Evidence Based Birth®

In this episode I talk about the updated research evidence on using membrane sweeping or membrane stripping for inducing labor. Is membrane sweeping effective? What are the advantages and disadvantages? Why do some providers perform membrane sweeping without asking your permission beforehand? We talk about all of this, and more, in this latest episode of the Evidence Based Birth® podcast!

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Direct download: EBB_151_-_Membrane_Sweeping.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

In this episode, I am joined with Brett Iimura to discuss global childbirth education and birth in Japan. Brett has had a varied career, including being a hansom cab driver in New York City, an ASL interpreter, field producer for Japanese TV, literacy tutor and childbirth educator, and doula. She has facilitated in-person classes as a certified childbirth educator and is the director of the Childbirth Education Center, the CEC, based in Japan. Brett has provided childbirth education classes in the United States for 25 years as well, adding a remote or virtual option nine years ago. More than 2000 birthing people and their support partners from over 80 countries have attended CEC’s classes to date. CEC also runs a program that offers a certification in the art of childbirth education for student midwives.

We talk about navigating to find a supportive birthing team in Japan, Japan’s medical approaches to birth, along with childbirth education compared to the United States. We also speak about the differences in facilitating childbirth classes internationally, along with adjusting to transitioning from in-person instruction to virtual and remote facilitated childbirth education classes.

RESOURCES:

Morton, Christine H, and Clarissa Hsu. “Contemporary dilemmas in american childbirth education: findings from a comparative ethnographic study.” The Journal of perinatal education vol. 16,4 (2007): 25-37. doi:10.1624/105812407X245614. Learn more about this study here (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2174386/).

Learn more about Brett Iimura and Birth in Japan here (https://www.birthinjapan.com/).

Learn more about Kimberly Seal Allers here (https://www.kimberlysealsallers.com/) and The Irth App here (https://birthwithoutbias.com/). Follow Kimberly Seal Allers on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/iamksealsallers?lang=en) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/iamksealsallers/?hl=en). You can follow The Irth App on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/theirthapp/?hl=en) and on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/TheIrthApp).

Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here (https://birthmonopoly.com/). Follow Birth Monopoly on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/birthmonopoly) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/birthmonopoly/?hl=en).

Learn more about Jennie Joseph here (https://jenniejoseph.com/) and Commonsense Childbirth here (https://commonsensechildbirth.org/). Follow Jennie Josehp on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeJennie) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/thejjway/?hl=en). Follow Commonsence Childbrith on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/perinataltskfrc/).  

Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/) to see the Evidence Based Birth® list of Birth Justice Resources, including research on racism and maternal health.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Direct download: EBB_150_-_Brett_Iimura.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

**Trigger Content Warning: This podcast episode discusses racism and includes graphic descriptions of obstetric abuse.**

In this episode, we're going to talk with Melissa Anne DuBois about shifting from the role of hospital labor and delivery nurse to home birth advocate. Melissa Anne graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Nursing in 2006 and has worked in labor and delivery, high-risk obstetrics, outpatient OB-GYN, and maternity well-baby settings for the past 13 years. Melissa Anne became a childbirth educator in 2011 and a lactation counselor in 2014 and teaches childbirth classes for babiesincommon.com. Fed up with witnessing the COVID-19 pandemic being used to strip birthing families of their rights in childbirth with a resurgence of long outdated and harmful maternity practices that didn't improve staff or patient safety, Melissa left her labor and delivery job and is now providing postpartum home visits for Embrace Midwifery, a home birth midwifery practice in Central Massachusetts. Melissa continues to advocate for birthing families during the pandemic by offering virtual birth planning services and classes.

We will discuss Melissa’s transition as a labor and delivery nurse to a home birth advocate, which resulted from her own experience with having a traumatic birth, obstetric abuse, and witnessing outdated perinatal medical methods performed in hospital settings during her years in nursing as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also discuss systematic racism in perinatal health care placed against marginalized communities of color. 

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Melissa Anne Dubois and Babies in Common here (https://www.babiesincommon.com/). Listen to Melissa’s podcast, “Babies in Common Show” on Apple here (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1506843459) and Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/show/35wh7oWEGiivi9tKBPfEYX). Follow Babies in Common on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/BabiesInCommon/). 

Learn more about Embrace Midwifery, Rachel Blessington, and Marianne Pelletier here (https://www.embracemidwifery.care/). Follow Embrace Midwifery on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/embracemidwifery.care) and Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/embracemidwifery.care/). 

View “The Business Of Being Born” here (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Being-Born-Helen-Ayres/dp/B001IIHAGK). 

Learn about Krysta Dancy and Birth and Trauma Support Center here (https://birthandtraumasupportcenter.org/). Follow Krysta Dancy on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/DancyTherapy/). Follow Birth and Trauma Support Center on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/birthandtraumasupportcenter/) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/birthandtraumasupportcenter/). 

Learn more about the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) here (https://awhonn.org/). Follow AWHONN on Facebook here(https://www.facebook.com/AWHONN/) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/awhonn/). 

Learn more about the World Health Organization (WHO) here (https://www.who.int/). Follow WHO on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/WHO/) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/who/). 

Learn more about Dr. Stephanie Mitchell here (https://linktr.ee/Doctor__midwife). Follow Dr. Mitchell on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/doctor_midwife/).

Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/) to see the Evidence Based Birth® list of Birth Justice Resources, including research on racism and maternal health.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Direct download: EBB_149_-_Melissa_Anne_Dubois.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:51am EDT

**Trigger Warning: This podcast contains content on the topic of obstetric abuse and birth trauma.**

In this episode, I interview Brittany “Tru” Kellman, the Founder and Executive Director of Jamaa Birth Village in Ferguson, Missouri. She is a mother and wife, certified professional midwife, certified doula and doula trainer, breastfeeding peer counselor, and author. In 2015 she launched her community campaign to improve birth, maternal, and infant care, and the overall wellness of families in and around St. Louis by launching the non-profit that is today the Jamaa Birth Village. 

Through the midwifery model of care, Tru has seen hope restored, thriving pregnancies, and healthy births and postpartum periods. In 2019, Tru became Missouri’s first Black certified professional midwife, in order to serve families in the provider role. She is a recipient of the prestigious Dr. Corinne Walentik Leadership in Health Award, through the Missouri Foundation for Health.

We talk about Tru’s start in birth work, the importance of community advocacy, and the unique needs of families and birthing people of color. 

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES:

Follow the Jamaa Birth Village on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/jamaabirthvillage/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jamaabirthvillage/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/jamaabirth?lang=en) and its website (https://jamaabirthvillage.org/).

Click here (https://jamaabirthvillage.org/doula-training-program) for information on the Jamaa Birth Village Doula Training Program.

Follow Brittany Tru Kellman, CPM on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TruKellman/?ref=page_internal)

Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/) to see the Evidence Based Birth® list of Birth Justice Resources, including research on racism and maternal health.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Direct download: EBB_148_-_Brittany_Tru_Kellman_-_Jamaa_Birth_Village.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

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