Evidence Based Birth®

n this episode, I interview an Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class parent, Caitlyn Martens from Mesa, Arizona. Her son - now more than a year old - arrived a month early. Caitlyn took the EBB Childbirth Class with Instructor Lora Fiala, and had a doula. At 28 weeks Caitlyn switched her prenatal care from an OB practice to a midwife team, who were able to attend her at her planned hospital birth...

In this episode, I interview Evidence Based Birth® Instructor Tara Thompson. Tara is a certified birth doula with CAPPA, a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, and a licensed massage therapist specializing in pregnancy and postpartum. She has taught classes to expecting couples for more than ten years at a women's center in Atlanta, Georgia. She's also been teaching privately for over three years...

In this episode, I interview JaMichael Perryman, who is husband of Evidence Based Birth Professional Membership Coordinator and EBB Instructor Chanté Perryman. JaMichael is father to five children, and has experienced a wide variety of births - ranging from an emergency Cesarean to three VBACs which have all been precipitous births. He has been joining Chanté during her childbirth classes to offer...

In this episode I answer several questions about natural labor induction: Can eating pineapple help induce labor contractions? What about having sex? Is that really effective for starting labor!   Natural induction techniques continue to be among our most searched and requested topics at Evidence Based Birth®. I'm excited to share with you the evidence on these common labor induction techniques! F...

In this episode, the Minnesota Healing Justice Network is taking over the podcast! In this very important episode, our guest speakers are Ihotu Ali, Daniela Montoya-Barthelemy, and Shayla Walker. **Content warning** this podcast includes discussion of racial violence and racial health disparities. Ihotu Jennifer Ali, MPH, LMT (she/her), is an integrative medicine doctor in training and doula with...

Today, I am excited to continue our important 3-day series about the Minnesota Healing Justice Network! **Content warning: In this episode, we talk about the uprisings after George Floyd's murder and safety concerns during birth due to racial traumatic event. We also discuss an event in which parents were temporarily separated from their newborn baby, which may be disturbing to listen to.** In thi...

Today is a special day, as we are starting a 3-day podcast focus on the amazing work being done by the  Minnesota Healing Justice Network ! In today's episode, I am joined by EBB instructor, Rhonda Fellows and Dr. Jennifer Almanza to talk about birthing and disparities in Minnesota. **TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode, we talk about racial violence and Black and Indigenous maternal health dispariti...

In this episode, I interview parents Kristin and Zach Crosby, who live in Alabama with their four children. Kristin is a Registered Nurse, and has been a stay at home mom since the birth of their third child. They recently adopted a two year old. Zach is a systems administrator, and runs a locksmith company. They took the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor Traci Weafer. We...

In this latest episode in our series on natural labor induction, I cover the evidence on consuming red raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy. Can red raspberry leaf tea assist with natural labor induction? How effective is it to prevent a cesarean birth? Have there been any randomized trials on the use of red raspberry leaf for pregnancy or labor induction? What does the evidence say about its effec...

In this episode, I interview women's health expert Bianca Marie Roberson. Bianca is located in Maryland, and has over 17 years of experience working in the public health field, including serving as a health services administrator for the military, healthcare insurance operations analyst for the Georgia Department of Community Health, and a corporate healthcare accounts manager for CareerBuilder. *...

In this episode I am joined by Bryn Huntpalmer, an Austin, Texas-based podcaster and mother of three young children. She is the founder of The Birth Hour podcast, which was featured in Time Magazine as one of the top 50 podcasts to listen to. The Birth Hour has nearly 500 episodes, and more than 10 million downloads to date. Bryn recently published her first book, The First Time Mom's Pregnancy Ha...

In this episode I welcome Jennie Joseph, one of the world's most respected midwives and authorities on women's health. She's a true advocate for systematic reform that puts families first in health care. Jennie is the founder and executive director of Commonsense Childbirth, Inc., and is also creator of The JJ Way, a patient-centered model of care.  Jennie has worked in European hospitals, America...

