Author: YBP

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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 a bridge for all members of the birth team? We have invited Traci Weafer, doula and educator with more than 2 decades of experience supporting birth in a variety of settings and roles, on to unpack holding space as a doula.

Traci (she/her) is a space holder, Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator, extreme consume advocate, and a doula Birthroom Advocacy Trainer who lives in Montgomery, AL. Traci carries the deep conviction that everyone has worth and a fundamental right to be heard, to feel safe, and to be supported while on their journey through pregnancy and birth. Traci’s fundamental principle is Advocacy does not equal Animosity through conversations with empathy and compassion. You can follow Traci’s work on Instagram and Facebook.

In this episode we want to explore the question: is holding space antithetical to taking action as an advocate? Spoiler alert, no! So how does the role of a doula, a non-clinical birthworker weave these elements together?

Tune in to explore these topics:

~gaps in our current birth team relationships

~assumptions and biases from various birthworker roles that fuel animosity

~”scope of practice” and how that language impacts doula relationships

~biases around what makes a “good” or “bad” doula

~holding space for the birth, and not just the birthing person

~advocacy as an element of holding space

~improving hospital and community doula relations

~enacting the human elements of trauma-informed care

~moving past patriarchal roots in birthcare to earn trust

To connect more with Traci:
Visit her website and check out her Mentoring Membership for doulas to bring these skills of holding space, advocacy, and self-reflection into your practice as a birthworker.
Note the sign-up link!

Further resources for thinking about advocacy within birthwork:

~Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings. Their full spectrum doula training and their self-paced workshops offer tremendous resources for grounding your birthwork in advocacy.

~Mandy Irby, The Birth Nurse, has a ton of resources and courses available for thinking through advocacy in action from the nursing lens.

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 supported and honored in charting their best path even as their circumstances and goals change?

In this episode we are joined by guest Naya Weber, IBCLC who brings her nearly a decade of supporting folks on their infant feeding journey to this conversation.

Naya Weber (she/her) is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Her own tough start with breastfeeding her older son led her to learn as much about lactation as she could: she found her calling. She has led weekly in-person lactation groups, where she helped new moms navigate their joys and hurdles in breastfeeding and motherhood. She works to help all families meet their lactation goals through individual consultations, and private and small group classes. Naya won the honor of being voted Austin’s Best Lactation Consultant in the 2019 Austin Birth Awards. She lives with her husband and their two sons in southwest Austin. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, taking as many naps as possible, and dining at as many of Austin’s restaurants as possible. You can follow her work on Instagram or Facebook.

How you choose to feed your baby often ends up being an unnecessarily involved process, and one in which *everyone* seems to have an opinion about what you should do, including us birthcare workers.

Join us as we discuss:

~importance of listening and validating concerns

~understanding birth story & birth trauma and impact on lactation

~nuance of feeding beyond breast is best or fed is best

~lactation is not “all or nothing” & supporting when goals change

~pressure of metrics around Baby Friendly

~scripts for parsing out breastfeeding challenges

~creating sustainable feeding plans

~navigating family’s feelings about feeding challenges

~duality of bodyfeeding being beautiful and hard

~preparing for postpartum

Visit her website to connect more with Naya’s work.

Further resources for learning more about supporting the infant feeding journey:

~La Leche League International

~Fed is Best Foundation

~Dr Hale’s Infant Risk Center for considering implication of medications on human milk

~Loyal Lactation’s Straight from the Tap course for birthworkers

~Breastfeeding after Sexual Trauma

Support created for the unique needs of Black lactating parents:

~Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE), Inc. seeks to enhance, encourage, support, promote, and protect breastfeeding throughout the USA, by working to reduce the breastfeeding disparities among African American women, and to strengthen the health of their babies and families through, mentoring, training, breastfeeding support groups, social support, outreach, education, legislation, health policies, and social marketing.

~Breastfeeding Resources for Black Moms from the Lactation Network: Here are online and IRL culturally competent support groups, doulas, birth centers, midwives and IBCLCs to support you on your breastfeeding journey 

Learning more to best support trans and non-binary people:

~Breastfeeding FAQ for Trans and Non-Binary Parents from the Lactation Network: We’re answering your most commonly asked questions about breastfeeding for trans and non-binary parents

~Facebook group: Birthing and Breast or Chestfeeding Trans People and Allies

~Transmasculine individuals’ experiences with lactation, chestfeeding, and gender identity: a qualitative study

~Lactation Care for Transgender and Non-Binary Patients: Empowering Clients and Avoiding Aversives

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 our birthcare and postpartum support, we must look at the number one cause of perinatal deaths: homicide. How do we screen for, recognize, and provide resources to those experiencing violence?

