preconception counseling, cycle management, postpartum questions and perimenopausal concerns. Throughout her years as a clinician, she noticed a gap in women's health awareness and education in the Jewish community. This developed into a special interest in being a resource by educating about body awareness and women's preventative health for all ages and stages.

Join us as we discuss the most common challenges of getting to mikvah (Jewish ritual bath), how sex changes after having a baby, how to navigate the hardships involved with refraining from physical contact with your husband, and common questions about postpartum birth control.

You can reach Dr. Hellman on her website and on her Instagram page.

To learn even more about these topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow our show:

1. Leave a review and your feedback on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

3. My Second and Third Birth Stories Apr 11, 2021

Show notes

My husband, Tovyah, joins me once again as we retell our second and third birth stories, and how much better they were. I also share what decisions I would have made differently given my knowledge now as an L&D nurse.

To learn even more about these topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow our show:

1. Leave a review and your feedback on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

2. The Story of My First Birth Apr 11, 2021

Show notes

My first birth experience was really terrible. It was what planted the seeds in me to become a labor and delivery nurse, and still informs me today on how to practice as one. My husband, Tovyah, joins me and talks about his own perspective of what happened.

To learn even more about these topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow our show:

1. Leave a review and your feedback on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

1. Who Am I and Why Am I Doing This? Apr 09, 2021

Show notes

There are so many awesome sources of information about pregnancy and birth - be they through podcasts, courses, blogs, or social media - so why do I feel like I need to be another one? We often choose to get our information from those that we connect to most, whose philosophy and beliefs align with ours. I'm sharing mine here because I want you to decide for yourself on whether you can trust me as your go-to source. So hi and welcome!

To learn even more about these topics, check out the Yoledet Academy Instagram community.

Check out the Yoledet Picks Amazon Storefront to find any of the products mentioned in this episode, and discover Chanie's other favorites.

If you like what you hear and want to help more people discover this show, here's what you can do to help us grow our show:

1. Leave a review and your feedback on Apple Podcasts.

2. Subscribe to this show on whichever podcast app you listen. Ex: hit the button "follow" right under the cover art on Spotify. Plus - you'll never miss another episode.

3. Be a good friend and spread the wealth of knowledge! You never know how this will improve someone's life.

Did you know that you can listen on your web browser too? Just hit this link and share it with your friends - no special apps needed.

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