Podcasts about birth monopoly

We are hosting a FREE training on Trauma and the Perinatal Journey on Dec 2 at 9am EST live on Zoom. The training will be recorded so he hope you will still sign up even if the time does not work for you: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/pl/2148550678 Keywords: obstetric violence, labor and delivery nurse, healthcare, moral injury, patient advocacy, maternity care, trauma-informed care, healthcare hierarchy, nursing ethics, healthcare ethics, obstetric care, mistreatment, nursing advocacy. In this episode of the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah welcome Melissa Anne Dubois, an experienced perinatal nurse and childbirth educator. The conversation explores the themes of leadership in nursing, the importance of advocacy for patients, and the challenges faced by nurses in a hierarchical healthcare system. Melissa shares her insights on obstetric violence, moral injury, and the emotional toll of advocating for patient-centered care in a system that causes significant challenges for nurses who want to speak up on behalf of the patients and provide trauma-informed care. The discussion highlights the importance of supporting labor and delivery nurses in their roles as advocates for birthing people. In this conversation, Melissa Anne discusses the ethical responsibilities of healthcare providers and the importance of acknowledging obstetric violence and mistreatment in maternity care. She emphasizes the importance of being a leader among nurses and advocating for patients wants and desires, evidence based care, and trauma-informed care, while also acknowledging the very real professional consequences of doing so. Takeaways There is significant injustice in maternity care. Advocating for patients can lead to professional consequences. Nurses often feel powerless in the hierarchical system of obstetrics. Moral injury affects nurses in maternity care as a result of obstetric violence. Guilt and shame occur when nurses experience moral injury. The term 'obstetric violence' has to be named for the problem to be understood. The narrative of 'a few bad apples' hinders systemic change. Acknowledging mistreatment is crucial for patient care. Advocacy can lead to personal and professional consequences. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Resilient Birth Podcast 08:49 Understanding Obstetric Violence 18:19 Moral Injury in Nursing 26:15 The Ethics of Healthcare Practice 32:32 Acknowledging Mistreatment in Healthcare 37:49 Navigating the Tension in Nursing Advocacy 46:50 Connecting to Community in Nursing On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma across the perinatal period, from trying-to-conceive to pregnancy, from childbirth to postpartum and parenting. Through an inspirational quote that drives our weekly conversations about trauma and healing, Justine and Sarah explore topics such as birth trauma, parenting as a survivor, and finding healing with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic. Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience. Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence. Melissa Anne is an experienced perinatal nurse living in Central Massachusetts with her husband and three children. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Nursing in 2006 and has worked in a variety of perinatal settings since 2007 including: in-patient labor and delivery, high-risk obstetrics, outpatient OB-GYN, homebirth, and postpartum home health. Melissa Anne became a childbirth educator in 2011 and a lactation counselor in 2014. She currently teaches childbirth classes for babiesincommon.com while she pursues her PhD in nursing. Her research interests include obstetric violence and moral injury in perinatal nurses and she plans to work as a nurse researcher and professor after defending her dissertation. A useful article of Moral Injury in Maternity Care Providers: Kendall-Tackett K and Beck CT (2022) Secondary Traumatic Stress and Moral Injury in Maternity Care Providers: A Narrative and Exploratory Review. Front. Glob. Womens Health 3:835811. doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2022.835811 Here are some of the resources Melissa Mentions during the episode Mandy Irby: https://mandyirby.com/ Birth Monopoly: https://birthmonopoly.com/ Evidence Based Birth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/

As humans we are also mammals, and like all other mammals, evolution has ensured that we are well equipped to birth in safe and rewarding ways with a very rare need for outside interference. In fact, disturbing our innate birth design in the countless ways us humans do, often creates a lot more difficulties and harm than safety.  Today's podcast guest, Lindsay Askins, knows a lot about mammalian birth. She shares with us how her decade long experience as a vet tech, witnessing untold births of horses and other mammals, led her to understand that birthing at home without a midwife in attendance was going to be the safest way to birth her first baby, a profoundly life-changing and positive experience for her. We dive into some great conversations about mammalian biology, about the mind-body connection, about how disturbing a woman's birth and creating fear in the birth space can lead to all sorts of complications, including damage to the mother-baby bond, and about the needless trauma that is created due to over medicalisation and obstetric violence. Hear about the Exposing the Silence project that Lindsay co-founded with Cristin Pascucci, from Birth Monopoly, and about the Birth Like a Mammal business that Lindsay now runs. She's a juicy and informative podcast episode, folks! Check out Lindsay's website here: https://www.birthlikeamammal.com/ Follow her on IG: https://www.instagram.com/birthlikeamammal/ Here's a link to the Exposing the Silence project: https://www.exposingthesilence.com/ Email Lindsay at join@birthlikeamammal.com If you're interested in my (Carla's) work, here are some links for you... My free birth trauma training course: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/understanding-birth-trauma-basics-course My Healing Birth Practitioner Training programme: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/hb-practitioner-training My Soulful Birth online antenatal series: https://www.healingbirth.co.nz/soulful-birth And you can follow me on IG: https://www.instagram.com/healing.birth/

My guest today is Sarah Holiday, a long time Mother Wit mama. Sarah (and her husband!) did a lot of hard work in our time together as they worked through mental health challenges, some of which stemmed from childhood experiences, others were related to more current circumstances related to a stressful move, the pandemic and pregnancy itself. No matter what was going on for her, she always knew what she wanted and needed and was always ready and willing to do the hard and introspective work that one must do to overcome or find their way to the other side. She has always kept in touch and she reached out when she was pregnant with her second baby because she was determined to get the in person midwifery care that she deserved that first time around. She is here today to share her two experiences. I feel confident that consumers and providers alike will learn something from her story. Resources At your cervix (Documentary) Consent If you want to deeply learn about the consent process and why is it important for you and/or your clients, look no further. Stephanie Tillman, aka The Feminist Midwife is the best source of information you will find. Also, Birth Monopoly - an incredible resource. Mother Wit General Resources ⁠Thriving After Birth⁠⁠⁠ (an online course) ⁠Comprehensive Care⁠⁠⁠ ⁠60 Min Consultation⁠⁠⁠: Use discount code- FirstConsult10%off Instagram: @mother.wit.maternity NEW ⁠⁠⁠Exercise in the perinatal period: For healthcare providers⁠⁠⁠ (an online course) ⁠Support the show⁠

A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media. Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen​ ​is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth. facebook.com/birthmonopoly instagram.com/birthomonopoly

On today's podcast we're going to talk with Paula Richards about advocacy work as a trauma-informed nurse educator.  Paula Richards (she/her) is a perinatal nurse and nurse educator who likes to nerd out about OB-related nursing professional development on Instagram under the handle @NurseBrownGirl. Paula joined the Evidence Based Birth® Instructor program in the spring of 2020 and she's also a guest teacher in the videos of our Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class where we talk about interventions during childbirth. We talk about Paula's journey to become a nurse and her experience of unlearning traumatic childbirth practices that are problematic and harmful for birthing people. We also talk about the gap between evidence, human rights, and actual practice, as well as the need for more ethical nurse education. Content warning: We will talk about traumatic childbirth and obstetric abuse. This episode also contains strong language, swear words, and how binary language/terminology is routinely used in labor and delivery. If you'd prefer to read a transcript without swear words you can find that on our blog here. RESOURCES: Learn more about Paula Richards on Instagram here.  Learn more about The Business of Being Born here. Learn more about “Are There Benefits to Uterine Massage in the Third Stage of Labor” here.  Learn more about the Association of Women's Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) here.  Learn more about “white supremacy culture” by Tema Okun here. Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here. Learn more about Mandy Irby of The Birth Nurse here.  Learn more about Maggie Runyon of Your Birth Partners Podcast 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.

Nazli Tezcur openly shares her story of motherhood, the trauma she endured from her cesareans with the medicalized births of her boys, and the grief of her miscarriages. As a linguist, Nazli reflects with Michelle upon how the language and culture around women's bodies strip women of their power creating guilt, shame, self-blame, silencing, and the accompanying loneliness that so many women experience. Together they discuss transformative power and the personal nature of birth, loss, motherhood, and the exploration of our emotions as women. "It is very existential, and it lives and breathes through our own daily experiences because we are reproducing what is exerted over us. If we take all this power exerted over us as women, we keep on re-experiencing everything. We are reproducing what has been exerted over us. So if we want to break that cycle, I think we can switch the game. Maybe take ourselves out of that frame or take our own being out of that circle that we have been put into. … Experiencing something else, something that can make us feel liberated and free. And, which will allow us to talk a different language in a sense, instead of the language that was exerted over us. That was imposed on us and we keep on saying the same thing, "I failed. I am a failure.' "— Nazli TezcurAbout Nazli: Nazli Tezcur is a TESOL professional and language tutor with a special interest in identity, race, and translanguaging. As a polyglot, she likes to utilize languaging as a remedial way to express and interpret her experiences beyond categories and across borders. Connect with Michelle:Classes or Sessions with Michelle: birtheaseservices.com/birth-ease-childbirth-education, birtheasehypnobirth.com/hypnobirthing-classes-orlando-michelleFacebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss SupportInstagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupportYouTube:    Birth EaseLinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle SmithWebsite:  BirthEaseServices.com  birtheasehypnobirth.com Thank you for listening! 

