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)

Listen in as Michelle and Beatriz Rodriquez discuss her birth experience and motherhood as an Afro-Latino woman. Together they discuss myths black mothers face, systemic racism, parenting multiracial daughters, working on our own biases, and the importance of compassionate listening. “Everyone’s  experience as a black  woman is very different. But there are a few things that I feel that all black women, right now in this moment, feel and are in solidarity, especially when it comes to being mothers. One of things that I can say is that a lot of us, no matter how used to we are of being through trials and tribulations, I would say, ‘We’re scared and we’re disappointed. And, we wonder what the future holds for our children.’”—Beatriz Rodrigues   Connect with Beatriz Rodrigues: Facebook: @I.love.my.cookies.101 (https://www.facebook.com/I.love.my.cookies.101) Instagram: @docilesystematicbee (https://www.instagram.com/docilesystematicbee/)   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 this personal episode, Michelle shares her experience of supporting her most recent doula families through the births of their babies during the COVID-19 pandemic. She candidly explores the emotions coming up for her during these last few weeks as the mother of a multi-racial child. Michelle explores how she is navigating it all through the lens of grief support. “It hit me, and I am still working through it. If I am this exhausted as a white woman with a black family how depleted our black communities must be?And as I listen, they are exhausted. And, tired of trying to get people to listen and fighting a system that isn’t broken that is actually working exactly as it was designed to do.”—Michelle Smith Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/) Facebook:  Birth Ease Baby Loss Support (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseLossSupport),  Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/),   The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @birtheaselosssupport (https://www.instagram.com/birtheaselosssupport/),  @ 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 Michelle and two student filmmakers, Taylour Marks and Candace Williamson, discuss the disparities facing black mothers, perinatal loss (black women are twice as likely to experience a miscarriage than other races), and their debut documentary film, In Between US. Their film is an intimate portrait of black motherhood, a deeply flawed system and the complicated beauty of life. The story was born from the alarming statistic that black women are three to four times more likely to experience pregnancy related mortality than white women in America. If it’s not about money, education, or pre-existing conditions, then why are black mothers still dying at higher rates? "There is so much power in your voice, and you have the right to speak to up. You have the right to share your story. And when you do, it really brings people together."—Candace Williamson "I think that it is really important that we start prioritizing mothers. The first steps are to validate the feelings and the stories of these mothers by showing them that they aren't alone. There are so many other mothers that are going through the exact same thing. ...And we should trust black women and what they have to say and their feelings and their pain. So I think it is a three step process of listen, share, and trust and then make change off of what you have represented."—Taylour Marks About Candace Williamson: Candace is a Broadcast Journalism Student at the University of South Florida. Ever since the age of 6, Candace knew she had a passion for being anywhere near a camera. She has written and directed a number of broadcast stories and documentaries all with a message of hope and love. Her work has been shown across the globe from the Cannes Film Festival in France to the Geelong International Festival in Australia. Candace hopes to continue her journey as a documentary filmmaker to tell stories that become catalysts for change. Connect with Candace: Twitter:  @heycandacemae (https://twitter.com/HeyCandaceMae) Instagram: @heycandacemae (https://www.instagram.com/heycandacemae/) LinkedIn: Candace Williamson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/candace-williamson-335722136/) Website: https://heycandacemae.wixsite.com/mysite   About Taylour Marks: Taylour is an honors Telecommunication Student at the University of Florida.  As a writer, photographer, and multimedia journalist, she takes joy in telling the stories of others and empowering the public with information.  Taylour has experience working with photo, print, and broadcast journalism.  She has been recognized by BBC World News and the Aisthesis Undergraduate Honors Journal for accomplishments in photojournalism.  Taylour aspires to one day work as a local news reporter or a documentary storyteller. Connect with Taylour: Twitter:  @taylourmarks (https://twitter.com/taylourmarks) Instagram:  @taylourmarks (https://www.instagram.com/taylourmarks/) Facebook:  @TaylourMarksNews (https://www.facebook.com/taylourmarksnews)   Resources:

Michelle chats 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 & perinatal psychology.  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. Barbara explains that babies are looking for a trusting relationship with their parent. A parent's job is to respond to their baby. Babies need a healthy attachment figure to be able to build a healthy psychological and emotional journey. Barbara shares that almost half of all pregnancies are unplanned or unwanted. Yet, parents can repair the relationship with their baby at any point in pregnancy.  Barbara shares fascinating information regarding babies' awareness and consciousness in the womb. (This episode is a replay of episodes 49 & 50) "This [early nurture period] is critically, critically important for society as a whole and the health and the humanity that we are trying to bring into the world. When parenting in the womb becomes a normal phase, a part of, having a baby, we can change society as a whole."—Barbara Decker "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 Connect with Barbara Decker at www.soulofbirthing.com or www.empoweringpregnancy.com Connect with Michelle at birtheaseservices.com, Facebook @ The Birth Ease Podcast, and Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith

In this latest episode of the Listening to Midwives series, Michelle has a conversation with Jae Rowan and Rhione Zeixchel, owners of Sanctuary Birthing. If you are a fellow birth worker, get ready to hear some of the names of some of the icons in our birth world being mentioned as they share their 60+ years of combined experience as midwives. Rhione and Jae remind pregnant women that their birth can be in their hands if they receive respect, consideration, and informed choice. Women can take back birth. Yet, they caution not to be naive and think you will be handed it, because you will not… not with this current medical system. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and settle back to soak up the wisdom of these sage birth keepers and the brilliant project they are up to now. “Your body talks to you. I think that in our really, really fast paced media oriented, screen oriented culture we stop listening or maybe we never learned to listen. And yet, every pregnant woman, her body will start to talk to her almost from the beginning. ... It's an important thing. Start listening to your body. Your body is talking to you.”— Jae Rowan “I would hope that each woman before, during pregnancy would take some time. Take some time to be still, sink in, connect with a deeper layer underneath all the mind chatter. Just even 5 minutes. Begin making time. Start listening. Because I believe that that inner knowing can inform us in the BEST possible way from this day on. And your baby is counting on it. It can change your baby’s life. And it can change the world, one baby at a time in that way.”— Rhione Zeixchel About Jae Rowan: Jae, Certified Professional Midwife, and Oregon Licensed Midwife began her study of midwifery in 1985. She has attended 100’s of births over the last 31 years. Her path as a woman and mother has been intertwined with her study of yoga, midwifery, parenting, and communication, skills that she brings to the care she provides to families. Jae learned that pregnancy and birth are normal and natural processes from her grandmother, who birthed 13 children at home. Jae believes that the way we bond to our baby during pregnancy and the way we birth set a foundation for the life of our child, and for our life as a mother. She offers Arvigo Mayan Abdominal Massage sessions along with personalized prenatal, birth preparation and early parenting coaching. About Rhione Zeixchel: Rhione, Oregon licensed midwife, has attended hundreds of births since 1981. As an apprentice-trained midwife, she has been privileged to learn from many teachers in the wise-woman tradition. Rhione utilizes the benefits of homeopathic medicine and intuition-based practices she describes as “deep listening” to the unborn. Certain key tenets guide Rhione’s love of this work: knowing that the natural birth process is innately healing; understanding newborn babies as fully conscious beings in little bodies; and believing that a woman’s way to natural birth is paved with her own listening and trusting. Mothers’ own ecstatic birthing stories inspired her to become certified in HypnoBirthing in 2001. With midwife friend Jae Rowan, she co-created Three Sisters Midwifery in 2012. Connect with Jae & Rhione: Website:  sanctuarybirthing.com (https://sanctuarybirthing.com/) Facebook: Sanctuary Birthing (https://www.facebook.com/sanctuarybirthing) Instagram:

