As we wrap up season six of the podcast, we have shared so many incredible conversations over the last 11 episodes as we dove into what community means in birthcare. There is so much breadth of thought and energy these folks bring through their ability to see what could be, despite the ways that our systems fail us now. And so in this episode, I sh…

In this week's episode, we're diving into a conversation around perinatal mental health, and how we screen for and provide better support to parents as they continue to navigate early parenthood. Our expert this week, Dr. Erin Sadler is a psychologist at Children's National in their NICU who has focused her work around supporting infant mental heal…

In this episode we invite you to think more about what it means to create community spaces that are powered by culturally responsive care. How do we build trust within them, and how we build trust within ourselves, as we contemplate the changes that happen in our bodies, through pregnancy and postpartum, how we connect with what we want and need. H…

We are diving into another heavy and intense conversation here, as we talk about the family policing system, sometimes also referred to as the child protective system. We are confronting what it means for us, as healthcare workers, as birth workers, to be tied up in this system that is involved in family separation, and ultimately, the policing of …

In this episode, we are sharing with you a conversation with Kayden Coleman. Many of you may already know Kayden through his incredible advocacy and storytelling about his experiences as a transgender dad, a seahorse dad who gave birth to two daughters. Through this podcast he shares why he was called to be vocal about his experiences as a Black tr…

In this episode of podcast, we are continuing our examination of community. Joined by guest Emily Edwards of The Good Birth Co, who is a nurse, birth worker and all around advocate for thinking and changing how we talk about birth, and how we address & prevent birth trauma. This episode will be really impactful or those of you who are also out here…

In this episode we explore how we connect more deeply past the complicated power dynamics and the hierarchy in health care. How can health care providers really set themselves up to be in community with those who they care for? How do we shift the way we deliver insights and education and information to ensure that it continues to center the patien…

As we are examining community throughout the season, thinking more deeply about what it means to be joining into this community of birth. How does it feel to be coming into something that is in some ways already established, but also something that is constantly growing and changing? I am very excited to have one of our original listeners to the po…

As we continue our season around centering community in our birth work, I am really excited to be having a return guest, one of the very first people who truly made me feel welcomed into a community of other birth workers is Pansay Tayo of Sacred Butterfly Births & the Sacred Pause Red Room. Pansay back to share some of her wisdom as she has come t…

As we continue our exploration of what it means to come together as a community in birthcare, we will be diving into some of the reasons that we often find ourselves not connecting in community. What are some of the cultural and societal beliefs around worthiness and value and perfectionism that set us up to be in competition with each other, rathe…

I am really delighted to be just diving deep into some of the issues around community, collaborative relationships, and navigating the medical hierarchy. I am so excited to share our guests with you this week, Dr. Cody Pyke is trained as both a physician and as an attorney, and has some incredible insights to share with you. How do we craft our mes…

We are so thrilled to be coming for Season SIX of the podcast! As we delve into our new season theme of centering community, it feels fitting that our very first episode at the podcast was about community, it is very much at the heart of the work we do here at your birth partners. And so often when this work is more challenging, there needs to be w…

As we wrap up season five around change-making in perinatal care, I am excited to share with you some takeaways from the season as I have reflected on what our guests have shared and pulled together some themes so that as you figure out the way you want to create change in the perinatal care system, you will have some inspiration from those who are…

So in this episode we are diving into the future of Queer Reproductive Justice, and what does it mean to show up for queer, trans, non binary, and other folks who have been marginalized within the perinatal care system. To lead us in that conversation, I am delighted to have king yaa on to share their wisdom and their work as they have delved into …

In this episode, we are going to be diving into the topic of debriefing: what debriefing is, how it can benefit folks in the immediate postpartum period as they start to reflect on their birth story, on their journey on the feelings that they have as they reflect on what happened during their birth, whether those were, you know, overwhelmingly posi…

In this episode, we are diving back into the topic of birth trauma. And this is something that we have revisited over and over throughout the podcast, because this issue is growing. These statistics around birth trauma, they are only worsening and this is something that needs to be addressed by so many different angles. We have a new perspective to…

We are diving into the world of postpartum again in this episode. Because, frankly, we don't tend to give it the attention it deserves in the perinatal care space. There are so many ways that we are failing folks throughout the postpartum period. Our guest, Kayla Bitten, also known as The Southern Midwife, is a wealth of information about how will …

This week on the show, we are excited to be changing up our format a little bit and talking directly to a parent to be. We are all in this work to care for people, but so often our education is not centered on parents themselves and we don't get feedback about how that care impacts them. Our guest this week is Jessica Lorion, who is the host of ano…

