Podcasts about certified midwife

In this inspiring episode of When the Moment Chooses You, Charlene sits down with Dale to explore the powerful message behind the phrase “Not All Flowers Bloom in Spring – It's Never Too Late to Start.” Dale shares her personal journey of finding her purpose later in life and emphasizes that it's never too late to pursue your dreams, no matter where you are in your career or life. This conversation dives into the importance of listening to your inner voice, embracing your unique path, and believing in your worth. If you've ever felt like it's too late to start something new, this episode is your reminder that the best time to bloom is whenever you're ready. #NeverTooLate #FindYourPurpose #BloomInYourOwnTime #EmbraceChange #ListenToYourHeart #PersonalGrowth #Inspiration #NewBeginnings #Empowerment #LifeLessons #PurposefulLiving Short Bio: Dale Barzey-Pond has been a Registered Nurse for over 50 years. She received her nursing education in the United Kingdom and has worked in the UK, the Caribbean Island of Montserrat where she was born, and the USA.  During her nursing journey Dale has worked in various areas including areas like OR, ER Psych and Med/Surg, Post acute rehab and Long-Term Care.  Dale has also worked as a Certified Midwife in both the UK and the Caribbean and says she has ushered more than 300 babies into this world.  Currently semi-retired, Dale started hosting a podcast called nursestalking in October of 2020 and to date has had one on one conversations with more than 200 nurses from all over the world.  Dale is also a published author, a wife, mother and a grandmother,

Youtube Version https://youtu.be/8xoFM0GvgDc https://fairplaypuzzles.com 150+ puzzles 90 brands That's how many puzzles I have enjoyed putting together. I discovered a great love of puzzles during an extremely challenging time in my life. In March 2021, I was severely injured in a car accident and had to take a break from my Certified Midwife position in the Bronx, where I have cared for underserved women for the last 23 years. I started putting together puzzles to fill the time after being left immobilized for months and to take my mind off my pain and concerns about my recovery. Fairplay Puzzles is committed to carrying a wide selection of puzzle brands dedicated to representing and celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion. We embrace these core values in all aspects of our business, from the brands we sell to the people we choose to do business with and the charitable causes we support. Our puzzle brands reflect these core values, and we have a special place in our hearts for start-up MWBE brands and artists sharing life and cultural representations from their experiences and perspectives. Aesthetic Vibe and Fun Factor Puzzle art plays a big part in the puzzle selection and diversity of genres when Helana chooses puzzles for the shop. Each puzzle chosen is a vibrant and beautiful work of art that is fun to do, and represents the richness of our diversity of cultures, experiences, perspectives, and beliefs—storytelling through puzzles. Lack of Diversity and Representation

Listen in to hear some entertaining stories about the messier side of birth from the midwives of Beautiful One Midwifery.Links to all the extra good stuff:Click to check out the Beautiful One Membership experience! NOW OPEN!2023 Holistic Holiday Gift Guide {LINK TO BLOG ONCE COMPLETED}Join our email community + get instant access to our awesome Sleep Freebie: HEREBrowse all our favorite women's supplement recommendations: HERESubmit your answer-on-the-show questions: HERESubscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for all the extra education and antics in between episodes at  @beautifulonemidwifery

Carrie Levine is the founder of Whole Woman Health, and author of Whole Woman Health: A Guide to Creating Wellness for Any Age and Stage. As a certified nurse midwife and an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner, Carrie evaluates and treats most common women's health concerns, incorporating gynecology and functional medicine. Episode highlights: - Combining functional medicine + women's health - Health doesn't have to be expensive - How to trust your intuition when it comes to your health - How trauma impacts gut health - Why you need to embrace your beautiful, messy life Connect with Carrie: - Instagram: ⁠@carrielevine.cnm - Carrie's Book: Whole Woman Health: A Guide To Creating Wellness For Any Age and Stage - carrielevine.com Connect with Alex: - Currently accepting new clients! ⁠⁠Work with me here⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠Cycle syncing course⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠DUTCH test⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠GI Map test⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠Free resources⁠⁠ - IG: ⁠⁠@nutritionmoderation⁠⁠ - TikTok: ⁠⁠@nutritionmoderation⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠nutritionmoderation.com⁠⁠ DISCOUNTS: - Discount on Canadian Supplements: ⁠⁠⁠https://ca.fullscript.com/welcome/aking⁠ - Discount on U.S. Supplements: ⁠⁠https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/aking1654616901⁠⁠

McKenna Eldh, CM, joins GynoCurious and introduces us to the importance of midwives in women's healthcare. She shares with us her academic journey and path to becoming a midwife and the role she plays in promoting healthy pregnancies and deliveries. Learn how midwives can assist in safe, supportive, physiologic birthing experiences. Questions of comments? Call 845-307-7446 or email comments@radiofreerhinecliff.org Produced by Jennifer Hammoud and Matty Rosenberg @ Radio Free Rhiniecliff

The third and final part of the 3 episode series all about motherhood and midwifery:Signs of burnout and why they are so high in private midwifery practices, and on-call professions in generalThe principles of sustainable practice and how we have adapted throughout the years as our business changesHow to structure a midwifery practice with time off, teamwork and call schedules to maximize longevity as a midwifeKelly + Tiffany's biggest takeaways, unsuspecting pivots and plans for future sustainabilityLinks to all the extra good stuff:Roadmap to Sustainable MidwiferyMidwifery Organizations: NARM, MEAC, ACNMBelieve in Midwifery Sustainability Course HEREJoin our email community + get instant access to our awesome Sleep Freebie: HEREBrowse all our favorite women's supplement recommendations: HERESubmit your answer-on-the-show questions: HERESubscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for all the extra education and antics in between episodes at  @beautifulonemidwifery

The second part of the 3 episode series all about motherhood and midwifery:The specific challenges involved in balancing on-call work and mom lifeThe reality of living the on-call lifestyle while raising a family and how to set yourself up for successHow to create boundaries in work, communicate with your own family and develop lasting habits for a fulfilling career on-callKelly + Tiffany's personal stories from their on-call work as doulas and midwivesLinks to all the extra good stuff:Roadmap to Sustainable MidwiferyMidwifery Organizations: NARM, MEAC, ACNMBelieve in Midwifery Sustainability Course HEREJoin our email community + get instant access to our awesome Sleep Freebie: HEREBrowse all our favorite women's supplement recommendations: HERESubmit your answer-on-the-show questions: HERESubscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for all the extra education and antics in between episodes at  @beautifulonemidwifery

The first part of the 3 episode series all about motherhood and midwifery:Different types of midwives, care settings, job descriptions and birth philosophies that determine the training and school options available The reality of learning midwifery while raising a family and strategies for getting through itHow to prioritize your time, conserve your energy and develop lasting health habits as a studentKelly + Tiffany's personal stories from their student midwife daysLinks to all the extra good stuff:Roadmap to Sustainable MidwiferyMidwifery Organizations: NARM, MEAC, ACNMBelieve in Midwifery Sustainability Course HEREJoin our email community + get instant access to our awesome Sleep Freebie: HEREBrowse all our favorite women's supplement recommendations: HERESubmit your answer-on-the-show questions: HERESubscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for all the extra education and antics in between episodes at  @beautifulonemidwifery