Are you finding yourself feeling overwhelmed or irritable with those you love due to the stress of the Coronavirus pandemic? Listen in as 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. "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 between 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., Natasha 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. She also writes heartfelt and intriguing science-for-parents blogs.   Connect with Natasha Solovieff: Website:  OMGparenting.com ( https://omgparenting.com/) Twitter:  @OParenting (https://twitter.com/OParenting)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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 as Tanya Alvarado, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, shares with Michelle some helpful coping skills for families during COVID-19. Together they discuss using "I" statements to communicate more effectively, the purpose of forgiveness, what healthy boundaries are, and tips for supporting children during the pandemic. "I think one of the biggest challenges right now is that we are wearing many different hats, roles, and responsibilities that are new or overwhelming. And sometimes, we don't have the space to process our own feelings, let alone share them with our partner and ask for what we need." — Tanya Alvarado   About Tanya Alvarado, MA, LMHC: Tanya is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and owner of A New Path Counseling in East Orlando where she works with tweens, teens and adults in private practice. Areas of specialty include mood disturbances (such as anxiety & depression), trauma, and working with Tourette/Tic disorders. She is  CBIT (Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics) certified and EMDR certified therapist. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a therapy that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences. Tanya is also a Qualified Supervisor for Mental Health Interns. She has a passion for supporting the individuals and families to make positive changes toward health, healing, and creating a new path of life for future generations.   Connect with Tanya Alvarado, MA, LMHC Website: anewpathcounsel.com/ (http://www.anewpathcounsel.com/) Email: tanya.alvarado.ma@gmail.com Instagram: @anewpathcounseling (https://instagram.com/anewpathcounseling?igshid=1w0cv87wvy3l7) Facebook: A New Path Counseling (https://www.facebook.com/anewpathcounsel/) Resource for Setting Healthy Boundaries: Dr. Henry Cloud (https://www.drcloud.com/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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)

May 6, 2020, is Maternal Mental Health Awareness day, and Michelle has dedicated this episode to providing an overview of what the postpartum experience can be like for new families. Often there is so much focus on the pregnancy and the birth, families may find themselves woefully unprepared for the realities that having a new baby can bring to their lives. Having a new baby can feel overwhelming and isolating for many families and the quarantine and social distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating stress families may feel. Michelle explains helpful self- care tips for moms and their partners. She distinguishes between baby blues and postpartum depression, gives an overview of maternal mood disorders, and provides resources for families here in the show notes. Michelle ends this information-packed episode with a brief guided relaxation. Resources: And Baby Makes 3: The Gottman Institute Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (http://perinatology.com/calculators/Edinburgh%20Depression%20Scale.htm) (http://perinatology.com/calculators/Edinburgh%20Depression%20Scale.htm)Postpartum Support International (https://www.postpartum.net/) The Blue Dot Project (https://www.thebluedotproject.org/) The Conversation: Managing postpartum depression: New Moms isolated by coronavirus pandemic (https://theconversation-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/theconversation.com/amp/managing-postpartum-depression-new-moms-isolated-by-coronavirus-pandemic-134773?usqp=mq331AQFKAGwASA%3D&_js_v=0.1#aoh=15883925760041&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fmanaging-postpartum-depression-new-moms-isolated-by-coronavirus-pandemic-134773) Motherly: Eight Ways to Reduce Anxiety for Mothers (https://www.mother.ly/child/ways-to-reduce-anxiety-for-moms)   Baby Care Resources: Dunstan Baby Language Happiest Baby on the Block All Babies Cry No Cry Solution   Resources in Central Florida: Orlando Health Winnie Palmer: Mothers Matter Support Group (https://www.orlandohealth.com/news-and-events/events/mothers-matter) Life Counseling Solutions (https://lifecounselingsolutions.com/2013/09/orlando-postpartum-depression-anxiety-help/) Perinatal Wellness & Psychological Services (https://www.perinatalwellness.net/) Total Life Counseling (https://www.totallifecounseling.com/services-therapy-orlando-florida-clermont-east-southwest-therapy-therapists-counselors/adult-services/maternal-mental-health-counseling-therapy-orlando/) Florida Chapter of Postpartum Support International (https://psichapters.com/fl/)

Listen in as Heather Barson shares with Michelle the journey that brought to her vocation as a doula, midwife, and advocate for birthing families. She confides to Michelle the goose bump moment that inspired her to create the Coalition for Ethical Maternity Care during COVID-19. Heather has dedicated herself to assisting families to understand their options in maternity care and helping them to preserve their autonomy in the process. "[As a birthing person]... use your voice. You matter. Your needs matter. And your needs matter more than anyone else's in the room. And if your care providers aren't willing to acknowledge that, then you need to either find other care providers or find some sort of tool to help communicate that better. You have a lot more power than you think you do and now is the perfect opportunity for you to step up and use it. Even if it is terrifying. I promise you, that it will be a far more valuable experience if you do step up and push through that fear and have your needs met. Because you're worth it" —Heather Barson About Heather Barson: Heather is an independent midwife and doula practicing in Northeast Utah. She also provides various placenta services, including at-home placenta stem cell consulting. Seeing her rural community was in need of more doulas, and the local hospitals were somewhat hostile to the few professional doulas in the area, she co-founded the Uintah Basin Doula Association. With this organization, she and her colleagues befriended the hospitals so their clients would get better care, advertised heavily on behalf of doulas in general so professional doulas could charge what they were worth, and began training and supporting professional doulas locally. Seeing another need during the COVID-19 pandemic, she recently founded the Coalition for Ethical Maternity Care, a national organization open to all problem-solving members of the maternity care team. With it she hopes to see more facilities model their COVID-19 maternity care policies after facilities that choose reasonable and respectful precautions over ones that are harmful to mothers and babies. Connect with the Coalition for Ethical Maternity Care: Website: ethicalbirth.org (https://www.ethicalbirth.org/) Facebook: Coalition for Ethical Maternity Care ( facebook.com/groups/ethicalmaternitycare) Email: ethicalbirth@gmail.com (mailto:ethicalbirth@gmail.com)   Connect with Heather Barson: Facebook: Sacred Space Midwifery- Uintah Basin (facebook.com/SacredSpaceHeather ) Email: heatherbarson@usa.com   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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/) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as Michelle has a potentially life changing conversation with Lynn Schulte, founder of the Institute for Birth Healing, regarding the ways in which healing and  understanding our pelvic health can enhance our body’s ability to give birth and health postpartum. Lynn explains the physical mechanics of the pelvic joints, the pelvic bones, and pelvic floor muscles and how they are meant to work together for birth. Lynn shares why she doesn’t recommend doing lots of kegel exercises during pregnancy to prepare for birth, why coached “purple pushing” during birth is really counter-intuitive to releasing the baby, and how the vocalizations in birth help relax the pelvic floor. She explains why the issues are in our tissues and how healing can occur swiftly when we listen to the patterns held within the pelvis. Please join the Birth Healing Summit 2020 which is a free online event that begins April 20th. “...A lot of what we bring in our body to the pregnancy and to the birth can influence that birth. So there’s preexisting things that a person might be carrying in their body that can influence whether or not that birth is going to go really smoothly or it’s gonna be more challenging.”—Lynn Schulte Lynn Schulte, BSPT, is a Women’s Health Physical Therapist with over 30 years’ experience and is the founder of the Institute for Birth Healing. She has been helping moms heal from all the multitude of issues women experience after birth and is now teaching courses to bodyworkers to help them do the same. She found a common birth pattern that shows up in the pelvis after birth and knows how to effectively release these patterns. She offers a certification process to help birth professionals to become Birth Healing Specialists. Birth Healing Resources: Birth Healing Summit (https://birthhealingsummit.com/?oprid&ref=15790) Central Florida Birth Healing Specialist Melissa Schubert (https://pelvicrehab.com/practitioner/melissa-schubert-pt/) Birth Healing for Parents Course (https://instituteforbirthhealing.com/confidence-core-pelvic-floor/) Birth Healing Doula Course (https://instituteforbirthhealing.com/birth-recovery-doulas/)   Connect with Lynne Schulte: Website: Institute for Birth Healing (https://www.instituteforbirthhealing.com) Facebook: Institute for Birth Healing (https://www.facebook.com/InstituteForBirthHealing/) YouTube: Institute for Birth Healing (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBUsM_zZ9keQBugpIYhkJNQ) Instagram: Institute for Birth Healing (https://instagram.com/instituteforbirthhealing) Linked In: Lynn Schulte (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynn-schulte-leech-932a341/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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/) Show:

Listen in as Cristen  Pascucci and Michelle continue their conversation regarding human rights in childbirth. They delve into the fact that everyone brings their own background, biases, and trauma with them to the birth room. Criste...