Cristen  Pascucci and Michelle continue their conversation regarding human rights in childbirth in part two of this replay episode. They delve into the fact that everyone brings their own background, biases, and trauma with them to the birth room. Cristen sagely points out that it is irrelevant whether or not birth is safe. If anything, the riskier it is, the more imperative that is that a person's autonomy is retained. Cristen shares why the environment in which someone decides to give birth is a huge determining factor in how the birth actually unfolds. "Your rights are only as good as you make them. … You own your body and you are the legal authority. ... You don't have to point to any law. ... Don't assume someone has rights over you. Just don't make that assumption ever.  Make the assumption that you own your body and act as if you do. And, it will really change the orientation of how you approach everything including your communication with the people that are there to support you, and how you select those people, and the decisions that you make." —Cristen Pascucci About Cristen Pascucci:A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country, and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options.  Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth. Connect with Cristen Pascucci:Website: https://birthmonopoly.com/Facebook:  facebook.com/birthmonopolyInstagram:instagram.com/birthmonopoly Please, if the nature of this conversation is triggering for you, stop the podcast. You can return to it later if you feel led to. Take some deep breaths, move and walk around, wash your hands and your face, take a shower, and call a trusted friend or caregiver. The meditation in episode 108 can be very helpful if your baby and you had a difficult or traumatic birth.For additional support you can connect with Cristin, Susan, or myself: Susan Dascenzi:Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sdascenziTwitter:  https://twitter.com/susandascenziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdascenzi1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandascenzi/ Connect with Michelle Smith:Virtual classes with Michelle: birtheaseservices.com/birth-ease-childbirth-education, birtheasehypnobirth.com/hypnobirthing-classes-orlando-michelleFacebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss SupportInstagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupportYouTube:    Birth EaseLinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Have you ever wondered what your rights are during pregnancy and birth? Listen in to part one of this replay episode as Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly shares with Michelle how the experience of her son's birth provided the impetus that led her to become a leading voice for human rights in childbirth.  “There is that perception that in some situations, your consent doesn't matter. As a woman, when it comes to sex and reproduction there are some situations where you no longer own your body. Someone else has the authority over your body. That is really powerful. And that is what continually surprises me that people don't get more upset about it in the realm of childbirth. That really that people aren't taking to the streets to say, “My basic civil rights are not only violated as an individual but widely disrespected in policy and practice all across the country in hundreds of facilities.” —Cristen Pascucci About Cristen Pascucci:A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country, and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options.  Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth. Connect with Cristen Pascucci:Website: https://birthmonopoly.com/Facebook:  facebook.com/birthmonopolyInstagram:instagram.com/birthmonopoly Please, if the nature of this conversation is triggering for you, stop the podcast. You can return to it later if you feel led to. Take some deep breaths, move and walk around, wash your hands and your face, take a shower, and call a trusted friend or caregiver. The meditation in episode 108 can be very helpful if your baby and you had a difficult or traumatic birth.For Additional Support you can connect with Cristin, Susan, or myself: Susan Dascenzi:Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sdascenziTwitter:  https://twitter.com/susandascenziInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sdascenzi1/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandascenzi/ Connect with Michelle Smith:Virtual classes with Michelle: birtheaseservices.com/birth-ease-childbirth-education, birtheasehypnobirth.com/hypnobirthing-classes-orlando-michelleFacebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast,  Birth Ease Baby Loss SupportInstagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith,  @birtheaselossssupportYouTube:    Birth EaseLinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show's most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ shows.Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly, raises awareness about what she coined as “obstetric violence” and advocates for human rights and informed consent in maternity care.. She talks about how to protect your rights as a pregnant person, and what to do if they are being violated.Here's the original episode in full. For more Birthful, visit the show page. For new episodes out each week, subscribe to Birthful. You can connect with us on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com

Cristen Pascucci: Knowing Your Rights in Birth A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and creator of the online course, Know Your Rights, which is based … Continue reading →

On today's podcast, I am excited to welcome a special guest and my friend, Cristen Pascucci of Birth Monopoly! Cristen and I talk about how to file hospital complaints when people experience mistreatment or unsafe care during childbirth.  Content warning: Obstetric violence, birth trauma, and sexual assault in obstetrics.  A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and creator of the online course, Know Your Rights: Legal and Human Rights in Childbirth for Birth Professionals and Advocates. She is also co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project and host of Birth Allowed Radio, a podcast. Cristen is a leading voice in the field of maternity care, speaking around the world and consulting privately on issues related to birth rights and birthing options. Cristen and I talk about the formal process of how one can submit a complaint to the hospital and state licensing boards if they experienced mistreatment or unsafe childbirth practices. We also talk about obstetric violence and birth trauma due to systemic barriers in childbirth care, and how more people can become involved as advocates. RESOURCES: Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here (www.birthmonopoly.com). Check out the Complaint toolkit here: https://birthmonopoly.com/complaint  Find out about "Mother May I" the documentary here: https://mothermayithemovie.com   Follow Birth Monopoly on Facebook here (https://facebook.com/birthmonopoly). Follow Birth Monopoly on Instagram here (https://instagram.com/birthmonopoly).  Read the news report about the Annals of Internal Medicine paper about abusive behavior in the operating room 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.

On today’s podcast, I'm excited to talk with Kimberly Seals Allers. Kimberly is an award-winning journalist, five-time author, international speaker, strategist, and advocate for maternal and infant health. A former senior editor at Essence, and a writer at Fortune Magazine, Kimberly is a leading voice on the socio-cultural complexities of motherhood. Kimberly is also the founder of Irth, a new app to address bias in maternity and infant care. We talk about how Kimberly’s new app, Irth, which addresses biased maternal care and cultural competency when serving marginalized communities. We also talk about the challenges Kimberly overcame after launching Irth.   **Content Warning: We discuss racism/racial violence, Black maternal mortality, and infant mortality.** Learn more about Kimberly Seals Allers and the Irth app here (https://birthwithoutbias.com/who-we-are). Follow Kimberly Seals Allers on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iamKSealsAllers/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iamksealsallers/?hl=en). Learn about Narrative Nation, Inc here (https://wewriteus.org/). Learn more about Kimberly’s books, “Mocha Manual to a Fabulous Pregnancy” here (https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-mocha-manual-to-a-fabulous-pregnancy-kimberly-seals-allers) and “The Big Letdown: How Medicine, Big Business, and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding” here (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Letdown-Medicine-Undermine-Breastfeeding/dp/1250026962).  Learn more about Dr. Fleda Mask Jackson here (https://drfledamjackson.com/).  Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here (https://birthmonopoly.com/). Follow Birth Monopoly on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/birthmonopoly/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/birthmonopoly/?hl=en). Learn more about the California Healthcare Foundation here (https://www.chcf.org/). Follow the California Healthcare Foundation on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/chcfnews/) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/chcfnews). Learn more about the Tower Health Foundation here (https://www.towerhealth.org/reading-hospital-foundation).  Learn more about the Grove Foundation here (https://www.thegrovefoundation.org/).  Learn more about the Kellogg Foundation here (https://www.wkkf.org/). Follow the Kellogg Foundation on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KelloggFoundation), Twitter (https://twitter.com/wk_kellogg_fdn), and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/kelloggfoundation/). 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.

In this episode Brandi talks to Sean about the differences between the medical and the midwifery models for birth. The episodes opens with a scene from Mad Men episode "The Fog" where Betty Draper is experiencing a "twilight birth" that Brandi explains during this episode. Contact Brandi by visiting her website: https://www.compassionatebirthservices.com. Here are links to the resources mentioned in this episode: Evidence Based Birth: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/covid19/ Birth Monopoly: https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19/ AWHONN Position Statement: https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(17)30482-3/pdf ACOG COVID-19 Guidelines: https://www.acog.org/clinical-information/physician-faqs/covid-19-faqs-for-ob-gyns-obstetrics. Contact Brandi by visiting her website: https://www.compassionatebirthservices.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionatebirth/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionatebirth/support

In this episode, Brandi talks to Sean about the effects of the Pandemic on Compassionate Birth Services, how it has impacted the Rio Grande Valley, resources and information expecting parents should know of while being pregnant and delivering during the Covid-19 era. Here are links to the resources mentioned in this episode: Evidence Based Birth:  https://evidencebasedbirth.com/covid19/ Birth Monopoly:  https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19/ AWHONN Position Statement:  https://www.jognn.org/article/S0884-2175(17)30482-3/pdf ACOG COVID-19 Guidelines: https://www.acog.org/clinical-information/physician-faqs/covid-19-faqs-for-ob-gyns-obstetrics. Contact Brandi by visiting her website: https://www.compassionatebirthservices.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionatebirth/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/compassionatebirth/support