This is a special one! Kristin sits down with Certified Midwife and women's health specialist, who just happened to be her Mom! Joanna McGrath got her masters degree from Georgetown University and has a very honest and educational conversation about all things health care. We hope this episode has some answers for you, and if you have anything you'd like to get more information, you can reach out to Joanna directly at the email below. Let us know what resonates with you! joannabmcgrath@gmail.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Want to be friends? Have a question you'd like answered on the pod? A topic you'd like us to talk about? Our DM's are always open! Insta - @wellnessforthehotmess / @kristinmcgrath / @lexi.rodriguez.smith Email - wellnessforthehotmess@gmail.com Music by MiniSants - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wellness4thehotmess/support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wellness4thehotmess/support

I love the Capano sisters big time. Christy was on before, and now I got this real-life hero. If you were writing her as a character, her accomplishments wouldn't be believed. The idea of a Nurse Practitioner getting her doctorate (with degrees from Georgetown and Johns Hopkins no less), Licensed, Certified Midwife, Longtime Acro Yoga practitioner/teacher/teacher trainer, former Doctor Without Borders participant, bi-lingual traveling nurse serving remote indigenous communities in Central America, and social justice advocate, it seems farfetched and ridiculous. How could anyone do all that?! Well, meet Katie Capano. She does all that and more! She builds field hospitals. It's madness of the best kind. I can't gush enough about her work, her intelligence, her bravery, and her badassery. She's Science Spice meets Empress of Woo. She's taken all her passions and mixed them into a stunning life potion. I'll have what she's having. Awestruck is an understatement.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! http://greatnessadjacentpodcast.com/

