Evidence Based Birth®

In this episode, I am joined by Vicki Penwell, a licensed midwife and CPM, and the founder and executive director of Mercy in Action Vineyard, Inc. Mercy in Action is responsible for more than 15,500 safe births in the Philippines since 1991 - at no cost to the parents - with outcomes four times better than the country's national average. Vicki is also executive director of the Mercy in Action Col...

In this episode, I cover all the evidence to date on COVID-19 and pregnancy. This is an uncertain time and many are feeling a range of emotions. Our goal remains the same: to provide you with friendly, accessible, evidence based information so that you can make informed decisions. During a global pandemic, our goal is more important than ever. I've been working nonstop with Evidence Based Birth Re...

In this episode I am excited to welcome Nicole Phelps!  Nicole is a philanthropist who spends the majority of her volunteering with the Michael Phelps Foundation, which promotes water-safety, healthy living, and the pursuit of dreams. In addition to her efforts with the Foundation, she also supports events and programs with Make-A-Wish and Operation Shower among others. A mother of three boys, Phe...

In this episode, I talk with certified nurse midwife Liane MacPherson. Liane has been working in women's health for over 32 years - initially as a labor and delivery nurse, and for the past 19 years as a CNM. She is also a lactation consultant, a childbirth educator, and a midwifery professor with the Georgetown University graduate midwifery program, into which she introduced Evidence Based Birth'...

In this week's episode I interview Dr. Alyssa Berlin, a clinical psychologist specializing in pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting. She is also creator of the AfterBirth Plan Workshop, a program preparing couples for a physically and emotionally healthy postpartum transition - for the baby, for each partner, and for their evolving relationships. Dr. Berlin has specific expertise working with emoti...

In this episode, we discuss the evidence on inducing versus waiting for labor when you're going past your due date. I am joined by Evidence Based Birth  researcher Anna Bertone, MPH, to explore all the latest on this topic and talk about the brand new Evidence Based Birth Signature Article - The Evidence on: Inducing for Due Dates.  **TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode, we talk about stillbirth and...

In this episode, I am joined by Danie Crofoot of Full Spectrum Doulas, an organization dedicated to creating dialogue around topics such as LGBTQIA+ inclusion, cultural competency, racial issues, and much more within the birth community. Their goal is to create space and support for people to have the power to write their own birth and postpartum stories. Danie is a childbirth educator and sex edu...

In this episode I am joined by Michelle Odoerfer, a mother of two young girls living in Clinton Township, Michigan with her husband Andrew. Michelle experienced two very different births - her first, in a hospital, was tense as she had to endure verbal and physical aggression from an attending OB. Her second was a peaceful, unattended home birth, with just herself and her husband (baby came so fas...

In this episode I am joined by new parent Jenny Russell, a registered nurse from Tennessee. Jenny struggled with infertility during her previous marriage, became unexpectedly pregnant in a new relationship, and took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class as a single parent without a support person. Her EBB Instructor taught the class and also served as her doula. Jenny works full time as a clin...

In this episode, I am excited to share the evidence on vaginal birth after Cesarean, or VBAC. We have received many requests at Evidence Based Birth to cover this topic, so I want to share with you the information on VBAC that I present in a class we teach in the EBB Higher Ed program. In this podcast, I define some common terms related to VBAC and talk about the history of the procedure. By the e...

In this episode, I am joined by Evidence Based Birth Instructor Jessica Hazboun, a childbirth educator and registered nurse with a background in labor and delivery. Jessica created her own birth business, Nearly Nested, to help empower new parents with evidence based information.  Hear Jessica detail her two very different birth stories, and how evidence based information changed her entire perspe...

In this episode I am joined by Dr. Elliot Berlin, an award-winning prenatal chiropractor, childbirth educator, and labor support body worker. He is the co-founder of Berlin Wellness Group in Los Angeles, California, hosts The Informed Pregnancy podcast, and served as executive producer of two documentaries about birth - Head's Up: The Disappearing Art of Breech Delivery, and Trial of Labor. Dr. Be...