Have you ever wondered what your rights are during childbirth? Listen in to part one of this much needed conversation as Cristen Pascucci, founder of Birth Monopoly shares with Michelle how the experience of her son's birth provided the impetus that led her to become a leading voice for women giving birth. “There is that perception that in some situations, your consent doesn’t matter. As a woman, when it comes to sex and reproduction there are some situations where you no longer own your body. Someone else has the authority over your body. That is really powerful. And that is what continually surprises me that people don’t get more upset about it in the realm of childbirth. That really that people aren’t taking to the streets to say, 'My basic civil rights are not only violated as an individual, but widely disrespected in policy and practice all across the country in hundreds of facilities.'"—Cristen Pascucci About Cristen Pascucci: A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media.  Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth.   Connect with Cristen Pascucci: Website: birthmonopoly.com (http://www.birthmonopoly.com) Facebook: Birth Monopoly (http://www.facebook.com/birthmonopoly) Instagram: @birthmonopoly (http://www. instagram.com/birthmonopoly)   COVID-19 and Pregnancy Resources: BIRTH MONOPOLY: COVID-19 AND DOULA SUPPORT: HOW TO RESPOND TO CHANGING HOSPITAL POLICIES (https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19-and-doula-support-how-to-respond-to-changing-hospital-policies/) Coronavirus COVID-19 | Evidence Based Birth® Resource Page (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/covid19/) Black Mamas Matter Alliance (https://blackmamasmatter.org/) VBAC Facts: Offering Labor After Cesarean During COVID-19 (https://vbacfacts.com/covid19/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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/) Show:

In these uncertain times that we are facing in this pandemic of the COVID-1, especially as a pregnant person, many expecting families are considering transferring from a  hospital birth setting to a home or birth center setting. Listen in as Michelle and Mary Surprenant, Licensed Midwife, discuss the different types of midwifery training and licensing, the legalities of home birth in different states, insurance, and what home birth and birth center birth entails. Mary explains the safety considerations of out of hospital birth and when a transfer from home or birth center would be warranted. Together they recommend getting quiet and going within to discover where you would feel safest. "Birth can't be done out of fear. … Where is it that you feel the safest? When you find that, that is the way to have your safe, peaceful birth when you're in the surroundings of chaos."—Mary Surprenant About Mary Surprenant, LM, CPM: Mary attended the Florida School of Traditional Midwifery in 2012. She was licensed in 2013, and began her vocation as a midwife providing care to families in a  birth center and home birth setting for over 5 years. Mary established her own home birth practice, Blessings in Abundance, in order to focus more on home birth and reconnecting with the client and her family as a whole. Her passion is helping more central Florida families bring their child into a peaceful world in the most loving way. Connect with Mary Surprenant: Website: biamidwifery.com Facebook: @BIAMidwifery (https://www.facebook.com/BIAMidwifery/) Instagram: @surprenantlmcpm (https://www.instagram.com/surprenantlmcpm/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In these uncertain times that we are facing in this pandemic of the COVID-19, it is even more valuable to elicit the relaxation response and deepen the bonds of connection with our children and those we love. This episode includes an adapted version of Michelle's foundational Birth Ease relaxation session which assists parents in creating an Inner Sanctuary for themselves and their baby. If parents counteract the effects of stress by utilizing the relaxation response daily, their babies receive the benefit as well; especially babies in the womb.  Pre & perinatal psychologists recommend connecting and bonding with your baby while in the womb as a vital way to help protect babies from stress and the rigors of birth. The relaxation response is essentially the opposite reaction to the “fight or flight” response. It is a physical state of deep relaxation which engages the other part of your nervous system—the parasympathetic nervous system. Once engaged, it turns off the fight or flight response and brings the body back to pre-stress levels counteracting the physiological effects of stress and the fight or flight response. Episode 03 of this podcast lists ways to help reduce the impacts of stress and also contains a guided relaxation session for parents of all ages to help elicit the relaxation response and strengthen the parent-child bond. "Finding ways to elicit the relaxation response is something everyone can use right now and the beneficial effects will trickle down to our children. We can be more present for them when we take time to get out of flight, fight, or freeze." —Michelle Smith 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.   COVID-19 and Pregnancy Resources: Coronavirus COVID-19 | Evidence Based Birth® Resource Page (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/covid19/) Black Mamas Matter Alliance (https://blackmamasmatter.org/) BIRTH MONOPOLY: COVID-19 AND DOULA SUPPORT: HOW TO RESPOND TO CHANGING HOSPITAL POLICIES (https://birthmonopoly.com/covid-19-and-doula-support-how-to-respond-to-changing-hospital-policies/) VBAC Facts: Offering Labor After Cesarean During COVID-19 (https://vbacfacts.com/covid19/) Aviva Romm, MD: COVID-19, and Pregnancy Breastfeeding: What We Know is Reassuring (https://avivaromm.com/covid-19-pregnancy-breastfeeding/) World Health Organization:  Q&A on COVID-19, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding (https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-on-covid-19-pregnancy-childbirth-and-breastfeeding) CDC: Information on COVID-19 and Pregnant Women and Children (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/pregnant-women-and-children.html)

Often there is so much focus on the pregnancy and the birth, families may find themselves woefully unprepared for the realities that having a new baby can bring to their lives. Having a new baby can feel overwhelming and isolating for many families and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the stress families may feel. Michelle explains helpful self-care tips for new parents and provides an overview of what the postpartum experience can be like. She distinguishes between baby blues and postpartum depression, gives an overview of maternal mood disorders, and provides resources for families here in the show notes. Michelle ends this information-packed episode with a brief guided meditation. (replay of episode 36) Resources: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Postpartum Support International, The Blue Dot Project, Baby Makes 3: The Gottman Institute, Dads With Wisdom, Motherly: Eight Ways to Reduce Anxiety for Mothers Baby Care Resources: Dunstan Baby Language, Happiest Baby on the Block, All Babies Cry, No Cry Solution Connect with Michelle: birtheaseservices.com, Facebook @thebirtheasepodcast and @birtheasemethod, Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith

As the few last weeks have unfolded in regards to the pandemic of the Coronavirus COVID-19 and the uncertainty we are facing; becoming quiet, going within, and eliciting the relaxation response is even more crucial. Multiple studies have the benefits of meditation and the relaxation response. This response reduces the impacts of stress and inflammation within the body, and reducing stress is one of the recommended actions to take to help strengthen your immune system. In this special episode, Michelle created this guided imagery meditation to assist whomever is interested in listening to help mitigate the stress that most all of us are under, to reconnect with your own inner wisdom, and return to love. This meditation is more spiritual than religious in nature. In order to help each person listening find space for their own belief structure as it relates to their personal relationship with their higher power, Michelle refers to the Divine as God, as Creator of All That Is, as Source… What is comforting to one, may not be for another. Michelle encourages you to please use the name for God or Creator that resonates for you while listening to the meditation. “There is a part of you that is your inner knowing, your own inner wisdom. This wisdom comes from the Creator and has been within you always. Often we forget to listen to it, or even how to listen to it. The beauty is you can remember how to listen. You can learn to trust yourself once again. One way to do that is to go within… relaxing the body… quieting the mind…. The mind doesn’t have to be perfectly still, it is simply listening for the voice that speaks to you with compassion, with love instead of fear or consternation or judgement… You can find that compassionate voice, you can remember the love that is there for you,  and you can return to who you really are.” —Michelle Smith 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 meditation 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 meditation with headphones on, for everyone’s safety never listen to it while driving or riding in a vehicle. About Michelle Smith: Known for the soothing sound of her voice and calming presence, Michelle serves as an educator and advocate for families as they navigate our challenging medical system which often strips women of their autonomy and their right to be heard. Michelle is the founder of the Birth Ease Method—an online and in person childbirth education program which teaches parents how to connect with their inner wisdom, release their fears, and create a deep and profound relaxation habit. Vital skills that serve families not only throughout their pregnancy and birth, but ultimately for the rest of their lives. With first-hand experience regarding the deep and far-reaching impacts of stress, birth trauma, and perinatal loss; Michelle has developed a specialization that includes stress reduction, natural childbirth, parenting, grief, trauma, and birth-related post-traumatic stress. An expert in the field, Michelle possesses twenty years of experience as an educator, birth and bereavement doula, ordained interfaith minister, energy healing practitioner, and in the field of clinical hypnosis.

In this insightful interview, Kathy Tagudin shares with Michelle her remarkable recovery from debilitating, chronic illness that doctors deemed incurable. Together Kathy and Michelle explore why connecting with your inner knowing, listening fully to the wisdom of your body, and finding compassion for self is imperative. “Disconnection from self is the danger of all. ...And we are searching and searching for someone to give us our worth and our power, and someone to blame for why we don’t have those things. And meanwhile, you’re just here- waiting for you.” —Kathy Tagudin About Kathy Tagudin: Kathy is a mind-body connection specialist who helps women listen to their bodies and live authentic lives. Kathy believes disconnection from self is the root of all pain and suffering and that mindful awareness holds the key to our health, happiness, and future. Kathy's birth as a master coach and mindfulness teacher stems from her life-altering nine-year journey surviving disabling, chronic illness. Struggling to walk, talk, eat, or maintain essential bodily functions, doctors labeled her incurable.  But by discovering her body's inner wisdom, she reclaimed her life…one milestone at a time. Her mission in life is to remind everyone what you need is already within.   Connect Kathy Tagudin: Facebook: Kathy Tagadin, Mind-Body Specialist (https://www.facebook.com/embraceyourhealing)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as Annette Leary shares with Michelle the multitude of ways that CranioSacral Therapy benefits people of all ages and stages in life. CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, hands-on approach that releases tensions deep in the body to relieve pain and dysfunction and improve whole-body health and performance. It was pioneered and developed by Osteopathic Physician John E. Upledger after years of clinical testing and research at Michigan State University. "For newborns, those are the kinda things we look at: digestion, feeding, being able to self-soothe, being able to sleep- really disruptive sleep patterns with the babies. I'll also see situations where you know maybe the baby is a week or two old and I'll hear, "Oh, he is so strong. He is standing up." Hmm… babies aren't supposed to stand up at two weeks or arch their head back." —Annette Leary About Annette Leary: Annette has been working with families for over 30 years as a pediatric/postpartum nurse, childbirth educator, and Iinternational Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She enjoys working with the whole family to improve their state of wellness and to educate them on how to seek knowledge on managing their health. This commitment to families led Annette to become Upledger Institute trained in Craniosacral Therapy. Connect with Annette Leary: Website: https://www.iahp.com/Annette-Leary/ (https://www.iahp.com/Annette-Leary/) Facebook: Annette Leary ( https://www.facebook.com/annette.leary.31),  Annette's Natural Approach to Heath and Wellness (https://www.facebook.com/facilitatingwellnesswithannette/ )   Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In this second half of this two part interview, listen in as Michelle and Susan Dascenzi continue their conversation regarding trauma. They discuss the secondary post traumatic stress that can impact birth workers, hospital staff, and care providers. They touch upon the ways conditioning, past painful learning, and/or trauma constrict a person's ability to give voice to their wants, concerns, and needs— particularly during their pregnancy and birth. Susan explains why having tools and a road map are essential to creating post traumatic growth. She shares valuable tips to begin working through something traumatic and how to navigate those times when a situation is triggering strong sensations of past trauma. "One of the big things that I think is super important in understanding first about triggers is that triggers can happen in a whole host of ways. You have emotional triggers. You have spiritual triggers. You have physiological triggers. You have mental triggers. … Feelings and emotions are not the same thing. Feelings are physical sensations in the physical body only." —Susan Dascenzi   Susan L. Dascenzi is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Life and Business Coach, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, and the Health and Fitness Category Director for Podcast Magazine. She has invested the last 27 years guiding her clients in recognizing how their past negative conditioning creates their present and future and stops them from stepping into their infinite possibilities. As a highly regarded human behavior and emotions expert, also known as “The Possibilities Curator,” she co-authored an Amazon Ranked #1 International Best-Selling book alongside Neale Donald Walsch and Marci Shimoff, with her own book set to release late 2020.   Connect with Susan: Show: Kick Your Buts podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kick-your-buts/id1482968113) Facebook: @Susan Dascenzi ( https://www.facebook.com/sdascenzi), @kickyourbuts (https://www.facebook.com/kickyourbuts/) Twitter: @susandascenzi ( https://twitter.com/susandascenzi) Instagram: @sdascenzi1 ( https://www.instagram.com/sdascenzi1/) LinkedIn: @susandascenzi/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandascenzi/) Website: kickyourbuts.com (http://kickyourbuts.com/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In this two part interview, listen in as Michelle and Susan Dascenzi delve deeper into what trauma is and the concept of Big ‘T’ and Little ‘t’ trauma as it relates to pregnancy and birth. "Trauma is anything that is shocking to our system and that we then have a difficult time either making sense of, understanding, or receiving the experience as something that we can manage and handle. So it becomes kinda this loop that happens in our mind where we pick apart every piece of it and we often insert self-blame into it." —Susan Dascenzi Susan L. Dascenzi is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Life and Business Coach, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, and the Health and Fitness Category Director for Podcast Magazine. She has invested the last 27 years guiding her clients in recognizing how their past negative conditioning creates their present and future and stops them from stepping into their infinite possibilities. As a highly regarded human behavior and emotions expert, also known as “The Possibilities Curator,” she co-authored an Amazon Ranked #1 International Best-Selling book alongside Neale Donald Walsch and Marci Shimoff, with her own book set to release late 2020. Connect with Susan: Show: Kick Your Buts podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kick-your-buts/id1482968113) Facebook: @Susan Dascenzi ( https://www.facebook.com/sdascenzi), @kickyourbuts (https://www.facebook.com/kickyourbuts/) Twitter: @susandascenzi ( https://twitter.com/susandascenzi) Instagram: @sdascenzi1 ( https://www.instagram.com/sdascenzi1/) LinkedIn: @susandascenzi/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandascenzi/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