It’s an ongoing and classic debate-- home birth versus hospital birth. Trying to decide where to have your VBAC is one of the toughest decisions to make. There are LOTS of opinions out there to navigate. Julie and Meagan sit down with you today to share some pros and cons (and some myth busters!) of each based on their personal experiences as doulas, as well as the most current evidence-based research out there. This discussion is only the beginning. We include tons of resources with even more information about these topics to help you continue your research and get closer to making your informed decision. We hope this episode leaves you feeling empowered and more confident in your birth choices no matter where you end up birthing. Additional links How to VBAC: The Ultimate Preparation Course for Parents ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/product/how-to-vbac/ ) The VBAC Link Community ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/VbacLinkGroup ) VBAC Link Blogs: Writing a Home Birth Plan ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/home-birth-plan/ ) Natural Birth versus Epidural ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/natural-birth-vs-epidural/ ) Home Birth After C-section (HBAC) ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/home-birth-vbac/#:~:text=Home%20birth%20in%20general,%20and,of%20these%20occurred%20at%20home. ) Laboring at Home ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/laboring-at-home/ ) What to Write in a VBAC Birth Plan ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/vbac-birth-plan/ ) 13 Tips to Prepare for an Empowering Birth ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/empowering-birth/ ) Evidence-Based Birth® article: What is Home Birth? ( https://evidencebasedbirth.com/what-is-home-birth/ ) The VBAC Link Shop ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/shop/ ) 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 transcript Note: All transcripts are edited to eliminate false starts and filler words. Meagan: Hello, hello. It’s Meagan and Julie with The VBAC Link, and today, you just have us. Lucky you. We’re so excited to be with you today. Julie: Woohoo! Meagan: We’re going to actually be talking on a very, very sensitive topic in a lot of areas because this can be one of those lovely debates out there. We’re talking hospital birth versus home birth. Definitely, something that we know some people are passionate about on both sides. That is great, and we love that, but today we want to talk about all the evidence on both sides, the pros and the cons, and how to determine what’s best for you. Julie: Absolutely. I’m excited. We actually have a blog about this, I think. I’m looking it up right now. Meagan: We do. We do. Julie: Home birth versus hospital? I know we have one on Natural Birth versus Epidural ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/natural-birth-vs-epidural/ ). We have Writing a Home Birth Plan ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/home-birth-plan/ ) ; we have an HBAC ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/home-birth-vbac/#:~:text=Home%20birth%20in%20general,%20and,of%20these%20occurred%20at%20home. ) one, Natural Birth versus Epidural. I don’t think we have a hospital versus home birth. We have Laboring at Home ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/laboring-at-home/ ). Meagan: We don’t?! Julie: We need to write one. Meagan: Oh, Laboring at Home. Yeah. Julie: Yeah. So basically, during this episode, we’re going to talk about a lot of things that we cover in our blog, so go to our blog right now and search for “home birth.” It’s going to bring up results Laboring at Home, What to Write in a VBAC Birth Plan ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/vbac-birth-plan/ ) -- that’s for a hospital or home birth. We have-- let’s see. Meagan: Home Birth After Cesarean. We’ve got lots of stories on the podcast. Julie: Uh-huh. We’ve got Natural Birth versus Epidural, lots of podcast stories, How to Write a Home Birth Plan, all sorts of things. And then, we’re going to tell our content writer who tells us what to do about blogs that we need a home birth versus hospital birth blog. Meagan: Yeah, we do. We totally do. Review of the Week Julie: We do. Maybe there will be one there by the time this episode airs. Alright, but should I read a review? Meagan: You should read a review. Julie: Alright. I’ve got one from Google ( https://www.google.com/search?aqs=chrome..69i57j46i39i175i199j0l2j69i60l2.2368j0j9&ie=UTF-8&oq=the+vbac+link&q=the+vbac+link&sourceid=chrome ). We haven’t read a Google review in a long time. So, if you didn’t know that, you can review us on Apple Podcasts ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vbac-link/id1394742573 ) , you can review us on Google by just searching for The VBAC Link, and you can review us on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/thevbaclink/ ). We love reading and having reviews from all three of those platforms. It keeps us going when the times get tough. This review from Google is from Anne McLaughlin. She says, “These ladies are an absolute joy to listen to on their podcast! I feel so fortunate to have found them on my journey to what will hopefully be a 2VBAC with twins! When I had my 1st VBAC, I felt educated, as I had read through books and websites. Now, I feel empowered! Thanks to Julie and Meagan, I feel more confident advocating for myself and asking the right questions. I recommend you to all of the mamas I come across in other VBAC groups and often refer to specific episodes I've listened to. Thank you for all that you do, you Women of Strength, you!” No, thank you, you Woman of Strength, you! Do you know what? I just saw in our Facebook community a twin birth posted. Meagan: Oh, really? Really, that’s awesome. Julie: I’m going to go stalk her and see if it was that same one. I’m actually in it right now. Meagan: Yeah. That would be fun if it was. It would be super fun. Julie: Anne McLaughlin. Meagan: We’re stalking you, Anne. Julie: Let’s see. Nope. She might not be in our community. Meagan: Speaking of, if you didn’t know, we do have a community, and no, we don’t usually stalk you. Julie: Only if you leave a review. Don’t put your real name on it. Meagan: Only if you leave a review. So, it’s on Facebook, and if you search The VBAC Link Community ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/VbacLinkGroup ) , you will find us. Now, we do have questions that you have to answer, and we are kind of strict on it. So, you have to answer all three or— Julie: Two. There are only two now. Meagan: Oh yeah. There are two now. You have to answer both, or you don’t get added in. Sorry. We love you, but we really want to protect our group and keep everyone safe. So, if you are not with us in that community, definitely check it out on Facebook, The VBAC Link Community. I promise you’re going to love it because these people in this group are just incredible. I am honestly learning from them. Do you find that, Julie? You see a post, and you’re like, “I actually didn’t know that was a thing,” and I go and research it. Julie: Yes, or I make a statement and then somebody else says, “Actually, blah blah blah,” and I am like, “Do you know who I am? I own this community.” Then I go and research it, and I was like, “Oh crap. I was wrong.” Meagan: Oh, that’s funny. That’s funny. Julie: Okay, I found it. Anne McLaughlin in our Facebook group. I am looking at her story. Oh, shoot, wait. Let’s see—growth scans. Oh no, this is on October 26th. Dang, it. September no. Oh well. We will have to see. I’m going to be looking while we are talking, so if I interrupt the episode, you will know. Because she’s new, she should have been due-- or maybe she is still pregnant. I don’t know. 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 ( http://thevbaclink.com/ ) to find out more and sign up today. That’s thevbaclink.com ( http://thevbaclink.com/ ). See you there. Hospital birth versus home birth Julie: Anyways, we’re going to be done talking about Ms. Anne right now, and we’re going to talk about hospital birth versus home birth. Meagan: Let’s do it. Meagan: This is something as individuals-- we’ve both had a hospital birth and, well, you had a home birth. I had a birth center, which is kind of like a home birth, right? Julie: Yeah, pretty much. Meagan: Yeah. I mean, out-of-hospital birth. So I definitely know the difference from my personal perspective on birth, but then I have also attended many births as a doula in hospital. In fact, I would say the majority of my clients deliver in hospital, which is something that a lot of people don’t realize. A lot of people think doulas are only supporters for natural, unmedicated birth, and I’m just going to myth bust that one right there. Julie: Boom. Meagan: It’s not. It’s not. And really, I would say, 85 to 90% of our clients are in hospitals. I definitely have seen a lot of hospital birth, and then I’ve definitely seen home birth. I’m excited to talk about the things that I’ve seen and the differences on both. Julie: I’m excited, too. We both have, I think, things that rub us the wrong way that we see some providers do constantly. I want to preface this before we get into it, that these are just experiences that we’ve seen in the birth room, at-home birth, hospital birth, and birth center birth. It’s not to be replaced by advice from your provider. It doesn’t necessarily mean that your provider’s doing anything wrong if they do things that we see that we don’t necessarily like. Some of us like some things that the other one doesn’t like. It’s going to be a fun conversation. I actually found Anne‘s post. She had her babies. They were a TOLAC turned elective Cesarean. So she had a repeat Cesarean after an induced TOLAC. It looks like she chose a Cesarean. She hasn’t written up their birth stories yet, but they look beautiful and well and nice, chunky 8 pounds, 7 ounces and 7 pounds, 7 ounces twins. Meagan: Wow, twins. Those are nice sized babies for twins. Julie: I know, right? Nice chunky little boys. Meagan: That’s cool. That’s awesome. Julie: Well, now, you know. Meagan: Congrats, Anne. Yes. Julie: Alright. I don’t know how to get started. Meagan: Well, first of all, I want to talk about home birth in general. Julie: Do it. Meagan: A lot of people are very, very scared of home birth, right? Because of that fear that is placed upon us. I say the word “uterine rupture”-- two words. Uterine rupture. That is a very scary thing to think of. Doing it at home, and the thought of not being right next to an OR can be scary and intimidating. Really, really hard to comprehend. Is it safe? Is home birth safe after all? There is something on our blog, so I’m jumping into home births first versus hospital. I don’t necessarily suggest one or the other, generally. This is very much a personal decision, but I just want to share this. It says, “Homebirth in general, and especially home birth after Cesarean, also known as HBAC, is growing in popularity. In 2013, 1.4% of U.S. births took place outside of a hospital. Laboring at home is common, but many women also decide to stay home for the birth itself. Surprisingly, 64.4% of these occurred at home.” 64.4. That’s a pretty high number. That is really high. I mean, that was in 2013, so that was years ago. But still, it’s actually more common than you may think, and it’s more safe than you think. So, okay. I’m going to go backwards. I want to talk about-- how do you know? How do you know what to do or where to go? How to decide? How do you know what to decide to do? One, I think it’s really important to write a pros and cons list for yourself because everyone is different. Everyone is going to see different pros and different cons. Some peoples’ pros are going to be those other peoples’ cons. So write a pros and cons list. Be honest with that pros and cons list. If money is a factor, write it down. Money. Insurance will cover it, right? If fear is a factor or a con, then write it down. Fear. Then, let’s break those down. Okay. What is the fear surrounding? What brings this fear? Then, let’s educate on those topics and see if that fear still stays. If that fear still stays and you were like, “Nope. I still feel very comfortable at the hospital,” stay at the hospital. If you’re like, “Oh, well actually, I didn’t know that it was not like that,” then that may change your mind for a home birth. This is something that I’ve stuck with for so long. Honestly, ever since Blyss Young with-- I don’t know if you guys know Dr. Stu’s Podcast ( http://www.drstuspodcast.com/ ) , but Blyss Young-- she said this, and I just can’t even let go of it. I can’t because it’s too good. It’s the analogy of like, okay. For our weddings, we pick out the flowers. We pick out the venue. We go to places. We get comfortable. We pick out the colors. We are picking out the destination, and everything included, right? And then, for some reason, when it comes to birth, which is another very big day of our lives, we let our insurance companies tell us exactly what we’re going to do. I loved that when she said it, I was like, “Whoa. I never even thought of it like that.” So, yes. Money can be a factor, but don’t let someone tell you who you can deliver with, where you can deliver, and how you can deliver if that’s not something you’re comfortable with. You may be like, “I don’t care really where I go; I just want to have a baby.” And that’s okay, too. But just keep that in mind. So, writing a pros and cons list, really understanding the facts, and then following your intuition. I know Julie, and I talk about it all the time but follow your intuition. It’s huge. If your intuition says, “I shouldn’t be there,” then don’t go there, wherever “there” is. Right? And it’s hard to differentiate fear versus intuition. But usually, if you are feeling scared, that’s not your intuition. Right, Julie? It’s fear creeping in. So, talk about that. Julie: Yeah. I want to touch on that. I feel like sometimes we don’t explain enough about what intuition is. I actually made a post yesterday because I wrote about a blog about how to have an empowering birth experience. ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/empowering-birth/ ) Your intuition doesn’t have to be a warm and fuzzy, feel-like-you-get-wrapped-in-a-big-hug, and be 100% confident in your decision. Intuition can look a lot of ways. The decisions that you make because of your intuition or the things that your intuition is telling you can cause a fear in you. In that case, that would be an indication that you need to do some processing and make sure that you enter into whatever decision you made with confidence as much as you can. But sometimes, depending on yourself, acting on your intuition can look like asking questions when something doesn’t feel right to you. It can look like taking a look at the big picture rather than what’s happening at this exact moment. Or checking in with what you’re saying to yourself. Your self-talk, sometimes self-talk, we confuse with intuition. Let’s check-in. Do you say things to yourself like, “Oh my gosh, I’m going to have such a hard time finding a provider.” Well, how can we turn that into a more productive statement? Like, “Alright. I know that I can find the right provider for my birth. I know that I can do the work necessary.” Things like that. Asking for reassurance from others sometimes. I know for me-- oh my gosh, Meagan can attest to this, but I need reassurance big time. If I am making decisions, and I’m trusting my gut, and I’m taking a leap; I need people to tell me that it’s the right choice. Even if they think that I am completely off my rocker, right? Meagan: Yeah, no. Totally, yeah. Julie: I need it. Words of affirmation is my love language. Reassurance is a big thing. Reassurance that I’m trusting myself and that I’m making the right decision based on the things that I know and feel. Not second-guessing yourself. If it was the right decision when you made it, can I keep trusting that that’s the right decision? Also, trust that if changes need to be made, then you will know when and if they do need to be made. Forgiving yourself can be part of trusting your intuition because sometimes we have to forgive ourselves for not knowing what we didn’t know or making decisions that we didn’t know we could’ve made differently when they happened. And allowing yourself to feel negative emotions. Oh my gosh, please, please, please, can we say that again? Allowing yourself to feel negative emotion. Sometimes people think, “Oh, only positive vibes. Good vibes only when I’m preparing for my birth.” But if you do not allow yourself to feel and process those emotions and then send them off to their own little wherever-negative-emotions-go land, then you’re going to be doing yourself a great disservice because they can come up and appear while you’re in labor and birth. It can negatively impact the physiologic process of your birth. Then, just being kind and loving to yourself. Sometimes that is simply what your intuition needs you to do. Just stop and slow down. Take a break and be kind to yourself. But, yeah. I like that. I think that it’s important to clarify that intuition doesn’t just look like a still voice while you’re in a quiet and dark room. Meagan: Right, right. And not allowing all of the outside static to impact it. Because I feel like it kind of just jumbles around, and you’re like, “Wait, what? Now, what am I feeling? Is that intuition? Is that opinion? Is that fair? I don’t know? Oh, what is it?” Do you know what I mean? There is so much. So, yeah. I love that. Perfect. Let’s talk about hospital birth. What are the pros of hospital birth? Let’s talk about them. Pros and cons. Julie: Well, I think the biggest pro of hospital birth is probably the biggest pro of home birth too, is making sure that it’s a space you’re comfortable in. Because some people just don’t feel comfortable, and they never will feel comfortable giving birth at home, right? If you’re not comfortable, then what happens? Everything locks up, and your physiologic process is destroyed. The obvious pros of hospital birth really are if you have an emergency that needs immediate attention, then your baby can be out of your body in 1-2 minutes with a crash Cesarean. I think that immediate access to emergency resources and care is probably the biggest pro about hospital birth. Meagan: Yeah, just having access to that care. Comfortability. Also, I don’t know. I think in some ways there is a pro of having more-- now this could be the pro and a con in both ways, but more resources. Does that make sense? So, say you’re going. You’re 9 centimeters, and there is this lip or whatever. There are other things you can do at home, but sometimes a drop of Pitocin really does help. Or, say you are pushing for hours and hours, and you have a provider that is right there that can help assist with vacuum or forceps. Does that make sense? So, those are little pros that we wouldn’t really think that they are pros because they are not something we want to think of a pro, but it’s there. If we are home and we’ve been pushing for a long time, we have to get in the car and transfer. Or get in an ambulance and transfer. Sorry, I’m getting deep into the not super-- Julie: I know. I feel like we’re kind of all over the place. I don’t know; I just think that with home birth and hospital birth, a pro to one person could be a con to another person. Meagan: Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. It’s so hard. Julie: I think you hit it right exactly on the head when you said, “You’ve got to make your own pro and con list.” I’ve been looking-- if you can hear my mouse clicks in the background-- I’ve been looking for the home birth studies that have been recent. The Canadian home birth study. It’s really interesting. I’m going to go and talk about a couple of different resources about home birth, actually. Evidence-Based Birth® ( https://evidencebasedbirth.com/what-is-home-birth/ ) wrote an article about home birth safety. Here we go. Sorry. I’m just clicking back and forth really fast. So, here’s the thing. The Evidence Based® article was written in 2012. There have been studies that have come out in 2015 and 2017 that haven’t been updated in the study yet. But she has a couple of good references and information in here that I think is important to talk about, just about home birth generally, because she sums it up in a way that would take me 30 minutes to say because you know how long-winded I am. Now, I want to say before I go into it that ACOG does not recommend home birth for a VBAC. With that being said, me and Meagan have both had out-of-hospital births with VBAC. The reason ACOG doesn’t recommend it is because there’s not enough data on the safety of home birth for women with a prior Cesarean. There’s just no evidence to prove whether it’s safe or not, and so ACOG considers it an absolute contraindication, just having a VBAC. However, all these studies support that if a woman is low-risk, she could be a good candidate for a home birth. Being a low-risk includes that you are pregnant with a single baby, and you’ve made an informed choice to birth at home, baby is head-down at term-- although, I would kind of disagree with that one. Breech home birth can be done safely with a provider that is trained and experienced in breech birth. And if you have a back-up plan in place. That’s actually one of the things. At birth, as long as the baby isn’t born before the 37-week mark, the mom has no serious medical conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, blood clotting disorders, type 1 diabetes, gestational diabetes managed with insulin, preeclampsia or excessive bleeding, no placenta previa obviously, and as long as parent goes into spontaneous labor-- although I think that’s also a gray area because there are certain things you can do to nudge and encourage labor to begin that aren’t medical things. What I think the biggest thing is, is that people think that having a home birth midwife, which-- we don’t advocate for unassisted home birth, especially for VBAC. We think it’s important for everybody to have a provider that they can trust, and that is an expert in their type of birth. However, we realize that in some areas of the country and even the world, that’s not an option for you. I’m just going to leave that right there. We can go back to referencing your intuition and the pros and cons list for that. Homebirth midwives are actually highly educated people that have gone through extensive trainings and attended hundreds of births. I know I am a midwife student right now. I am a student midwife and-- oh my gosh, the number of requirements, courses, educational pieces and information you have to learn, and hands-on experience you have to have. You have to have a mentor that will guide you, help teach you, and educate you. It is an exhaustive process to become a practicing midwife. Midwives have lots of supplies on hand and bring lots of things to home birth. I’m just going to go over the list because sometimes people don’t think about these things. They have a handheld Doppler to monitor the baby, sterile instruments for cutting the cord, vitamin K and eye ointment for the baby, suction devices like the squeegee-little-bulb-thing to remove mucus from the infant’s nose or mouth. Oxygen tanks too-- they are required by law to have two oxygen tanks with them and adult and infant resuscitation equipment. They are required to be trained in neonatal resuscitation and CPR. There are so many things in the birth kit. Midwives can do interventions at birth, as well. The interventions they can do is obviously monitor baby with her Doppler, monitor a woman’s progress of labor, perform cervical exams, provide physical and emotional support during labor-- although we absolutely recommend having a doula with you because the midwife can’t do both jobs at once-- being a midwife and a doula. They can perform all the newborn exams required by the state that your OB/GYNs and nurses do in the hospital. They can suture any tears after birth; they can recognize complications and transfer a patient to the hospital if they need to. Most of the time, complications are recognized earlier than they would be in a hospital just because you have a midwife there with you 100% of the time, and they can transfer you before the situation becomes emergent. They can also administer oxygen and emergency medications. Some certified midwives can carry Pitocin, Methergine, and other things like that to help in case of an emergency or hemorrhage. Meagan: They have a lot of holistic things too. Julie: Yes. Yeah, a lot of herbal things. Meagan: They have a lot of herbal and holistic things that can help you avoid having those medications-- Julie: --that decrease your chances for having those things. Yep. They can also start IVs and administer IV fluids. Like I said, it depends if you are a Certified Midwife, or a Direct-Entry Midwife, or what your accreditation is. Each state varies by law on whether or not midwives can carry certain medications. But I think another reason people are kind of hesitant about home birth is not wanting to clean up the mess. That’s what my husband said. Meagan: Yes, it’s dirty. Yes. Dirty. yes, yes, yes. Julie: But midwives do such a really good job cleaning up the mess. In fact, my house was cleaner after my midwives left than before I went into labor on my three home births. Isn’t that funny? I’m like, “You guys should come back.” Meagan: I believe it, though. I know that team. I know that team. They clean very well. Yeah. Julie: “Are you going to clean at my newborn exam? The two-day postpartum visit?” Yeah. They do all the newborn checks and screenings things as if you were at a hospital. So those are some common myths about home birth. Meagan: Yeah. Definitely myths there for sure. I love that you were talking about-- these midwives are not just some random people off of the street. They are trained. They’re qualified. And, I also want to encourage, when you are interviewing these midwives, ask them their credentials. Ask them their experience. Julie: And their training. Meagan: And other training. That’s going to help you. Also, I would say one of the pros of home birth versus hospital is the type of care. Now, I don’t want to say that hospital staff gives less care, or poor care, or anything like that. It’s not what I’m saying. It’s the quality of time that is put into the care. It’s not because these providers in the hospital don’t want to. It’s because they can’t. They can’t. It’s very rare, and there are people out there, but it’s very rare for a provider to be able to sit down and spend one hour with you, and answer your questions, talk about your pregnancy, talk about how you’re doing, talk about your plans and where you’re at in this journey. It’s just unlikely for them to be able to do that. So, that is something that is huge, that was huge for me and my decision to deliver out of the hospital. Because I loved that I could go in and ask my doctor a couple of questions in my prenatal, it felt good to have a list, take it in, ask questions, and then leave and come up with more questions. But I can’t tell you how many times it was like, “Oh, well, this doctor is downstairs at birth, so you’ll have to keep your questions until next time.” Or, I’d ask a question, and he’d look at me like, “What?” Julie: Yeah, or they’re like, “Well, the doctor is just five minutes away, so we can call him in whenever you’re ready, or you have a question.” And then they’re like, “Well, let me go check with what your doctor has to say about that,” and it’s just harder. Meagan: Or like, you call him. You call into the office, “Hey, I have this question.” And like you said, “Oh, let me get a hold of your doctor.” And then the nurse calls you back, not your provider. But guess what? I had a question. I sent my midwife a text message. She texted me right back. She called me. “Let’s talk about this. Hey, okay. This is what I want you to do.” Every single time I would go into a visit, she would sit down, and we would just kickback. It was like two friends at a coffee shop; only we didn’t have a table and coffee. Do you know what I mean? It was just natural. That’s a pro that I could say. You can’t just text your doctor. You can’t just call your doctor, and rarely if you call your doctor, you get your doctor. So that was a really big pro for me is that established, individualized care. And then, guess what? I knew exactly who was going to help me get this baby here the day that I went into labor. One of the cons in the hospital is, you just don’t know these days. Usually, providers work in a group of 5+, right? You just get who you get. You may love them, and you may not have a great relationship, or you may have never met them. For me, and especially for VBAC, I feel it is so powerful to have had that relationship with the provider the entire time. Julie: I think with that relationship too is, you learn to have trust in your provider more, and your provider learns to have trust in you more. Meagan: Totally. Julie: They know your specific needs more. Meagan: Yes. Julie: We need to wrap it up, but I feel like this episode might be more like clearing up myths about home birth rather than the pros and cons of hospital birth. Meagan: Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Julie: This is the thing about hospital birth. I want to just say; we are both 100% for you choosing your birth location with confidence and a provider that you are comfortable with. At hospital birth, you are just going to have to keep your eye out for more interventions being offered to you and know what those interventions are and when or when they may or may not be necessary. That’s really, really important. But then again, there are some homebirth midwives that are really heavy on the interventions, like with herbs and oils, and things like that. I would ask, no matter where you are, what interventions are standard when they would decide something as an emergency, and for home birth, what their transfer plan looks like, what their transfer rate is. With that being said, a high transfer rate doesn’t necessarily mean that a midwife isn’t a good midwife; it means that they are confident in their abilities with what they can and cannot handle. They are, I would say, overly cautious and would rather transfer before things become an emergency and be in the midst of an emergency, have to transfer, and possibly endanger the health and life of mom or baby. So, yeah. Pros and cons. Meagan: Definitely. Yeah. I would say, maybe pros and cons. That’s what this episode is more pros and cons, and just the differences. Julie: I’ve seen really, really awesome hospital births and hospital birth providers, and I’ve seen providers with their fingers in moms’ vaginas for two hours while they push. All I want to do is scream, “Get your hands out of the mom’s vagina!” They’re like, “Oh yeah, that’s a great push. That’s another great push. That’s another great push.” And I’m like, “Oh my gosh, if they’re great pushes, then why are we still just keeping our hands in vaginas?” Meagan: And what are we doing to the pelvic floors? Julie: Yes. What are we doing to the pelvic floor? Then there’s other times when having some fingers in to see how and where mom is pushing can be beneficial. But homebirth midwives can do that too. Meagan: I think it’s more guidance. Because I’ve seen it at home birth, too, I think it’s more guidance for the parent, right? So like, “Hey, do you feel this right here? “I want you to focus all your individual strength right here. And then they’re out. Julie: Yeah. Yeah. But you don’t have to keep them in for two hours. That kills me. It kills me every time. I think I’ve got to do some processing for that. Alright. Well, we encourage you to look at the pros and cons of both hospital birth and home birth. You can find them on our blog like we mentioned at the beginning of this episode. Also, we go way in-depth about hospital birth, home birth, and other birthing locations and providers in our prep course for parents, which you can find at thevbaclink.com/shop ( https://www.thevbaclink.com/shop/ ). So, go ahead. We highly encourage you to take our course. It’s going to make you feel more empowered and more confident in your birth choices, no matter where you end up birthing. 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