Happy New Year! We are starting 2021 strong with today’s powerful VBAC story. Hallie is a two-time VBAC mom and birth photographer from New Zealand. This 5’0” tall woman of strength fought through a long, hard labor to deliver a 9 pound, asynclitic, and perfectly beautiful baby girl. Hallie talks about how using water as a coping technique was pivotal to her success. Later in this episode, we talk about the biggest barrier doulas face when trying to support VBAC/TOLAC parents. We surveyed over 200 VBAC doulas and almost every single answer was the same. The Birth Wizard herself, Emmy Howard, joins Julie today as her co-host to discuss what that barrier is and how to overcome it. Additional links How to VBAC: The Ultimate Preparation Course for Parents ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ) Emmy, Birth Wizard: Website ( http://birthwizard.com ) , Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/BirthWizard/ ) , Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/birthwizard/ ) , Twitter ( https://twitter.com/birthwizard ) Hallie’s Instagram: @nz_birthstories ( https://www.instagram.com/nz_birthstories/ ) The Evidence on: Waterbirth ( https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/ ) Episode sponsor This episode is sponsored by our signature course, How to VBAC: The Ultimate Preparation Course for Parents ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ). It is the most comprehensive VBAC preparation course in the world, perfectly packaged in an online, self-paced, video course. Together, Meagan and Julie have helped over 800 parents get the birth that they wanted, and we are ready to help you too. Head over to thevbaclink.com ( http://www.thevbaclink.com/ ) to find out more and sign up today. Full transcriptNote: All transcripts are edited to eliminate false starts and filler words. Julie: Happy New Year, Women of Strength! Can you believe it? It is January 2021. We are recording this in the past and right now I hope our future selves in January 2021 are living in a lot better world than we are in right now, October 2020, because things are a little nuts right now. Let’s be honest, 2020 hasn’t been the best. I was going to say most exciting, but exciting could also not be a good thing. It’s definitely been a tumultuous year. We could say that. So hopefully, 2021 brings us good fortune, lots of love, kindness, and health. For our first episode of 2021, I am missing Meagan again. Do you remember a couple of episodes ago when I told you that she was out with some family stuff? Well, this is the last episode where she will be out. But, I really like having our VBAC doulas co-host with us, so you’ll probably have some more VBAC doulas co-host in the future. Our co-host for today is the Birth Wizard herself, Emmy Howard, who lives in Phoenix Arizona, a.k.a., three feet above hell. I can say that because I’ve lived there. Emmy: It’s the surface of the sun. Julie: Can I say “hell” on the podcast? I know, right? I lived there for a year. I came to Utah to visit my mom during the summer. It was 90° and I was like, “This is so nice, this temperature.” Emmy: That’s so funny. Julie: Anyway, sorry. I digress. But the cool thing about Emmy is, she has lived on three different continents and visited over 20 countries. Emmy, I’ve got to ask you. What was your favorite country that you visited and what three continents have you lived on? Emmy: I’ve lived in North America, South America, and then Europe. The favorite country is a really rough one to answer because you are essentially asking what part of my life I love the most. So, I essentially tell people I loved them all, just like children, for different reasons. Julie: Good answer. Emmy: So, the thing I will say is, I have a special place in my heart for when I lived in Poland, just because I got to travel the most when I was living there. Julie: That’s awesome. I visited Germany once for Christmas. It was really cool. Germany at Christmastime is a really special place. Emmy: Did you go to the Christmas markets? Sorry. Julie: Dude, like three times. Because I went to visit my sister in Heidelberg. They have the Heidelberg castle and in the old castle courtyard, they have a whole bunch of shops. The Christmas markets were just crazy. I would go in and I’d eat like, six bratwursts every time. I’m like, “I am eating bratwursts in Germany at Christmastime.” Emmy: I love Glüwein. That’s actually something I still do at Christmastime, even though we are not at the Christmas markets anymore, which is hot spiced wine. Let me tell you, that thing warms you up on the inside and feels like a hug from your drunk uncle. It’s great. And then freshly roasted chestnuts while you’re walking around. Man, it’s awesome. But you talked about how you moved away from Phoenix because of its heat. I moved to Phoenix for its heat. Julie: No, I had joined the Army. The Army from Phoenix. I moved to Phoenix for my boyfriend. I got kicked out of the house two weeks after my 18th birthday. That’s a really long story. Emmy: Oh, well there you go. Yeah, will get into that one later over a glass of wine. Later. Julie: Much, much later. Emmy: But I moved here because of the sunshine. I came from a place that had three hours of sunlight, so I was like— Julie: Alaska? Emmy: No, Poland. During winter you only get three hours of sunlight. So that’s part of the reason that got me out here. Julie: No, I could not do that. No, no, no, no. Alright, before we get started, we are going to have the Birth Wizard herself, Emmy, read our Review of the Week. Review of the Week Emmy: Awesome. From JamJam1987 on Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vbac-link/id1394742573#see-all/reviews ). They say, “Inspiring. My first C-section was in August 2019. I recently found this podcast and I find these stories so healing and inspirational. I am so pumped up to get pregnant again and try for my VBAC! I hope I can share a successful VBAC story on the show in the future. Thanks for educating the world on VBAC.” Julie: Aw, I love that. I love that. Do you know what? It’s so fun. I remember when Meagan and I first started the podcast and we would literally— I say we but really, it was just me. I would go stalking VBAC hashtags on Instagram, message people, and be like, “Hey, we just started a podcast. Will you share your VBAC story?” and begging people to record with us. I remember the first time we had somebody who had been listening to the podcast while they were pregnant with their VBAC share their story on the podcast. That was such a special moment for me. And so, I think that’s really cool. Emmy: No, I totally get that. Julie: Yeah. All these people that leave reviews, I love it. I want them to submit their story. I want to hear their journey. Sometimes if their name looks like it might look on Facebook, like it’s their real name, I’ll go look them up, see if they are in our community, see if they have had their baby yet, and how it went. Did they get their VBAC? What was their story? Because I like to have the full circle. It feels like coming full circle, right? Emmy: Yeah. I do the same. I always do the same because I do a thing where people can contact me whenever and I’ll answer your VBAC questions. It’s a half-hour that I do and then if they don’t follow up with me, I just stalk them. Julie: You’re just like, “What happened to you?” I need answers. Emmy: Right, with love and care. I just want to make sure that you were okay, and that you got everything you needed and wanted. So, yeah. I completely understand that. Julie: Alright, we love those reviews. Episode sponsor Julie: Do you want a VBAC but don’t know where to start? It’s easy to feel like we need to figure it all out on our own. That’s what we used to do, and it was the loneliest and most ineffective thing we have ever done. That’s why Meagan and I created our signature course, How to VBAC: The Ultimate Preparation Course for Parents ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ) , that you can find at thevbaclink.com ( http://thevbaclink.com/ ). It is the most comprehensive VBAC preparation course in the world, perfectly packaged in an online, self-paced, video course.  Together, Meagan and I have helped over 800 parents get the birth that they wanted, and we are ready to help you too. Head on over to thevbaclink.com to find out more and sign up today. That’s thevbaclink.com. See you there. Hallie’s story Julie: Alright. Speaking of world travelers, I think this is a great match up with the co-host and our guest because our guest today is Hallie Campbell from New Zealand. Let me tell you. Oh my gosh, I am so excited. I am going to mute myself, and sit here and listen to her talk because I absolutely love New Zealand and Australian accents. In fact, when I was young, I just knew that I was going to grow up and marry somebody from Australia so I could hear him tell me “I love you” in the Australian accent every day. I was 12 and in my little church group, we wrote a letter to our future husband, and then at the very bottom of my letter I wrote, “P.S. I hope you’re from Australia.” Like, no joke. I did that. So, I don’t want to take too much of Hallie‘s time. Gosh, I should probably look up her information sheet. Honestly, My favorite thing about her is that she is from New Zealand. I don’t know that much about her yet. Let’s see. Mother of three boys and one little girl. She lives in Auckland, New Zealand and she has a birth photography business. Oh my gosh, I think I stalked you on Instagram actually, @nz_birthstories, and that’s your fifth baby. Perfect, I love that. You have such a passion for photographing— how hard is it for me to talk today? Let’s put that on a scale from 1 to 10— and being immersed in the birth world. Do you know what? I’ve honestly really considered switching from being a birth doula to being a birth photographer just because it feels like it would be less of a work-out maybe but talking to some of my birth photographers here, they’re like, “I don’t know. We are climbing up on couches and doing all sorts of crazy things.” Hallie: There is a bit of climbing, yeah. Julie: Yeah. But I’m really excited to hear your story. I know that birth in Australia is a little bit different than it is here in the United States, but there are a lot of similarities, too. I don’t want to take up any more of your time because I like to do that. I like to talk and this is my adult interaction for the day. So Hallie, talk to us. Please, talk to us. Hallie: Alright. So, my VBAC that I’m going to talk about today was my second VBAC. My first one was a hospital birth. My second one-- I decided to plan a home birth because the first one went really, really well. But this baby decided she did not want to come out. She was very, very naughty. So we got to-- I think it was 41 and 5, and I decided, “Okay, it was probably time to head to the hospital.” I discussed all with my midwife and she was very pro home birth, but obviously very pro my rights. We decided to go in and just see how things were going, possibly break waters, get things started, and head home. But when I stepped foot in the hospital, I started contracting. It was like she was just waiting for me to show up there. I didn’t actually need any more assistance. I didn’t need to be induced in the end. We went about setting up the hospital room just as if it was a home birth. We were thinking to go home, but I then had a call from my mom who was looking after my kids while I was in. She said that the birth ball had been picked up from our house. Well, we had run out of time with it. So, we decided just to set up camp at the hospital. I walked about a zillion laps at the hospital, which really, really helped I think. The difference between that and my previous VBAC was-- yeah. I think just keeping active, keeping upright, and moving helped things progress a lot better. So we headed in. That was around 8 in the morning that we headed in there and walked for a good few hours. Around lunchtime, we decided to jump in the pool. Well, I did. My husband was not very keen. I jumped in the pool and labored in the water for quite a long time. I had decided against continuous monitoring and just asked my midwife to check in on baby quite frequently. She was quite happy to do that. The water was such a relief. It was so, so great as a pain relief. With my previous labors, I had opted for an epidural very early on, but this time I was really hoping to push through that and use other methods of coping with the pain and the water was just amazing. I spent quite a few hours in the water, but as I got into early evening, things were slowing down, which can be sometimes quite common when people jump in the water. So, we jumped out and I was a 6. Things weren’t progressing too fast, but we weren’t worried. I spent quite a bit of time with my midwife doing a lot of Spinning Babies® moves. We did lots of hip squeezes. She got my husband in there and he said that really killed his arms doing it over and over again. We did loads of that, loads of hip rotations on the ball and that actually got me through a lot. I started to feel quite pushy. I think coming into— I think it was around 8 at night, I started to feel like, “Okay, things are starting to feel like they are progressing.” I started to become very vocal. I think I even remember screaming, “Please, help me,” at one point, because my previous labors had been with an epidural, so I had never reached transition in all it’s glory naturally. That was an experience, but it was really great to be able to feel the need to push and to feel my body moving into that next stage of labor. I did push for a little while and then as I started pushing, my waters broke. They hadn’t broken fully when they popped them the first time. She thought that she had popped them, but there was actually a second bag that ended up breaking. I just always hold a lot of fluid. Julie: Yeah, there is a forebag and a hindbag. Sometimes, baby’s head can block the rest of the water from coming out. It’s pretty fun when people realize that or have that second gush of fluid come out. Hallie: It was crazy. I thought, where is this all coming from? I’m a very small person. But anyway, yeah. When that broke, instead of her head coming down into the pelvis, her head shot out of the pelvis. So, yeah. That was just so great. When I was re-checked-- I had previously been checked before I began pushing and I was fully dilated. I was ecstatic to reach that point using other forms of pain relief, but when her head shot back out of the pelvis and I was rechecked, I was then 7 cm. I thought, “No, come on. We have come all this way.” I was stuck in this limbo of transition. We all had a discussion, and I could see some more doctors starting to file into the room. I just thought, “No. I know what’s happening here.” I opted for an epidural at that point. I thought, “If I’m going to sit in this state of transition for quite a while, then I’m going to need to rest.” And so, I chose to have an epidural. It was the best decision I made. We opted for a bit of passive descent and used-- we call it Syntocinon over here. I think you guys call it Pitocin over there? Julie: Yeah. Pitocin. Hallie: We had that cranked up and got those contractions bringing baby back down. That went on for another five hours. So, I was so glad I got that epidural. Julie: Oh my gosh, you poor thing. That’s a long time. Hallie: She was a naughty baby. She still is. That really did do the trick. She came down and I began pushing at-- this must have been about 2 in the morning by this point. It was a very long labor. And then I still had a good 45 minutes of pushing. I was expecting, you know, fourth baby, one or two. No. About 45 minutes later. But she was a bit bigger. She was 9 pounds. I am 5 feet and very small. The big baby thing never worried me at all. That never crossed my mind. But I just knew that I was really going to have to work because she had been in a funny position as well the whole time. So, I was really working to get her out. I was keeping an eye on these doctors that were in the room. I could see the little whispers and the C-section word getting brought up. As soon as I heard it come up once, I pushed and I’ve never pushed like that in my life. This big, chubby head emerged and I just saw the relief on my husband’s face because he was just as behind this VBAC as I was. We had obviously experienced Cesarean recovery, which was fine, but I had these other kids at home that I really needed to be able to pick up. So, we really-- I really dug deep in the end. She was asynclitic, so her head did come down on a really weird angle, but then she was born at 3:30 in the morning. It was just so epic and I looked at her and thought, well you look massive. Julie: I’ve seen 9 and 10-pound babies be born and they look like little sumo wrestlers, or like a toddler. You’re like, “Hey, congratulations. Here’s your two-year-old.” Hallie: Oh, the head on her. She was just huge. My husband showed me-- he had taken a video. I really wished I had got a birth photographer. I really wish I had because this video is very graphic. But he-- her head is just so big. It’s just so big. But it was just, it was such an amazing birth. It was hard. I wouldn’t say it was the hardest, but it was a very hard, long birth. The whole time, I felt like I was in control of the decisions being made. I felt empowered because I had my amazing support team behind me. My midwife was behind me every step of the way. Over here in New Zealand, it’s predominately midwife-led and, yeah. She was just so fantastic. I put a lot of the way I felt after that birth and during the labor, down to just how I was treated and how I was made to feel. Yeah, it was such an awesome, awesome birth. Julie: That’s awesome. So, your first three, were they-- was it two vaginal and then a Cesarean? Or were they all Cesareans? Hallie: My first was vaginal. That was a very hands-on induction, very traumatic first birth. My second was an emergency Cesarean, failure to progress at 7 centimeters. And then a VBAC, then Daisy. Julie: So, first vaginal, then C-section, then two VBACs, right? Hallie: Yep. Julie: Right? Okay. Just wanted to make sure that I got that right because all the letters, numbers, and everything gets mixed around. I think that’s really so important though, what you said just a few seconds ago, that choosing your care provider and making sure that they are 100% supportive of the type of birth that you want is one of the biggest things you can do to make sure that-- as you reflect on your birth, that you feel comfortable and confident. Not only with the outcome, but