What was it like to give birth 25, 30, 40 years ago? Listen in as Meg Folsom and Michelle share with humor, anger, and sorrow about their experiences of giving birth decades earlier. Together they recall the loss of autonomy women endured with forced routine episiotomies, enemas, forcep deliveries, the husband stitch, and the separation of the mother-baby dyad. They reflect on the trauma that these barbaric hospital practices and protocols created for families. “I’m trying to do the breathing that they teach you. The ‘HE-HE, HO-HO’ and you know that’s a joke. … And then they tell me they're gonna cut me and do an episiotomy. And I am like, “WHAT?” I have my baby. They take him away. My parents had gotten to the hospital, and I didn’t even get to name my own baby. They asked my mother what his name was… Then they wheeled me out and left me in the hallway on a gurney. … So I laid in the hallway by myself not knowing if my son was okay or not.” —Meg Folsom About Meg Folsom: Meg has been protecting the sanctity of birth as a doula, midwifery birth assistant, birth center manager, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and placenta encapsulation specialist for over 20 years. The depth of Meg’s knowledge, insight, and her compassionate heart has touched the lives of hundreds of families in Central Florida. Meg is continuing to serve families at Tree of Life Birth and Gynecology in Orlando, Florida.   Connect with Meg Folsom: Facebook: Meg Folsom (What was it like to give birth 25, 30, 40 years ago? Listen in as Meg Folsom and Michelle share with humor, anger, and sorrow about their experiences of giving birth decades earlier. Together they recall the loss of autonomy women endured with forced routine episiotomies, enemas, forcep deliveries, the husband stitch, and the separation of the mother-baby dyad. They reflect on the trauma that these barbaric hospital practices and protocols created for families. “I’m trying to do the breathing they teach you. The ‘HE-HE, HO-HO’ and you know that’s a joke. … And then they tell me they are going to cut me and do an episiotomy. I am like, “WHAT?” I have my baby. They take him away. My parents had gotten to the hospital, and I didn’t even get to name my own baby. They asked my mother what his name was… Then they wheeled me out and left me in the hallway on a gurney. … So I layed in the hallway by myself not knowing if my son was okay or not.” —Meg Folsom About Meg Folsom: Meg has been protecting the sanctity of birth as a doula, midwifery birth assistant, birth center manager, childbirth educator, lactation counsellor, and placenta encapsulation specialist for over 20 years. The depth of Meg’s knowledge, insight, and her compassionate heart has touched the lives of hundreds of families in Central Florida. Meg is continuing to serve families at Tree of Life Birth Center in Orlando, Florida. Connect with Meg Folsom: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mommeg) ,  Tree of Life Birth and Gynecology (https://www.facebook.com/treeoflifebirthandgyn/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show:

In last week’s episode, Michelle and Dr. Lyndsey Sutherland touched upon the stress and trauma that her pediatric families are experiencing within their pregnancies, during the birth of their babies, and the implications this is having on her tiny patients. That conversation prompted Michelle to share her guest spot on Susan Dascenzi’s podcast, Kick Your Buts. In this foundation interview, together Susan and Michelle touch on what trauma is, explain how stress during pregnancy and birth can have an impact on the child, define trauma within birth, the importance of finding tools to mitigate stress, and  practices to help support a new family. "There is a sad statistic 35-50% of women experience birth trauma, 2.5%-9% will experience birth related PTSD, and many pre and perinatal psychologists feel that the birth trauma for babies is epidemic right now. That sets the stage. How are you treated the very moment that you take your [first] breath?" —  Michelle Smith Susan L. Dascenzi is a Licensed Psychotherapist, Life and Business Coach, Author, Speaker, Podcast Host, and the Health and Fitness Category Director for Podcast Magazine. She has invested the last 27 years guiding her clients in recognizing how their past negative conditioning creates their present and future and stops them from stepping into their infinite possibilities. As a highly regarded human behavior and emotions expert, also known as “The Possibilities Curator,” she co-authored an Amazon Ranked #1 International Best-Selling book alongside Neale Donald Walsch and Marci Shimoff, with her own book set to release late 2020. Connect with Susan: Show: Kick Your Buts podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kick-your-buts/id1482968113) Facebook: @Susan Dascenzi ( https://www.facebook.com/sdascenzi), @kickyourbuts (https://www.facebook.com/kickyourbuts/) Twitter: @susandascenzi ( https://twitter.com/susandascenzi) Instagram: @sdascenzi1 ( https://www.instagram.com/sdascenzi1/) LinkedIn: @susandascenzi/ ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/susandascenzi/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as Michelle and Dr. Lyndsey Sutherland, DNP, ARNP discuss the beauty of integrating both Eastern and Western medical practices when caring for our children, and how this holistic approach looks for the root of the problem versus simply treating the systems. In this proactive practice model, the provider is treating the whole child and supporting the whole family. Lyndsey shares what to look for when choosing a pediatric provider for your child. Together they stress the importance of finding a caregiver that creates an environment that promotes mutual communication, safety, and trust. Dr. Lyndsey Sutherland, DNP, ARNP is a passionate mother and advocate for healthy families. She is both a professor at the University of Central Florida and an entrepreneur working hard to empower families on their journey to live happy and full lives. Lyndsey is a Family Nurse Practitioner who received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Central Florida with honors. In her practice she focuses on prevention and education, which are the building blocks to maintain and establish health. She works closely with a network of medical professionals to find the root cause of illness for her patients and not just treat their symptoms. Lyndsey believes in you. She believes in your children. She knows you were made for this and that together we will not just survive parenthood, but thrive as mothers and fathers of the children we love so much. "If you don't feel safe [with your provider] and if you don't feel comfortable, it is important to keep looking. It's a long journey. And to not feel safe and comfortable with someone, that's way too long to be holding hands with someone. And we are talking about your precious family, and so to me, it only makes sense to find the right person who will come along side you in this journey." —Lyndsey Sutherland   Connect with Dr. Lyndsey Sutherland, DNP, ARNP: Website: http://www.lyndseysutherland.com (http://www.lyndseysutherland.com/) Facebook:  @LyndseySutherlandDNP (https://www.facebook.com/LyndseySutherlandDNP/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

We all need a guide to help us stay in a more positive and peaceful space for ourselves and our babies. Dr. Ankita Marjadi’s book, "Knock, Knock, Let's Talk" is just that. This beautiful resource is for all expecting mothers. It is designed to reduce the fear and anxiety a mother may be experiencing during her pregnancy and to enhance bonding with the baby in her womb. It acts as an uplifting guide for mom during each week of her pregnancy and provides a passage to be read to the baby that teaches a virtue such as kindness, happiness and honesty.  It also includes a space for journaling and sharing a mother’s own thoughts and dreams with her baby. In this episode, Dr. Marjadi graciously shares with Michelle how the book was born during her second pregnancy as she searched for a way to lessen the fear and stress that threatened to consume her after losing her first child to a stillbirth. This sweet book, which can be used at any time to receive a dose of motivation and positivity, is the achievement closest to her heart. "Babies are very, very conscious. They're having an environment in the womb. They can feel what you are giving emotionally. And they are learning and listening to everything that you have to offer. So if you are saying and if you are talking to your baby something positive, it has a very beautiful positive reaction unto the baby because the baby feels wanted. The baby feels loved with the words you are sharing." —Dr. Ankita Marjadi   About Dr.Ankita Sapan Marjadi Dr. Marjadi is a psychotherapist, homeopath, and the co- founder of Arogyada Online Homeopathy Clinic. She is also an entrepreneur, blogger, social activist and a doting mother of two beautiful girls. She is a popular name amongst bloggers wherein she blogs about health, relationships, life and its mysteries, and happiness. She has been the pioneer of 'Need to Talk Initiative', 'Starting a Smile Mile, Will You Join Me?' and  'I Choose to Happy and Healthy through Homeopathy'. She is an eminent speaker on topics such as positive parenting, how to cope up with stress, health and hygiene for kids, menstrual hygiene, good touch bad touch for children, how to keep our mental health good, and life after 40 for women.  Dr. Marjadi is the author of the book, “ Knock Knock Let's Talk”  which is on positive thinking during pregnancy which has been the achievement which is very close to her heart. Connect with Dr. Ankita Sapan Marjadi: Book: Knock Knock Let's Talk (https://www.amazon.com/Knock-Lets-Ankita-Sapan-Marjadi/dp/9353473454/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1579241186&sr=8-1 ) Websites: www.ankitasmetanoia.in (http://www.ankitasmetanoia.in/) www.arogyadaclinic.com (http://www.arogyadaclinic.com/) Facebook: Author Dr. Ankita Sapan Marjadi (https://www.facebook.com/Ankitasmetanoia/) Instagram: ankita_sapan (https://www.instagram.com/ankita_sapan/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (BirthEaseServices.com) Facebook: Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/), The Birth Ease Podcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/),

