Shevi Samet and I get real about how observing Taharas Hamishpacha (Jewish Family Purity laws), is challenging for many. Being niddah in labor, birth and the postpartum period can present additional struggles, especially considering the large amount of support many new mothers need. Shevi is ever empathic toward those who experience these challenges and she doesn’t whitewash their experiences, but in her extraordinarily eloquent way, manages to give some thoughtful perspectives on getting throug...
Aug 22, 2021•48 min•Ep. 19
Becoming a mother changes all the parts of you - including your body. Yaelle is a registered dietician who focuses her nutrition practice on helping moms get healthy. Many clients come to her with the intention of losing weight because they're struggling to accept their new body, but is dieting really the answer to this problem? Promo codes for this episode’s sponsors: 7th Day Shine - natural, chemical and paraben free makeup specially formulated for permissible application on Shabbos. Use code ...
Aug 15, 2021•32 min•Ep. 18
After healing from her harrowing surgeries, Esther was finally healthy enough to fulfill her desire of growing her family. The necessity for future gynecological surgeries shortened her timeframe and made the stakes much higher this time. Her fertility treatment plans were derailed by the pandemic and she sequentially experienced a pregnancy loss. When she finally did achieve a viable pregnancy, it was an extremely difficult one that ended in a way that Esther didn’t expect. Despite her fears an...
Jul 23, 2021•44 min•Ep. 17
After overcoming infertility hurdles to have her children, Esther came across some difficult information that presented the possibility she would not live long enough to raise them. Testing positive for the BRCA gene mutation meant that she had to make some very difficulty decisions and her ultimate choices weren’t always well received by those around her. After a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, she thought that she was past the worst threat to her life, but complications from the s...
Jul 15, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 16
Why is it important to take an active role in decisions about your medical care? How does the process of shared decision making work? To what extent does the responsibility of making decisions rest on you? What is informed consent? What if you don’t want to know about all the scary things that can happen and would rather the medical team decide everything for you? What is a midwife, what is their training and how safe is it to receive perinatal care from one? Pamela Hetrick, a certified nurse mi...
Jul 05, 2021•59 min•Ep. 15
Why would someone decide to decline pain medication in labor? What tools and resources are helpful to achieve this? How can their doctors and nurses affect their decision? What happens when you end up requiring medical interventions? Can you really give birth without pain meds if you have an induction? These are all questions and obstacles that Bassy Schwartz faced during her first birth. She captivates us with her story and tells us what she would have done differently. Bassy is a soon-to-be ma...
Jun 27, 2021•58 min•Ep. 14
Choosing a doctor or midwife is one of the most important decisions that you will have to make during your pregnancy. What qualities should you look for in an obstetrician to determine whether they are both competent and the right fit for you? To what extent does their “bedside manner” matter in the quality of care that they provide? What are the pros and cons of a solo provider vs. a group practice. Should you see one provider from the group continuously to develop a strong relationship with th...
Jun 18, 2021•33 min•Ep. 13
Shira is a social media creative and Mo is at the cusp of finishing his 10 year journey to becoming a neonatologist. They retell the birth stories of their 3 children, highlighting the stark differences between having their first 2 babies 10 years ago as newlyweds and their 3rd baby who was born a few months ago. Shira faced quite a few obstacles during her first birth, including an unexpected acute medical condition and her baby showing signs of distress during labor. The couple gives their ind...
Jun 13, 2021•54 min
What does it mean to have “infertility”? Why is pregnancy after infertility challenging? How can you support someone close to you who finds themselves in this situation? What is the roller coaster of emotions that those who struggled to become pregnant commonly feel when they finally see those 2 pink lines (or get a positive beta test)? What are ways to cope through this tumultuous time? Dr. Aimee Baron's extensive experience - both work and personal - lends itself to a thorough exploration of t...
Jun 06, 2021•43 min•Ep. 11
What are the qualities that you should look for when hiring a doula? What is and is not within a doula’s scope of practice? Is a doula supposed to speak up for you in the hospital? Should a doula argue with the staff in the hospital? What happens if your doctor is recommending something against your wishes? What’s the difference between consent and coercion? What happens if you change your mind about something that you planned about your birth? How is the landscape surrounding birth changing in ...
May 30, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 10
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 ma...
May 23, 2021•22 min•Ep. 9
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 ...
May 16, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 8
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 rache...
May 09, 2021•56 min•Ep. 7
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 cap...
May 02, 2021•46 min•Ep. 6
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 fo...
Apr 25, 2021•52 min•Ep. 5
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 ...
Apr 18, 2021•51 min•Ep. 4
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 ...
Apr 11, 2021•54 min•Ep. 3
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 ...
Apr 11, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 2
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 ...
Apr 09, 2021•39 min•Ep. 1
