On today's podcast, we're going to talk with the founder of Dandy Doula, Xian Brooks, MPH, about the importance of intersectional birth work and amplifying the need for intersectional birth support for queer, trans, and BIPOC birthing bodies. Xian Brooks (he/him) is a public health professional from Louisville, Kentucky, where he is a community-based birth doula and a Master of Science in Nursing student. Xian completed his Bachelor's of Science in Public Health Education at North Carolina Centr...
Jun 08, 2022•53 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class parent, Mandy Childs and her doula, Dana Patterson, about having an emergency cesarean due to Bandl's ring. Mandy Childs (she/her) is a first-time parent to her son who she gave birth to in Greenville, South Carolina in March of 2021. Living now in Lynchburg, Virginia, Mandy is a trained elementary school teacher and currently a program coordinator for a nonprofit called Global Autism Project. Mandy lives with her husband, Ben, th...
May 25, 2022•52 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with board-certified labor nurse and creator of the Birth Nurse, Mandy Irby, about trauma-informed childbirth education. Mandy Irby (she/her) is a board-certified labor nurse with 13 years of experience, supporting survivors of assault and trauma through pregnancy, birth planning, and at their bedside during childbirth and pregnancy loss. After her own birth trauma, Mandy quickly learned that the birth care system is not centered on human rights, patient c...
May 18, 2022•56 min
On today’s podcast, we will be sharing with you an excerpt from a live webinar featuring Dr. Rebecca Dekker and the EBB Research Team that was taught for our Evidence Based Birth® Professional Members, all about failure to progress versus failure to wait. What is the history of “Failure to Progress”? What are the top 5 factors that influence labor progress? Dr. Dekker and the EBB Research Team will talk about the history and background of "Failure to Progress" and how we have the definition all ...
May 11, 2022•1 hr 14 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduates, Samantha Parker and Justin Fontaine, about their exciting hospital water birth story. Samantha Parker (she/her) is an environmental scientist with the State of California and an avid runner. Samantha’s husband, Justin Fontaine (he/him) is a principal systems engineer and a CrossFit: Level 2 trainer. Samantha and Justin live in Rockland, California with their almost 10-year-old son, and now their happy baby girl, Kira. S...
May 04, 2022•52 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Birth Fusion founder and Evidence Based Birth® Instructor, Jennifer Anderson, about her work as a childbirth educator and doula while serving families who get pregnant via in vitro fertilization and those over the age of 35. Jennifer Anderson (she/her) is an RN, doula, childbirth educator, birth photographer, and Evidence Based Birth Instructor. Jennifer provides labor support to couples in the Sacramento, California region and she also teaches the Ev...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 1 min
In this episode, we are finishing up our series on protecting the perineum by talking about the evidence on birthing positions and how upright positions help prevent tears! We’ll also discuss tried-and-true protective practices that midwives have passed down through countless generations (hint: it's simpler/easier than you think!) Head's up... if you haven't listened to EBB Episode 206 yet, I recommend listening to that episode first, since it covers introductory information about perineal tears...
Apr 20, 2022•50 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Irth® App founder, Kimberly Seals Allers, to update us on Irth® App's mission to fight against racism and bias in perinatal and infant care. Kimberly Seals Allers (she/her) is an award-winning journalist, five-time author, international speaker strategist, and an advocate for perinatal and infant health. A former senior editor at Essence, and writer at Fortune Magazine, Kimberly is a leading voice on the racial and socio-cultural complexities of birth...
Apr 13, 2022•41 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with student midwife and Evidence Based Birth®'s new Program Team Manager, Chanté Perryman about life as a student midwife. Chanté Perryman (she/her) is a midwifery student studying to become a certified professional midwife in Central Kentucky. She owns Baby Dreams Maternity Concierge and has a goal of opening a freestanding birth center to continue to provide community support, education, and advocacy for birthing families. Chanté is the new Program Team...
Apr 06, 2022•34 min
In this episode, we are continuing our series on protecting the perineum by talking about the evidence on whether prenatal perineal massage during labor (more specifically, during the pushing phase) is effective at preventing severe perineal tears. We’ll also discuss the importance of critically analyzing research, and poor quality meta-analyses can have a negative impact by spreading inaccurate information! Head's up... if you haven't listened to EBB Episode 206 yet, I recommend listening to th...