Dr Phyllis Sharps joins us this week to share information from her 5 decades of supporting vulnerable perinatal populations, particularly focused on the intersection of pregnancy & intimate partner violence.

Phyllis W.  Sharps, PhD, RN, FAAN, (she/her) Professor Emerita, and former Elsie M. Lawler Endowed Chair and Associate Dean for Community Programs and Initiatives, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Dr. Sharps was the inaugural director for theCenter for Community Innovation and Scholarship (CCIAS), and the East Baltimore Community Nurse Centers (EBCNC), three community-based nurse led initiatives of the School of Nursing. She has been the principal investigator for $3.5 M 5 year research grant funded by NINR, Domestic Violence Enhanced Home Visitation – DOVE,  and also for a second 5-year NIH/NCID $4.2 M grant “Perinatal Nurse Home Visitation Enhanced with mHealth”, which tests using computer tablets for screening and intervening for IPV in the home. She is Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and a 2013 inductee into the International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society. In 2015, she was honored by the University Of Maryland School Of Nursing Alumni Associations as a Visionary Pioneer. The Friends of the National Institute of Nursing Research awarded her the President’s Award in recognition of her long-term commitment to leading interdisciplinary research teams. Dr. Sharps earned her BSN and doctorate from University of Maryland School of Nursing, and a master’s in maternal/child health) from University of Delaware School of Nursing. She completed a fellowship in adolescent health at the University of Maryland School Of Medicine.

Intimate partner or domestic violence impacts an estimated 1 in 10 to 1 in 25 of those pregnant. Think through the clients you care for…how likely is it that one of them is experiencing abuse or violence at home? Are you prepared to share resources with them? Are you connected in the ways you need to be to advocate and support them? Do you have consistent screening practices? Have you worked through your own discomfort about asking something so “personal”? Join as as we dive into our roles and responsibilities in supporting those who experience IPV.

In this episode we explore:

~statistics of IPV

~unwanted pregnancy and link to abuse/coercion

~demographics at higher risk for IPV

~impact of the pandemic on IPV rates, recognition, and response

~trauma-informed care and labor & birth considerations for those with a history of violence

~gathering healthcare institution and community resources

~navigating disclosures, checking biases, & cultivating a collaborative team

~ideas for support from community-based birthworkers

~supporting safety and holding space without focusing on “fixing” or removing 

To read more of Dr Sharps’ work and research:
The Intersection of Maternal Morbidity and Mortality and Intimate Partner Violence in the United States

Intimate Partner Violence During Pregnancy: Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes

Homicide is a top cause of maternal death in the United States

Further resources for supporting those experiencing intimate partner violence:

~Fact sheet from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

~National Domestic Violence Hotline or call 1-800-799-SAFE

~Intimate Partner Violence Screening Resources from AHRQ

Trauma-Informed Care for Pelvic Exams:

Consent in Pelvic Care

EBB 180 – Trauma-Informed Care and Consent with Feminist Midwife, Stephanie Tillman

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 interpersonal and systemic levels.

Our guest this week, Jen Molina of United in Birth is here to explain how and why she has centered her practice around caring for trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and queer people so often stigmatized in reproductive care spaces.

Jennifer (she/her) is a full spectrum birthworker and infant feeding and lactation specialist. Her birthwork centers those who have been intentionally alienated from the medical industrial complex, Black, Indigenous and other people of color, Queer & Trans families, Solo parents and Spanish speakers.  Jennifer is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, Guatemala 2014-2016, which is where she developed a love for birthwork. There she hosted pregnancy support groups, workshops, and conducted postpartum visits. Additionally, she developed a health education training of trainers program for nurses, health educators, and social workers to improve facilitation skills and learn to deliver health information in a fun, accessible way. When she’s not reminding her clients who’s boss (they are), you can find her snuggled up with her two cats, Brooklyn and Pablo or scribbling poetry in her journal. You can follow Jen’s work on instagram at @JemOfADoula and @UnitedInBirth

We have created a birthcare system that is often so rigid and exclusive that it precludes folks from recognizing their full selves as they seek care. We need to actively cultivate practices that seek to dismantle oppressive beliefs and structures that prohibit equitable care. At the same time, we have to recognize where we are, what our biases are, and how well equipped we are to support gender diverse folks during birth so that we can refer birthing people to the right supports so that we do not cause harm.