with how you were treated and how you were cared for. I think it’s really, really important to note that. Find a provider-- if you want a VBAC, you probably don’t want to go to a provider that has a 30 to 40% C-section rate. That provider is probably not doing a lot of VBACs. You want to go to a provider that does a lot of VBACs, that loves VBACs, that loves supporting that, that believes in you, that trusts you, and that you can feel that confidence in you coming from them. And so I think that that’s really important to say. But Emmy, what would you say? Emmy: I am going to echo basically what you’re stating there. We just heard an incredible story where you did a ton of work, Hallie, and why go to a provider that’s not going to work with you? Hallie: Exactly, yeah. Emmy: That’s my big thing with providers is like, yeah. Maybe they are 20 minutes from your house, but I would rather drive six hours to make sure the person I’m working with is willing to work with me. Right? So definitely a huge echo. I think also to throw out there with your story, is knowing your own limits and your own boundaries. You knew you needed rest. You can have really empowering stories with an epidural when the tools are used correctly. So, super awesome. Hallie: Yes, that’s right. Yeah. Julie: Well, I love that too. Because a lot of people are like, “Oh, I can’t have a VBAC unless I want to go unmedicated,” or, “Do I have to go unmedicated?” or, “What about an epidural and VBAC? Will it really decrease my chances?” I’ve seen sometimes epidurals slow labor down a little bit, but most of the time, I’ve seen epidurals used in birth just like Emmy was saying, as a tool and when they were truly needed. Because a pooped out body is not going to push out a baby. It’s just not going to happen. Your body needs rest and an epidural can be a very effective tool when it’s needed. It sounds like you made the right call, your birth team made the right call, and everyone let you labor how you chose to. I really wish that the United States would do that-- have midwifery-led care unless you’re a high risk or need to transfer care for some other reason. I really, really wish that could be our model here. Emmy: Here in the US though, we have about three-- it’s something like 13 OBs to one midwife, so that’s part of the reason we have that going on. Hallie: Wow. Water for pain relief Julie: Well, yeah. That is true. That’s a very good thing to point out. I did not know that statistic, Emmy, and I love statistics. But no, that’s important. I could digress and go on a tangent on our maternity system, but I won’t because what I want to talk about is laboring in the water and water birth. I know you didn’t have a water birth, but you had an epidural. It’s really interesting because there’s been a lot of studies out that evaluate whether laboring in the water can be an effective pain relief tool. How effective is it? What are the benefits? Are there any risks to it? All of those types of things. And so, I just want to talk a little bit about that because it’s been a while since we’ve talked about water birth, but I also want to talk about laboring in the water even versus getting an epidural. I am going to dig deep into this article on the Evidence Based Birth® homepage or you can go to evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth ( https://evidencebasedbirth.com/waterbirth/ ) and we will link that in the show notes for you to easily find. It’s a really lengthy article. That’s one thing I really love about Rebecca Decker is she does such a great job of really digging into the research, the trials, the evidence, and tearing it apart and making it easier to digest. Obviously, I can’t dig into the whole article. You should definitely go and read it yourself. Basically overall, it showed that laboring in the water doesn’t show any extra risk for the mother or the baby and it does help relieve pain. It leads to a lesser need for pain medication or less need for pain medication. Does that make sense? “Leading to less use of pain medication.” That’s how she worded it. Another study found that mothers who labored in the water had less anxiety. This is labored in the water, not birth, okay? “Mothers who labored in the water had less anxiety, better fetal positioning in the pelvis, less use of drugs to speed up labor, and were more satisfied with the privacy and the ability to move around.” There’s a lot of water birth studies that they review in that Evidence Based Birth article, but I just love it when you talked about laboring in the water. How it just felt good. It felt natural to you. It felt like what you needed to do, but then you knew at the point when you needed more than the water. You knew there was a point. Hallie: Yep. Julie: Do you know what? Asynclitic babies are such stinkers. You’re right. She was being very naughty. That’s probably why, when your water broke, if her head was asynclitic, that’s probably why things kind of took a little bit longer to fully progress, because man, those asynclitic babies get nice and wedged in there. My point is-- laboring in the water. Most hospitals won’t allow you to labor in the water. I think more and more hospitals are allowing that. There’s a couple here that will. Emmy, do you have any hospitals in your area that allow water birth? Emmy: So they don’t allow birth in water, however, there is a good amount of them that do laboring in the water, which is pretty awesome. But as soon as you get pushy, you get pulled out of the water. However, we also, in our area, have access to about four or five different birth centers that allow you to birth in water. So, we are in a pretty magical area here in Phoenix where we have a lot of choices. Julie: I’m sorry I said it was 3 feet above hell. Emmy: You know, that’s not wrong. Julie: But Phoenix is really— what did you say? Emmy: You’re not wrong. Julie: You know, I didn’t mind my time in Phoenix, but it was just super hot. Like, super hot. But then I went to Basic Training and lived in Georgia, which is just a whole different kind of hot. Sweaty hot. So, anyway. Emmy: Yeah, yeah. I think it’s amazing to have access to water, to have access to an epidural. One of the other ones that I really love to throw out there to my clients to look up is if they would be interested in nitrous, which can also be a really good alternative because it doesn’t stay in your system. It doesn’t pass through the placenta or into baby, but you get that little bit of cutting off the edge of what a true contraction can feel like. Julie: Yeah. Do most of your hospitals offer that? Or do you have to do it pretty much at a birth center in Phoenix? Emmy: We have quite a few that also offer nitrous and only one birth center that offers it. Julie: That’s so interesting because here it’s kind of opposite. One hospital offers it and most of the birth centers do have it in Utah, or at least in my area in Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah County area. So, interesting, yeah. I know that a lot— in England they use nitrous a lot. Australia, what about you, Hallie? Did you have that as an option for you? Hallie: No. Nitrous? Julie: Yeah. It’s like laughing gas, like at the dentist’s. I don’t know if it’s something different down there. Hallie: Yeah, that’s really available to everybody here. Yep. Not everybody, but— Julie: Good. That’s awesome. I really think that they need to make travel-sized bottles of nitrous and give them out by prescription for moms with anxiety. Hallie: Totally. Emmy: So if you want to go in halfsies on that business model, I am down. Julie: Alright. So I am a student midwife. It’s slow-rolling, but once I get certified, I’ll see about the legalities of that. For sure. Q&A Alright, Hallie. I want to ask you two questions before we go. Emmy, don’t go anywhere. Hallie, your questions. We asked you when you filled out your form, but it’s okay if you don’t remember the answers. You can just make new ones. But we try to ask two questions to our guests now. The first question is: What is a secret lesson or something no one really talks about that you wish you would have known ahead of time when preparing for birth? Hallie: I think preparing for VBAC birth, I didn’t know that having an epidural was an option because of what I had read online. There was no epidural and there was no option of anything else. It had to be natural or C-section. So I was really, really happy to hear that I did have that option. Because it was such a big aid in my birth in the end. That’s good. Yeah. No, I think you’re right. I think a lot of people just don’t know that it’s possible. There’s a lot of myths out there about VBAC. But, yeah. Cool. Good answer. Alright, the next question is: What is your best tip for someone preparing for VBAC? Hallie: Yeah, it had to come down to your care provider. It’s finding somebody that fully aligns with the birth that you are planning for. To be able to put your best foot forward, you have to have somebody that’s going to be right in your corner. And not just be VBAC supportive, but a real advocate for you as well. Julie: Yeah. I absolutely love that. I love what you wrote in your response. You said you didn’t realize it until the day you were giving birth, watching your midwife advocate for you over and over, standing at your door like a guard and ushering unnecessary people away. Everybody’s care provider should be like that. She was like a sentinel at your door. Just like, standing there. Hallie: She was like a guard dog. She was, though. She was just barking orders and telling people to step back. It was just incredible. Doulas supporting clients with unsupportive providers Julie: That’s amazing. I wish everyone could have that kind of support. It makes me sad that— I don’t know. Sometimes the stories we share, or witness even, of providers— I am working on an email series for birth workers right now and I asked in our community of VBAC doulas— we have almost 200 VBAC doulas in our community on Facebook now. Hallie: Wow. Julie: It’s just mind-blowing to me. Yeah, it’s crazy. I love our community of doulas. They are a really great group of people. Emmy: Yeah, we are. Julie: I asked them, what is the biggest barrier that you face— yes, you are. What’s the biggest barrier you face when supporting or trying to support VBAC or TOLAC parents? And almost every single answer, I’m telling you. Almost every single answer was from doulas saying, what to do when your client has a provider that is not supportive, and you know they’re not supportive, and your clients know their provider is not supportive, but they won’t change providers. It’s really, really hard as a doula-- clearly for many doulas-- to sit there and watch a parent go through a birth experience that could have gone differently had they chosen another provider. It’s really kind of a fine line. Emmy, maybe you have some opinions on this because I’ve been talking back-and-forth about this with Meagan for some time now, but birth advocacy in the birth room. Ahead of time, obviously, we try to educate our clients as much as we can about what makes a supportive provider and what the red flags are. Sometimes your clients see the red flags and they choose to stay for whatever reason. Sometimes it’s hard to come to terms with that as a doula, even though you don’t know why that client might be staying with that provider. Emmy: Yes. Julie: Who knows? Maybe the universe, or God, or whatever you believe in has a plan and that person has to stay with that provider for whatever reason. But watching them struggle through a birth with an unsupportive provider that everybody knew was unsupportive beforehand is a big struggle. Where do you advocate? Where is the line as a doula? Because I know that as doulas, there’s this big call right now for doulas to be advocates in the birth space, but I feel like we have to really be careful because you can’t go in there with your hammer and your chains saying, “No! Don’t touch her cervix! Turn that Pitocin down! We’re not going to get an epidural! Blah, blah blah. Fill up that tub!” Because that type of advocacy— I mean, there’s a time and place for it, and it’s not in the middle of the birth. Like, obviously yes. If your client is saying, “No take your fingers out of my vagina,” while the provider is refusing to stop doing a cervical check, you can jump in. You should jump in, I believe, anyway. And say, “Hey, she said stop.” There’s a difference between that and trying to navigate through an unsupportive supportive environment. Like, I don’t know. Emmy, what are your thoughts? Where is the balance? Emmy: How I treat it is just like how you treat your friend who’s in a crappy relationship. You just keep bringing it up. Right? Like, “Oh, how is Joe? I’m sure he is— oh, he did that again? Weird. So, I have a guy that you could talk to.” Julie: He’s really cute. Emmy: Or an OB. You could talk to him. The midwife is great. She’s awesome. How about you just do the free meeting? And because they did your well-women’s check does not mean that they should give birth, like, be a part of the birth of your baby, right? And really comparing it. A lot of my clients finally give over once they realize, would you bring your Tesla to a Ford mechanic? No. Julie: I love that. Emmy: Because that’s not their purpose. Their purpose is daily check-ups, that kind of thing. Not a car with a battery. So, right now, you’ve got a car with a battery. More specialized. It’s going to be more expensive, probably. Let’s just get real. This is tougher stuff. So, let’s get someone who is prepared for that and actually can be with you through it. Of course, I get people who don’t listen. And I have to understand why they feel comfortable in that space. That’s where— I think it’s important on our side not to let our biases come through. Julie: Yeah. Emmy: That does happen with me on occasion. I’ve even had it where someone’s like, “Well, I want continuous monitoring and I want movement.” Okay. Those don’t go together. Julie: I mean, it can if you have-- (inaudible) Emmy: Right. So the conversation we had, and then she was like, “Well, my provider said it was possible with the wireless monitors.” I was like, “Oh, now I understand why you’ve been set up with this notion.” Now I can come off of my own biases and like, alright. We have a different tool that I didn’t realize was in the tool bag. And really, that provider was trying to bring comfort to that person while also skirting the lines. So I think that’s also important on a doula level is, remember that providers are also humans trying to do their best, right? Julie: Absolutely. Emmy: Those are the balls you juggle. Treat it like a bad relationship, but also realize maybe they’re also human and they are doing their best to also juggle the balls. Julie: Oh, I love that advice. Juggle the balls. Juggle all the balls. I think that that’s really good advice. Honestly, most of my VBAC clients now, if they have a provider that I know to be not very supportive of VBAC, I intuitively spent a lot of time prenatally. We go over a lot about what a supportive provider looks like, what evidence says for X, Y, and Z, and send them a lot of information. We talk a lot about their plans, what they want, and then before too long, they realize that their provider is not in line with what they want. And then I am ready right there, like you said, with a list of recommendations for new boyfriends, or new providers, new relationships, new car, whatever you want to call it. Emmy: Yeah, exactly. Julie: They end up switching. I can think of so many clients that-- especially VBAC after multiple Cesarean. There is this one provider in the area that everybody recommends and he is not VBAC after multiple Cesareans friendly. He is not. For some reason, everyone refers to him. I even had a client he told once, he sighed a little bit and did a little side-eyes and said, “I don’t know why everyone refers to me for VBAC after three C-sections. He told that to my client who was going for a VBAC after three C-sections. She ended up going with a different hospital and having her VBAC after three C-sections at 41 weeks and 5 days. Had she stayed with that provider, she would not have had her VBAC after three C-sections. I can say that with confidence. And so, I don’t know. It’s just this dance. Emmy: It’s incredible. Incredible. Julie: It’s just a dance to go on and play around because you have to be respectful of the birth space and the staff because the nurses and the obstetricians-- they’re all just trying to do their job the best that they know how and the best that they can do. Sometimes they’re tired and sometimes they’re having a bad day. But I think-- yeah. I don’t know. It’s just a struggle. I’m going to ask Cristen Pascucci from Birth Monopoly to come on the podcast and talk about advocacy, knowing your rights, and things like that. Emmy: Well, there you go. Julie: She’s going to just knock it out of the park. We’re going to all have answers to our questions. Emmy: But that’s a big thing of mine is-- my purpose is to guide you to know how to be an advocate for yourself, right? I am not here to make decisions for people. So, yeah. That’s the hope, right? That would give them the skill of advocacy? Because that’s going to be important for their baby that just arrived and to make decisions for. Julie: Yes, absolutely. Alright, Emmy. Well, it’s about time to wrap up. How can people find you if they are in the lovely Phoenix, Arizona? Emmy: I am Birth Wizard on everything. I am birthwizard.com ( https://birthwizard.com/ ). I am Birth Wizard on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/BirthWizard/ ). I am Birth Wizard on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/birthwizard/ ). I am Birth Wizard on Tumblr, Twitter ( https://twitter.com/birthwizard ) , and Pinterest. Like literally everywhere .com, I’ve got it. Yeah. Julie: Awesome. Emmy: So, just shout out an email. You can summon me and we can talk about VBAC or whatever birth you need to have. Julie: Summon the Birth Wizard. I love it. Alright. Well Hallie, thank you so much for sharing your story with us. It was great to listen to you and I am so glad that you had the support that you needed for your VBAC. Hallie: Thank you so much for having me. It was really great. Closing Would you like to be a guest on the podcast? Head over to thevbaclink.com/share ( http://www.thevbaclink.com/share ) and submit your story. For all things VBAC, including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Julie and Meagan’s bios, head over to thevbaclink.com ( http://www.thevbaclink.com ). Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