Season 1 Episode 5 features an interview with Carmen Mojica. We discuss her journey into birthwork and motherhood, the history and current practice of midwifery, and what it will take to achieve birth justice in the Bronx and in New York City. Carmen Mojica Bio:Carmen Mojica CPM, LM CLC is an Afro-Dominicana born and raised in the Bronx. She is a midwife, mother, writer and reproductive health activist. The focus of her work is on the empowerment of women and people of the African Diaspora, specifically discussing the Afro-Latina identity. She utilizes her experience as a midwife to raise awareness on maternal and infant health for women, highlighting the disparities in the healthcare system in the United States for women of color. She is a cofounder of Bronx Rebirth and Progress.References During the Episode:Donate to Bronx Rebirth and Progress via PayPal and through their registry on TargetPregnancy and Postpartum in the time of COVID-19: NYC Resources[Book] Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy and Childbirth edited by Julia Oparah and Alicia Bonaparte[Book] Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts[Book] Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington[Book] Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden WagnerTypes of midwives: Certified Midwife, Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, Certifying institutions: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)Robert Woods Johnson Foundation's County Health Rankings and Road MapsQuestions to Consider After the Episode:How can we make midwifery more accessible in our City, namely Certified Nurse Midwives? What are ways our City can provide resources for people to give birth outside of hospitals? This can be in people's homes and in birthing centers.How can we shift conversations that focus solely on maternal mortality to take a look at the broad scope of how maternal healthcare is not serving the needs of pregnant and birthing people overall?Created and Hosted by Taja LindleyProduced by Colored Girls HustleMusic, Soundscape and Audio Engineering by Emma AlabasterSupport our work on Patreon or make a one-time payment via PayPalFor more information visit BirthJustice.nyc This podcast is made possible, in part, by the Narrative Power Stipend - a grant funded by Forward Together for members of Echoing Ida.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/TajaLindley)

