Explore every episode of the podcast Evidence Based Birth®
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EBB 376 - How to Find and Interview a Doula with Team EBB Members Julie Fors and Chanté Perryman | 05 Nov 2025 | 00:47:48 | |
Hiring a doula can be one of the most impactful choices you make during pregnancy, but how do you actually find the right one? In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker talks with Team EBB members and experienced doulas, Julie Fors and Chanté Perryman, to share insider tips on finding and interviewing a doula with confidence. Julie and Chanté walk you through where to begin your search, the most important questions to ask, and how to know if a doula's personality and philosophy are the right fit for you and your partner. They also tackle misconceptions about doula work, explain backup plans and postpartum support, and discuss how insurance and Medicaid are changing access to doula care. (06:19) The pillars of doula support (09:06) Where to start your doula search: Google, recommendations, and directories (12:20) Why interviews are essential before hiring a doula (17:49) Key questions to ask a potential doula (style, philosophy, postpartum support) (23:58) Backup doula plans and long labors (29:45) Common misconceptions about doulas and how to clear them up (33:30) Shifts in doula access: insurance, Medicaid, and nonprofit programs (37:06) How childbirth education and doula support work together (39:09) Tips for finding a postpartum doula and planning ahead (42:46) Overcoming nervousness about reaching out to doulas Access the EBB Signature Article, "Evidence on: Doulas" for all the scientific research on doulas + a comprehensive list of doula directories and interview questions! Resources Something new is coming! Join the waitlist: ebbirth.com/waitlist Get the Evidence on Doulas Tearaway Pads: ebbirth.com/shop Search the EBB Instructor Directory: directory.evidencebasedbirth.com/ Learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class: evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/ For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class. | |||
| REPLAY: EBB 218 - The Evidence on Perineal Massage during Labor with Dr. Rebecca Dekker | 29 Oct 2025 | 00:39:37 | |
Can perineal massage during the pushing phase of labor really prevent tears? In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker takes a close look at the research to uncover whether this technique truly helps reduce perineal trauma during childbirth. She explains how health care staff provide perineal massage during labor, breaks down findings findings from key studies and meta-analyses, and examines how biases and variations in clinical practice shape the evidence. Dr. Dekker also explores why results from settings with high episiotomy rates may not apply everywhere and why skilled, supportive care and informed consent often play a bigger role in protecting the perineum than any single technique. Content Warning: Discussion of perineal tears during childbirth, severe tears, obstetric violence, and episiotomy. Resources
| |||
| EBB 370 - Updated Evidence on Diagnosing Gestational Diabetes | 03 Sep 2025 | 00:56:59 | |
Gestational diabetes (GDM) is one of the most common health issues during pregnancy, and diagnosing it is more complicated than you might think. In this episode, Dr. Dekker is joined by EBB Research Team member Dr. Morgan Richardson Cayama to cover the newly updated evidence on how GDM is diagnosed. They walk through the physiology behind GDM, current testing methods, and why there's still international disagreement about how to screen. Together, they examine the results of large randomized trials comparing the one-step and two-step screening methods, the research on early screening with hemoglobin A1C, and the evidence on alternatives to the Glucola drink, including candy and home blood sugar monitoring. They also review the risks of skipping screening entirely, and how weight bias and other systemic factors can impact diagnosis and care. (02:28) What is Gestational Diabetes and Why Is It So Common? (06:30) Risk Factors, Size Bias, and the Role of Race and Ethnicity (10:40) Why We Screen and the Origins of the Controversy (13:17) Comparing the One-Step and Two-Step Methods (19:55) What New Research Says About Health Outcomes (23:45) Should We Screen for GDM Earlier in Pregnancy? (28:11) Can Hemoglobin A1C Replace the Glucola Drink? (32:44) Alternatives: Candy, Food, and Home Monitoring (40:04) What International Guidelines Recommend (43:07) Declining GDM Testing: What the Evidence Shows (47:47) Is Sperm Linked to Gestational Diabetes Risk? (51:29) Takeaways and the Future of GDM Diagnosis Resources
| |||
| EBB 291 - Evidence on Skin-to-Skin after a Cesarean | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:41:16 | |
In this episode, we delve into the latest evidence-based information on skin-to-skin care in the operating room after a Cesarean. I'm joined by co-host Sara Ailshire, a doctoral candidate in anthropology and the 2023 EBB Research Fellow, and we explore the history, benefits, and barriers surrounding this practice. Discover how skin-to-skin care positively influences lactation, stabilizes newborns, and enhances the birth experience, and learn why some hospitals and providers are hesitant to offer it and how these barriers can be overcome. *If you want the Pocket Guides we mention at the beginning of this episode, you can see if we have any in stock here! Content Warning: topics related to Cesarean sections, preterm birth, NICU stays, separation of parents and babies, infant mortality rates, and the impact of racism on Cesarean rates and lactation. Resources:
