On today's podcast, we talk with L&D nurse, Ann Marie Gilligan, about perinatal positioning during labor. Ann is a labor and delivery nurse in Minnesota, who is trained in high-risk obstetrics and advanced fetal monitoring, certified through Waterbirth International and also, certified as a sexual assault nurse examiner. Ann has 30 years of labor and delivery experience, ranging from the start-up team for an independent birth center to working at a level three high-risk labor and delivery unit to working as a legal nurse consultant and prenatal yoga instructor. Ann has extensive experience caring for families who want an unmedicated birth as well as caring for people with high-risk conditions, such as pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled diabetes, postpartum hemorrhage, and sepsis. Ann has also traveled to Bolivia and Tanzania, where she taught high-risk obstetrics and maternal positioning for optimal fetal positioning. More recently, Ann became an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor in 2020 and is a Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner. 

We talk about maternal positioning and its effect on fetal positioning during labor. We also talk about Ann’s vast experience as an L&D nurse and her web-based resource, Gilligan's Guide, where Ann teaches physicians, nurses, and families the importance of infant positioning for birth.

Learn about Ann Marie Gilligan and Gilligan’s Guide here (www.gilligansguide.com). Follow Ann on Instagram here (www.instagram.com/gilligansguide). 

Learn about EBB instructor, Rhonda Fellows, Learn about Oily Doula MN here (https://www.oilydoulamn.com/) and follow Oily Doula MN on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/oilydoulamn/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/oilydoulamn/).

Learn more about Spinning Babies® here (https://www.spinningbabies.com/).

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.

I'm pleased to share with you today's podcast episode, which is a comprehensive update of the research evidence on COVID-19 and pregnancy and childbirth!

To view the scientific references for this article, visit the COVID-19 resource page here and look for the February 17, 2021 podcast episode text.

In this podcast episode, I cover:

• The current global situation
• What we know so far about prevention/vaccines during pregnancy
• Testing and diagnosis
• Symptoms during pregnancy
• Risk of hospitalization and severe/critical illness in pregnancy
• Treatment of COVID-19 during pregnancy
• Risks to the fetus, including the risk of preterm birth
• Timing of birth if you're infected with COVID-19
• Whether its possible to transmit COVID-19 to the fetus in utero
• Antibody transfer during pregnancy and through human milk
• Newborn outcomes and best practices when a baby is born to an infected parent
• Hospital policies on permitting birth partners
• Hospital policies on permitting doulas
• Changes we've seen to labor and delivery practices during the pandemic
• Where you can go to read guidelines from professional organizations

I hope that this podcast episode is helpful! I'm happy that our research team was able to put it together for you.

On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Nathalie Walton, CEO of the Expectful app, about coping with anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum— especially when you have a high-risk pregnancy.

Nathalie is the CEO of Expectful, the number one meditation and sleep app for growing families. She has spent the last eight years in leadership roles at Airbnb, Google, and eBay. As a new mother to her 10-month old son Everett, Nathalie experienced the failure of the U.S. healthcare system as it pertains to nurturing the mental and emotional well-being of pregnant and new parents. She joined the team at Expectful to provide universal access to evidence-based wellness solutions such as meditation to help millions of people around the world navigate the new stage of parenthood.

**Content Warning: This episode includes a birth story with placental abruption, emergency cesarean, and NICU admission.** 

Natalie talks with us about her journey to parenthood, including how she prepared for her “marathon” high-risk pregnancy and birthing experience. We also talk about how she empowered herself to take control of her mental well-being during pregnancy and birth. 

Learn more about Nathalie Walton and the Expectful app here (https://expectful.com/). To learn more about Expectful’s Helping Hands scholarship program, email them at care@expectful.com. Follow Expectful on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/expectful/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/expectful/). 

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.

On today's podcast, we are talking with Jamie and Ryan English about their unexpectedly long but empowering hospital birth, as well as the effects of severe diastasis recti on the labor process.

Jamie and Ryan are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class, which they took with EBB instructor Jennifer Anderson. Ryan is a commercial property manager and Jamie is a photographer. They moved to Sacramento a few years ago from San Diego, California, and at the same time they found out they were pregnant with their baby girl. 

We talk about how Jamie and Ryan prepared for their birthing experience as first-time parents during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk about Jamie’s long labor experience due to the effects of having severe diastasis recti. 

Learn more about Katy Bowman and her book, “Diastasis Recti: The Whole-Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation” here (https://linktr.ee/nutritiousmovement). Follow Katy on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nutritiousmovement/?hl=en) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NutritiousMovement/). 

Learn more about the Fit2B exercise program here (https://fit2b.us/). 

Learn more about the “The Birth Hour” podcast here (https://thebirthhour.com/). Follow “The Birth Hour” podcast on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thebirthhour/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thebirthhour/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/brynhuntpalmer). 

Learn more about EBB Instructor, Jennifer Anderson, here (https://www.birthfusion.com/) and follow Birth Fusion on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/birthfusion/). 

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.