Baby Magic is hosted by Rivka Cymbalist. She talks about having babies (or not!), being a parent, women‘s health, radical change, radical healing, free birthing, home and hospital birth, midwifery, physicians, and self care.
I had a great chat with coach, shaman-in-training, endurance athlete, author and artist and all-around amazing woman! If you're interested in getting in touch you can find her here https://www.coaching.kristinafolcik.com/ and here https://www.instagram.com/dangergirl3.0/
Musings while running ... what do we do that can spiritual damage mother and baby during the birth process?
I'm just chatting here about the last 50 days of my training program to run 50 kilometers in February. How does a 67 year old woman train to run long distances? Listen up!
I'll be checking in every day as I work towards running 50k in the desert on February 17, 2024. Training, physical and mental. Emotional and psychic hurdles. What is happening in my life and my work in the birth world; my dreams and insights, and some tips and advice for older runners.
Vanessa is a spiritual midwife living in Nevada. She attends births, holds women's circles, and takes care of her many children. You can reach her here!
I had a lovely time meeting with Hillary. Some midwives in Mexico led her to me (note to self: get to Mexico!). She gave birth on her own terms in her living room one summer morning and she describes mothering, birthing, loving, traveling, and working with words. Her special message is: rest! You don't have to worry about failing to progress! Normal everyday women can and do give birth at home every single day. You can too, if you want! Join the circle ... spread the love ... listen up! Thank you to Hillary B for sharing her story; AC for sound; Kahil El-Zabar for music.
What do you do when you discover you're pregnant on the eve of a months-long sail through the southern seas? Get sailing! I had a fun chat with The Traveling Birthkeeper about her adventures, including birthing in a secret location in the southern pacific (listen up to find out where!) You can reach her here If you're interested in becoming a Traditional Birth Attendant, send me a shout! My course starts January 2023!
How one of the strongest women I know gave birth. Not for the fainthearted.
MC birthed twice with registered midwives. She shares how the births unfolded and has some things to say about psychological/emotional support when things don't unfold as planned.
I did a bunch of interviews of real women's birth stories. Here's one of them! Do you have a story you'd like to share?
This episode features Sally, who regularly runs very long distances, and works and plays in liminal spaces. Find out about her "Creating Circles" workshops, listen to her words of wisdom about running alone, ponder with us the nature of tenderness and holding space. Here's a link to explore Sally's circles: https://www.sallygolightly.co.uk/creating-circles-2/ and here's a link to one of her running playlists! https://music.apple.com/gb/playlist/running/pl.u-pMyl1ZaiYr42gE and here is that documentary about Stephanie Case! https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/exploration/our-journal/free-to-run.html
"Lots of people, here in the northern hemisphere, celebrate today the longest day of the year, the day when the sun shines more than any other day. But this is what makes humans so compelling, so attractive, endearing, and profound. To me anyway. Because..."
This Mama lived in a place where it was impossible to find a legal midwife, so she hired an unregistered midwife to assist her for her first birth. Her subsequent transfer to the hospital and the "snakey" treatment she got there may be disturbing to some of you, but these stories need to be told. There is no reason why any laboring woman should be treated like garbage by their attendants. None at all. Let's shout out our stories: the transcendent ones, the traumatic ones, the ones full of joy, the sad ones. Our voices are powerful!
I've created a short labor mantra song that you can listen to - on a loop if you want! It will guide you during your labor, when you need to listen to the voice of an elder woman. Feel free to share this with anyone who may need strength during birth. Spread the love!
Erica Gipson is a mother, a scientist, a homeschooler, and a doula who has an interesting view of life, science, mothering, and intimacy. Listen up! And get a science lesson about how viruses work!
Where I talk about the legalities of birth in Quebec, Canada. Is it legal to give birth on your own at home? Can you hire a midwife who works privately? What is the legal status of free birthing in Canada? Why should we care? What does it mean to work as a traditional birth attendant outside of the recognized medical system? Is there a community of women here in Canada, and elsewhere, who are birthing without doctors or midwives? Are there different kinds of midwives? These burning questions and more are explored in this episode. For more info, please contact me directly here
I had a chat with Maria, who pledged to run or walk 20 k per week throughout her pregnancy to support Free to Run, an organization that promotes women's and girls' empowerment through spots in conflict-torn areas of the world. We chatted about pregnancy and ultrarunning, empowerment, and play... then she went into labour and gave birth!! ps: if you're inspired to donate to this excellent organization, you can do so here!