In this episode, I am joined by Sabrina Tran of Alabama, who recently had a daughter, and took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with Instructor Traci Weafer. Sabrina, a therapist, is now a stay at home mom. Sabrina had a precipitous - or, extremely fast labor and delivery. She describes it as exciting! Hear her tell her story of how her baby was born before the midwife could make it to he...

This week, I am excited to bring you inside Evidence Based Birth and let you know what we will be up to in the coming year! I look back at all we accomplished in 2019 (and wow - what a year it was!) and how we are rolling right into 2020 with some amazing new projects and initiatives. I have to tell you, just looking at my list of goals really gets me excited about what is to come. You won't want...

This episode concludes our series of interviews we conducted live from the 2019 Evidence Based Birth Conference - Bringing the Evidence to Life. EBB Instructor and Professional Membership Coordinator Chanté Perryman interviewed several different panels of attendees, hearing from them the most pressing issues in their communities, and how they plan to affect change.  This week, we hear from some in...

This episode is the second in our series of interviews we conducted live from the 2019 Evidence Based Birth Conference. EBB Instructor and Professional Membership Coordinator Chanté Perryman interviewed several different panels of attendees, hearing from them the most pressing issues in their communities, and how they plan to affect change.  This week, we hear from midwives: CPM Paige Dickinson, C...

This episode is the first in our series of interviews we conducted live from the 2019 Evidence Based Birth Conference - Bringing the Evidence to Life. EBB Instructor and Professional Membership Coordinator Chanté Perryman interviewed several different panels of attendees, hearing from them the most pressing issues in their communities, and how they plan to affect change after being inspired at the...

In this episode, I am joined by two of our distinguished keynote speakers from the 2019 Evidence Based Birth Conference, "Bringing Evidence to Life": Dr. Sayida Peprah, Psy. D, licensed clinical psychologist, trained birth doula and founder of Diversity Uplifts, Inc., and Heather Thompson, MS, PhD, a molecular and cellular biologist, clinical researcher, birth worker and deputy director of birth j...

In this episode, I explore the latest evidence on the use of saline locks! A saline lock - sometimes called a "hep-lock" in reference to how it used to be used - is an intravenous (IV) catheter that is threaded into a peripheral vein, flushed with saline, and then capped off for later use. Nurses use saline locks to have easy access to the vein for potential injections. They can be useful in admin...

In this episode, I am joined by reproductive justice advocate Danielle Jackson. Danielle is a wife, mother, doula, and co-host of the podcast Birth Stories in Color. She works to empower women to birth without fear, and has focused her career on helping families recognize their strengths and build healthy support systems. She became a doula in 2016. Issues in her community of Columbus, Ohio drew D...

In this episode, I am joined by Bess English, a mother of two who lives near Pensacola, Florida.  Bess describes her first hospital birth experience as traumatic. When she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband took the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class to learn more about advocacy tools and comfort measures.  Bess' attempted VBAC home birth did not go as planned - and she and...

In this episode, I am joined by Gail Tully - author, childbirth educator, midwife and creator of Spinning Babies. The Spinning Babies approach connects understanding of birth anatomy to fetal rotation and easier childbirth, and is recognized around the world by midwives, nurses, childbirth educators, doulas, and parents. Gail's ability to recognize the spatial relationships between the soft tissue...

In this episode I am joined by Ngozi Tibbs, a certified childbirth trainer and educator through Lamaze International, an international board certified lactation consultant, and co-founder of the Pittsburgh Black Breastfeeding Circle. With a Bachelor's degree in maternal child health and a Master's in public health, Ngozi has served as a private and community based doula, currently provides childbi...

In this episode I am joined by Jen McLellan, author, speaker, and founder of the website Plus Size Birth and the Plus Mommy blog. She is also host of the popular podcast Plus Mommy, and is a certified childbirth educator, wife, and mother. With more than four million page views on her blog, Jen is passionate about helping others navigate the bumps along the road of motherhood. Jen notes that her d...

In this episode, I am joined by Taiwo (Tia) Ajao and her husband Dr. Wale Ajao. Tia is an RN with a Master's in Public Health, a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, and a DONA-trained birth doula. Wale is a medical doctor as well as a communication professional, specializing in film and video production. He is also a Lamaze certified childbirth educator, DONA-trained birth doula, and a certified...