In this episode we explore:

~holding space and re-defining the role of an “expert” in birthcare

~white saviorism in birthwork

~barriers to accessibility of services-financial, cultural, and others

~navigating the challenges of a healthcare system that defaults to “cis-het-white” as the standard

~awareness of our positionality as we offer to support folks

~persona of inclusivity that results in actual harm to trans, and other gender-diverse folks

~trauma-informed care as a framework for creating more inclusive care-practices that are person-centered

~queer reproductive justice from king yaa

To connect more with Jennifer’s work:
Catch her on Instagram to follow up with what is happening with United in Birth

Further support and resources for providing care for trans, non-binary, and queer birthing people include:

king yaa
Love Over Fear Wellness
Kayden X. Coleman
Moss the Doula
Family Equality Council
Birth Advocacy Doula Training
Birth Revolution

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 specialist supporting those with a history of, or currently experiencing, high-risk pregnancies.

Parijat (she/her) is a trauma-informed health strategist, high-risk pregnancy specialist, somatic trauma professional, bestselling author, speaker, and advocate for women who have been through second or third trimester loss, preterm delivery, neonatal loss, and birth trauma, and are preparing for a high-risk pregnancy. Specializing in somatic trauma healing, integrative health, and mind-body medicine, I guide women like you to effectively restore the balance of your nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system to reduce your risk of pregnancy complications and preterm delivery in your next pregnancy. You can follow her work on Instagram and Facebook.

What does it look like to provide trauma-informed care to those experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or folks who have a history of one?
What can we learn about the impact of our language and our behaviors as someone navigates one of the most terrifying experiences of their lives?

Tune in to explore these topics:

~caring for folks who have already experienced the hardest outcomes of pregnancy and birth

~navigating the juxtaposition of medical practice & holding space

~understanding birthcare on a theoretical level vs the benefits of lived experience

~learning about the gaps in how we learn to relate to patients in high-risk situations

~cultivating a balance between leaving space for folks to process new information without making them feeling alone as they navigate that space

~specific techniques for engaging clients through non-verbal communication & language awareness

~preventing trauma through actionable items that maintain agency 

~preparing for transition from pregnancy to postpartum

~healing trauma and mistrust with self & system when approaching a future pregnancy

To connect more with Parijat’s work:
You can listen to Parijat’s prolific Delivering Miracles podcast!

You can learn more through her book Pregnancy Brain: A Mind-Body Approach to Stress Management During a High-Risk Pregnancy. And if you are a provider looking for wholesale pricing you can get in touch with Parijat to offer that!

You can take Parijat’s Birth After Trauma Workshop for providers and our listeners can use promo code YOURBIRTHPARTNERS for 15% off the cost!

If you are seeking support navigating a high-risk pregnancy, reach out to Parijat here.

Further resources for navigating high-risk pregnancies include:

~High Risk Hope. This for-purpose org works with families navigating high risk pregnancy, NICU stays, and bereavement.

~Sidelines High Risk Pregnancy Support. This non-profit org connects families with peer support to navigate their high risk pregnancy and also engages in advocacy work.

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 the show today to explore her research into the experience of Black perinatal health disparities in Toronto, and what lead her to create a journal resource for birthworkers.  Cheyenne is the author of Deep Dive: A Self-Reflection Workbook for Birthworkers and is also a certified childbirth educator who uses insights from her research to guide preparing folks for birth.

Cheyenne (she/her) is a researcher, educator and advocate. Cheyenne has a particular interest in how childbirth affects child development and has been advocating for better perinatal health care on social media. Cheyenne is a certified childbirth educator and doula and she works with both parents and healthcare providers to improve birth for all people. You can follow her work on Instagram @motherofscarletts

What is the role of reflection in growing as birth professionals as we process our own experiences, show up for our clients, and learn to provide more nuanced care?
Cheyenne has some incredible insights to share to help guide your path as you consider how to move forward and deepen your self-awareness.