My sound man isn't available so tune in next week for another great episode... but for now, listen to my musings about midwifery, the risk culture, womanhood, and fear. Don't forget to reach out if you have ANY questions about the podcast, birth, or if you want YOUR voice heard!
I spoke with Hannah Boudali about midwifery training, doula work, volunteer birth companions, love, burnout, and mothering. This is a woman who speaks from her heart!
My guest Rosemary shares her stories about her two babies' births. One was "risked out" of midwifery care and ended in surgery. After that disheartening experience, Rosemary chose to birth without a midwife or doctor present, and she shares her stories here. Am I promoting this approach to birth? No, actually. I believe that a woman needs and deserves a knowledgeable, wise, respectful birth attendant (maybe even a few!), and I'm sad that the lack of respectful care is leading women to choose to give birth alone. What do you believe? What's your story? Are you drawn to accompanying women on their journeys through birth? Reach out - @mbcdoulaschool
I had a fun chat with lively Cat Earth, Courtney Piper a while ago but I've been taking it easy on the media front recently, so I'm getting our chat out there now, during the full Perseid showers, a new moon, and the upcoming 65th Birth Day of yours truly. I'm feeling the power, and the energy, and the magic that comes through in Courtney's words. There is joy there, hurt, love ... we're human, folks! I hope you enjoy our chat, and may there be many more! You are invited to the circle! This episode is a great way to end Season 4 of Baby Magic...Season 5 will start up again on August 21, to celebrate the one year anniversary of the podcast - thank you to all of you!
I like to introduce some of the mothers I meet over the months and years. Some of them like to share their birth stories; others only share their dreams and transformations, or their struggles and overcomings. Pamela's birth journey went differently than she expected: meet her here!
We like to present happy stories: powerful birth experiences, sovereign womanhood revealed, stories about finding truth and power in sometimes difficult unfoldings of events. Our biggest fear, as mothers, is to lose a child. Even if that loss happens at the beginning of pregnancy, it is something we feel deep in our bones and our hearts. My guest is a woman who wants to break the stigma of speaking about miscarriage and baby loss. She tells her story of losing her baby months before he was supposed to be born. His birth taught her many things, and her strength is a lesson to me. Our stories are powerful, let's speak them!
Samantha, founder of BeBaby and mother of three (3 and under!) talks to us about choices, options for childbirth in Canada... and about her new project BeBaby!
Cesarean Awareness Month is April, and every month is a good month to learn about oppressive birth practices. In the past fifty years in affluent parts of the world, the cesarean birth rates have skyrocketed without any significant improvement of maternal or infant mortality or morbidity. Except ... wait ... mothers are suffering physically, emotionally and spiritually from the damage that is done to them when they have unwanted and unnecessary cesarean sections. Today, Emily joins us from a dark place where she was left after giving birth to her twin girls ... her strength, love, and intuition helped her to move forward and into a full awareness of birth and what it means to be intentional in a system that is made to oppress. Cesarean surgery saves lives: mothers' lives, and babies' lives. But it is only life-giving when it is done to save a life. Because you don't know how to assist at a breech birth isn't a reason, neither is because labor is going slowly, nor because your shift is ending, or because of any number of false reasons. Bad science is not good medicine, and women are not sheep.
I am honored to present four volunteers from Embrace Refugee Birth Support. Embrace serves families who find their new homes in Clarkston, Georgia, which is one of the most ethnically diverse towns in the US. These women recount their stories as mothers, as volunteers, as women. Listen up!
Combat Midwife speaks from her heart! In this episode, we explore how we hold experience - childbirth, going to a museum, attending trauma - we could have chatted for hours but we condensed it all into a full, rich hour....Listen up! Visit her on Instagram @combatmidwife Check out Combat Midwife's Midwife Monday ... every Monday on Instagram!