In this episode of the podcast, we are honored to share a Q&A with Erika Cohn filmmaker of Belly of the Beast. Belly of the Beast is an incredibly powerful film-from their trailer: It is about when a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California's women's prisons. They wage a near impossible …

In this episode, we are diving deep into the way that trauma shows up in birth and in the perinatal period. We are discussing a lot of the complicated dynamics that exists when someone experiences trauma during their birth. This is something that impacts certainly birthing people, their families, and their other support. It also impacts those of us…

In this episode of the podcast, we are diving into another heavy topic as we explore structural racism. How do we define it? How do we recognize it? And most importantly, how do we take action, when we see its impacts as they show up in our personal practices, in our organization, in our policies? This conversation is so important. There are horrif…

This week we are examining maybe one of the more uncomfortable conversations that we have when we talk about creating change and striving for trauma-informed patient-centered care: folks concerned about their level of risk. What does it mean if we truly trust patients? If we really embrace folks making autonomous decisions about their health, where…

In this episode we are diving deep into HOW we can ask for the support we need during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. And on the flip side, how do we show up as the support that others NEED rather than the way we *think* we should? As we've talked through the last few seasons of the podcast, we recognize that for so many birthing people, there is…

This time on the show, we'll be joined in conversation by Meredith Strayhorn of The Walking Stick Midwifery Care. Meredith been a huge inspiration and source of collaboration and insight in growing Your BIRTH Partners. As we've discussed over and over the last few years, I've been incredibly inspired by her journey as a birthworker, as she is growi…

Welcome to Season 5: "Stepping into Our Roles as Change Agents" We want to focus on the ways that each of us can encourage necessary waves and change in the way we provide birthcare. When we look at the healthcare system...we've touched on over and over and over again through the podcast that we need to make changes. We need to keep making moves to…

In this episode we are taking a look back over our season of asking ourselves and our guests what it means to hold space through the complicated parts of pregnancy, birth, & postpartum. We set out to answer this question because so often when complications arise we see so many policies, procedures, and personalities emerge that do not center the pa…

We spend so much time as birth workers thinking about how we can take better care of folks...yet so many of us do a downright abysmal job of taking care of ourselves! Throughout this season we focused on how we can hold space for the complicated pieces of pregnancy birth and postpartum and so much of that attention has turned to how we can show up …

Where do doulas fit into birthcare and the collaborative care team model that we envision as the standard in the future? Doulas are the space holders. If there is any role in the birthteam that is built around holding space, this is it! So what can we learn about the unique qualifications doulas have to hold space and how that can extend and create…

Perhaps unexpectedly common are challenges faced during lactation. For something that is "natural" and for which there are so many available alternatives, tempers often run high when discussing the best way to approach issues that arise. How do we hold space through the complicated pieces of breastfeeding & chestfeeding so that parents feel support…

Continuing our exploration of holding space for those in our care through the perinatal period, we are turning our attention to those experiencing intimate partner violence. As we consider the many systemic failures in birthcare and postpartum support, we must look at the number one cause of perinatal deaths: homicide. How do we screen for, recogni…

This season we continue our exploration of holding space through the complicated parts of perinatal care. Unfortunately, it is very complicated, and often harmful & dangerous, to navigate our birthcare system as someone who does not present as cis-gender and heterosexual. Deeply ingrained prejudices and biases impact care in ways felt on interperso…

As we continue our season exploring how we hold space through the complicated parts of pregnancy and birth, we are turning our attention to how we approach the balancing act of addressing medical concerns AND holding space while supporting someone experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. Our guest this week, Parijat Deshpande, is an integrative health s…

In this season we've been talking so much about how we hold space for those in our care through the complicated parts of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. In this week's episode we are diving into reflection as a tool for holding space for ourselves and our work as birth professionals. We are thrilled to have Cheyenne Scarlett, MA, ECS, BCD, ECE on…

PCOS is a metabolic, endocrine, and reproductive disorder that impacts an estimated 5million people of reproductive age. Individualized care is needed for those experiencing PCOS to address concerns that range from infertility, low energy, and disordered eating to increased risks of type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea endometrial cancer, fatty liver disea…

You have probably heard the statistics about birth trauma...where 1 in 3 birthing people have identified their births as traumatic. And of course, the events that have unfolded through 2020 and 2021 have only exacerbated the cracks in our birthcare system and contributed to higher rates of trauma and PTSD. It is because of this, that we have a duty…

