Labor of Love: Supporting Maternal Well-Being in a Complex World

Many patients wonder if it’s safe to travel during pregnancy. What should obstetric care professionals be advising? This episode provides guidance on counseling patients who plan to travel during pregnancy, covering health risks such as emerging vector-borne diseases like Oropouche and dengue, potential travel-related complications, and how to recognize and manage symptoms that may develop after t...

Supporting families through the profound loss of stillbirth requires both clinical expertise and emotional sensitivity. This episode explores how obstetric care professionals can support grieving families through compassionate care. Our guests will examine strategies for clinicians to manage their own mental health, integrate mental health resources into practice, and train residents in empathetic...

Finishing our two-part maternal mental health special, this episode explores the critical role of mental health treatment during pregnancy and postpartum. Experts discuss treatment recommendations, strategies for integrating mental health care into obstetric practice, and the latest evidence on the safety and efficacy of psychiatric medications during pregnancy and lactation. Listeners will gain v...

Maternal mental health plays a critical role in pregnancy and postpartum outcomes, but there are still many challenges in effectively addressing it in clinical practice. This first episode in our two-part maternal mental health special dives into the integral role that mental health plays during pregnancy and postpartum, focusing on mood and anxiety disorders and their effects on maternal outcomes...

Immunization during pregnancy plays a vital role in protecting both patients and their babies. This episode provides health professionals with the latest guidance on immunization during pregnancy, including COVID-19, Influenza, RSV, and Tdap. Experts discuss co-administration strategies, proper documentation, and approaches to overcoming vaccine hesitancy and access barriers. The conversation also...

Congenital syphilis is on the rise, making early detection and treatment more critical than ever. This episode equips obstetric care professionals with guidance on implementing syphilis screening, the latest updates on at-home testing, and managing infants with syphilis exposure. The conversation also explores how to collaborate with public health departments for improved syphilis diagnosis and da...

Season 4 of ACOG’s Labor of Love podcast is here on Thursday, April 10. Join Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, a practicing ob-gyn, vaccine expert, and pandemic mom, as she leads conversations with experts on today’s most critical pregnancy and postpartum topics.

Continuing our two-part series, this season’s final episode tackles the present-day strategies for perinatal HIV care. Rodney Wright, MD, FACOG, from Montefiore-Einstein Medical Center and Susan Gillespie, MD, PhD, from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to dive into current HIV testing, treatment, and lactating guidel...

This Labor of Love episode marks the beginning of a two-part exploration into the evolution of HIV care during pregnancy. Haben Debessai, MD, from the CDC Foundation and Rhoda Sperling, MD, FACOG, from Mount Sinai join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to dissect the groundbreaking research that transformed the treatment and discussion of HIV in pregnancy.

During the past year, there have been new developments to guidelines for vaccination in pregnancy—most notably the addition of the maternal RSV vaccine. Yvonne Butler Tobah, MD, FACOG, from the Mayo Clinic and Christopher Watson, MD, MPH, from Ascension Sacred Heart join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to explore the latest clinical recommendations and best practices for couns...

Hepatitis during pregnancy might feel like a complex case to manage, and ACOG wants to help clinicians support patients with a hepatitis diagnosis. Tatyana Kushner, MD, MSCE, from Mount Sinai and Tosin Goje, MD, MSCR, FACOG, from Cleveland Clinic join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to shine a light on hepatitis B and C, the two most common forms. They discuss the latest scree...

In the early 2000s syphilis rates in the United States started to increase, raising growing concerns about public health and the effects of syphilis rates on pregnant people. Kate Miele, MD, MA, FACOG, from Emory University, and Veronica Gillispie-Bell, MD, MAS, FACOG, from Ochsner Health Center, join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to discuss syphilis screening during pregnan...

The new maternal RSV vaccine serves as a major step toward preventing RSV in infants after birth. However, the vaccine’s rollout has come with challenges, including cost and access issues. Brenna Hughes, MD, MSc, FACOG, from Duke University, and Naima Joseph, MD, MPH, FACOG, from Boston Medical Center, join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to discuss the latest recommendations...

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the obstetric care workforce to its limit, creating unprecedented pressures on health care professionals’ mental health. Rachael F. Morris, MD, MS, FACOG , associate professor of maternal–fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Richard H. Beigi, MD, MS, FACOG , president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, join Labor of Love host Veronica Pim...

The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the ongoing crisis of health inequity, which continues today, especially among pregnant people in the Black community. Naima Joseph, MD, MPH, FACOG , assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and Christina Marea, MA, MSN, CNM, PhD , assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing and midwife at Community of Hope, join Labor of Love host V...

Rising misinformation and vaccine skepticism triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have created unique challenges for obstetric care professionals to gain patient trust. In this episode, Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, discusses strategies to build connection and trust with patients and deliver better pregnancy care with guests Camille Clare , MD, MPH, CPE, FACOG, chair and tenur...

As COVID-19 continues to circulate, encouraging pregnant patients to get vaccinated remains important. Labor of Love guests Peg Boyd, DNP, CNM , who practices at OB/GYN Associates of Erie , and Ashanda Saint Jean, MD, FACOG , obstetrics and gynecology department chair at HealthAlliance Hospital , join host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to share how they answer patients’ questions about vaccine...

Obstetric care professionals take on tremendous responsibility when working with pregnant patients, and that work can weigh heavily on their own mental health, especially during a pandemic. ACOG President Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG , and Pooja Lakshmin, MD , a board-certified psychiatrist, author, and founder and CEO of Gemma , join Labor of Love host Veronica Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to dis...

In its upcoming second season, Stories from the Heart of Obstetric Care, the podcast will shift from focusing on the pandemic experience of new mothers to the pandemic experience of obstetric care professionals. This time, Dr. Pimentel will sit down with obstetrics colleagues to share stories and perspectives gained from working with patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This season’s episode...

Our last episode features an important conversation with Katie Pederson about her experience surviving COVID-19 while pregnant and the effect it has had on her mental health. We will then be joined by Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, a board-certified psychiatrist and author specializing in women’s mental health and founder and CEO of Gemma.

Ankita Rao was initially hesitant to get vaccinated while pregnant early in the pandemic. Ankita is the Editor at the Guardian US and discusses her experience of gathering credible information and guidance surrounding vaccination while pregnant. Ankita also shares misinformation she hears as a reporter within online communities around vaccination.

Paige Dempsey is a single mother who got pregnant by undergoing IVF. During her pregnancy, Paige contracted COVID-19. This week, Paige shares her motherhood journey with COVID-19 and how she decided to receive a COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant.

Kntrice Anadumaka has a powerful story of surviving COVID-19 while pregnant when she was not vaccinated early in the pandemic. In this episode, Kntrice shares about her experience with COVID-19 and vaccinations, as well as her fears and concerns of navigating the health system as a woman of color.

Jennifer Gaines became pregnant with her second child early in the pandemic when vaccines were first becoming available. Jennifer is a Certified Nurse Midwife and shares how she made the decision to get vaccinated against COVID-19.