Evidence Based Birth®

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 University. Ihotu has conducted maternal health research with the United Nations before becoming a doula in 2011. Fascinated by the connections between Western and traditional medicine, Ihotu spent a decade study in Afro-Indigenous and global cultural practices for childbirth, ancestral, and wound healing. Ihotu is now alongside medical training in chiropractic care in the neuroscience of spirituality and meditation. Ihotu is a co-founder of the Minnesota Healing Justice Network, which was featured in Rolling Stone magazine for their focus on rest for residents and healers through the 2020 Uprising, and is now the director of the Oshun Center for Intercultural Healing.

We talk about what is cultural appropriation, the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, and how it can show up in various birth working spaces. We also talk about the importance of racial healing and how it can apply in birth work, especially for birth workers of color. 

Content warning: We mention cultural appropriation, trauma, racism, and anti-Blackness. 

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Ihotu Ali and The Oshun Center here.

Learn more about cultural appropriation in wellness spaces here.

Learn more about exploring yoga and cultural appropriation here.

Learn more about how culture can be appropriated here.

See a complete list of resources for this episode on the show's blog page here.

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_213_-_Ihotu_Ali.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

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’ inspiring story of their challenges of trying to conceive, along with giving birth after experiencing infant loss twice. We also talk about how the EBB Childbirth Class facilitated by EBB instructor, Chanté Perryman, taught them how to communicate on how to achieve the birth experience they wanted with their double rainbow baby, Henry.

Content Warning: We mention challenges to pre-term birth, miscarriage, attempts to conceive, placental abruption, COVID, cesarean, newborn loss, grief and loss of family members, and trauma.  

RESOURCES:

Learn more about EBB instructor, Chanté Perryman here. Follow Chanté on Instagram here

Watch the “Life With A Newborn: Why It's So Hard To Take A Shower” video here.

Listen to EBB 145 here.

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_212_-_Kaya_and_Jess_Tuchscherer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

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 support groups and teaches childbirth education and lactation classes to expectant parents. Rikki also serves as a board member for the Southern Nevada Breastfeeding Coalition and provides all-inclusive services to expectant families and birth professionals virtually in the greater Las Vegas Valley and surrounding areas. 

We talk about how Rikki got started in birth work and how she transitioned into being an empowering support to the families in her community. We also talk about Rikki’s passion to help her community wearing many “birth working hats” such as being an EBB instructor as well as pushing herself to further her goals in the professional world of lactation.

Content Warning: We mention COVID and birth trauma.

RESOURCES:

Learn more about Rikki Jenkins and Heart and Sol Collective here. Follow Heart and Sol Collective on Facebook and Instagram

Find an EBB Childbirth Class here:  https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/.

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_211_-_Rikki_Jenkins.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

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 perineal tears.

Content warning: Discussion of perineal tears during childbirth, severe tears, and episiotomy.

RESOURCES:

Listen to EBB 206 here.

For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode

Check out Episode 206 of the EBB Podcast to learn about Perineal Tears and Avoiding Episiotomy

Go to our YouTube channel to see video renditions of all our podcasts!

Visit https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth  Childbirth Class

Take a continuing education class on this topic (and earn a contact hour) by joining the EBB Professional Membership  here: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ 

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_210_-_Evidence_on_Warm_Compresses_Hands-on_vs_Hands-off.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:30am EDT

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