Listen in as Juliet Michaels shares insights with Michelle into the multiple advantages that chiropractic care brings to babies and their mothers during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum year. Juliet explains how gentle the chiropractic adjustments are for expecting mothers, babies, and children and how this care differs from that a non-pregnant adult would receive. Juliet provides guidance regarding signs to look for in your newborn that signal that your baby, and you, would benefit from chiropractic care. “Statistically, women who [receive chiropractic care and] get adjusted throughout pregnancy and during labor have faster and, what they report as easier, labors than those who don't."  — Juliet Michaels   About Juliet Michaels: Juliet is a Chiropractic Physician. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Northern Arizona University and her Doctorate of Chiropractic from Palmer College of Chiropractic. She has published research on the benefits of chiropractic care and its efficacy of many pediatric and pregnancy related issues. Juliet very is passionate about helping Central Florida families achieve their pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and neonatal goals.   Connect with Juliet Michaels, DC: Facebook: Juliet Michaels, DC (https://www.facebook.com/julietmichaelsdc) , Family Tree Chiropractic (https://www.facebook.com/Family-Tree-Chiropractic-1625684827715623/) Website: Integrated Chiropractic (https://www.drlatino.com/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Adam Angel, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, explains the importance of inclusion and recognition for fathers as the baby's parent, as the support person for their partner or spouse, as well as a separate individual by medical professionals and birth professionals. Adam and Michelle discuss that 10% of men can experience perinatal mood disorders such as depression and anxiety and how that can manifest in fathers. Adam also shares the online parenting workshops that he founded and co-facilitates for fathers. His Dads With Wisdom workshop groups seek to build on men's knowledge, skills, and instincts of fatherhood by placing men into teams of potential or current fathers where they can connect, share and receive support from each other and Dad's With Wisdom staff with the goal of becoming wiser dads. The group workshops are structured with 1 or 2 topics per workshop. The workshops are interactive and promote discussion between members so everyone is able to share their experience and wisdom. There are workshops for soon-to-be dads, first-time dads (newborn - 1 year), and dads with toddlers ages 1-3. "I think that a lot of the experience that men have is that unfortunately, and this was my experience too, a lot of our medical professionals aren't supporting the partner in the room. With the intention of supporting the birthing partner, which they should in giving them focused attention at those prenatal appointments, they end up pretty clearly ignoring the dad. It's just an experience that feels very shared across many men."— Adam Angel Connect with Adam on Instagram and Facebook @dadswithwisdom and at his websites: www.dadswithwisdom.com and www.adamangeltherapy.com Connect with Michelle for classes and support at www.birtheaseservices.com, on Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith, and on Facebook @thebirtheasepodcast and @BirthEaseMethod Thanks for Listening!

Listen in as Michelle shares with birth partners how an understanding of the learning styles Visual, Auditory, Tactile-Kinesthetic,and Olfactory-Gustatory  can help them to better provide comfort measures and support their partner during labor and birth. The beauty of this is that the expecting mom and her birth partner can explore what both their learning and processing styles are before labor begins and consider what she thinks would be the most helpful to her at the time of birth. If the mom’s strongest learning style is the birth partner’s weakest, he or she can begin to think of ways to support her that may not naturally occur to them. This basic understanding of learning and processing styles can explain why a laboring mom is so sensitive to certain things in labor such as the feel of monitors on her skin, the sound of the voices at the nurses station, or the smell of that hamburger someone ate for lunch. These suggestions for comfort measures during labor and birth are helpful no matter a birthing mom’s predominant learning and processing style.   Resources: Studying Style (https://www.studyingstyle.com/) Help Your Student Find Their Learning Style and Succeed (https://www.greenmountainhypnosis.com/blogs/post/Help-Your-Student-Find-Their-Learning-Style-and-Succeed/) 4 Types of Learning Styles (https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/types-of-learning-styles/)   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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as Michelle and Kathy Bradley explore the sources of fear and stress that can create doubts surrounding the ability to breastfeed our babies and trust ourselves as parents. They also discuss the importance of reducing the shame present in our culture regarding breastfeeding and the guilt a mother can feel if she needs to supplement, is unable to breastfeed, or decides to bottle and/or formula feed her baby. “We are getting the messages in our culture that breastfeeding is best, but it’s not being modeled. So in an unconscious, non-verbal way we are getting two different messages that we are diabolically opposed.” —Kathy Bradley About Kathy Bradley: Spanning a 30 year career in the maternal health field, Kathy is the visionary behind Childbirth Concierge. She holds a degree in Communication and Public Relations, and is a Certified Childbirth Consultant as well as a Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Kathy’s focus over the years has been providing education and support to women of all income levels. She worked for 14 years in Maternal Health at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida. As the founder and executive director of the former Childbirth Enhancement Foundation, she developed partnerships and training programs for community based doula programs with 14 hospitals. Kathy developed the Community Outreach Perinatal Educator Program for Commonsense Childbirth, Inc.- a nonprofit institution dedicated eliminating racial and class disparities in perinatal health and improve birth outcomes for all. She is strongly motivated to support women no matter how they choose to birth or feed their babies. As a mother of 5, she truly understands the challenges families face preparing for birth and caring for their newborns. A born educator, she is in her element teaching new parents and health professionals.   Connect with Kathy Bradley: Website: childbirthconcierge.com (https://childbirthconcierge.com/) Instagram: @childbirthconcierge (https://www.instagram.com/childbirthconcierge/) Facebook: Childbirth Concierge (https://www.facebook.com/childbirthconcierge/) YouTube: Childbirth Concierge (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_nRUKqIhV24gbRVHOFw_xw) Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (http://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) Show: The Birth Ease Podcast (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as Michelle and Mitchell Jarrell discuss the ways our senses impact our learning and processing styles. Mitchell explains how gaining an understanding of the different styles can help you to support your child’s learning. This understanding can also improve communication within your relationships. Together Mitchell and Michelle stress the importance of doing the work of self-growth and cultivating our own self-acceptance. Because we cannot instill self-esteem in our children, if we do not have it to give. “Take time to understand someone else. And if you care about them, figure out how they learn. That way you can better communicate." —Mitchell Jarrell Resources: Studying Style (https://www.studyingstyle.com/) Help Your Student Find Their Learning Style and Succeed (https://www.greenmountainhypnosis.com/blogs/post/Help-Your-Student-Find-Their-Learning-Style-and-Succeed/) 4 Types of Learning Styles (https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/types-of-learning-styles/)     Mitchell Jarrell is a former teacher and gifted artist. Connect with Mitchell Jarrell (Smith) and learn more about his art: Instagram: @handspuntattoos (https://www.instagram.com/handspuntattoos/)     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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Feeling Stressed this Holiday Season? This time of year can be magical and joyous, and it can also bring a lot of stress and overwhelm. For some of us, we are facing the holiday season without someone we love. The grief can be daunting at times. For others, the holidays are haunted with painful memories that can bring with them anxiety. With this in mind, Michelle has created a guided relaxation session geared towards anyone wanting to release the stress and overwhelm this season can bring. The purpose is to help you return to your center to find clarity and peace. “It is my sincerest wish [for you] that this holiday season be filled with peace and moments of magic and love.” —Michelle Smith   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 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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Listen in as April Dawn shares with Michelle the powerful stories that shaped April’s desire to serve families during the childbearing year. Their conversation explores the benefits of bodywork: massage, reflexology, acupressure, healing touch, as well as the ways that our body stores memory and emotion within our very cells. Together they share insights into the selfless gift that adoption brings to families. “Sometimes it takes the power of that [healing] touch to release what you're holding. Bringing it up to the surface so that you can recognize it. See it. Sometimes that is all that emotion wants. It just wants you to see it and recognize it; and love it and let it go."  — April Dawn About April Dawn: April has been attending pregnant, laboring, and newly born families for over 30 years. Having attended her first birth while still in high school, she felt ignited by the calling to support families as they bring their babies Earthside. In this spirit, she has dedicated her life to the study of all things health —nutrition, healing-touch modalities, and the human microbiome — working actively in the naturopathic, chiropractic, and nutritional health arenas. She is a Licensed Massage Therapist, a Food-Healing Instructor, and Master of Culinary Arts. April is a true birth guardian, having worked as both a midwifery birth Assistant, as well as a doula in the home, hospital, and birthing center setting.   Connect with April Dawn: Facebook: The Mothered Momma (https://www.facebook.com/themotheredmommalmt/) Instagram: @themotheredmomma (https://www.instagram.com/themotheredmomma/)   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (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) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