Join us in conversation as we explore:

~the impact of storytelling in understanding birthcare

~the interaction of birth trauma and child development

~experiences of Black parents during birth navigating complexities of Canada’s healthcare system

~balancing the need for systemic change, personal change for birth pros, and preparation for birthing people

~disconnect between the care people think they’re providing and the way people experience it

~the power of self-reflection for birth professionals

~the role of reflection as part of a trauma-informed care practice

~navigating defensiveness that can come up during reflection

You can learn more about Cheyenne’s work and her journal,
Deep Dive: A Self-Reflection Workbook for Birthworkers here!

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 disease, anxiety, and depression.

Sam Abbott shares her experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist and creator of the PCOS Food Freedom Program as we learn to navigate this journey with clients and patients.

Sam (she/her) is a registered dietitian nutritionist who helps those with PCOS ditch diets, improve insulin resistance and balance hormones without feeling guilty or stressed about food. She is passionate about empowering people with PCOS to find peace and balance with nutrition, hormones, body and life. She is also the creator of the PCOS Food Freedom Program – a complete program for improving hormone balance without a side of diet culture or weight stigma. You can find Sam on Instagram at @pcos.nutritionist where she gives free tips and support around PCOS nutrition education. 

For a condition that affects so many people of reproductive age, we see that it is underfunded and under-researched, which leads to a significant amount of conflicting information about it. Sam shares her insights into how we can best support our clients as they navigate their PCOS journey.

Join us in conversation as we explore:

~what PCOS is and is NOT

~associated health risks related to pregnancy and beyond

~supporting a variety of lived experiences with PCOS

~combatting misinformation in PCOS management

~political involvement in research challenges surrounding PCOS 

~addressing PCOS nutrition while avoiding a weight-centric approach

~how to support fertility desires with focus on decreasing insulin resistance & inflammation

~setting reasonable expectation for postpartum recovery and lifelong PCOS journey

You can learn more about Sam’s programs and get her
PCOS Snacking Guide with great examples!

For resources to expand your understanding of PCOS:

PCOS Challenge and Advocacy Day

PCOS Pregnancy and Delivery Complications
*note nutrition recommendations could be more inclusive

For expanding your thinking around weight-centric healthcare:

The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health: Evaluating the Evidence for Prioritizing Well-Being over Weight Loss

The Maintenance Phase Podcast: The BMI Index

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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 to educate ourselves more about trauma so that we understand what it is (and isn’t) and the practices we can put into place to provide trauma-informed care. We acknowledge this is heavy and hard work. But as Krysta Dancy of The Birth & Trauma Support Center shares in this episode “there’s so much to be optimistic about, because every year as we learn more about trauma, we learn how to treat it better.”

Krysta (she/her) is a holistic licensed trauma therapist with almost 20 years of experience in the fields of psychology, trauma and birth. She is the founder and CEO of Dancy Perinatal Inc as well as The Birth & Trauma Support Center- a nation-wide organization dedicated to providing trauma-informed training to providers and professionals. From her lens as a birth and mental health professional, Krysta holds great optimism and warmth for each person in the birth room. Her work and passion is to see trauma-informed medical care become the norm, and to see providers and patients thrive in clinical care. In her office she treats both patients and professionals for a variety of birth and trauma related concerns.  (CA MFT #48506). You can follow her work on Instagram.

Trauma gets a bad name, and birth trauma has historically carried a lot of stigma and shame. But what if that’s because we haven’t had a great understanding of trauma? What if that’s because we assume trauma is the result of weakness or that someone is to blame?
We are so grateful to have Krysta join us and share from her nearly 2 decades as a trauma therapist to gain a greater understanding about birth trauma, our role in preventing it, and processing from it.

Join us in conversation as we explore:

~holding space for birth trauma

~identifying birth trauma and differentiating with PTSD

~the impact of the pandemic on experience of birthing people & birth pros

~what aspects of care can be controlled to limit birth trauma

~resetting our empathy & countering fight or flight as birth pros

~how to prepare clients for the realities of birthcare without traumatizing

~why we can be hopeful about treatment for those experiencing birth trauma

To keep up with Krysta’s work: find more workshop information
or check out her online counseling agency or her therapy work,
and learn about Birth & Trauma Support Center

To learn more about birth trauma, please check out these resources:

Facebook support group for birth trauma

Facebook support group for birth and mental health professionals

Online database of professionals birth trauma professionals

Instagram account: The Tea on Birth Trauma

Check out this episode’s full transcript or tune in wherever you enjoy podcasts.

We’d love to hear from you; join our community group to discuss!

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Gonna Start” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)