"I’ve got to turn around and go back and dig in to make it better for others." In this episode of Birth Allowed Radio, I speak with Dr. Tracey Vogel, an obstetric anesthesiologist from Pittsburgh who specializes in preventing birth trauma and re-traumatization during birth for people with abuse histories. As part of this care, Dr. Vogel mentors people through the process of filing complaints to hospitals about violating, traumatic, and inappropriate medical intervention. Dr. Vogel walks us through the bureaucratic structure of hospitals and how they receive and process grievances. We also discuss how people can effectively use their voice during birth in advocating for themselves, and the must-have details that you want to be captured if you are pulling together a formal written complaint. Finally, we examine the core issues at hand for many who want their traumatic experiences to be known - for the benefit of closure, and/or to prevent the mistreatment from happening to others - and managing expectations regarding the hospital’s response. Resources mentioned: Visit The Empowerment Equation (http://www.theempowermentequation.com/who-we-are.html) to learn more about Dr. Tracey Vogel and her work in trauma-informed care for obstetric patients. Click here (bit.ly/birth-rights) for all you need to know about Birth Monopoly’s “Know Your Rights - Legal and Human Rights in Childbirth” course and community. Use coupon code PODCAST to get 10% off access.

In this episode, I am joined with Brett Iimura to discuss global childbirth education and birth in Japan. Brett has had a varied career, including being a hansom cab driver in New York City, an ASL interpreter, field producer for Japanese TV, literacy tutor and childbirth educator, and doula. She has facilitated in-person classes as a certified childbirth educator and is the director of the Childbirth Education Center, the CEC, based in Japan. Brett has provided childbirth education classes in the United States for 25 years as well, adding a remote or virtual option nine years ago. More than 2000 birthing people and their support partners from over 80 countries have attended CEC’s classes to date. CEC also runs a program that offers a certification in the art of childbirth education for student midwives. We talk about navigating to find a supportive birthing team in Japan, Japan’s medical approaches to birth, along with childbirth education compared to the United States. We also speak about the differences in facilitating childbirth classes internationally, along with adjusting to transitioning from in-person instruction to virtual and remote facilitated childbirth education classes. RESOURCES: Morton, Christine H, and Clarissa Hsu. “Contemporary dilemmas in american childbirth education: findings from a comparative ethnographic study.” The Journal of perinatal education vol. 16,4 (2007): 25-37. doi:10.1624/105812407X245614. Learn more about this study here (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2174386/). Learn more about Brett Iimura and Birth in Japan here (https://www.birthinjapan.com/). Learn more about Kimberly Seal Allers here (https://www.kimberlysealsallers.com/) and The Irth App here (https://birthwithoutbias.com/). Follow Kimberly Seal Allers on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/iamksealsallers?lang=en) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/iamksealsallers/?hl=en). You can follow The Irth App on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/theirthapp/?hl=en) and on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/TheIrthApp). Learn more about Cristen Pascucci and Birth Monopoly here (https://birthmonopoly.com/). Follow Birth Monopoly on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/birthmonopoly) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/birthmonopoly/?hl=en). Learn more about Jennie Joseph here (https://jenniejoseph.com/) and Commonsense Childbirth here (https://commonsensechildbirth.org/). Follow Jennie Josehp on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeJennie) and on Instagram here (https://www.instagram.com/thejjway/?hl=en). Follow Commonsence Childbrith on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/perinataltskfrc/).   Click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/birth-justice/) to see the Evidence Based Birth® list of Birth Justice Resources, including research on racism and maternal health. 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.

