The EngagED Midwife

Send us Fan Mail Thinking about when to take your midwifery boards? Cara and Missi dive into the art of timing on this episode. They cover essential exam prep strategies, discuss the importance of self-assessment, and help you determine if you're truly ready to showcase your skills. From managing test anxiety to understanding the nuances of exam readiness, Missi and Cara help you make the bes...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered what's really the best way to help patients care for their vagina and vulva? This week, Cara and Missi are cutting through the noise and providing you with the essential guide to keeping things healthy and comfortable. From gentle cleansing to debunking common myths, we're covering all the basics (and maybe a few things you didn't know!). Tune in for p...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like fetal heart rate tracings are speaking a language you don't quite understand? In this episode, Missi and Cara are here to translate--they are diving deep into the world of FHR tracings, breaking down the physiology and naming those tricky patterns. They'll also share their go-to interventions and actionalble steps for non-reassuring tracings, and, of cours...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Missi and Cara dive deep into the world of infant growth curves, normal feeding patterns, and how to identify potential concerns. Newborn feeding and growth can be a source of anxiety for many parents (and midwives). They'll empower you with the knowledge you need to understand newborns and make appropriate management decisions about their care. Tune in to ga...

Send us Fan Mail To kick off season 11 of The EngagED Midwife podcast, Cara and Missi dive into the high-stakes world of umbilical cord prolapse—because sometimes, the cord just can’t wait for its grand entrance. They break down risk factors, recognition, and rapid interventions with their signature blend of clinical expertise and witty banter. Tune in for a conversation that’s equal parts informa...

Send us Fan Mail Cheers to ten incredible seasons! In this special episode, Missi and Cara are celebrating 10 seasons of bringing you engaging and informative conversations about midwifery. They share their gratitude for your continued support and exploring some of their favorite memories from the past ten seasons. Cara and Missi also are dreaming big about the future of the podcast and inviting y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Cara and Missi take a look at the high stakes surrounding marijuana, THC, and cannabis use during pregnancy, including the complex risks and potential effects on both mother and child. They also iscuss the importance of drug screening and testing, providing intervention and/or referral, and the challenging terrain of mandated reporting to child welfare services. E...

Send us Fan Mail For the first episode of 2025, Missi and Cara delve into the importance of gut health, the differences between IBS and IBD, and the management of gastrointestinal symptoms. Their conversation touched on the importance of gut health and its impact on overall well-being, while also emphasizing the importance of understanding bowel disorders to provide appropriate care and support to...

Send us Fan Mail In episode, Cara and Missi take us on a tour around the body to see what the effects of chronic stress can be on health. From identifying types of stress, reviewing risk factors, listing signs and symptoms, and explaining long-term effects, they break it down to explain how chronic stress leads to abnormally high cortisol levels and inflammation. But, most importantly, Cara and Mi...

Send us Fan Mail What's it like to work with midwives when you never have before? What's it like to be a new midwife in a facility that has never had one? In this episode, Missi and Cara share some advice for nurses and midwives that encounter change in their work environment. Pulling from their own experiences and many years of practice, Cara and Missi talk about curiosity, scope of pra...

Send us Fan Mail Missi and Cara get real in this episode, with both sharing personal stories about weight loss, taking control of their health, and the medical implications of being overweight or obese. They share guidelines for the medical management of weight, such as lifestyle changes, support/counseling, and use of surgical or medication techniquest to help people improve their health and achi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Missi and Cara are discussing birth injuries--what is common? what is rare? what are the risk factors? While we can't always anticipate which babies might have birth injuries, we can use good assessment skills, identify birth injuries, and arrange for appropriate follow up. This episode will also dive a bit into risk management and documentation for births th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Cara and Missi talk with Dr. Christy Evers, a midwifery educator that is experienced in working with OB/GYN residents in a large community-based hospital. Christy and Missi compare and contrast the various teaching roles that they've had in working with medical students and residents. From learning the language of academia...to sharing midwifery tips and tric...