Babies wait for no one or no thing.  No matter what’s going on in the world, they will still be born, and we as mothers have to figure out how to cope.  I know that so many of your births were and are being affected by Covid-19.  My heart goes out to you, as this has changed the landscape of birth on many levels.  Of course mothers who planned to give birth in the hospital have been affected, but this is also true of mothers in the homebirth setting.  Today we will hear from Yosefa, who gave birth at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.   This interview was incredibly special, because we were able to be joined by Yosefa’s sister Yakova, who currently resides in Israel.  Yakova is a midwife with several credentials, I might add, and although she was not able to physically be at Yosefa’s birth, she was able to support her virtually.  It’s such an amazing story! Show Notes:   Yakova went to a friend’s birth and ended up acting as support person.  With this one experience, she realized she was called to some type of birth work.  She began working as a doula, then became a midwife.  She gained the Certified Midwife credential, then went back to nursing school and became a Certified Nurse Midwife.   She and Yosefa were pregnant with their first children at the same time, giving birth only 10 days apart.     Yosefa’s first two children were born in a hospital birth center run by midwives in Australia.  When she became pregnant with her third child back in America, she realized that having a homebirth would be the most similar experience for her in this country, given our more medicalized approach to birth in the hospital.   Once deciding on a midwife, she mentioned her choice to her sister.  It turned out that Yosefa’s midwife was the exact same midwife Yakova had used for her third birth, and the assistant was one of Yakova’s former roommmates.     Yosefa went into labor only one week after schools closed.  This was an extremely fear-based time of the pandemic.  She had concerns around bringing in any support personnel, and even family.   Yakova was planning to travel with her children to the US to be at Yosefa’s birth, but Israel was very quick to shut down travel through infected European countries.  Because Yakuza’s flights were to go through either Italy or France, she was unable to travel.   Because Yosefa’s labor began with the rupturing of her membranes, she decided to try some activities to stimulate labor.  Acupuncture and nipple stimulation were very helpful in this and brought on intense contractions.     As labor progressed, Yosefa relied on her sister Yakova for support.  She kept her AirPods in and Yakova monitored her labor in that way.   Yakova was even the one who called the midwife for Yosefa!  She also spoke to Yosefa’s husband about tasks that needed to be done.  Yosefa’s birth was happening right around the beginning of their Sabbath day.  Because of their religious practice, Yosefa’s husband was uncertain about whether he would be able to clean the birth pool and set it up for Yosefa, as when they opened it up, it was moldy.  Yakova spoke to him about how in one of their Holy Books, it says that a laboring mother supersedes all else.  So much so that if a blind woman laboring asks for a candle (typically not lit on the Sabbath), a candle should be lit for her.    Yosefa’s third labor was far more intense than she expected.  She felt that this labor truly showed how different each birth is.     Episode Roundup:   What a beautiful story.  I’m so delighted we were able to make this 3-way interview work!  As we head into the episode roundup, I have a few thoughts I’d love to share:   The power of the feminine in the birthing situation:  How incredible that Yakova and Yosefa both had stories of feminine connection regarding their births.  Yakova experienced a beautiful blessingway, and Yosefa was able to rely on her sister even from afar and in the midst of a pandemic. It’s so fascinating just how different regulations and laws are not only from country to country, but from state to state.  Fascinating, and frustrating, honestly.  Of course, it’s my prayer and hope that homebirth becomes more and more accepted and considered the norm, as we know the great benefits of physiological birth when possible. Finally, let’s end where we began.  Birth happens, whether there’s a global pandemic or not.  I know this has changed the plans of so many, and in a number of ways it’s caused great isolation.  I hope that this podcast has brought some sense of community to you wonderful mothers, and that it will continue to do so in the future.  If you’re looking for more connection, I’d love to have you in our Happy Homebirth Facebook group.  Just go to facebook.com/groups/happyhomebirth to join. Or type in Happy Homebirth Podcast Community