In this episode, I interview Miranda Kelly, a certified birth doula, postpartum doula, and childbirth educator who has worked for ten years in Indigenous people's health planning, policy education, and research. Miranda holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology, and a Master of Public Health degree. She is a mother of two girls, and is a member of the e k w'í7tl (pronounced ah-quay-tul...

In this episode, I cover the evidence on evening primrose oil (EPO) for natural labor induction. This oil is extracted from the seed of the evening primrose plant, which grows wild in North America and some parts of Europe. It's a rich source of omega six essential fatty acids, as well as other compounds which are thought to help ripen the cervix for labor. I share the results of randomized contro...

In this episode I interview Dr. Heather Maguire, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) with a doctorate in educational psychology. Dr. Maguire has spent over a decade studying behavior and working with children, parents and educators. She's a proud mom of two kids, a professor teaching school psychology, and the founder and CEO of Prism Behavior, which helps parents manage challengi...

In this episode I interview Ambrosia Meikle, a Los Angles-based Evidence Based Birth Instructor, CAPPA-certified birth and postpartum doula, and a full-spectrum doula. She is also a lactation educator specialist and childbirth educator, Ambrosia also volunteers to teach childbirth classes and provide doula services at a high school for pregnant teens. She is a mother of two. This show has a trigge...

In this episode, I cover all the latest evidence on the use of Pitocin during the third stage of labor - which is also the topic of the latest Evidence Based Birth Signature Article, released this week!  The third stage of labor, or placental stage, begins after the baby is born and ends after the birth of the placenta (sometimes called the "afterbirth"). It follows the first two stages of labor -...

In this episode I talk with Isis Rose, a full spectrum doula, home birth mom, certified lactation counselor, and placenta encapsulation specialist. She lives in Urbana, Illinois. Isis is starting midwifery school in July, with plans to become a Certified Professional Midwife, and she's a member of the Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives. Isis co-hosts the Homecoming Podcast alongsi...

Over the past 3 years, I have traveled and spoken with hundreds of childbirth educators from across the U.S. and Canada. At every conference I attended, one theme was repeated over and over--- educators told me that the field of childbirth education was in the midst of a huge crisis. Most childbirth educators said their registrations were declining, and that many first-time parents weren't taking...

In this latest episode in our series on natural labor induction, I cover the evidence on using castor oil or eating date fruit to induce labor. Can castor oil increase the chances of you going into labor? When is it most effective? How many dates do you need to eat to reduce the length of pregnancy? I'll answer all these questions and more - and share the latest research on these methods! For more...

In this episode, I am joined by Katie Kane, a parent from Cherry Hill, New Jersey who took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class when she was pregnant with her daughter. Katie worked with EBB Instructor Cat LaPlante.  From the beginning of her pregnancy, Katie planned for an unmedicated hospital birth - leading her on a path to researching doulas and eventually finding the EBB Childbirth Class...

In this episode, I am joined by Leiko Hidaka, an Evidence Based Birth Instructor from the Dominican Republic. Leiko holds a Master's degree in Human Settlements and Environment. She earned her birth doula certification with DONA International, and her childbirth educator certification with the International Childbirth Education Association. She serves as International Coordinator for ICAN, and als...

In this episode I kick off a new series on natural labor induction - starting with the evidence on acupressure, shiatsu or acupuncture, and breast stimulation.  Natural induction techniques continue to be among our most searched and requested topics at Evidence Based Birth. I'll continue to cover new methods over the next several months.  For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®,...

In this episode, I interview Sabia Wade, a Black and Queer full spectrum doula, doula business coach and reproductive justice advocate. She is the founder of For The Village and Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings. She's also a Somatic Experience Practitioner in training. Sabia's mission is to bring inclusive, accessible and full spectrum education and resources to all individuals and organizations...

In this episode, I am joined by Heather McCullough, an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor, Certified Hypnobabies Instructor®, and Spinning Babies® Aware Practitioner. Heather is also CAPPA faculty, and is certified to train labor doulas, postpartum doulas, and lactation educators. She has also been a childbirth educator and a certified professional midwife for over 25 years.  Heather reveals some of...