| |||
| EBB 290 - Supporting Black Families from Pregnancy through Lactation with Dr. Nastassia Harris, Founder of of Perinatal Health Equity Initiative | 08 Nov 2023 | 00:46:48 | |
In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Nastassia Harris, a registered nurse and international board-certified lactation consultant, to discuss her extensive experience in the field of maternal and infant health. Dr. Harris shares her journey into this vital profession, highlighting her passion for improving breastfeeding rates in the Black community and eliminating racial disparities in maternal and infant health. She sheds light on the work of the Perinatal Health Equity Initiative, a nonprofit organization she founded, and her newest venture, Ignite Maternal Health, aimed at providing essential education and support to mother-baby nurses. Dr. Harris offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by Black families and the critical role that education, culturally congruent care, and community resources play in saving lives and preventing adverse outcomes in the postpartum period. Tune in to learn more about the impactful work being done to enhance maternal health and support families during this crucial phase of life. Content Warning: racism, Black infant and maternal mortality, preeclampsia Resources: Learn about Nastassia's work, here:
Listen to EBB episodes: EBB 280 – Bringing Equity to Lactation Imagery with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and Founder of the Melanated Mammary Atlas® EBB 214 – Supporting Pumping Parents in Lactation with IBCLC, Nichelle Clark | |||
| EBB 289 - Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes, a Difficult Birth and Shoulder Dystocia with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate Siri Lachmansingh | 01 Nov 2023 | 00:57:09 | |
In this episode, I'm joined by Siri Lachmansingh, who shares her remarkable journey of pregnancy and childbirth while managing type 1 diabetes. Siri delves into the unique challenges and considerations for pregnant individuals with diabetes, including blood sugar management and medical monitoring. Siri also takes us through the choices she made during her induction process and the empowering moments she experienced during her second birth journey. Tune in as Siri's story highlights the importance of informed decision-making and the strength that can come from embracing evidence-based care during pregnancy and childbirth. Content Note: This episode discusses topics related to pregnancy, childbirth, and managing type 1 diabetes during pregnancy. While the conversation is focused on informed decision-making and evidence-based care, it may contain medical details and experiences that could be sensitive for some listeners— including a description (starting at 41 minutes) of obstetric violence, shoulder dystocia, and birth injury to a newborn. Please be mindful of your own comfort and emotional well-being while listening. Trigger Warning: shoulder dystocia, birth injury to a newborn, and obstetric violence Resources: Follow Siri's journey:
Find out more about Siri's birth and childbirth education team here: Doula Aileen (https://www.doulaaileen.com/), Heather Christine Struwe (https://holisticcontinuum.com) and Rhonda Fellows (https://www.oilydoulamn.com/about.html) Find out more about the EBB Childbirth Class here. Learn about Brachial Plexus social support systems:
Learn more about the evidence and research on shoulder dystocia :
Related EBB Episodes and Signature Articles:
| |||
| EBB 288 - From Birthing in the Pandemic to Birthing a Career as a Postpartum Doula and Chef with Malisa Dekker of Planted Postpartum | 25 Oct 2023 | 00:45:15 | |
In this episode, I'm talking with Malisa Dekker, a Postpartum Doula and Chef based in Brooklyn, New York, about her profound journey through two contrasting birth and postpartum experiences that shaped her passion for postpartum wellness. Malisa's first birth took place during the tumultuous times of the COVID-19 pandemic, where interventions and a lack of support left her feeling disconnected and overwhelmed. With the desire for change, Malisa embarked on her second pregnancy, seeking empowerment and a holistic approach to birthing. She details her transformational shift to a home birth with the support of a dedicated midwife, her partner Taylor, and a community of friends who understood the importance of empathetic care and emphasized the profound impact having one's emotional needs addressed during labor can have on a birthing person's experience. Malisa's experience led her to become a passionate advocate for postpartum wellness and support, driving her to become a Postpartum Doula. Through her unique combination of skills as a Doula and Chef, she aims to provide nourishment, care, and empathy to new parents during the challenging postpartum period. Content Warnings: postpartum anxiety, a pandemic birth story with isolation and interventions Resources
Listen to EBB Episodes
| |||
| EBB 287 - A Positive Hospital Waterbirth Story with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Katrina Hull | 18 Oct 2023 | 01:06:36 | |