In this second part of a 2 part interview, Emily Roper, a Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist continues her talk about early brain development, risk factors to be aware of and hopefully avoid, and what to do if you are finding yourself concerned. Bio: Emily Roper is the owner and founder of Early Roots. She has an education background in psychology, midwifery, and neuro-developmental delay. Emily is a Certified Midwife’s assistant and a Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist, she currently runs Early Roots, a therapy practice for children who have neurological delays. Resources:  http://www.earlyrootstherapy.com/ Miracle Children by Anna Buck A Journey of Hope by Anna Buck What Babies and Children Really Need by Sally Goddard Blythe  Reflexes Learning and Behavior by Sally Goddard Blythe

In this first of a 2 part series, we talk with Emily Roper, a neuro-developmental delay therapist. For the next 2 episodes, she will be talking to us about the importance of pregnancy and the birth process on brain development. The process of birth is the single most important event that helps the baby’s entire nervous system transition to life outside the womb, and helps set the foundation for all future brain development.  Events that occur during pregnancy, and especially during the birth itself can create patterns that might contribute to later developmental delays. Emily talks to us about the risk factors and events that can lead to future problems, how to be aware of these risk factors and hopefully make choices that help reduce risk, as well as things you can look for in your child that might indicate that they might need therapy. Resources:  http://www.earlyrootstherapy.com/ Miracle Children by Anna Buck A Journey of Hope by Anna Buck What Babies and Children Really Need by Sally Goddard Blythe  Reflexes Learning and Behavior by Sally Goddard Blythe Bio: Emily Roper is the owner and founder of Early Roots. She has an education background in psychology, midwifery, and neuro-developmental delay. Emily is a Certified Midwife’s assistant and a Neuro-Developmental Delay Therapist, she currently runs Early Roots, a therapy practice for children who have neurological delays.

In today’s episode, Nicole and Shanna sit down and talk with Meredith Wu - Certified Nurse-Midwife at Northwestern Medicine. We learn about the different types of midwives - Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), Certified Midwife, and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). We also learn that midwives aren’t just attending to pregnant women - they can essentially be a replacement to your OB-gyn at any age or life stage. We do dive into the experience of working with a midwife vs. an OB for a pregnancy, and the fact that only 9% of births in the US are attended by them - a stark difference to the model of care in say the UK. In the “You Want Me To Do What??” section, Nicole goes into detail about her experience having two kids under the care of the midwife practice. She details the experience from the standpoint of an unmedicated birth, and talks about things you should think about if you do want to go that route.  Episode Recap: Interview with Meredith - 1:35  “You Want Me To Do What??” section - 35:18 Highlights: Midwives are an option for your gynecological care, and tend to take a more women centered approach when working with their patients There are three most common types of midwives - Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), Certified Midwife, and Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), with Certified Nurse-Midwives being the large majority in the USA 9% of births in the US are attended by midwives - a stark difference to the model of care in some European countries Nicole had her two children under the care of a midwife practice, and talks about her experience going through pregnancy with them as well as having unmedicated labors Resources: Where to find Meredith: https://680obgyn.nm.org/ Midwife Stats, American College of Nurse Midwives: https://www.midwife.org/acnm/files/cclibraryfiles/filename/000000007531/EssentialFactsAboutMidwives-UPDATED.pdf

Adrien Gupton is a Family Nurse Practitioner and Certified Midwife. At age 45 this married mother of three went to see her primary care doctor for headaches. On that day she was faced with the possibility of having breast cancer. Join us as she tells her story about the diagnosis of treatment of breast cancer --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thehealthflo/message

  Thank you to our sponsors: Hatched at Home-Midwife Carrie LaChapelle: www.hatchedathome.com https://www.facebook.com/MidwifeCarrieLachapelleLMCPM/ 864-907-6363 Stephanie Sibbio’s Glowing Mama To Be Course: www.myhappyhomebirth.com/glowingmamacourse  (15% off with the code: happyhomebirth15 ) Instagram: stephsibbiofitness   Show Notes: Sarah and her husband have been together for 10 years now, and have lived all over the world. She has two children: Manning and Alex Sarah’s first birth was in a birth center setting. As a child and teen, she never had exposure to out-of-hospital birth.  However, her mother did refuse epidurals, chose to breastfeed (in the 80’s- when breastfeeding was going through quite an uncommon spell). Sarah and her husband had their eyes opened to the idea of natural childbirth outside of the hospital. “Birth is a natural, healthy process. There’s no need for it to take place in a hospital.” Of course, hospitals can be a fine place to give birth- and especially important for emergencies, but Sarah certainly sees the benefit of the out-of-hospital experience. Her first birth, which took place in Alaska, was attended by a number of Certified Nurse Midwives, as well as Certified Professional Midwives. Sarah’s first birth was long- 36 hours from her first contraction until baby was born. Sarah’s friend attended her birth as her very first doula training birth, and now she is a very successful midwife! Sarah’s midwife, after quite a while, called her directing midwife to check and see if all was well, or if they needed to transport. The head midwife came and assessed the situation, saying that all was well and a transport was not necessary.  The setup of this birth center is incredible: Being able to call other providers to come help and support, even though her original midwife did stay all the way until the very end. Sarah and Katelyn discuss the “what if’s” of had she gone into the hospital at the time she went to the birth center, she very possibly could have ended up with a c-section. Sarah’s second child, Alex, was quite a surprise! Sarah began searching for options in Mississippi, where midwifery is not regulated.  Certified Nurse Midwives are unable to practice outside of the hospital at all.  Luckily, Sarah was able to locate a CPM in the lower part of the state of Mississippi. At least at that time, she was the only CPM that Sarah could find who resided in Mississippi. “She had not only a level of training, but also a level of accountability that I appreciated.” -Sarah on selecting a CPM This midwife does not take on many clients, and even more difficultly, she lived 3 hours away from Sarah. Upon agreement of working as her care provider, her midwife required Sarah have an OB backup care provider who would be able and willing to take care of her in a hospital should any situation arise.  Having an OB backup made Sarah feel even more comfortable with the process, and it helped space her visits out, especially towards the end. She was able to see her OB for some of the prenatals as they got closer together, allowing her not to have to drive the 6 hour round trip drive bi-weekly and weekly.  Her OB would not officially condone her blessing for Sarah having a homebirth, but she did not try to strong-arm her into the hospital setting, which was quite a relief for Sarah. Sarah and Katelyn touch on the accountability of a CPM and how these care providers are held to a certain standard based on their credential- no matter what their state regulations may be. This allows for consistency and trust between midwife and clients. Before committing to using a midwife, Sarah toured the local hospital first and met with an OB practice. The pamphlet that they gave her stated two things that made her very uncomfortable: 1. Patients could not eat or drink during labor (this would not be feasible if she had another long labor like last time) and 2. Photography was not allowed during the birthing process.  This made Sarah feel very unhappy and uncertain, especially because some of her most precious photos she has are directly during and after the birth of her first child.  She sent a picture of the pamphlet to her husband without mentioning her concerns, and he immediately responded saying that was not going to work for them! When it came to estimating her due date, there was a small level of uncertainty on Sarah’s end, though she felt fairly confident about her dates. She measured along with her dates, too. However, when she had an ultrasound, the results said that she was actually about 2 weeks further along than expected. Based on Sarah’s calculated due date, Alex came 2 weeks early, though based on the ultrasound estimation, he came right at 40 weeks. As labor approached, Sarah did not notice much different in her level of activity. However, when she looks back, she realizes, “I did actually clean out my car and my husband’s truck and install the baby seat!” Alex was born very quickly. She went to bed on Sunday night with no indication that anything was coming.  Around 11:45, she went to the bathroom and though, “Oh, what was that?  Did I pee myself?  Nope, something’s definitely still coming out… oh, there’s more….”  She then realized her water had indeed broken.  Sarah called her midwife to let her know that her water had broken, and no, she was not having any contractions. Sarah called her mother who was in Dallas, and told her to head their way. Sarah’s midwife’s assistant, who lived about an hour away, began to head their way to check on Sarah. About an hour later, contractions started. By the time her birth assistant arrived, they were getting stronger, though she was able to still speak.  Sarah’s midwife arrived and was very pleased with the way she was progressing. At some point, Sarah got into the bath tub, which was helpful in some ways, but did not help with her back labor (which she had with both labors). Alex was born at 5:50 in the morning, so only about 6 hours of labor as opposed to 36! “My body eased me into labor and my brain was able to keep pace with what was going on.” Though Alex, like his brother Manning, came out with his hand up over his face, Sarah had no problems with the pushing phase. Once Alex arrived, Sarah found out that he was a boy! She had not wanted to know his gender beforehand.  However… Her husband Thomas had found out the gender earlier on in the pregnancy!  He was able to keep it a secret from Sarah for the remainder of the pregnancy! Alex was born on their anniversary! Back to the first birth: Early in the morning on New Year’s Day, Sarah began contracting. These were slow building, and they did not initially stop her from doing anything.  After a while they decided to go to the birthing center, and stayed there for the rest of the labor. Manning was in an awkward position, and Sarah had a cervical lip.  This all culminated in quite a long labor… and quite a lot of pushing.  Manning came out facing Sarah’s right side with his hand up by his face.   Episode Roundup: 1. Just because your labor is long or arduous the first time does not mean it will always be that way.  Each labor is different. 2. Sarah took the time to see out a CPM even when it was difficult.  She felt it important to have a certified midwife who is held to very specific standards, no matter what the state requires or does not require. 3. Disclaimer: I will begin adding a disclaimer at the beginning of each episode to remind you that the views expressed in these interviews are not necessarily my own, but this is a space for all to share their stories.  