We are really in the midst of some major disruption for birthing families, in an already fragile healthcare system. In this episode of Birth Allowed Radio, I called on two seasoned doulas and members of the Birth Monopoly "Know Your Rights" community to provide a grounded and strategic perspective for the families who need it most. Miri Halliday of Spokane, WA is a birth doula and childbirth educator, and Lisa Gould Rubin of Burlington, VT is a doula, childbirth educator, and has had a virtual doula practice for over 10 years. Together we tackle the tough conversations surrounding doula access to their clients in hospitals and increased pressure on birthing families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Miri and Lisa reveal what they’re telling their families on how to prepare, what to expect at the hospital, how to cope under societal trauma, and what doulas, partners, and birthing mothers can control. “Everybody’s operating out of this place of fear and scarcity in terms of support and all of this unknown, and it is the worst thing that we want people to be feeling now that they are on the verge of having babies.” - Lisa Gould Rubin “There are going to be clients who are going to say - ‘I refuse. I’m going to have this baby in the lobby unless my doula comes with me.’” - Miri Halliday RESOURCES: Connect with Lisa Gould Rubin at thegoodbirthproject.com (http://thegoodbirthproject.com/), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TheGoodBirthProject/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/GoodBirthProject/). Follow Miri Halliday at hallidoula.com (https://www.hallidoula.com/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hallidoula) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/the_oaky_afterbirth/). Click here (https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19/) for all Birth Monopoly COVID-19 resources, including the Hospital Policy Tracker for Doulas and Visitors. Click here (https://birthmonopoly.com/3-things/) for all you need to know about the updated Birth Monopoly course, “3 Things Every Parent Needs to Know About Hospital Birth.” For the latest COVID-19 research and resources from Evidence Based Birth®, including the Virtual Doula Directory, click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/covid19/).

Today we talk with Cristen Pascucci, the founder of Birth Monopoly (https://birthmonopoly.com/), an organization that is committed to advancing the human right of each birthing person to determine how, where, and with whom they give birth. Cristen shares how her experience giving birth led to her awareness of the violation of women's rights in birth across the country. We talk about how common thought surrounding childbirth can lead from assault and degradation to normalization. We also discuss obstetric violence and how the history of obstetrics has led to the conditions and culture surrounding birth today. We go further into obstetric violence, discussing terminology, matters of legality vs. hospital policy, and other nuances surrounding consent and birth plans. Cristen's Background in Birth 1:08 Changing Mainstream Birth Culture; Safety and Choice 12:07 Obstetric Violence 24:00 Other Forms of Obstetric Violence; Legality vs. Policy 44:22 “Saying that it's not 100% safe is not an excuse for over medicalizing it and forcing things on people. And we know that it doesn't equate to better health outcomes. And I think that's the thing that continually blows my mind: when I see the justifications for certain assaults, of like, ‘Well, we need to keep somebody healthy here.' No, no, no, because you're literally doing the riskier thing.” 21:07 https://birthmonopoly.com/

Listen in as Cristen  Pascucci and Michelle continue their conversation regarding human rights in childbirth. They delve into the fact that everyone brings their own background, biases, and trauma with them to the birth room. Cristen sagely points out that it is irrelevant whether or not birth is safe. If anything, the riskier it is, the more imperative that is that a person's autonomy is retained. Cristen shares why the environment in which someone decides to give birth is a huge determining factor in how the birth actually unfolds."Your rights are only as good as you make them. … You own your body and you are the legal authority. ... You don't have to point to any law. ... Don't assume someone has rights over you. Just don't make that assumption ever.  Make the assumption that you own your body and act as if you do. And, it will really change the orientation of how you approach everything." —Cristen Pascucci About Cristen  Pascucci :A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth. Connect with Cristen Pascucci:Website: birthmonopoly.comFacebook: Birth MonopolyInstagram: @birthmonopolyMovie Trailer: Mother May I? COVID-19 and Pregnancy Resources:BIRTH MONOPOLY: COVID-19 AND DOULA SUPPORT: HOW TO RESPOND TO CHANGING HOSPITAL POLICIESBlack Mamas Matter AllianceCoronavirus COVID-19 | Evidence Based Birth® Resource PageVBAC Facts: Offering Labor After Cesarean During COVID-19 Connect with Michelle Smith:Website: BirthEaseServices.comFacebook: Birth Ease, The Birth Ease PodcastInstagram: @ birtheasemichellesmithYouTube: Birth EaseLinkedIn: Birth Ease Michelle SmithShow: Birth Ease 