Mar 30, 2022•40 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu about disability justice in birth and parenting. Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu, (they/she) is a white, queer, and non-binary disabled, neuro-divergent, a survivor of sexual violence in the psychiatric system. They show up for their communities as a disability justice educator and organizer, parent, somatic and non-clinical healer, writer, transformative justice practitioner, and, as the founding director of Project LE...
Mar 23, 2022•36 min
In this episode, we are continuing our series on protecting the perineum by talking about the evidence on whether prenatal perineal massage is effective at preventing perineal tears during childbirth. We’ll also discuss the importance of critically analyzing research, and what “predatory open access publishing” has to do with some of the research on perineal massage! Head's up... if you haven't listened to EBB Episode 206 yet, I recommend listening to that episode first, since it covers introduc...
Mar 16, 2022•43 min
On today's podcast, we will be talking with board-certified OB-GYN, Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, about evidence-based information on reproductive health. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln (she/her) is a board-certified OB-GYN who currently practices as an OB hospitalist and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Lincoln loves using social media to provide evidence-based, easy-to-digest information while busting the many myths surrounding vaginal and reproductive health. ...
Mar 09, 2022•29 min
On today's podcast, to celebrate IBCLC Day, we're going to highlight and talk with IBCLC Nichelle Clark about supporting pumping parents in lactation. Nichelle Clark (she/her) is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, or IBCLC, wife, and mother of two residing in Chesapeake, Virginia. She is the owner of SonShine & Rainbows Lactation Services. Born and raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, Nichelle joined the United States Navy in 2010 and served honorably for 7.5 years. In 202...
Mar 02, 2022•46 min
On today's podcast, we’re talking with EBB's newest research editor and co-founder of the Minnesota Healing Justice Network, Ihotu Ali, about cultural appropriation and racial healing in birth work. Ihotu Ali (she/her) is a doula, Maya abdominal massage therapist, a doctoral student in chiropractic medicine, and now EBB’s newest research editor. Ihotu, meaning “love” in the Idoma language, is the granddaughter of a traditional Nigerian chief, of Polish-Irish farmers, and a graduate of Columbia U...
Feb 23, 2022•51 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class parents, Kaya and Jess Tuchscherer, about their double rainbow baby in giving birth after two prior losses. Kaya Tuchscherer (she/her) is a physical therapist, and Jess Tuchscherer (he/him) is a high school English teacher and river guide. They love good food, family, and outdoor adventures. Kaya and Jess live in Jackson, Wyoming with their son, Henry, and two chocolate Labradors, Eddie and Porter. We talk about Kaya and Jess’ ins...
Feb 16, 2022•47 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with birth doula and EBB's program team assistant, Rikki Jenkins about empowering expectant families through birth and lactation support. Rikki Jenkins, pronouns (she/her) is a certified birth doula and lactation counselor. Rikki holds a bachelor's of science degree in maternal child health with an emphasis in human lactation and social justice. Rikki is the co-creator of Heart and Sol Collective, an inclusive pregnancy support center, where she hosts supp...
Feb 09, 2022•31 min
In this episode, we are continuing our series on protecting the perineum! In this episode, we will cover the evidence on using warm, wet compresses (i.e. washcloths) for lowering the risk of tears and increasing comfort during birth. We’ll also talk about the controversy on hands-on vs. hands-off...which technique should providers be using? Head's up...if you haven't listened to EBB Episode 206 yet, I recommend listening to that episode first, since it covers introductory information about perin...
Feb 02, 2022•25 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Jen Kamel of VBAC Facts® about VBAC or vaginal birth after cesarean. As the founder and CEO of VBAC Facts®, Jen Kamel is an internationally recognized consumer advocate, whose mission is to increase feedback access through education, legislation changes, and amplifying the consumer’s voice. Jen travels throughout the United States training perinatal professionals, presents grand rounds at hospitals, and works as a legislative consultant throughout the...
