The Birth Ease Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

This time of year can bring a sense of magic and joy and at the same time, the holidays can also bring feelings of overwhelm and stress.  Michelle airs this special holiday relaxation each year session which is designed to help release the stress and strain you may be feeling and gain a sense of clarity regarding what you value in your life as you prepare to enter the New Year. As a gentle reminder: This guided relaxation recording audio is for just that, relaxation purposes only. It does not constitute medical or mental health advice or treatment, nor does it imply a specific outcome during pregnancy, birth, postpartum, or beyond. Please avoid listening to this guided relaxation while engaging in an activity that requires your full attention. Please stop the podcast and return to it when you can be safely seated or reclining in a supported position. Unless you are the passenger listening to this guided relaxation with headphones on, for everyone’s safety never listen to it while driving or riding in a vehicle. Connect with Michelle at www.birtheaseservices.com

Natasha Solovieff and Michelle discuss Natasha’s signature strategy which helps parents to stay engaged with their children and each other. Her L.O.V.V.E. Way invites families to begin Listening, Om-ing (centering yourself), Voicing, Visioning, and Exploring in order to unwind any difficult feelings, emotions, and situations and determine what is of value to them as a family. The L.O.V.V.E. Way creates a solid path in this time of uncertainty and provides relationship and self-reflection tools that are extremely vital, and yet, rarely taught. {replay of episode 38} "What I wanted to give parents is a default way of moving out of our snappy moments and those things that come up in parenting that are really heightened right now that cause us to disengage with our children and to disengage with ourselves, and our partner. Relationships are this dance being engaged, being disengaged, and bringing ourselves back into engagement and that’s a skill." — Natasha Solovieff About Natasha Solovieff: With a BSN and M.Ed., she has 25+ years as a Maternal Child Health clinical and public health nurse. She is the author of “The Dance of Parenting: Finding Your Inner Choreographer” a book that invites you to energize and strengthen your parenting dance by using your parenting L.O.V.V.E. skills. And she also writes heartfelt and intriguing science-for-parents blogs at OMGparenting.com. Connect with Natasha: OMG Parenting Twitter handle - @OParenting, Facebook- @omgparenting Website - OMGparenting.com https://omgparenting.com/ You can connect with Michelle at www.birtheaseservices.com, on Facebook @thebirtheasepodcast and @BirthEaseMethod, and on Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith

Michelle and Sunni VonMutius continue their conversation from S2 E1 The Grief and Loss of Placing a Child for Adoption on the Birth Ease Loss podcast. Sunni courageously shares how the circumstances, trauma, fear, and shame from her first child's birth impacted the birth of her second child 20 years later and her experience of postpartum depression. Together they discuss the importance of trauma-informed care, exploring unconscious biases, the mind-body connection, informed consent, understanding trauma triggers, creating a postpartum care plan, self-care versus soul-care, and why the cultural conversation around adoption and placing a child for adoption must change. Notes: Michelle's episode with Sunni's Midwife Elena Rosa is 118 Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy. Sunni mentioned The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Romm. Connect with Michelle for classes and support at www.birtheaseservices.com, on Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith, and on Facebook @thebirtheasepodcast and @BirthEaseMethod

Listen in as Michelle gets to chat with Barbara Decker, one of the pioneers in the childbirth education movement. With a half-century of experience, Barbara shares her journey, including being one of the firsts to certify as a Lamaze instructor (before it was even called Lamaze) and certify as a doula with Penny Simpkin. Barbara is a long time HypnoBirthing® Instructor and expert in prenatal bonding.  In this first half of their 2-part conversation, she provides a simple breathing technique to help calm and settle our nervous system. Something we, and our babies, can all use during these stressful times. 

"When the mother is included in the decision making, the end result is not traumatization after the birth. It can prevent having an effect on the mother as long as she's part of that decision making. ...It's vital. And then our mothers are not going to have the challenges. We don't want mothers going to the birth, to the labor room, in fear that they are gonna have to do battle. We want them to know that they are going to be treated with respect."—Barbara Decker

 

About Barbara Decker:

Barbara has been a childbirth educator for over 48 years. She’s a doula,  a HypnoBirthing ®Practitioner, PALS supporter and Mentor, PALS Northwest Hospital Ambassador, and an avid supporter of APPPAH  (Association of Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health) as membership and Mentor for the PPNE (Prenatal and Perinatal Educator Certification Program) course.