Have you ever wondered what your rights are during childbirth? Listen in to part one of this much needed conversation as Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly shares with Michelle how the experience of her son's birth provided the impetus that led her to become a leading voice for women giving birth. “There is that perception that in some situations, your consent doesn't matter. As a woman, when it comes to sex and reproduction there are some situations where you no longer own your body. Someone else has the authority over your body. That is really powerful. And that is what continually surprises me that people don't get more upset about it in the realm of childbirth. That really that people aren't taking to the streets to say, 'My basic civil rights are not only violated as an individual, but widely disrespected in policy and practice all across the country in hundreds of facilities.'"—Cristen Pascucci About Cristen Pascucci: A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth.   Connect with Cristen Pascucci: Website: birthmonopoly.com Facebook: Birth Monopoly Instagram: @birthmonopoly   COVID-19 and Pregnancy Resources: BIRTH MONOPOLY: COVID-19 AND DOULA SUPPORT: HOW TO RESPOND TO CHANGING HOSPITAL POLICIES Coronavirus COVID-19 | Evidence Based Birth® Resource Page Black Mamas Matter Alliance VBAC Facts: Offering Labor After Cesarean During COVID-19   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com Facebook: Birth Ease, The Birth Ease Podcast Instagram: @ birtheasemichellesmith YouTube: Birth Ease LinkedIn: Birth Ease Michelle Smith Show: Birth Ease  

Today we are talking about the impact COVID-19 is having on the birth world. Hospital policies seem to change daily and restrictions are being put in place to limit the number of people allowed to support the birth giver, in most cases to just one support person. How should you navigate these constant changes as a birthing parent and as a birth professional? Listen in as we dig deep and talk about the things we are seeming and how we are working through them. Birth Monopoly ( https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19-and-doula-support-how-to-respond-to-changing-hospital-policies/ ) put out a great list of resources lately of policies and guidelines from reputable organizations that you can use to help advocate for lower restrictions on doulas, here is the list but we encourage you to go to their website ( https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19-and-doula-support-how-to-respond-to-changing-hospital-policies/ ) for even more detailed information. – Community letter to hospitals [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=12rt4aQqyLspJjRl1YvGPycK1YVeXc3R8 ) ]– AWHONN position statement on continuous support [linked above and here ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wfVmkCMvgH44-tWMvZ_sYRkHsKz5nZ2F ) ]– WHO (World Health Organization) brief on “Companion of choice during labor” [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vVH-LB-gyjlTrHOTivb6k_txzyCp3uDC ) ]– DONA (Doulas of North America) recommendations on “COVD-19 & Doulas” [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nhMy5E2hsZ1CBTAziKMzUEszohS_CkiZ ) ]– ACOG and SMFM (Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine) guidance for providers on treating pregnant patients suspected of or confirmed to have the virus [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1e-lm7NEziSXVESN8Uu5OseNLPcw75urc ) ]– CDC recommendations for treating patients suspected of or confirmed to have the virus [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dfdb3goIg-VgdfdKzaflwSYOas7N8xiK ) ]– CDC recommendations for inpatient obstetric healthcare settings [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_IkJjekDXLzxn5TX0ZnU8qEQxQPeTtPh ) ]– DONA letter to hospitals [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZUd-JKYuFt4R6eOCAPp2Z5dxTpb8VyQT ) ]– ACOG practice advisory on COVID-19 [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=1X-Ulqp3exPB2MoN_CL1w6YHVnoSIicTZ ) ]– ACOG committee opinion on “Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth” [ link ( https://drive.google.com/open?id=11TewcJ4QTk6AAxL62q6ttoYVNSTPj39T ) ] Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today's topic is an incredibly important one: obstetric violence. I know it sounds a bit heavy, but it's something that all of us - expecting families, doctors, midwives, doulas, and people in society - should know more about.  I'm excited to be joined on this episode by Cristen Pascucci, an incredibly dedicated advocate and activist for human rights during childbirth. She has a number of projects, including Birth Monopoly and Mother May I (a documentary about obstetric violence), that are working to reduce the amount of birth trauma that mothers are currently experiencing around the world. Cristen and I cover a lot of ground in this episode - we talk about what exactly obstetric violence is, whether it's different from birth trauma, and why it's so common. We also talk about what you can do if you have experienced obstetric violence and what we need to do in the health care system and beyond to move to a more patient-centered care model for expecting moms. In this Episode, You’ll Learn About: What obstetric violence is and how it relates to birth trauma How medical providers and other birth professionals can put patients through obstetric violence Why you shouldn't be afraid to change your birth professional if you aren't getting the care you want Why we have to examine not only individual instances of obstetric violence, but our systems as well What you can do if you have suffered  birth trauma as a result of obstetric violence Why you should know that you can absolutely heal from birth trauma What Cristen likes to tell expecting families so they get to have the birth experience that they want Links Mentioned In The Episode How To Make A Birth Plan That Works - Free Online Class! The Birth Preparation Course Cristen Pascucci | The Birth Monopoly | | Facebook | Instagram  ​Ep #3: How to Be Sure You Have the Right Doctor ​Ep #4: Choosing the Right Hospital to Give Birth Birth Allowed Podcast Exposing the Silence Project ImprovingBirth Mother May I There Is a Hidden Epidemic of Doctors Abusing Women in Labor, Doulas Say from VICE Join my email list here!

Join me as I speak with Cristen Pascucci of Birth Monopoly about what birth professionals should be doing on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis to keep their accounting up to date and organized. 

In this episode, I interview Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly, about respectful disagreement when talking about childbirth topics. After the birth of her son in 2011, Cristen left a career in public affairs to study American maternity care and women’s rights. From 2012 to 2016, she served as vice president of Improving Birth, spearheading a multi-year grassroots media strategy to get America’s maternity care crisis into the national news. She also created a legal advocacy hotline for pregnant women, and she began raising awareness around obstetric violence through consumer campaigns. Cristen has helped organize, strategize, and publicize major lawsuits related to obstetric violence, and is co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project and host of the Birth Allowed Radio podcast. At Birth Monopoly, Cristen advocates for a free maternity care market, working closely with leading national advocates, organizations and birth lawyers, as well as educating the public and health care providers about the human and legal rights of people in childbirth. She is also working on a documentary film on obstetric violence.  Cristen and I discuss respectful disagreement as Evidence Based Birth will soon be launching a Signature Article on the controversial topic of circumcision. When we alluded to this upcoming article on social media, we received many negative comments and people who were upset that we would even address the issue. EBB is no stranger to controversial topics, and we don’t shy away from hard subjects. Cristen and I talk about ways to express all views respectfully and effectively, so there can be productive conversations around these important issues. We also discuss trauma, triggers, and oppression in the birth world.  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 Birth Monopoly via Facebook, Instagram or the organization’s website. Join Birth Monopoly’s mailing list on the site’s home page to download a free free guide and course on informed consent and refusal during hospital births. View the trailer of the upcoming documentary “Mother May I?” here.

Advocacy, burnout, self care, sustainability, and the patriarchy--they're all in this episode! Our guest is Nickie Tilsner, the co-executive director and lead trainer of Cornerstone Doula Trainings, and co-author of RE:BIRTH - The childbirth preparation guide for all people to have an informed, dignified and joyful birth in any setting (due for release early Fall). Also announcing a first-ever collaboration between Birth Monopoly and a doula training organization to offer rights training to new doulas!!! The "Rights Informed Birth Advocate" certification will be offered through Cornerstone starting July 2019. > In her words In order to thrive in the work and have sustainability: feeding your purpose is what really holds resilience and what is actually being trauma informed for yourself and looking at things through a strengths based lens. And feeding your purpose is knowing that you’re effective in the work and being able to really embody the work. And in think that’s what’s going to keep people really going in this and feeling great about the work they’re doing and enjoying it. I burnt out about three years into my practice when I first started and had to take a break and came back with a new way of looking at things. I’m still learning what being trauma informed for myself means. Doulas and birth workers and anyone else in this space need to understand, your brain cannot discern whether this is happening to someone else or if it’s happening to you, when you’re in the situation. And even when you hear traumatic stories, your brain goes into a trauma response. This vicarious trauma is real. I want this to be a part of every dialogue when it comes to birth and birth work… Number one, how we view advocacy as birth workers, number two, how we view ourselves as less powerful than other people in the room, number three, how we are silent and how our silence is complicity. > Resources Cornerstone's next labor and birth doula training, including the "Rights Informed Birth Advocate" certification in collaboration with Birth Monopoly (!!), starts July 12 in Oakland, CA: https://www.cornerstonedoulatrainings.com/sign-up. More to come after that! Contact us at birthmonopoly@gmail.com if you'd like your organization to offer Know Your Rights training, too!