What was birth like in the 1970's? How were we trying to change policy back then? Bringing partners in to the birth room, lowering episiotomy rates, fighting for natural childbirth ... Baby Magic speaks with Janet Torge who was in the forefront of the birth movement back in the olden days, and teaches prenatal classes to the new generation. How have things changed? For the better? Or ... for the worse?
Want to find out what your birth options are here in Montreal, Quebec? Have a listen! YOU HAVE CHOICES! Get in touch for more detailed info @mbcdoulaschool, or email me here
This International Women's Day, I have been thinking a lot about my goals for women during their reproductive lives. Here is my joyful manifesto: find out how YOU can join the cause! You can always reach out to me @montrealdoulaschool or here. Happy International Women's Day and every day! Let's celebrate: joy, power, love and peace!
Part three of the Placenta Miniseries presents business partners Emma Mogg and Shelby Duggan, from Toowoomba (Australia). Eating the placenta does have the Ew factor.... but if you get it dried and encapsulated, you have a ready-made product that can ease postpartum blues, increase milk production, and more. Have a listen!
What is Lotus Birth? Baby Magic chats with two women who decided to keep their baby's placenta attached to the umbilical cord until it falls off (3-9 days after birth). And here is an article written by a mother of two: Elizabeth Adams describes her home birth and Lotus Birth. Yes, it might not be for everyone. Is it dangerous? Scientists weigh in here, in the Journal of Clinical Pediatrics. Did you have a Lotus birth? Send us a message, we'd love to chat! ***a word of advice: this podcast tells stories, explores realities, and is a platform for women's opinions about their bodies. It is NOT a place where you can come for medical advice. Do not use this podcast as a guide for treatment, or as a substitute for qualified professional advice and care.
In the first of our Mini-Series on the placenta, we chat with Patricia Edmonds, a longtime midwife and placenta expert. She takes us on a journey to explore the placenta, its relationship to the mother, and how it keeps baby alive during the months of pregnancy. Want to know more about this magical organ? Listen up!
This is a guided meditation for any pregnant woman to use, daily if she wants. A doula can also share it with the women she supports. It helps you relax, energize, and connect with your baby.
Racism in maternity care in the US is something we all may have heard of, but many families are living it. Baby Magic Podcast wants to help you learn more so you can act more, so that together we can make a change. Racism doesn't just mean someone acting in a racist way to a birthing woman. Institutionalized medical racism in the US goes back to the times of slavery, and is informed by it. I spoke with Dana-Ain Davis about racial disparities in maternity outcomes; her new book about prematurity rates among Black women in the US and the afterlife of slavery; and where we can go from here. Davis has been engaged in social justice, particularly reproductive justice, over the last 30 years. She has worked with a number of national reproductive justice organizations; the New York City Department of Health's Sexual and Reproductive Justice initiative; and Scholars for Social Justice. She served on the New York State Governor's Task Force on Maternal Mortality and Disparate Racial Outcomes and currently serves on the Birth Equity Collaborative in San Francisco. Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy and Premature Birth This is the first of several shows on justice and change. Listen up! And let me know if there are topics you want to hear about, or if you are an activist - we want to hear your words!
Here in Montreal,Canada, and around the world, pregnant women and their families are facing new challenges. Do I have to wear a mask while I'm giving birth? Do I have to pick between my partner/mother/friend and my doula to be present with my in the hospital/birthing centre? Can I have a home birth? What does a virtual doula do? Life goes on, and people are still having babies. I spoke to Sylvia Otvos, who leads a special group of doulas here in Montreal. Hear how she and her colleagues answer these questions and more, and follow the links below for community and action. Virtual Mom and Baby group Pregnancy Community group (paid) If you're interested in writing a letter to your local MP, requesting a change in the "one support person" policy in your hospital or birthing centre, message me for template letters. Parents Matter! Birth Matters! Rise Up!