What brought Barbara to the field of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology was the knowledge she received after reading The Secret Life of the Unborn Child by Thomas Verny. That was almost 11 years ago and since that time has received certificates as a Prenatal Bonding Facilitator with B.O.N.D. The Greatest Pregnancy Ever.com program, trained for two and a half years, with Dr. Gerhard Schroth in the Prenatal Bonding (BA) Program (Only 12 trained to facilitate in the US.), and was one of the first graduates of the APPPAH PPNE Program. Her passion for educating parents on the importance of the preconception/gestational period led her to write a new paradigm in childbirth education - EmpoweringPregnancy.com. She has lectured throughout the United States, in India, and in Mexico on the need to teach these classes. It is imperative that we educate our birthing families on the intelligence of the baby growing in the womb. Our babies need to feel loved during the pregnancy, mothers need to manage their stressors in a safe way, and this program offers the tools to build a healthy relationship for the whole family. 

Parents that have attended the program feel that they are better prepared for their pregnancy, more bonded and attuned to the baby inside, plan for more natural births, an improved relationship with their partners, and feel more prepared for the postpartum experience. When you parent a baby in the womb, you know how to parent when the baby arrives. Attachment improves with a more conscious awareness of the needs of our babies for healthy minds and bodies. Pregnancy complications are lessened and parents make more informed choices in birthing facilities, practitioners, and interventions. It is time to empower our families with the knowledge that Emotional Intelligence is formed from conception through the nine months after the birth. Let’s put the brakes on the violence in this country and “Build Babies, Not Jails”. (Article written by Dr. Thomas Verny, JOPPPAH 2011)

Connect With Barbara Decker:   

Website:  www.soulofbirthing.com

Website:  www.empoweringpregnancy.com

Email:  douladecker@gmail.com

Connect with Michelle:

Website:  BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook:   Birth Ease,   The Birth Ease Podcast

Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith

YouTube:    Birth Ease

LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith

Pinterest:  Birth Ease

Show:  Birth Ease

Listen in as Aelis Rivera explains what drives her to be a voice for the voiceless. Aelis openly shares with Michelle what brought her to her work as a Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and LGBTQIA+ Advocate and her passion to certify as a Full Spectrum Doula. Together they explore domestic violence, the inequalities that birthing persons and families face, black maternal mortality, and the need for greater sensitivity and domestic abuse education for birth professionals. "I've said this a million times, and I will say this a million and one times. In birth, there’s NO room for ego. There's just no space for it. We should all be in community to help one another."—Aelis Rivera About Aelis Rivera: Aelis is a very proud Queer Birth Doula, Birth Assistant, Childbirth Educator, and owner of Caridad Birth Doula Services. As a survivor of both child abuse, rape and domestic violence, she has been a Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and LGBTQIA+ Advocate for over 16 years. Aelis believes that it is extremely important to use your voice for those who are fearful or apprehensive to speak their truth.  Therefore she is excited to combine her advocacy work with her love of birth by certifying as a Full Spectrum Doula with Birthing Advocacy Doula 1Trainings under Sabia Wade. She is also collaborating with a local expert to create much-needed workshops for birth professionals regarding domestic abuse.   Contact Aelis Rivera: Facebook: C ( https://www.facebook.com/CaridadBirthDoulaServices/)aridad Birth Doula Services ( https://www.facebook.com/CaridadBirthDoulaServices/) Instagram: @ ( https://www.instagram.com/caridadbirthdoula/)caridadbirthdoula ( https://www.instagram.com/caridadbirthdoula/) Connect with Michelle Smith: Website:  BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:   Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/),  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support (http://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseLossSupport/) Instagram:    @birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/),  @birtheaselossssupport (https://www.instagram.com/birtheaselosssupport/) YouTube:    Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/birth-ease-michelle-smith-033a8b1a6/) Pinterest:  Birth Ease (https://www.pinterest.com/birthease/boards/) Show:  Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In this second of half of their 2-part candid conversation, Donna G. Ivery, MD shares with Michelle the types of experiences that stay with you as an OB/GYN. She explains what the baby’s heart rate alerts providers to during labor. Together, they discuss VBAC and the barriers to access, obstetrical abuse and patient autonomy, and communication in regards to informed consent.  Dr. Ivery stresses the importance of  communication, connection, and trust between care provider and patient, especially in emergent situations. "Opening the lines of communication. Being able to generate conversations that are enlightening and educating to everyone is how we are going to start resolving these type of issues. This is how we smooth over the rough parts of understanding when to intervene,  especially when physicians have patients they don't have a prior history with. This is how we approach that in a way that honors what's happening.  And we get the same great outcomes that we want and we have happy customers. And, that makes all the difference in the world."— Donna G. Ivery, MD   About Donna G. Ivery, MD: Now retired, Dr. Donna G. Ivery is a native of Cocoa, Florida. A Johns Hopkins University-trained biomedical engineer, she started her career at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, NJ. The call to medical practice came and she moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Medicine. She completed her medical and gynecologic training at Emory in 1996 and is Board-Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She embarked on many years of travel, practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands before returning to North Brevard county 2005 where she offered a full range of gynecologic services. Dr. Ivery has delivered over 4000 babies, performed over 2000 surgeries, and provided over 50,000 women's health visits.   Connect with Dr. Ivery: Facebook:   @DonnaGIveryMD (https://www.facebook.com/DonnaGIveryMD/) YouTube:  Donna G Ivery, MD (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZ_CTiZyKF0fMIUTktTwag) Email:  Contact@femalematters.com   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:  Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) YouTube:  Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/birth-ease-michelle-smith-033a8b1a6/) Pinterest: Birth Ease (https://www.pinterest.com/birthease/boards/) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In part 1 of this 2 part conversation, Dr. Donna G. Ivery candidly shares with Michelle her experiences as an OB/GYN, and the fact that the majority of people haven't seen the life threatening circumstances that can happen within obstetrics. She explains how factors with the healthcare system such as logistics, hospital staffing, and experience play a part in the physician’s decision process regarding patient care. She stresses the importance of  communication, connection, and trust between care provider and patient, especially in emergent situations. "There are a lot of changes [within the healthcare system] and that certainly fuels this disconnect with the patient and the OB/GYN with regard to trust. Because nobody really wants to be in a situation where they are being cared for by people they don't trust and at the same time physicians don't want to have to take care of patients who innately don't trust them. That's one of the bedrocks of the physician-patient relationship, is trust, and the system doesn't foster that. And to the best of one's ability as a physician, I have to overcome that. I think the notion of a disconnect and a breakdown in trust really kinda fuels a lot of our- all of our-  dissatisfaction with how the system is going." —Donna G. Ivery, MD About Donna G Ivery, MD: Now retired, Dr. Donna G. Ivery is a native of Cocoa, Florida. A Johns Hopkins University-trained biomedical engineer, she started her career at AT&T Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, NJ. The call to medical practice came and she moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University School of Medicine. She completed her medical and gynecologic training at Emory in 1996 and is Board-Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. She embarked on many years of travel, practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands before returning to North Brevard county 2005 where she offered a full range of gynecologic services. Dr. Ivery has delivered over 4000 babies, performed over 2000 surgeries, and provided over 50,000 women's health visits.   Connect with Dr. Ivery: Facebook:   @DonnaGIveryMD (https://www.facebook.com/DonnaGIveryMD/) YouTube:  Donna G Ivery, MD (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzZ_CTiZyKF0fMIUTktTwag) Email:  Contact@femalematters.com   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:  Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) YouTube:  Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/birth-ease-michelle-smith-033a8b1a6/) Pinterest: Birth Ease (https://www.pinterest.com/birthease/boards/) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as physical therapist, Susan Clinton, and Michelle discuss the profound connection between our pelvic floor and our voice. Susan explains how our pelvic floor functions, ways to become more aware of our pelvic floor muscles, and what a ‘kegel’ exercise or pelvic floor lift is and isn’t. (So many women are taught to do this exercise incorrectly.)  And, no, leaking urine is not just a normal part of pregnancy and birth! "A lot of mothers will come in and see me as a PT and say, "You know, I've been doing my pelvic floor exercises or kegels for a long time, and it's not helping." And sure enough they can actually lift their pelvic floor very nicely. But I notice that when they cough, that pelvic floor muscle isn't responding and coming up, or [if] they sneeze. You know, so it's not working when they need it. They can make it work, but what we want to do is make it work when we need it.... We've got [to have] that pelvic floor coming up and reacting so that we don't leak [urine]."—Susan Clinton About Susan C. Clinton PT, DScPT, OCS, WCS, FAAOMPT, WHNC: Susan is an award winning Physical Therapist in professional achievement and co-owner of Embody Physiotherapy and Wellness. She is an international instructor of post-professional education in women’s health (including GI issues in Women), orthopedic manual therapy and business psychology. She is on Faculty at Andrews University in the Doctor of Science in PT program.  She serves as a Master Coach for the Integrative Women’s Health Institute and is an active professional/clinical mentor.  She is the co-founder and board member for the Global Women’s Health Initiative (GWHI) and is the Co-host of the podcast, “Tough to Treat” guide to treating complex patients and “The Genius Project” bridging pain science to clinical practice. Connect with Susan Clinton: Website: www.embody-pt.com Email: susan@embody-pt.com Facebook:  @Susan Coal Clinton (https://www.facebook.com/susan.c.clinton) Twitter: @SClintonPT (https://twitter.com/SClintonPT) Instagram:  @sclintonpt ( https://www.instagram.com/sclintonpt/) Linked In: Susan Clinton (https://www.linkedin.com/in/susancclinton/) Podcast:  Tough To Treat (http://www.toughtotreat.com) - A Physio's guide to treating the complex patient Vlog:  The Genius Project (http:// www.thegeniusptproject) - Reframing the treatment of persistent musculoskeletal pain. Foundation:  Global Women's Health Initiative (http:// www.gwhi.org )   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:  Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @ birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) YouTube:  Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/birth-ease-michelle-smith-033a8b1a6/)