Bethany is a Certified Midwife in Carmel offering care along the lifespan of a woman. She offers care for teenage girls, pre-conceptual counseling, birth control counseling, prenatal care, delivery, postpartum care and GYN care. Midwifery care is all about caring for women where they are and helping them be healthy and make healthy choices for themselves and their family.

In today's podcast, we talk about the types of different home birth midwives in the U.S. This podcast will prep you to attend the free public webinar all about the evidence on home birth. To register for the webinar (only available through May 8, 2018), visit https://ebbirth.com/homebirthwebinar To learn more about the EBB Professional Membership, visit https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/ and visit EBB PDF library here:  http://evidencebasedbirthacademy.com/dashboard/pdf-library/   Here are the references we used to create today's podcast: American College of Nurse Midwives (2017). Comparison of Certified Nurse-Midwives, Certified Midwives, Certified Professional Midwives. Accessed online April 4, 2018. Available at: http://www.midwife.org/index.asp?bid=59&cat=12&button=Search&rec=254 The Big Push for Midwives (2018). CPMs Legal Status by State. Accessed online April 4, 2018. Available at: http://pushformidwives.nationbuilder.com/cpms_legal_status_by_state MacDorman, M. F. and Declercq, E. (2016). "Trends and Characteristics of United States Out-of-Hospital Births 2004-2014: New Information on Risk Status and Access to Care." Birth 43(2): 116-124. Click here. Midwives Alliance of North America (2016). About Midwives: Types of Midwives. Accessed online April 4, 2018. Available at: https://mana.org/about-midwives/types-of-midwife. Marzalik, P. R., Feltham, K. J., Jefferson, K., et al. (2018). "Midwifery education in the U.S. - Certified Nurse-Midwife, Certified Midwife and Certified Professional Midwife." Midwifery 60: 9-12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29471175

Emily Stevenson offers inclusive care for all families and individuals, including fertility, conception, prenatal, homebirth, postpartum, lactation and doula services. Emily offers her services not just as a Certified Professional Midwife but as a Queer Certified Professional Midwife. She recently worked with Haitian midwives at the MamaBaby Haiti Birth Center. Prior to becoming a midwife, Emily spent several years as a doula and trained in emergency medical services.  Pregnant persons have a right to be treated with respect and dignity during labor and child birth.  This is especially important to LGBTQ families that also exist outside cisgender and heteronormative worldviews. LGBTQ families might have a hard time within the healthcare system because of seemingly simple things like the language we use when taking a history, lack of social support, and discrimination from providers and other healthcare staff.  Midwives often meet people at their most vulnerable. A young woman may be coming in for her first annual exam, or a pregnant woman is coming in for prenatal care. Women come from different walks of life, and Midwives strive to give compassionate care to everyone.

This week we have Certified Midwife Lauren French better known as “Madre Luz” answering all of your questions. Lauren is a Certified Midwife that has a lot of experience in Traditional Midwifery. We cover a lot of subjects from Natural Induction, Natural Birth, C-Sections, Breastfeeding, 40 day care and the miracle of the placenta. She gives us a better understanding on this amazing miracle that is giving birth and hope that the views we have on labor can change.

Vicki Hedley is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives and a Certified Midwife through the American Midwifery Certification Board.  She graduated from the National College of Midwifery in Taos, NM and is licensed to practice midwifery in NJ and NY.  She has 18 years of experience having attended over 500 births in hospitals, birth centers, and homes.  She started her midwifery journey as a birth and postpartum doula, doula trainer, and childbirth educator.   Vicki is the owner of Seventh Moon Homebirth Midwifery Services with locations in Montvale and Hoboken NJ.  She also offers placenta encapsulation.  For more information, please visit her website at www.seventhmoonhomebirth.com.

Vicki Hedley is a certified professional midwife through the North American Registry of Midwives and a Certified Midwife through the American Midwifery certification board.  She graduated from the National College of Midwifery in Taos, NM and is licensed to practice midwifery in NJ and NY. She has 18 years of experience having attended over 500 births in hospitals, birth centers, and homes. She started her midwifery journey as a birth and postpartum doula, doula trainer, and childbirth educator. Vicki is the owner of Seventh Moon Homebirth Midwifery Services with locations in Montvale, NJ and Hoboken,  NJ.  For more information , please visit her website at www.seventhmoonhomebirth.com.