Michelle is excited to interview Natasha Solovieff. Together they explore the ways that parenting can be compared to an ongoing dance with your child and the importance of acknowledging needs of both parent and child. Natasha explains the ways your can decrease your stress, filter through all the information and opinions, and connect more fully with your children, your partner, and your own inner wisdom. Natasha shares her L.O.V.V.E. process: Listening, Om-ing (centering yourself), Voicing, Visioning, and Exploring. Her tools are invaluable when planning a pregnancy, during pregnancy and birth, while communicating with medical providers, throughout your parenting years, and even once your children are adults. “The challenge of all of this is we don’t live in a listening culture and we, ourselves, haven’t been taught how to listen, let alone, what it is to be listened to. But we have to listen to ourselves and ask to be listened to.” —Natasha Solovieff About Natasha Solovieff: Natasha is a mom, now to a beautiful twenty something. 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. She also writes heartfelt and intriguing science-for-parents blogs. Connect with Natasha Solovieff: Website: OMGparenting.com (https://omgparenting.com/) Twitter: @OParenting (https://twitter.com/oparenting) Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (http://www.birtheaseservices.com) Facebook: fb.me/birtheasemethod (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/) Instagram:@ birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) Youtube: Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, this time of year can be magical, and at the same time there are the images and expectations of happy family get-togethers and the pressure to keep up with the parties, gift giving, and years of tradition. Michelle has created this special episode for those of us facing the holidays after experiencing a loss. The experience of grief may take the form of the death of a loved one, it may be the loss of a relationship through a break up, divorce or separation, it may be a move that now has you far from family and friends, or a major life transition. The grief may be from the wounding we experienced from past painful holidays. This episode is meant to create a space to simply relax into and honor what is there for you. Michelle shares 7 tips for facing the holidays when grieving or facing the challenges of stressful family dynamics. There will be a meditation at the end of this episode to help create a safe haven in a time of loss, grief and/or transition. “The holidays feel incredibly daunting... When you are grieving any sort of loss, now more than ever, be kind to yourself. Be patient and compassionate with yourself. You need only do what you feel capable of. Nothing more. It really is okay to put yourself first. I would suggest surrounding yourself when possible with those that can honor your grief and allow you the freedom and vulnerability to cry, laugh, be sad, leave early if you need to. Someone that allows you to be authentic.” —  Michelle Smith Connect with Michelle: Website: BirthEaseServices.com//loss-support (https://www.birtheaseservices.com/loss-support) Facebook:  fb.me/thebirtheasepodcast (https://www.facebook.com/thebirtheasepodcast/) Instagram: @birtheaselosssupport (https://www.instagram.com/birtheaselosssupport/) Youtube: Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml) Episode references: http://www.legacy.com/news/advice-and-support/article/david-kesslers-top-4-tips-for-dealing-with-holiday-grief https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-tips-for-those-dealing-with-grief-during-the-holidays_b_13688346 https://mindfulnessandgrief.com/7-tips-to-support-grieving-children-during-the-holidays/ https://www.grief.com (https://www.grief.com)

Michelle is incredibly honored to feature another one of her mentors in the birth field, Kathy Bradley. With 50 years of combined experience between them, Michelle and Kathy discuss the ways that a doula can reduce stress and fear during the childbearing year. Kathy explains what a doula is, the history of the profession, and the continuity of care doulas provide. She stresses the importance of taking into consideration a doula’s birth philosophy as it compares to your desires for your birth, as well as the value her years of experience can bring to you. Kathy shares a powerful technique to help release any negative and limiting beliefs someone may have regarding their ability to give birth. “There is so much fear and so much unrest. And I believe we are in process of women recognizing that through the ages somewhere our voice has been diminished. Our ability to believe in ourselves has been stolen. And so we are working to reclaim that we are powerful human beings. That we can chose powerfully. That we know what our body needs... Because our ability to believe in ourselves and our ability to give birth has been stolen from us. We are in the process of reclaiming that back.”— Kathy Bradley About Kathy Bradley: Spanning a 30 year career in the maternal health field, Kathy is the visionary behind Childbirth Concierge. She holds a degree in Communication and Public Relations, and is a Certified Childbirth Consultant as well as a Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Kathy’s focus over the years has been providing education and support to women of all income levels. She worked for 14 years in Maternal Health at Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida. As the founder and executive director of the former Childbirth Enhancement Foundation, she developed partnerships and training programs for community based doula programs with 14 hospitals. Kathy developed the Community Outreach Perinatal Educator Program for Commonsense Childbirth, Inc.- a nonprofit institution dedicated eliminating racial and class disparities in perinatal health and improve birth outcomes for all. She is strongly motivated to support women no matter how they choose to birth or feed their babies. As a mother of 5, she truly understands the challenges families face preparing for birth and caring for their newborns. A born educator, she is in her element teaching new parents and health professionals. Connect with Kathy Bradley: Website: childbirthconcierge.com (https://childbirthconcierge.com/) Instagram: @childbirthconcierge (https://www.instagram.com/childbirthconcierge/) Facebook: Childbirth Concierge (https://www.facebook.com/childbirthconcierge/) YouTube: Childbirth Concierge (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_nRUKqIhV24gbRVHOFw_xw) Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com (http://www.birtheaseservices.com) Facebook: Birth Ease (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseMethod/) Instagram: @birtheasemichellesmith (https://www.instagram.com/birtheasemichellesmith/) Youtube: Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRkU2w_GHdGlmQ) Show:

Michelle has a candid conversation with Meg Folsom, a fellow birth guardian, about the importance of choosing your caregiver and place of birth as an expectant family. Meg shares her personal birth stories and how that shaped her journey as a birth professional. Together, they want women to understand they have options in their maternity care, as well as rights and autonomy over their bodies and their babies. Meg stresses the importance of asking questions and requesting the pros and cons of a protocol or medical procedure. She counsels women to stop frightening and judging one another. People need to respect everyone’s right to chose what is best for their own family, regardless of their own preferences. The journey into motherhood forever changes a woman. Meg and Michelle advise women to learn to listen to and trust their babies, their bodies, and themselves.

"It is all about being informed. But there are so many other things to take into consideration with birth. Women that have had sexual trauma. Women who have experienced sexual abuse, rape. It is a whole different ball game for them. And, for those women, they need that extra level of care and understanding. Unless you've been in that position, you can't know how that woman is feeling. And if you can't empathize with her, then you owe to that woman to at least listen." —  Meg Folsom

 

About Meg Folsom:

Meg has been protecting the sanctity of birth as a doula, midwifery birth assistant, birth center manager, childbirth educator, lactation counselor, and placenta encapsulation specialist for over 20 years. The depth of Meg’s knowledge, insight, and her compassionate heart have touched the lives of hundreds of families in Central Florida.