Studies show about 30% of people who have given birth report they’ve experienced birth trauma. People most often associate birth trauma with injury or the loss of an infant or mother. In recent years, however, the definition has broadened to include emotional harm. If a person feels stripped of their dignity during childbirth that is a form of birth trauma. Cristen Pascucci, the founder of Birth Monopoly and the documentary Mother May I, joins my podcast for an in-depth conversation about birth trauma. She not only answers the question, what is birth trauma, but talks about how people can heal from traumatic birth. These conversations are not easy to have, and this episode of the Plus Mommy Podcast is not for everyone. Yet, we need to continue to have uncomfortable discussions to bring awareness to birth trauma, postpartum depression, and PTSD. Our stories are powerful, and they matter!

Today we’re talking birth trauma and gardening… we know it sounds crazy, but stick with us, it will all become clear. On this episode, we’re introducing you to a very special friend of the Home Hour, Caroline Malatesta, whose lawsuit made national headlines and is changing the way we look at childbirth. Join hosts Kirsten & Graham as we dig into Caroline’s incredible story of pain, fighting for justice, and how her decision to start a garden not only changed her yard, but her entire outlook on life! We hope that this episode inspires our listeners and reminds us all that healing can be found in all different places. Read more about Caroline’s Story on Birth Monopoly.  Sponsor Spotlight: Annie’s Kit Clubs! As busy parents, Kirsten & Graham are always looking for ways kids can use their creativity and their own two hands — without needing our direct supervision or help. Annie’s Kit Clubs are a great solution for stuck-inside winter days, sick days, or when it’s time to shut off the screens.  Kits arrive every 4-6 weeks with the materials kids need to make a beautiful craft or woodworking project completely on their own. Choose from the Creative Girls Club craft projects or the Young Woodworkers kits. Both come with complete materials, illustrated step-by-step instructions, and the materials needed to create a finished project kids will feel proud of AND… Annie’s Kits is offering a GREAT DEAL for our listeners: For 50% off the Young Woodworkers Club or 80% off the Creative Girls Club, visit annieskitclubs.com/life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of “Yoga| Birth|Babies,” I speak with founder of Birth Monopoly and co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, Cristen Pascucci.  Cristen and I have a lively conversation about informed consent and implied consent in maternity care.  This episode reveals what your rights are as a pregnant and birthing woman.  Did you know you can refuse routine interventions and ask for more clarification on the risks and benefits of these interventions? Feeling more involved in the decision making of one’s birth experience has shown to leave the mother feeling more positive about her birth.  Please take the time to listen to this talk to better support yourself and your family. In this episode:  What brought Cristen to moving away from working in a PR firm to starting Birth Monopoly? What does implied consent mean in maternity care? The difference between informed consent and implied consent? What are women’s rights in labor and birth once they have been admitted to the hospital and signed a general consent form? Reviewing the ACOG’s statement: “That informed consent is ‘the willing acceptance of a medical intervention by a patient after adequate disclosure by the physician of the nature of the intervention with its risks and benefits and of the alternatives with their risks and benefits.’”   How and when to encourage this conversation to take place since the middle of labor or facing a time crunch for a suggested procedure may be difficult to comprehend these things. The importance of aligning with care provider supporting your rights of refusal and supporting your birth vision. Is there anything a woman cannot refuse during labor and birth? Language to use to help a woman or her birth posse advocate for themselves without becoming adversarial or being labeled “the problem patient” and still creating a friendly, human connection. Is  there ever a bottom line that if the mother is refusing treatment but the medical staff believes the mother and/or the baby are in danger they have a right to override her right to refuse treatment? Why are women’s rights to make decisions and autonomy in birth being violated? Visible improvements in maternity care with the rise of more mainstream birth activism. What else Cristen is up to and where to find her! About Cristen: Cristen Pascucci is A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly’s Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options.  Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2019 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women’s rights in birth. Cristen’s Projects: birthmonopoly.com http://www.exposingthesilenceproject.com Birth Allowed Radio   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Birth Allowed Radio, we talk about what it means to say no to a procedure in the delivery room, when and if implied consent overrides refusal, and who is the boss of your body. Spoiler alert: it’s you. This podcast is an extension of a recent article Birth Monopoly article. You can check it out here. http://birthmonopoly.com/impliedconsent/ My special guest is lawyer and birth rights advocate Hermine Hayes-Klein. http://www.hayeskleinlaw.com/ *Let’s Talk About Consent* Implied consent is a concept that has become skewed, in all aspects of life on the sexual spectrum, including birth. Whether we are talking about date rapists or hospital administrators, there is a lot of misinformation about what implied consent actually means. We are talking about the right to consent to or refuse treatments in the context of labor and delivery, as well as the absence of direct consent. This includes such things as medications, cutting or episiotomies, induction, and all other interventions and treatments, all of which can save lives when appropriate. But we also know that those interventions are massively overused. For instance, the rate of c-sections has risen from 5% nationally in the 70s, to 33% nationally. This hasn’t brought about improvements in outcomes. In the system in which U.S. women are giving birth, the reality is that there is an inclination by providers to use these interventions because of perceptions of things like liability risk and other incentives that impact recommendations. Rates of surgical birth range from 7% to 70% in hospitals across the United States, and studies show that is not because patient health profiles vary that drastically. Your right of informed consent and refusal is a critical tool to navigate the dysfunctions that occur. Providers often think women do not have the right to refuse, and the pushback against refusal can range from pressuring to violence.  The fact is, even if the baby is going to die, the woman retains the legal right to make decisions. (Read more about related ethics opinions from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists at www.birthmonopoly.com/acogethics.) A great deal of the fear of the right of refusal is based on the idea that doctors can predict with accuracy the baby’s need for these interventions, yet those predictions often cannot be made with certainty.  These interventions are also not always evidence based, and the motivation to use them is often otherwise incentivized. A hospital admission alone does not imply consent for all interventions, and implied consent should never override explicit non-consent. There are gendered assumptions about female passivity and their own bodies that underlie the assumptions about consent. There is a mistrust of women contributing to this debate. Implied consent is also used to make it harder to litigate date rape and marital rape cases. Nonconsented birth interventions bear similarities to sexual assault, legally, and with the experience of the victim. Finding an advocate willing to pursue the case can also be challenging. *So What Needs to Change?* Training and education in our facilities need to happen to close the gap between the ethical and legal principle that women have the right to refuse medically recommended treatment and the realities that women are experiencing on the ground in maternity care. WANT TO LEARN MORE? Go to www.birthmonopoly.com WANT TO CONNECT? Email: birthallowedradio@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/birthmonopoly Twitter: www.twitter.com/birthmonopoly Instagram:  www.instagram.com/birthmonopoly WANT TO SUPPORT US? Review us on iTunes, SoundCloud, or wherever you listen to the podcast. Businesses and organizations: Underwrite the show!  For more information, contact us at birthallowedradio@gmail.com

In this episode, Cristen speaks with Kesha Chiappinelli, an Arkansas lawyer who represents consumers working for better midwifery regulations.  Right now, for example, the law requires a number of vaginal exams for home birth midwifery clients--something Ms. Chiappinelli describes as "state-sanctioned rape."  (The regulations are similar to what is described in Birth Monopoly's 2014 article "Arizona: Mandatory Surgery or Forced Vaginal Exams" [www.birthmonopoly.com/arizona].) SEPT. 2017 CONSUMER ALERT: The Arkansas Department of Health will hold a public hearing on September 21, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in the Auditorium of the Arkansas Department of Health, 4815 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR in conformance with the Administrative Procedures Act, Ark. Code Ann. § 25-15-201 et seq. It is proposed to revise the Rules and Regulations Governing the Practice of Licensed Lay Midwifery in Arkansas pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act as amended, and by authority of Ark. Code Ann. §§17-85-101 et seq. and Arkansas Code Ann. §§20-7-109.  A draft copy of the proposed revisions is here under the heading "Midwifery": http://www.healthy.arkansas.gov/. Interested members of the public can submit written comments no later than 8:00 am on September 21, 2017 via Email at womenshealth@arkansas.gov Or mail to: Attn: Womens Health Section Chief Arkansas Department of Health 4815 West Markham Street Women's Health Slot # 16

Today on the show we have Cristen Pascucci from Birth Monopoly. Cristen is an advocate for women's rights in childbirth, who from her own child birthing experience was inspired to change careers and dedicate her life to leading the charge in birth rights activism. We get into the nitty gritty of how the obstetrical model of care is failing women and how it's high time for us as consumers to speak up. Cristen is a force to be reckoned with.

Today on the show we have Cristen Pascucci from Birth Monopoly. Cristen is an advocate for women’s rights in childbirth, who from her own child birthing experience was inspired to change careers and dedicate her life to leading the charge in birth rights activism. We get into the nitty gritty of how the obstetrical model of care is failing women and how it’s high time for us as consumers to speak up. Cristen is a force to be reckoned with.

In this episode, Cristen talks with Mary Carol Akers, a certified nurse midwife who has been fighting local hospitals for years to open an independent birth center in Kentucky; Mary Kathryn Delodder, the head of the consumer coalition working to legalize out-of-hospital midwifery in Kentucky; and a Central Kentucky couple who was turned away from two hospitals *while the mother was in labor* for wanting to have a vaginal birth after Cesarean.