Birthzillas Podcast

This week we have a cool interview with Dr. Kenga Sivarajah , a consultant in obstetrics and maternal medicine at Kings College in London. She offers advice for parents, future physicians, and all of us concerned with improving childbirth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

Hello out there! This week we look at postpartum mood disorders, get a little personal, and push through some tough stuff. There are two things I’ve found studying postpartum mood disorders: * They are wildly understudied and not talked about nearly enough. Postpartum anxiety and rage in particular are never discussed. * There are so many social things we can do to mitigate ppmd. Better maternity...

Hello, and welcome back to birthzillas: the newscast. This week we’re going to be talking about a major issue in reproductive justice: child separation. I have some of my own baggage on this, with three of my sisters being taken out of my mother’s custody (and the other one and I leaving semi voluntarily). But this is an issue in the news right now, not just with regards to ICE in the US but in De...

This week, we’re talking about tough stuff in maternity care. In particular the role of birth trauma or traumatic birth and what is known as obstetric violence. I have spent so much of my career just having to convince people that obstetric violence even exists, it’s been frustrating. Fortunately, public health, reproductive justice, legal and social movements around the world, and increasingly OB...

In this week’s episode, we look at fertility issues, talk about sex, and ask some questions about how IVF is funded. Transcript below: Episode 3: Fertility Hello, and welcome back to Birthzillas! We’re rolling right along in season 2, and it looks like the “heat bubble might have finally burst,” so it’s a bit cooler in the studio than it has been. (The studio is my office, which is cool, but I’m t...

This week, we talk about maternity leave or the lack of it in the US. Transcript below: Episode 3: Maternity Leave Hello, and welcome back to birthzillas: the Podcast. I’m your host, not-that-kind-of-doctor Amber Vayo. Last week we talked about the politics of childbirth, and this week we’re going to kick off our newest stuff by talking about one of the most clearly political things about childbir...

Welcome to Season 2 of Birthzillas. For those who followed along the first time, you probably had to wait for this, but as we re-release I figured: why wait? In this episode, we rehash the economic, health care, and power politics that shape childbirth in the US. Grab your stress blankie, and let’s go! Transcript below Hello and welcome back to Birthzillas! For those of you who are new here, welco...

This week is the last episode of season one, but don’t worry, since these are in re-release, you won’t have to wait long to get season 2. But for a while, we’re going to talk about why birth stories are so important and why we still—and always—center them in our discussion. Transcript below! Hello Birthzillas! *intro* Welcome to our last episode this season. This time around we’re going to talk ab...

This week we get into how important dad’s are and how much they are also hurt by the lack of care in our maternity care system. Could we have waited until Fathers’ Day to re-release this episode? Sure. But we love dads all year! Want to find out how good dads can change the world? Let’s go! (And if you want to find out how good men in general can change the world, then take a look at our Civic Fla...

Hello, and welcome to this week’s episode. Today, we’re going to hit the tough stuff, but I’ll try to take it slow and steady. But remember, that it’s always okay to hit the pause button, grab a drink of water, and walk around a bit until you’re feeling like coming back. Let’s go! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, vi...

Welcome back! This week we look at VBACs (mandatory cesareans after a previous one) and ask how forcing people into surgery might be pushing them away from trusting hospitals. Transcript below. *Intro* Hello, and welcome back to Birthzillas, the podcast. I’m your host, still-not-that-kind-of-doctor Amber Vayo. There’s a lot going on in Birthzillas world this week! Tomorrow I’m meeting with the edi...

Welcome back! This week we’re looking at some of the maternal health research and asking ourselves why we keep funding research that points towards the same solutions instead of funding the solutions. Transcript below. Intro Hello and welcome back to Birthzillas. I’m your host Amber Vayo, and as usual would like to remind you that this is a law and policy podcast and not medical advice. I’m not th...

In this episode, we talk about why we need more birth centers, and the differences between hospital and home birth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

In this episode we hear from home birth midwife Kim, who talks about birth culture, midwife training, and ways to respect bodily autonomy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

How do informed is informed consent? We discuss the role and importance of bodily autonomy and how poor hospital culture shapes the maternal mortality crisis. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

Dr. Briesacher joins us to talk about what modern forced pregnancy movements have in common with historic fascist movements. Dr. Briesacher discusses issues of identity, motherhood, and the control of women by the state. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

Birth stories can save lives. In this episode we talk about why and how we should center birth stories. And I tell you about the best cat ever! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit birthzillas.substack.com

Episode 1: Why Birth Politics Matter 00:00: 30 Welcome to Birthzillas 00:01:18 What is a birthzilla? 00:02:04 Hill’s Give Birth Like A Feminist 00:02: 41 Birthzillas: The book coming up 00:04:30 What are the Politics of Childbirth 00:05:46 Maternal Health Disparities 00:06:30 Racism is the risk factor, not race 00:07:00 I know it’s not all white people 00:07:40 Change is always radical 00:08:00 we...