Send us Fan Mail **Trigger: This episode covers mental health disorders and discussion of suicide.* In this episode, Missi and Cara discuss perinatal mental health, including mood and anxiety disorders. These PMADs include OCD, posttraumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disease. Cara and Missi share screening recommendations, signs and symptoms, risk factors, and basic treatment modalities. Unfort...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Cara and Missi are joined by Dr. Krsyta Ramirez Henry, a Certified Nurse-Midwife that works in a recently developed OB emergency department at a high-volume community hospital. Krysta and Missi compare and contrast the various triage presentations, protocols, and interprofessional communication that takes place in a busy triage unit. #MidwifeLife #ScopeOfPractice...

Send us Fan Mail This episode has Cara and Missi reminiscing about the old days of learning, in which episiotomies were more common...unfortunately! Thankful for changes in practice and a focus on improving patient outcomes and satisfaction, Missi and Cara discuss types of obstetric lacerations, the history and types of episiotomies, repair techniques, and midwifery skills to "manage" th...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Missi and Cara review one of a midwife's least favorite things to encounter in labor and birth--shoulder dystocia. They will provide helpful information on assessing risk, identification, management, and liability reduction when you encounter this obstetric emergency. #ShoulderDystocia #HELPERR #ALSO #MidwifeLife #BePrepared #Intrapartum #Olympics #WatchWomen...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Cara and Missi discuss the benefits of group prenatal care, as well as some history, logistics of running a program, and who may benefit the most from this type of care. They are joined by Jessica Shattuck, CNM, a group care midwife, to learn more about this experience from the provider's point of view. #group #prenatal care #Centering #WeBelongToEachOther #C...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Missi calls an audible and forces Cara to scramble because there are new things on the playing field! Our hosts share information about a couple of new tests available during pregnancy care to identify risk for hemolytic disease (related to Rh incompatibility) and development/progression of preeclampsia. By using these new screening tests, midwives and other provi...

Send us Fan Mail For this episode, Cara and Missi take a little detour into personal territory while also reviewing new breast cancer screening guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force. They discuss the emotional toll of abnormal screening results and share insight into patient-centered, holistic care of patients undergoing screening tests for cancer.  #WhenNormalIsNotNorma...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Cara and Missi discuss nutrition and vitamin supplements during pregnancy. They cover what is important in a prenatal vitamin, vitamin excess, supplements to avoid, and disciss ways to get the nutrition that pregnant people and fetuses need--whether lactose-intolerant, vegan, or those with other dietary restrictions. They also dispel some of the common food concer...

Send us Fan Mail Cara and Missi are joined for this episode by Dr. Sam Bleull to discuss the use of forceps or vacuum when needed for operative vaginal birth. While midwives may have expanded scope to use vacuum and/or forceps, they often rely on physician colleagues to step in and assist. Indications, contraindications, and sequelae are reviewed. #HelpFromBelow #Collaborate #Intrapartum #PhoneAFr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Missi and Cara talk about viral illness in pregnancy and how to protect against some of the most common and most harmful respiratory infections. Influenza, COVID, and RSV are reviewed in detail (with a small shoutout to pertussis, whoop whoop!), as these infections not only impact the pregnancy and pregnant person, but may have profound impact on the newborn infan...

Send us Fan Mail For this episode, Cara and Missi are joined by Certified Nurse-Midwife Linda Johnson. Linda is an experienced clinician with over 30 years of practice--she not only shares key management decisions in the care of patients with amniotic fluid embolism, but also highlights the need for clinician preparation/practice for maternal collapse and debriefing when sentinel events occur. Mis...

Send us Fan Mail To kick off the 9th season of The EngagED Midwife, Missi and Cara describe the process that midwives can take to expand their practice beyond that of the beginning CNM/CM with core competencies for basic midwifery practice. They provide examples of expanded practice skills and review the educational preparation and maintenance of competency needed to offer these skills in your pra...