Doula Well Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Join us today as I talk with nutritionist and fitness coach Aimee Gallo! We dig into her story and talk about the impact of the food we put in our bodies and how it affects the work we do. She provides many helpful tips of ways to fuel our bodies with the correct nutrition to keep us strong so we can continue to do the work we love. 

It's been a total delight and honor to get to talk with birthworkers I ACTUALLY see in practice! Today I'm talking with Larra Dennie, midwife at Mountain Song Midwifery. We discuss her journey from being an L&D nurse to becoming midwife, and all sorts of observations along the way!

There are times when the doula needs support…and a lot of it! In this episode, I chat with Tracey Abney all about doula’ing through hard births and health issues. With refreshing vulnerability, Tracey shares candidly about certifying as a doula through her own repeated pregnancy losses, managing a bustling business through maternity leave, and pivoting her business through baffling health conditions. Tracey is the owner of Rocket City Doulas, an agency in the Huntsville, Alabama area for 14 years. She is certified through SBD, HBD, and ProDoula (PPIC Elite, and CDL Elite). In addition to running Rocket City Doulas, and serving in birth and postpartum work, Tracy also loves reading, traveling, hiking, and being outside with her family.

When our clients face loss, it can be a shock. What should doulas consider when their clients miscarry? How does support look when a client’s baby receives a fatal diagnosis? How do you process the immediate trauma of a lost heartbeat in the labor room, while still showing up for the family? With grace, compassion, and skill Dr. Abby Jorgensen offers guidance to birthworkers supporting clients through loss. ​​Dr. Abby Jorgensen is a professor of sociology and health care ethics at Saint Louis University in Missouri, USA. She is an expert in family sociology and methods with focuses in health, politics, and culture. Dr. Jorgensen’s credentials include: Ph.D.(Sociology), LCCE, CD(DONA), and CD(ProDoula). Dr. Jorgensen’s first book ‘A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate answers to difficult questions’ is in out April 2024.

Is there any legal liability a doula could have as a birth attendant? Could a doula ever be sued or deposed? Just when you thought you were feeling confident…there’s a whole host of dicey situations a doula may find themselves in! Birth Injury Lawyer Marlie Willer can help! Following Marlie’s work has honestly given me such hope and clarity concerning birth justice. Marlie focuses her practice on medical malpractice, with a particular emphasis on obstetric negligence. She has successfully litigated hundreds of brachial plexus cases across the country. You don’t want to miss today’s episode! It’s so relevant for our profession! Follow Marlie's practice, here: https://www.lirowillerlaw.com/

As we continue discussing ‘on-call life’ as a primary source of burnout for doulas, I am so happy to share a conversation with a birthworker who’s found an innovative way to still serve families and avoid on-call burnout. Kyleigh Banks burst onto the scene with her Instagram account ‘Autonomy Mommy’ which currently boasts over 27K followers. Kyleigh runs a highly successful doula training and business coaching program, as well as Birthworker.com and is committed to providing doulas around the world with the resources and support they need to ditch their 9-5, stay home with their kids, and start living life on their own terms (even without being on call for births 24/7!) Tune into our conversation to hear how Kyleigh runs a sustainable and profitable doula business!!

Sara Pixton, a birth doula, Applied Linguistics master’s student at UMass-Boston, and mom of three believes there is a synergistic energy when her two passions—birth and language—come together. Sara harnesses the power of positive words to benefit the birth experience in her podcast, Birth Words. She currently serves the greater Salt Lake City, UT area as a doula at Summit Birth Utah. And she has recently embarked on her journey as a Student Mental Health Therapist. You can follow Sarah’s work at summitbirthutah.com and birthwords.com. 

You would be hard pressed to find a birthworker who does not have an experience with a hostile provider. And there’s perhaps no better professional in the birth world to understand how to work with hostile providers than L&D nurses! Sarah Lavonne is the pioneering founder & CEO of Bundle Birth, A Nursing Corporation. This episode was one of my favorites to record because I’ve been a fan girl of Sarah Lavonne for several years. Listen to hear a unique and nuanced perspective on the topic of difficult interactions with healthcare providers!

With a passion for uniting patients, support persons, and medical personnel through education and support, Sarah fearlessly developed a community of learning and inspiration across labor and delivery. As a former floor nurse, peer mentor, and childbirth educator, and assistant nurse manager, Sarah Lavonne, RNC-OB, ICCE, CLEC,has dedicated herself to empowering nurses to provide unconventional care that changes the world. Through a 12-month mentorship program, various classes and workshops, and a thriving social media presence, Sarah has built a community of passionate, patient-centered nurses who become leaders in the field. Sarah believes her curiosity, resourcefulness and passion are some of her greatest strengths. When not at work, Sarah enjoys music events, new adventures and learning, and frequent visits to her family in Ecuador. Follow Sarah’s work at https://www.bundlebirth.com/.

Despite awareness and accountability of obstetric violence having grown over the last decades, mistreatment remains pervasive in maternity care. And being witnesses to obstetrical violence can certainly burn doulas out! Dr. Hillary Melchiors is paying attention, and has insights and solutions that will help doulas navigate OB violence and sustain themselves through their careers.  

Hillary is a DONA certified birth doula and a Lamaze certified childbirth educator who has lived in the tri-state area since 2012. She also has a PhD in Medical Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Public Health. She loves working with all types of families to help them have their best birth experience, no matter what their preferences are, and teaching families all of their options. Since founding the Doula Group of Evansville in 2014, Hillary has had a wide variety of professional experiences both as a doula and anthropologist, including being invited to speak about doulas and cultural barriers to breastfeeding at The Women’s Hospital in Evansville. In her free time, she enjoys being with her partner Andrew and her two daughters Annika and Mayzie. Find Hillary on her personal website https://hillarymelchiors.com/. 

You can follow her doula agency on Instagram @doulagroupofevansville. 

I think this is what you call a 'teaser'. Even though I'm not totally finished editing Season 2, I can't gatekeep any longer! Season 2 of the Doula Well Podcast is themed: "Things That Burn Doulas Out". This teaser episode will share a bit about the heart behind this theme and a sneak peek of some of our guests! New episodes will be hitting your feeds very soon! Subscribe and listen on iTunes or Spotify!