Evidence Based Birth®

In this episode, I am joined by two of our distinguished keynote speakers from the 2019 Evidence Based Birth Conference, “Bringing Evidence to Life”: Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy.D, licensed clinical psychologist, trained birth doula and founder of Diversity Uplifts, Inc., and Heather Thompson, MS, PhD, a molecular and cellular biologist, clinical researcher, birth worker and deputy director of birth justice organization Elephant Circle.

The 2019 Evidence Based Birth conference brought together an incredible mix of birth workers and advocates from many professions and backgrounds. Listen as the three of us debrief the conference - what was impactful, what went right, and what went we would do differently in the future. Hear their perspectives as members of a non-dominant cultures, and what they and their communities experienced in a diverse and intense conference setting. 

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES:

Connect with Dr. Sayida Peprah via her website, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

For more information on Diversity Uplifts, Inc., click here.

Visit the Elephant Circle website here.

Click here for the Evidence Based Birth Podcast episode, "How to Disagree on Birth Topics - Respectfully!" with Cristen Pascucci.

Direct download: EBB_105_-EBB_Conference_Interviews_-_Heather_Thompson_Sayida_Peprah_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

In this episode, I explore the latest evidence on the use of saline locks!

A saline lock - sometimes called a “hep-lock” in reference to how it used to be used - is an intravenous (IV) catheter that is threaded into a peripheral vein, flushed with saline, and then capped off for later use. Nurses use saline locks to have easy access to the vein for potential injections. They can be useful in administering drugs as needed, and in the event of emergency surgery.

What is the latest research on the use of saline locks in labor and delivery? What is the evidence for the saline lock in someone who wants an un-medicated birth or wants to avoid medical interventions as much as possible? Should a saline lock be in place “just in case” it may be needed? I’ll cover the evidence on this topic, along with the risks and benefits.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES:

Bailey, J. M., C. Bell, R. Zielenski (2019). “Timing and outcomes of an indication-only use of intravenous cannulation during spontaneous labor.” J Midwifery Womens Health 00:1-7. 

Bateman, B. T., M. F. Berman, et al. (2010). “The epidemiology of postpartum hemorrhage in a large, nationwide sample of deliveries.” Anesthesia and analgesia 110(5): 1368-1373.

Maki, D. G., D. M. Kluger, et al. (2006). “The risk of bloodstream infection in adults with different intravascular devices: a systematic review of 200 published prospective studies.” Mayo Clin Proc 81(9): 1159-1171.

Newton, N., M. Newton, et al. (1988). “Psychologic, physical, nutritional, and technologic aspects of intravenous infusion during labor.” Birth 15(2): 67-72.

Rickard, C. M., D. McCann, et al. (2010). “Routine resite of peripheral intravenous devices every 3 days did not reduce complications compared with clinically indicated resite: a randomised controlled trial.” BMC Med 8: 53.

Want evidence on more topics? Access all of the Evidence Based Birth Signature Articles at our blog.

Direct download: EBB_104_-Evidence_on_Saline_Locks.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

In this episode, I am joined by reproductive justice advocate Danielle Jackson. Danielle is a wife, mother, doula, and co-host of the podcast Birth Stories in Color. She works to empower women to birth without fear, and has focused her career on helping families recognize their strengths and build healthy support systems. She became a doula in 2016.

Issues in her community of Columbus, Ohio drew Danielle to the organization Restoring Our Own Through Transformation, as a change agent in the ongoing fight for birthing justice in the area. Birth Stories in Color grew from a shared experience with her co-host, Laurel Gourrier, at a training for doulas of color. They quickly realized that in that environment, women of color felt liberated to speak their truths and share their experiences with birth. They now provide that space via their podcast.

Hear Danielle and I talk about strategies to be change makers in our communities, fostering healthy disruption and questioning the status quo.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES:


For more on the podcast Birth Stories in Color, click here. ()

Follow Birth Stories in Color on Facebook, and Instagram.

Learn more about Restoring Our Own Through Transformation here.

Direct download: EBB_103_-_Interview_Danielle_Jackson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

In this episode, I am joined by Bess English, a mother of two who lives near Pensacola, Florida.  Bess describes her first hospital birth experience as traumatic. When she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class to learn more about advocacy tools and comfort measures. 

Bess’ attempted VBAC home birth did not go as planned - and she and her husband found themselves back in the hospital setting making some difficult choices. But this time, it was a different story.

Hear Bess tell her birth stories, how she processed her birth trauma, and utilized advocacy tools to navigate and feel empowered in her complicated second birth.

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

RESOURCES:

For more information on the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class, click here.

To find an Evidence Based Birth Instructor and EBB classes near you, click here.

Get your copy of my book, Babies Are Not Pizzas, here. It’s the story of my traumatic first birth, interwoven with the latest evidence surrounding common birth interventions.

Direct download: EBB_102_-_Interview_Bess_English.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:00am EDT

1