Content Warning: postpartum hemorrhage, GBS Positive, antibiotics for GBS, On this episode of the EBB podcast, I talk with Katrina Hull, a graduate of the EBB childbirth class about her positive hospital water birth story. Katrina Hull is a former high school math and engineering teacher with over a decade of experience in the classroom. Her passion for education and entrepreneurship has led her to her current role as coordinating producer at PBS NewsHour Classroom where she develops lesson materials and resources for integrating invention education into classrooms across the country. Katrina shares her experiences taking the EBB childbirth class and discusses in depth the education and work she put into preparing for her desired hospital water birth. In addition to finding her "Golden Ticket" birth team and desired location, she shares the details of her amazing and empowering birth story, despite having a few complications, including finding out she was Group B Strep Positive and handling a postpartum hemorrhage. Resources:
| |||
| EBB 286 - Importance of Postpartum Support with the Founder of In Kind Boxes, Maria Berglund | 11 Oct 2023 | 00:28:10 | |
I am so excited to share today's episode of Evidence Based Birth® podcast with you! Today, I am bringing you an interview with Maria Berglund, the founder of In Kind Boxes, a nonprofit organization with a mission to help families thrive after birth with a baby shower gift that gives back. This episode is coming out just in time for our listeners who are doulas and midwives to apply for In Kind's partnership program! Tune in to get all the details! Maria Berglund, is a Canadian mom living in the United States. Maria has three wonderful boys and her work as the founder of In Kind Boxes has been featured both on Good Morning America and in Entrepreneur Magazine. Maria and I talk about why she started a nonprofit with a mission to help new parents thrive after birth and how that vision grew into a model to support and give back to families in vulnerable positions, like NICU families or refugee families. Maria speaks to her different experiences in the postpartum period between Canada and the US, and how that stark difference in support sparked this idea. In Kind Boxes are filled with tangible goods that support growing families, baby and parent alike with natural, organic goods that help families thrive. Resources: Learn more about partnering with Maria and In Kind at www.inkindboxes.org Follow the work of In Kind on Instagram and TikTok For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Want to get involved at EBB? | |||
| EBB 285 - Creating a Sustainable Career in Birth Work with Jessica Diggs, Midwife, Doula Mentor, and Co-Founder of Centered. | 04 Oct 2023 | 00:49:37 | |
On this episode of the EBB Podcast, I interview Jessica Diggs, midwife, doula mentor and co-founder of Centered about creating a sustainable career in birth work. Jessica is a licensed midwife working in a solo practice in Los Angeles. Jessica supports people and families through holistic gynecological care, home birth services, and conception support. Jessica has a skill and love for making childbirth and reproductive education digestible and accessible for all people. She is the co-founder of Centered, a curated community for doulas and she is the former lead educator and curriculum developer at Doula Training International. Jessica and I discuss not only her career path from doula to midwife but dive deep into a discussion about making birth work sustainable in the long run. Jessica shares a multitude of tips for our audience in avoiding burnout, setting boundaries to better serve yourself and your clients, as well as finding your joy and purpose in birth work outside just attending births. With over 10 years in the field and a thriving career, Jessica practices what she preaches and has a passion for teaching others not only about how to be a doula at a birth, but a doula making a living wage and sustainable career path. Content Warning: Black maternal and Black infant death, Postpartum death, systemic racism Resources: Learn about Jessica's work, including how to join Centered here: Follow Jessica's work:
| |||
| EBB 284 - How to Help NICU Families Find Empowerment and Healing During their Challenging Journeys with Hollis Wakefield | 27 Sep 2023 | 00:41:38 | |
In this episode, I'm joined by Hollis Wakefield, also known as The NICU Doula. Join us as we delve into a crucial topic: how to help NICU families find empowerment and healing during their challenging journeys. Hollis is a former NICU parent turned birth worker, educator, and family advocate, and she shares her own powerful story of navigating a traumatic birth, early delivery, and the emotional roller coaster of having a medically complex baby in the NICU. She sheds light on the critical gaps in support and resources that many NICU families encounter, from the emotional toll to practical challenges, and highlights the importance of empowering NICU families during their transition from the NICU to home and provides insights into her work as an educator for doulas supporting NICU families. Content Warning: The conversation includes discussions about birth trauma, PTSD, and the potential for distressing experiences in the NICU environment. Follow The NICU Doula on Instagram Learn more about Hollis and her work below:
Click here for information from March of Dimes on preterm labor and premature birth. For the Evidence Based Birth® Signature Article on Premature Rupture of Membranes, click here. Listen to EBB episodes:
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.