Listen in as Michelle and midwife Laura Nathan have a conversation about Laura's passion for homebirth and the difference that hypnobirth makes within pregnancy, labor & birth, postpartum, and beyond. "Because it doesn't have to be that way. That's what we see in the movies and the sitcom sketches. It doesn't have to be that way of the screaming, painful birth that is just awful and you gotta get through it and suffer through to get to the end, to the good thing at the end, which is the baby. The process can also be really uplifting. It can be a really beautiful process that… the mom can feel really empowered by it."— Laura Nathan About Laura Nathan, LM CPM: Laura is a Florida Licensed Midwife serving families in Orlando and surrounding communities since 2014. She is the owner of Modern Orlando Midwifery, a home birth practice for her midwifery clients. After working in a busy birth center, Laura now loves the ability to get to know her clients well through long home visits. The focus is on building a strong relationship where both the parents and midwife can trust and understand one another. Her love of client education ranges from detailed explanations of pregnancy and the normal changes women experience to diastasis prevention and repair to newborn care and breastfeeding success. Additionally, Laura has studied the use of hypnosis for pregnancy and birth. She utilized Birth Ease Hypnobirth for her own babies’ births and is certified as a Hypno-Doula with HypnoBabies. Laura believes that with comprehensive education, parents can make the best choices for the mother-baby dyad. Connect with Laura Nathan: Website:  https://modernorlandomidwifery.com/ (https://modernorlandomidwifery.com/) Facebook:  Modern Orlando Midwifery (Listen in as Michelle and midwife Laura Nathan have a conversation about Laura's passion for homebirth and the difference that hypnobirth makes within pregnancy, labor and birth, postpartum, and beyond. )   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:

Listen in as Michelle has a conversation with Jen Larsen regarding the benefits of trauma-informed yoga, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research studies prove through this practice, yoga can help minimize those symptoms of post-traumatic response. The goal is to restore a sense of choice, personal power, self-efficacy; power and control that were lost during the experience of the trauma and these benefits translate off the mat and into the rest of the world. Together they discuss trauma, the importance of listening to the body and honoring our feelings, creating healthy boundaries, choice and permission to change our minds, positive affirmations, and self-acceptance and self-compassion. "Meet yourself where you are. Know that whatever it is your feeling isn't lasting forever. You are perfectly imperfect, exactly as you are. And, every day you exist is a new opportunity to learn more about yourself and accept whatever that may be." —Jen Larsen About Jen Larsen: Jen is the founder and owner of Innerglow Wellness, LLC. Through holistic life coaching and trauma-informed yoga instruction, she is dedicated to helping individuals unveil their “inner glow” and embody their greatest potential in body, mind, and spirit. Her education includes graduate work in the psychology of consciousness and psycholinguistics, and she is a 16+ year certified yoga and meditation teacher, registered with Yoga Alliance. In addition to coaching and teaching yoga, she is a public speaker and radio personality on the topics of health and wellness, particularly the power of the mind and the effects of gratitude, and positive thinking on physical health. In her downtime, you’ll find her creating delicious, healthy concoctions in the kitchen and spending quality time with her kids. Connect with Jen Larsen: Website: lightyourinnerglow.com (http:// www.lightyourinnerglow.com) Instagram:  @lightyourinnerglow (http:// www.lightyourinnerglow.com) Facebook:  Innerglow Wellness (https://www.facebook.com/lightyourinnerglow) YouTube:  Innerglow Wellness (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz0BZl1Y5VKwz5rcJiz-W7w)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:  Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @ birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) YouTube:  Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) LinkedIn:  Birth Ease Michelle Smith ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/birth-ease-michelle-smith-033a8b1a6/) Pinterest: Birth Ease (https://www.pinterest.com/birthease/boards/) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)