As the month of October raises awareness for Pregnancy and Infant Loss we want to honor parents who suffer loss and recognize the ways we can best show up to support them. Lola Brognano, MSW, LCSW-QS, PMH-C joins us to shed light on best practices for holding space for parents during perinatal loss, in the hospital, in the early postpartum period, …

In this episode we are exploring more of the dynamics that govern labor and birth nurses. Special guests Paula Richards of NurseBrownGirl & Mandy Irby of The Birth Nurse join Maggie to breakdown some of the challenges we face in the day to day reality of delivering perinatal care that does not always match up with the impact we want to have as nurs…

September is NICU Awareness Month and we are proud to contribute to increased knowledge around the realties of parenting a child in the NICU. We welcome Tracy May, mother of two micro preemies, author, and life coach to other parents of preemies through Miracle Moments Matter, to explore her own journeys through the NICU and share insights into how…

We are kicking off a new series this season: "Holding Space through the Complicated" and who better to usher in a mindset shift around holding space than 2 therapists? Join us in conversation with Allison Lieberman & Yvette Osorio of Rooted Harmony Counseling as we discuss supporting clients and loved ones with postpartum transition and PMADs-perin…

Dr Abby Dennis, OB-GYN, Ray Rachlin, CPM of Refuge Midwifery, & Maggie Runyon, RNC-OB come together to explore the realities of transferring from a planned homebirth to the hosital. Hospital transfers are at times a necessary and expected part of thriving homebirth care models. Recognizing this and the unpredictability of birth that will sometimes …

This week tune in as we discuss all the ways we can be supportive of our clients at higher weights. How do we talk to people about their weight & their nutrition & their health without lecturing or shaming? When & why might it be relevant to discuss weight during pregnancy...and when is it unnecessary? How can we be size-inclusive in our approaches…

Spoiler alert: *most* pregnant and postpartum people could benefit from a Pelvic PT consult! Join us as we discuss with Dr. Rebecca Maidansky, PT, DPT of Lady Bird Physical Therapy where Pelvic PT fits into a continuum of care through pregnancy & postpartum. Rebecca shares about: ~bias in seeking & referring to pelvic PT ~the short & long-term harm…

In this episode, Carlyn Mast, LCSW shares more about her experience working within hospital birth systems to support birthing people who use drugs. Is there a topic that carries more bias than pregnant people who use drugs? How can we combat stigma & show up for pregnant people using drugs? How do we address decades of policies that result in hospi…

In this continuation of our conversation about cultural appropriation with Montse Olmos, Mujer dela Tierra, and Mayte Acolt, The Womb Doula, we dive into accountability & anti-racism in birthwork rooted in Mayte & Montse's background as Tutunaku Birth Companions from Mexico. We discuss how these themes have come up as they have navigated the respon…

In this episode, Montse Olmos, Mujer dela Tierra, and Mayte Acolt, The Womb Doula, share with us about their roles as birthworkers and what led them to create a petition requesting removal of Rebozo training from doula workshops, which has garnered international attention. During this conversation we discuss: ~the physical harm from rebozo use that…

Dr. Sharon Dongarra of Thrive Chiropractic joined Pansay of Sacred Butterfly Births & Maggie to explain some comment misconceptions about chiropractic care during pregnancy and identify how it can be used in tandem with medical or midwifery prenatal care to optimize wellness. Chiropractic care has often been misunderstood and maligned by allopathic…

Cheyenne Varner of The Educated Birth joins us this week to talk about fostering inclusion & autonomy in childbirth education materials. She shares about the homogenous birth images & resources that didn't reflect her family & her community and led to her creation of The Educated Birth materials. Cheyenne dives into the harm to both birthing people…

This week we are thrilled to welcome SeQuoia Kemp of Doula4AQueen on to share about her experiences providing support to younger teen parents. SeQuoia shares with us in this episode how her passion for supporting birth started when she herself was a teenager and how those formative experiences & her Black feminist roots impact the doula care she pr…

This week we are breaking down the terminology stigma around "AMA" or advanced maternal age, exploring the nuances of risk management in pregnancies over the age of 35, & highlighting the benefits that should be discussed in any conversation around age & family planning. Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery shares how their personal practice centers pat…

Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery joined Pansay of Sacred Butterfly Births & Maggie to lay out some of the ways we are failing to provide adequate care to postpartum families. The postpartum time frame spans anywhere from 6 weeks, to the full year after birth depending on what dictionary you check, and for those who've lived it, the "postpartum perio…