Wellness, Actually with Emily Oster & Perry Wilson, MD

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ParentData Presents: The Lonely Palette's "Mary Kelly's Postpartum Document (1973-78)" Nov 28, 2024

Show notes

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., and after a fall – and a year – of divisiveness, could all use a holiday in which Americans are united in the task of consuming too much pie. More broadly, this holiday, more than really any other, is something Americans tend to do together. And so is parenting. Especially the beginning. The experience of having a newborn – the sleeplessness, the disconnection from reality, the wonder….it feels magical and unique, and yet also like a line connecting us to billions of people through the past.

Today on ParentData, we're featuring an episode from another podcast, The Lonely Palette, that addresses this contradiction and the many others that just go hand-in-hand with parenting. It’s made by our producer Tamar Avishai; before she came to ParentData, she created this independent art history podcast, and this episode, about a 1970s feminist artist named Mary Kelly, felt perfect for the ParentData audience. Kelly meticulously tracked every data point from her son’s birth until age five (diaper stains, scribbles, first babbles, etc.) as a way of both coping with the lack of control mothers feel, and, just maybe, to try to hold on to something so fleeting.

This episode combines Tamar's love of art history, Emily's love of data, and their shared love of parenting. Enjoy, preferably over another slice of pie.

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It’s Not Hysteria: How women’s health gets overlooked Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

We don’t all get to learn about vaginas in school or from our families or from creating a reputation as the "Vagina Economist." And quite frankly, this is to our detriment. But today on ParentData, we’re trying to make some progress on that. We're joined by Dr. Karen Tang, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon (think: disorders like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome), who is tearing up social media with her women’s health education. Her book, It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told), and it’s exactly what it sounds like — a user manual for anyone with a female reproductive system.

In this conversation, we discuss how to talk to your doctor and how to make the most of your time with them, the lack of data on women’s health, why Karen feels strongly about reclaiming the word “hysteria” when it comes to health for women, and what it means to study women’s pain as opposed to...pain (?).

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It's The Placenta Episode! Nov 14, 2024

Show notes

Pop quiz: what’s the only organ that you grow from nothing and then casually discard, that magically bosses around your hormones, and actually your entire body, and that is actually made up of two different people’s cells?

Obviously it’s the placenta. Less obvious is how completely awesome it is. We're all wrapped up in this new baby on our chest, and since the placenta is so easy to deliver, relatively, and so gross to look at, we forget how incredible it is, and how absolutely crucial for the health of your baby.

So today on ParentData, we’re going to finally give it its due. We've invited Dr. Gillian Goddard back for a mini episode to talk about all things placenta. We’re going to follow its journey through conception to pregnancy to delivery and - if you’re so inclined - beyond, and answer any of the questions you might have about this truly magical and sadly ephemeral organ.

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Racial Disparity in C-Section Rates: Unpacking bias in the medical system Nov 07, 2024

Show notes

When we talk about C-sections, it’s often prefaced with “unplanned” or “emergency.” About a third of all the deliveries in the U.S. are cesarean sections, and only about 16% of those are planned. And that leaves a lot of mothers in a position where they’re delivering differently than they planned or intended to. And in the U.S., a disproportionate number of those are being performed on black women. So how are we going to get to the root of what's going on?

Today on ParentData, we're joined by Molly Schnell, whose paper “Drivers of Racial Differences in C-Sections” explores this phenomenon. Molly is an assistant professor of economics at Northwestern University and her paper found that black mothers with unscheduled deliveries are 25% more likely to deliver by C-section than white mothers. And she argues that implicit racial bias among providers or possibly even a financial incentive in hospitals to fill their operating rooms may play a role in this racial gap.

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ParentData is generously supported by Honeycomb.

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Ultra-Processed Foods: What they are and whether we should worry Oct 31, 2024

Show notes

There is nothing in the world of nutrition more confusing than ultra-processed foods. Seemingly every week, there is a new headline about the dangers of ultra-processed foods and their links to things like heart disease, dementia, and death. Today on ParentData, Emily reads her recent article on ultra-processed foods and provides some tips for smart food - and headline - consumption.

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The Power of Local Politics: How Vermont is revolutionizing child care Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

In the run-up to November 5th, it's easy to feel hopeless about the state of our national discourse, and what any single one of us can do to make a difference. That's when we need to look local, where it feels like things can actually change, and where the people who are trying to make the changes feel approachable but, often, no less inspiring.

Today on ParentData, we're joined by Aly Richards, the CEO of Let's Grow Kids. They're on a mission to ensure affordable access to high quality child care for all Vermont families by 2025 - and they've actually done a lot of it. In June of 2023, the Vermont legislature made history by passing a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive child care bill into law, with overwhelming support from across the political spectrum. This bill supports child care through subsidies in both directions, to families and also to child care providers, and it provides a model for other states to hopefully follow.

In this conversation, we talk about grassroots mobilization, about clipboards at county fairs, about knocking on doors and how important that is. We talk about the economics of change. We give the cold, hard capitalist case for child care and for child care subsidies, and explain how child care actually pays for itself, if you take a long enough perspective. Get ready to be inspired.

Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

ParentData is generously supported by:

Honeycomb
Skylight (Use code PARENTDATA for 15% off your Calendar purchase!)
StrollerCoaster podcast
Whole Foods Market

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Levitt's Late-Night Panic Google Oct 17, 2024

Show notes

Freakonomics economist Professor Steve Levitt joins to weave a thrilling tale about worms in poop, and advocating for your child. Warning: this late-night panic Google is not for the faint of heart.
Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All About Midwives: What they do, and how they differ from OBs Oct 10, 2024

Show notes

Midwives are having a bit of a moment. Of course, that moment is not at all new. For a very, very long time, — hundreds, possibly thousands, of years — midwives, or people who were effectively midwives, were delivering all babies. Even when “doctor” became a more formal job, births were still nearly always attended by midwives.

At some point, though, especially in the U.S., that changed. Midwifery attendance went way, way down, although it's starting to see an uptick. And it's because the data supports that there are benefits to having a midwife rather than having a doctor at birth, that spontaneous vaginal birth — birth without a vacuum or forceps — increases in the care of a midwife. Cesarean sections decrease, and so do episiotomies.

Today on ParentData, we're joined by Ann Ledbetter, a certified nurse-midwife, to help us understand why. We talk about differences and similarities between midwives and OBs and doulas, epidurals, home births, and the difference between health care in the U.S. and elsewhere. And we also take time to talk about the holistic process of birth and how cool it is.

Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

ParentData is generously supported by:

Honeycomb
Skylight (Use code PARENTDATA for 15% off your Calendar purchase!)
StrollerCoaster podcast
Whole Foods Market

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shawn Johnson's Late-Night Panic Google Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

Gymnast and Olympic gold-medalist Shawn Johnson describes the panic of international emergencies, advocating for your children in French, and why she hopes her kids never become gymnasts themselves.
Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's A Podcast Anniversary Q&A! You asked, Emily answered Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

It's our one-year podaversary! We relaunched the new and improved ParentData podcast a year ago this week. We've heard from some incredible, thought-provoking guests, and many voices from our community and beyond.

But today on ParentData, we're handing Emily the mic. In the spirit of her weekly Wednesday Instagram Q&As, she'll be answering your burning questions about pregnancy, babies, and older kids, in real time...and with a little help.

Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

ParentData is generously supported by: