Evidence Based Birth®

On today’s podcast, we’re going to talk with Stephaney Moody, a Health Equity Ambassador and an advocate for Healthy Birthday and Count the Kicks about the importance of kick counting to prevent stillbirth.

Stephaney Moody’s passion for stillbirth prevention came after her family experienced loss, when her sister lost her daughter. Upon learning about the inequities that persist in stillbirth outcomes in the African-American Community, she felt led to join the fight against preventable stillbirth and strive for equity.

Stephaney is also the Founder of Black Women's Health and Wellness Webcast which addresses issues that impact the health and wellbeing of African-American women. She also serves in her community as a Pastor at New Beginnings Discipleship Ministries and as a Chaplain to the Des Moines Police Department.

We will talk about the importance of kick counting in the third trimester to prevent stillbirth. Stephaney shares how her family has been affected by stillbirth and how she became involved in Kick the Counts, an evidence-based stillbirth prevention public health awareness campaign for expectant parents in the 3rd trimester. We will discuss the evidence on kick counting and how Count the Kicks and Healthy Birthday’s public health and awareness campaigns are having a direct impact on stillbirth rates in the United States and abroad. A video with this episode will also come out later today at our YouTube channel here.

**Content warning: pregnancy loss, stillbirth, racial inequities in healthcare, maternal mortality, maternal morbidity infant mortality**

Resources:

  • Count the Kicks Evidence and Resources here.
  • Download the Count the Kicks App here 
  • Healthy Birthday Resources here

Find Count the Kick on Social Media: 

Stephaney moderates the Black Women's Health and Wellness group here.

Research discussed:

Tveit, J.V., et al. (2009). "Reduction of late stillbirth with the introduction of fetal movement information and guidelines - a clinical quality improvement." BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 9:32: http://europepmc.org/article/PMC/2734741

Sadovsky, E. and Yaffe, H. (1973). "Daily fetal movement recording and fetal prognosis." Obstet Gynecol 41(6): 845-850. https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Abstract/1973/06000/Daily_Fetal_Movement_Recording_and_Fetal_Prognosis.8.aspx

Leader, L. R., Baillie, P. and Van Schalwyk, D. J. (1981). “Fetal movement and fetal outcome: A prospective study.” Obstet Gynecol 57(4): 431-436. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7243088/

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on: 

Ready to get involved? 

  • Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here 
  • Find an EBB Instructor here 
  • Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

On today’s podcast, we have a fun episode where we talk with Labor & Delivery Nurse and the founder of Bundle Birth, Sarah Lavonne, about supporting families so that they can have a confident and empowered birth experience.  

Sarah Lavonne, pronouns she/her, a pioneer in nursing and birth education, is the founder & CEO at Bundle Birth, A Nursing Corporation. Sarah is a Registered Nurse Certified in inpatient Obstetric Nursing, a certified childbirth educator, and a certified lactation education counselor. With a vision to unite patients, support persons and medical personnel together through education and support, Sarah and her team at Bundle Birth have fearlessly developed a community of learning and inspiration across labor and birth. Sarah dreams of all birthing people having, not only a healthy birth with safe outcomes, but healthy birth memories. She offers a spectrum of services from support to on-demand classes to a robust online YouTube presence. 

In this episode, Sarah shares her journey to helping families and nurses shift from nervous and overwhelmed to confident and transformed. 

This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video 

**Content Warning: Mention of pediatric loss.**

 
Resources:

Sarah Lavonne, Bundle Birth

We talked about Ana Paula Markel's doula training program, check it out here.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

Find us on:

Ready to get involved?

  • Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here 
  • Find an EBB Instructor here 
  • Click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth®  Childbirth Class.
Direct download: EBB_242_-_Divine_edit.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

Have you ever thought about what position you would like to use to give birth? Most movies and television series depict birthing positions such as back-lying or semi-sitting in bed. But many people, if given the choice, instinctively choose a more upright position for birthing their baby—such as hands-and-knees, squatting, or kneeling.

What is the evidence on the different positions that can be used to help push your baby out? And why are the lying or semi-sitting positions so frequently recommended (or even required) in hospital settings? Join Dr. Rebecca Dekker, the founder of Evidence Based Birth, as we explore in-depth evidence on this topic!

To learn more about the research on this topic, and to download a free 1-page handout, visit ebbirth.com/birthingpositions.

This podcast is also posted on our YouTube channel in case you want to access the video.

Content Note: perineal tears, the lithotomy position, forceps and vacuum deliveries, and obstetric violence related to being coerced or forced to push and deliver on your back.
 

Resources:

  • For a full list of scientific references, see the blog post that goes along with this episode
  • Check out our Signature Article and download our 1-page handout... Evidence on: Birthing Positions 

Other relevant episodes:

Find us on:

Ready to get involved?

Direct download: EBB_241_-_The_Updated_Evidence_on_Birthing_Positions.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am EDT

October 5, 2022 – In honor of National Midwifery Week, I am so excited to present to you a podcast replay with the esteemed midwife Jennie Joseph. 

Jennie was featured on EBB episode 136 in 2020, and since then she has gone on to become the first Black midwife to own an Accredited Midwifery school (Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery) in the U.S.. Jennie was also announced as Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year in 2022!

If you haven’t listened to this episode yet, you should!! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time Jennie was talking— she blew me away with her passion, her wisdom, her ability to call out nonsense, and her storytelling prowess.

So, if you’re interested in learning more about the crisis in U.S. childbirth care, and what we can do about it… please educate yourself with this replay of Episode 136 with Midwife Jennie Joseph, a true change agent!

Replay – In this episode I welcome Jennie Joseph, one of the world’s most respected midwives and authorities on women’s health. She’s a true advocate for systematic reform that puts families first in health care. Jennie is the founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth, Inc., and is also creator of The JJ Way®, a patient-centered model of care. 

Jennie has worked in European hospitals, American birth centers, clinics, and home birth environments. She’s been instrumental in the regulation of Florida midwives, and currently owns a Florida-licensed midwifery school, the Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery. Jennie speaks worldwide to doctors, other practitioners, policy makers, and members of the U.S. Congress, including testifying at Congressional briefings on Capitol Hill. 

Jennie and I talk about solutions for the crisis in American maternity care. Don’t miss this powerful conversation.

Trigger Content Note: This episode contains discussion of hysterectomy with non-consented ovarian removal, slavery, the prison and medical industrial complexes in the U.S., racism causing preterm births, racial discrimination during postpartum hemorrhage, and there will be use of gendered language.

Resources: 

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us:

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