 

Connect with Meg Folsom:

Facebook: mommeg

 

Connect with Michelle Smith:

Website: BirthEaseServices.com

Facebook: Birth Ease

Instagram: @birtheasemichellesmith

Youtube: Birth Ease

Show: Birth Ease

 

Michelle talks with Amy Gendron about the incredible advantages Oriental medicine can provide throughout a woman's lifetime. Oriental medicine's very tenet it seeks to maintain health and treat the whole person versus focusing on just a set of symptoms. Michelle and Amy discuss the the ways that Oriental medicine is a powerful adjunct to a woman and her partner when they are ready to conceive a child, throughout each trimester of pregnancy, during labor, postpartum, and beyond. Amy explains how acupuncture can help bring a woman into balance by addressing blood quality, stress levels, and stimulating the immune system. Stress is a major contributor to pregnancy complications. Oriental medicine helps mitigate pregnancy symptoms and ease the transition into motherhood. It supports the recovery and replenishment of a women in all aspects from the many depleting factors of pregnancy and birth. "Most women have a strange relationship with their menstrual cycle, and that is the foundation, the backbone... If you can tell me what your menstrual cycle is like, I know everything about you because it is a very transparent window that can give us a lot of information about a woman's mind and body." —  Amy Gendron About Amy Gendron: Amy began her journey in holistic health as a personal trainer, mentored by a black belt martial artist. Amy specializes in sports medicine, cosmetic acupuncture, and women’s health. She has trained as a doula, and in 2013 she traveled to China completed an externship which included herbal medicine for women’s health with nationally renowned Dr. Shui. Last year, Amy was one of the few American physicians invited to attend a Physiological Regulating Medicine program in Milan, Italy. Amy’s approach to healing empowers her patients to live with vitality, by integrating the best wellness and medical practices. She works as a specialty physician in several clinics in Central Florida area. Connect with Amy Gendron: Instagram: acu_amy_g/ Facebook: AmyGendronAP Website: amygendron.com/ Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com Facebook: Birth Ease Instagram: @birtheasemichellesmith Youtube: Birth Ease Show: Birth Ease

Kinsey Phifer, doula and the author of "Variations of Normal: The Labors of Love", and Michelle explore the complex feelings and emotions that having a breech baby can bring. They discuss the barriers to breech birth access, the difficulties that come with finding a VBAC friendly hospital- especially when the baby is breech, the unhelpful things people say and how damaging they can be, and why it isn’t as simple as doing "all the right things to turn a breech baby" or "just give birth at home". “Yes, exactly. And I can tell you I've heard that, so often. [Healthy mom. Healthy baby. That is all that matters.] And it's really invalidating. It makes people not want to share their experiences. Which is unfortunate because so many of us feel very similarly. And I think, in order to process these experiences and start our journey to healing, we have to start by talking about it.”—Kinsey Phifer Kinsey Phifer is the author of “Variations of Normal-The Labors of Love”. She is a certified birth and bereavement doula and has a passion for VBAC, breech babies, and parents' rights during childbirth. Kinsey lives in a small town in Iowa with her husband and two children. Connect with Kinsey at Breech Baby Stories on Instagram and Facebook The Hygge Doula on Instagram, Facebook, and her website Connect with Michelle at birtheaseservices.com, Facebook @ The Birth Ease Podcast, and Instagram @birtheasemichellesmith

In this special episode for the month of October honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Michelle has a profound conversation with her mentor, Amy Wright Glenn. Because birth and death are intertwined, their conversation not only benefits bereaved parents, but provides powerful insights to birth professionals as well. Amy reflects upon what healing means as it relates to loss and how the managed medical care model can do a disservice to the bereaved. Healing does not mean a return to what was, a fixing, or making it look like it never happened. Healing is an ongoing journey of keeping our heart open, and being compassionate and present to what is. It is an approach to learning how to walk in a world where we do reconcile with things we didn't want to occur. And yet, these things happened. Mourning is our personal expression of grief. Our inner experience of loss is the grief. That grief needs to be expressed through mourning. That can be public, it can be private, it can be a combination of both. That expression is unique to each person. Ritual can be a powerful tool at anytime after a loss. It is never too late to utilize ritual to create meaning and process the loss. Amy and Michelle touch upon the importance of planning and preparing for the death of a loved one when circumstances allow so that decisions are made when the brain isn't in emergency mode and feeling rushed and overwhelmed. And at the same time, the emotional pain of the loss is difficult, intense, and raw; no matter how prepared we may be. Creating space to slow down and be gentle with ourselves is vital. "Loss is a deep, deep [life] transition to integrate… We, over time, learn to reconcile with the losses we have known. But this may take many, many years." – Amy Wright Glenn About Amy Wright Glenn: As the author of Birth, Breath, and Death– Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy, and Life as a Doula and Holding Space– On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go, Amy Wright Glenn weaves together scholarly research with the heartfelt telling of stories in her work. She founded the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death in 2015 drawing upon her interest in exploring pregnancy loss, the work of facing fear, cultural attitudes about birthing, and what it means to be a doula for the birthing and dying. Amy offers innovative and inspiring professional development opportunities focusing on the self-care of teachers, doulas, midwives, chaplains, and all drawn to holding space for mindful birthing, living, and dying. Contact Amy Wright Glenn: Website: www.birthbreathanddeath.com Instagram: @amywrightglenn (https://www.instagram.com/amy_wright_glenn/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyWrightGlenn

In this special episode for the month of October honoring Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, Michelle has a beautiful and healing conversation with The Radical Rabbi, Elisheva (Emily) Brenner. Emily shares her own journey of perinatal loss, which she describes as the tsunami of her soul. She retells the sacred wisdom story that helped her create a Divine Reframe and quiet the storm within her own heart. Emily explains the foundational five step program she teaches, based on the journey of the Israelites in the desert, which can assist anyone in weathering the most difficult of circumstances. As a divorce lawyer, a psychologist, and a rabbi, Emily shares insights that can help couples to traverse the extreme grief of losing a child and support any other children they may have that are also grieving as well. Michelle and Emily discuss how even in our deepest sorrow, in our deepest pain, we can still find peace. We can still find moments of joy. “You are living in this world for a reason and your journey as a parent has a reason.” — Rabbi Elisheva   About Rabbi Elisheva: What do you get when you combine a veteran divorce lawyer, a psychologist and a rabbi?...The Radical Rabbi!!! Rabbi Elisheva (Emily) Brenner is known for the rich multidisciplinary perspective she brings to dealing with life’s problems. As the host of The Radical Rabbi podcast and creator of the Radical Rabbi Online Academy, Emily encourages every person to embrace the unique psycho-spiritual journey that is his or her life so they can find meaning, purpose, freedom, self-empowerment and authenticity. Connect with Rabbi Elisheva: website: theradicalrabbi.com (http://www.theradicalrabbi.com) Twitter: @myradicalrabbi (https://twitter.com/myradicalrabbi?s=09) Linked In: radicalrabbi (http://linkedin.com/radicalrabbi ) Instagram: @radicalrabbi (https://www.instagram.com/radicalrabbi/) Facebook: @radicalrabbi (https://www.facebook.com/radicalrabbi/) Show: The Radical Rabbi   Connect with Michelle Smith: Website: BirthEaseServices.com//loss-support (BirthEaseServices.com//loss-support ) Facebook:  fb.me/BirthEaseLossSupport (https://www.facebook.com/BirthEaseLossSupport/) Instagram: @birtheaselosssupport (https://www.instagram.com/birtheaselosssupport/) YouTube: Birth Ease (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcpfTDHpaqRk) Show: Birth Ease (https://feeds.blubrry.com/feeds/birthease.xml)

In this special episode honoring...