Jan 26, 2022•45 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduate, Cheyanne Saenz, about advocating for her human rights during her birth experience. Cheyanne Saenz (she/her) is a fun, loving, and outgoing 27-year-old, who lives in Tulare, California. Cheyanne's faith and her family are the most important in her life. Cheyanne took the EBB Childbirth Class instructed by EBB Childbirth Class Instructor, Jennifer Anderson. Cheyanne uses her brain in puzzles, solving problems, and helping ...
Jan 19, 2022•54 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with non-binary doula and childbirth educator, Moss Froom, about gender-affirming birth work and education. Moss Froom (they/them), is a non-binary doula and childbirth educator living in Baltimore, Maryland. Moss offers trans and queer centered support services for people at all stages of their reproductive and family building journeys. Moss also teaches other birth workers how to provide support that's affirming and celebratory of trans and queer familie...
Jan 12, 2022•36 min
In this episode, we are kicking off a new series on protecting the perineum - starting with the evidence on perineal tears and the importance of avoiding episiotomies. In this episode, we will cover the factors that can increase or decrease your risk of tearing during birth. We’ll also talk about the types of perineal tears that can occur, as well as the consequences of perineal tears. Finally, we’ll wrap up this podcast by discussing why it’s so important to avoid an episiotomy during childbirt...
Jan 05, 2022•34 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with team members of Evidence Based Birth®, about a wrap-up of this past year and what our goals are for next year. We talk about our favorite team projects for 2021 such as past podcast episodes, our creative growth as a team, and the recent EBB Instructor retreat. We also talk about our future goals for EBB and what we look forward to in the future of Team EBB. Content warning: We mention COVID, birth trauma, postpartum, obstetric abuse, and obstetric vi...
Dec 29, 2021•59 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with board certified physician Dr. Stacy De-Lin about the spread of misinformation online about COVID, particularly COVID and pregnancy. Dr. Stacy De-Lin MD (she/her), is a board certified physician whose specialty and area of practice is gynecology and family planning. Dr. De-Lin is an Associate Medical Director at Planned Parenthood and works to provide access to full-spectrum reproductive healthcare no matter what. In addition to her busy practice, Dr. ...
Dec 15, 2021•39 min
On today's podcast we talk with Haley Grachico about her intense, fast birth experience at a freestanding birth center. Haley and her husband, Dr. Ismael, are graduates of the EBB Childbirth Class. Iz completed his general surgery residency at Oregon Health and Science University just 13 days before their daughter Josefine's arrival. A week after Josefine was born, the Grachico family moved to Grants Pass, Oregon, where Is joined a private practice general surgery group. Haley is enjoying time w...
Dec 01, 2021•35 min
On today's podcast we're going to talk with Paula Richards about advocacy work as a trauma-informed nurse educator. Paula Richards (she/her) is a perinatal nurse and nurse educator who likes to nerd out about OB-related nursing professional development on Instagram under the handle @NurseBrownGirl. Paula joined the Evidence Based Birth® Instructor program in the spring of 2020 and she's also a guest teacher in the videos of our Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class where we talk about intervent...
Nov 17, 2021•56 min
On today’s episode, we celebrate our 200th episode on the Evidence Based Birth®podcast, where Ihotu Ali, EBB Research Associate, will be talking with our founder, Rebecca Dekker, about solidarity in birth work. In this episode, Ihotu asks Rebecca about her cultural upbringing, and Rebecca reflects candidly on racism and cultural differences she witnessed as a child growing up in the suburbs of Memphis, Tennessee. We also explore the harmful impacts of white privilege and white supremacy on birth...
Nov 10, 2021•57 min
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Ihotu Ali, MPH, who is writing about research on the effects of racism on pregnancy and birth outcomes. Ihotu (“love” in the Idoma language) (she/her) is a prenatal and Maya Abdominal massage therapist with a Master's in Public Health, and a doctoral student in Chiropractic Medicine. Ihotu is the granddaughter of a traditional Nigerian Chief, of Polish-Irish farmers, is a graduate of Columbia University. Ihoutu also conducted maternal health research ...
Nov 03, 2021•38 min
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 o...
Oct 27, 2021•36 min
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 ...
Oct 20, 2021•37 min