Lewis Mehl-Madrona is a healer. He is a medical doctor, specializing in obstetrics, geriatrics, family medicine, and in psychiatry. He is also a storyteller, drawing on his indigenous heritage to create a breed of narrative medicine that is true Coyote. I have personally witnessed his magic as he accompanied a mother working through a traumatic event in her childbearing life: he guided her as she dissolved blame, so that she could proceed with true grief. Lewis and his wife Barbara Mainguy live in rural Maine, and while Lewis is not working as a physician, he and Barbara present workshops and classes on healing: https://www.mehl-madrona.com/upcoming-events/two-eyed-counseling-bringing-indigenous-approaches-to-improving-social-and-emotional-well-being
Sovereign birth? Sovereign music! Here is our chat from the livestream we made on Dec 22 ... we talk about autonomy, babies, homebirth, homeschooling, and artistic endeavour. Have a listen to this beautiful woman, a powerhouse of love and change!! Mother of seven, birth companion, home-birther, wife, artist and sister: you'll be inspired!!
I spoke to Alison about her experiences as a new mother. Her baby was born in October, 2020, and she shares with us her plans, expectations, challenges and joys of her childbearing year. Are you expecting a baby and wondering about your choices? Drop me a line!
What does it mean to give birth in a sovereign state? What would it be like to be birthing without anyone telling you what you should or shouldn't be doing? How can we accompany women on this journey, if that's what they choose to do? How can a woman find the circle of love that she seeks, that she can give birth within? What can we do to move away from fear-based, traumatic, aggressive birth practices. Baby Magic spoke to Michelle, a Traditional Midwife from Calgary, about her work, her freebirth after cesarean, and about the power of birthing women. Join us!
Robin Lim is a renowned midwife, founder and director of Yahasan Bumi Sehat in Bali. I spoke to her on her birthday, about babies, birth, love, the pandemic, Bali during the shutdown (think small gardens, babies being born, no tourism), and about her yearly birthday campaign. Giving Tuesday is December 1, 2020. If Ibu Robin's words touched you, donate today to support her work in Bali and around the world. I love you!
Billie Harrigan is one of our elders. She is a mother, a grandmother, a traditional birth companion, and a mover and shaker of change in our birth world. She works gently, with kindness and love, for a truly woman-centred birth reality. She respects and empowers. She is humble, intelligent and skilled. We spoke about birth, trauma-informed care, and the current maternity system. You can reach her here: Billie Harrigan. I write about her, and the task ahead, here.
How has life as a birth doula changed during the pandemic? Is it possible to support birthing families virtually? How do you work within the system to change it? Did your work as a science teacher and radical educator influence your doula voice? Baby Magic speaks to Mika Rock, birth doula, about these topics and more.
Tanya Zajdel: mother, trauma survivor, author, nurse, and creator of Rewire Therapy! We chat about the repair after rupture, healing after abuse, transformation through birth, and the sovereign power that resides in us. Thank you to Avraham for sound, Kahil ElZabar for music, and the women I have served for inspiration. For any comments, suggestions, questions, stories please visit our Facebook page or @mbcdoulaschool.
Wombs with a View: Sylvia Otvos and Jenny Bee chat with me about the Birth Conspiracy, radical birth choices, safe birth, sacred birth. Check out more here!
MBC was a radical, epic, unique organization. I write more about it here. If you want to be part of Radical Change in birth, reach out!
Maha Al Musa is a force of nature! We spoke about the innate power of women, changes in maternity care over the decades, what Free Birth really means, and more. To learn more about her, please visit here
An Interview with Doula Han of Chicago. We speak of rainbow babies, radical birth companions, the work of a doula, mothering and racial inequality in maternity care.
I interviewed Debra Pascali-Bonaro of Orgasmic Birth! We talked about love, pleasure, support, change, struggle, honouring birth and so much more!
A doula in Athens today. Please donate to help feed families on the street! http://greece.amurtel.org/ https://cribsinternational.org/
Serendipiti is her name and she is a dedicated, radical caregiver. We speak about continuity, womanhood, power, and sovereign birth. Meet her here. Music: Kahil El Zabar. Baby Magic supports Black Women's Blueprint. visit @mbcdoulaschool
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