Author: YBP

Last week during Trans Awareness Week we hosted a screening of the film “A Womb of Their Own,” which documents the journey of 6 masculine-identifying people during pregnancy, birth, and parenting.

We are sharing the Q&A with the filmmaker Cyn Lubow of Serious Play Films and queer non-binary midwife Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery in this week’s episode.

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In this Q&A we discussed:
~expanding our understanding of gender beyond traditional masculine & feminine roles
~best practices for birth pros to adopt in their care to be more inclusive
~the challenges of systemic change & actions to take forward
and we heard from community members across the disciplines on the film impact and the state of trans birth care.

Resources and training opportunities for birth professionals looking to provide more inclusive care to trans and non-binary folks:
king yaa
Love Over Fear Wellness
Moss the Doula
Family Equality Council
The Black Doula and Birth Advocacy Doula Training

In addition, Ray is working on Queer Conception Stories a project to highlight stories of family building within the queer community, which also includes a provider directory.

Here are links to some of the articles cited that identify rates of queer people utilizing midwifery & out of hospital birth locations & trans birthcare best practices: Ellis, Glaser, ACOG, Light, MacDonald, NTDS.

You can tune in through our buzzsprout page to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts or find the full transcript here.

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

Perinatal mental healthcare deserves more of our attention as birth professionals, especially now in these unprecedented times. Our latest podcast episode explores this.

A growing body of research identifies rises in anxiety & depression during COVID and there has been a call for varied & robust strategies to treat it. In times that have felt overwhelming for many, it’s hard to know how and what to say as you navigate these issues with those in your care.

We discussed how to have conversations with our clients that demonstrate openness & foster connection, how to connect without an agenda, ideas for grounding when “zoom fatigue” sets in, and much more!

Here are some resources shared on the show:

Karen Kleiman of the Postpartum Stress Center & her book The Art of Holding in Therapy.

Postpartum Support International has a wealth of resources for practitioners and impacted individuals.

The Loveland Foundation supports therapy for Black women & girls.

Mom & Mind is a podcast devoted to all issues surrounding mental health struggles through pregnancy, birth, postpartum, & early parenthood.

Emily’s birth processing guide, Birth Story Brave.

Click here for a full transcript.

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

We are continuing our conversation this week with Irnise Williams, JD, RN who joins Dr Abby Dennis, MD & Maggie Runyon, RNC-OB. In our last episode, we discussed particular concerns surrounding liability for birth professionals.

In this episode, we’re talking about the different dynamics of provider to patient/client relationships.
We’re talking about why we struggle to have nuanced conversations around care decisions.
We’re calling out the use of threats to coerce care choices.
We’re identifying some of the complicated biases & the role racism plays in engaging with those in our care.
We’re calling for change on individual & system levels to move towards a better way of being in #birthcare.

Find the full transcript here.

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

There may be nothing that creates a stronger divide between birth professionals and the people they serve than the fear of liability.

Particularly in the hospital setting, the fear of liability looms large and impacts the way we provide care: from the policies we create, to the technology we use, and the way we speak to patients.

Special guest Irnise Williams, JD, RN joins Dr Abby Dennis, MD & Maggie Runyon, RNC-OB to dig into this multi-layered issue:
How do we move past that fear?
What best practices help us to document our care clearly for all involved?
What special considerations are at play when caring for underserved populations?

Irnise has cultivated an immense collection of free resources on her Instagram-YourNurseLawyer that delve into issues of liability, healthcare equity, and social justice.

For more discussion around how fear of liability vs convenience vs other factors may play into this issue, check out this blog post from Improving Birth and this article about malpractice, blame, & guilt from The Cut.

Find on your favorite podcast app through ybp.buzzsprout.com or catch the full transcript here.

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

This week we are digging into part two of breaking down our motto: “Be.Inspired.Respected.Trusted.Heard.”

Pansay Tayo, Doula, and Dr Angela Mike, Certified Nurse Midwife weigh in on this topic.

How do we ensure birthing people are respected, trusted, & heard?
What does it mean to respect & trust birth?  What actions can we take so those in our care are actually heard?

What steps do we take when we’re working within a healthcare system that doesn’t seem to trust birth and makes it hard for birth pros to give the time and attention they need to hear each person & respect their wishes?

Here is an excellent book chapter for further reading about fostering effective communication between birth professionals & those in our care:
“Many people in the care-based professions believe that they know what the client needs. While this is necessary in acute situations, such as a medical emergency, in psycho-social settings, it prevents both the client and the counsellor from thinking outside the box when determining what is best for the client. ” ~Terri Rypkema, MED, RCC

Find this episode on your favorite podcast player.

Full transcript here.

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

We celebrated National Midwifery Week with this live podcast!

Our midwifery panel (Meredith Strayhorn, M.Ed, CD, CPM-Student, Ray Rachlin, LM, CPM, CLC, Dr Angela Mike, DNP, CNM) shared with us their answers to:

what midwifery means to them

what they wish they’d learned in school, but didn’t

what they love to do as midwives outside of catching babies

how they process difficult birth outcomes

how they are living out this year’s slogan “Midwives for Equity.”

Their candor in addressing these complex topics is so refreshing, as is their passion for the care of all people through their reproductive lifespan.

For more information about midwifery education pathways check out these resources from the the Midwives Alliance of North America, & American College of Nurse Midwives.

To find a midwife, ask in your local birth professional & doula groups, parenting groups, or check out these directories:
if you’re looking by location for CNM, or if you’re seeking a midwife of color, or a queer-affirming provider directory, or if your would like a referral for a queer-competent midwife.

Full transcript here.

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

Our organization’s motto is Be.Inspired.Respected.Trusted.Heard.

In this part 1, Angela Mike, Pansay Tayo, and Maggie Runyon talk about the first part of that motto; what it means, how it dictates our practice, and the way we show up to hold space for birth.

How do we change our mindset to stop us from feeling like we as birth pros have to “make birth happen” and allowing it to just Be?

What does it mean to be inspired by birth?  How do we temper our expectations and hopes and dreams for birth so that it doesn’t overwhelm the birthing person’s?

Full transcript here.

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

Today, we have Angela Mike, CNM & Pansay Tayo, Doula back from hiatus to talk about burnout, and pushing too hard. We are sharing about the realities of working as a birth pro and the sacrifices and toll that can take on us.  How do we recognize burnout and carve out practices that go beyond self-care so that we can be sustained in this work?

Birth pros are at a high risk of burnout; we often lack the resources from our employers, our communities, and permission from ourselves to breathe, to pause, to take care of our needs.  Studies recognize 40-58% of birth pros across the spectrum of roles identify with burnout, and we know this shows up in the way we provide care and support others.  Continuing to live through a global pandemic has heightened both the demands on us, and lessened our outlets…where do we go from here? 

Audre Lorde: “I have come to believe that caring for myself is not self-indulgent. Caring for myself is an act of survival.”

If you’re looking for more resources on developing more awareness and intentionality around self-care, Shafia Monroe created a very in-depth and thoughtful framework for crafting and following through on a self-care plan here.

Full transcript here.

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