| |||
| EBB 283 - How Colonialism, Environmental Instability, and Politics Impact Birth in Puerto Rico with EBB Instructors, Tania Silva-Meléndez and Tamara Trinidad-González, CPM | 20 Sep 2023 | 00:52:31 | |
On today's podcast, I talk with Tania Silva Meléndez and Tamara Trinidad González, CPM, birth workers and Evidence Based Birth® Instructors about giving birth and midwifery care in Puerto Rico. Tania Silva Meléndez is a certified birth, postpartum, and abortion doula serving families in Puerto Rico since 2009. She's also a certified childbirth educator and breastfeeding/chestfeeding educator and counselor. She is the general coordinator of the team of Caderamen, a nonprofit community-based organization that works towards reducing inequalities in reproductive care, and she also supports Alimentación Segura Infantil, a community-based organization born after the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 to support breastfeeding and chestfeeding families in their lactation journeys, help them relactate their children when needed. Tania is also a human rights activist and advocate in her community and part of the Observatorio de Violencia Obstétrica in Puerto Rico and Las Mingas de Aborto, an abortion doula collective that offers free support in Puerto Rico. Tamara Trinidad González, CPM, is a community parteira/midwife, perinatal educator and herbalist born and raised in Puerto Rico. Tamara is a mother of two children who were born at home with midwives and has been actively involved in birth work for 10 years. She holds a Master of Science in midwifery with foundations in botanical medicine from Bastyr University and is a certified professional midwife. Her midwifery and herbal practice is called Semilla Creciente, Midwifery & Herbalism. In this episode, Tania and Tamara have a very candid conversation about the realities of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care in Puerto Rico. They speak to how Puerto Rico's birth landscape has been negatively impacted by the island's history of colonialism, economic crisis', environmental changes, and changes in political power. This has culminated in a system with far too few midwives and obstetricians, as well as high surgical birth rates, low VBAC rates, high prematurity rates, and more. Both Tania and Tamara educate our listeners on these issues but also raise awareness to the community organizations who have the trust of the pregnant and postpartum families they serve and the work being done to better support the families of Puerto Rico. If you are interested in joining with Tania and Tamara and volunteering your time or skills to help them reform the maternal health system in Puerto Rico, they are currently looking for volunteers with experience in law, public relations, funding, data collection, research, and writing. OR if you have resources, or access to connections that could help fund their work, please email puertoricobirthrights@gmail.com. Resources: Read about the history of Puerto Rico: · How to hide an empire by Daniel Immerwahr · Puerto Rico: What everyone needs to know by Jorge Duany · Learn more about Caderamen, a nonprofit organization that has a service program that is called SePARE, which offers education and doula services, midwifery services and naturopathic medicine services, social workers, mental health by clicking here. · Learn more about the Asociación de Parteras of Puerto Rico here. · Learn more about Alimentación Segura Infantil, a community-based organization born after the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 to support breastfeeding and chestfeeding families in their lactation journeys by clicking here. · Learn more about Observatorio de Violencia Obstétrica in Puerto Rico here. · Learn more about Las Mingas de Aborto, an abortion doula collective that offers free support in Puerto Rico here. Check out the work by Puerto Rican journalist Biana Graulau here: https://www.youtube.com/@BiancaGraulau/videos If you would like to read a transcript of this episode in Spanish, please visit the blog post here or you can watch the captions in Spanish on YouTube. For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on: Want to get involved at EBB? | |||
| EBB 282 - Celebrating "Baby Making for Everybody: A Guide for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents" with Midwife Authors Marea Goodman & Ray Rachlin | 13 Sep 2023 | 00:41:03 | |
On this episode of the Evidence Based Birth podcast, I talk with Marea Goodman of Restore Midwifery and Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery, all about their work and their new book Baby Making For Everybody- A Guide for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents. Marea Goodman, CPM, pronouns she/her/they, is the licensed midwife specializing in pregnancy, birth, postpartum and conception care for the LGBTQ+ community. She's the co-author of the new book Baby Making For Everybody- A Guide for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents and the founder of PregnantTogether, an online community for queer people and their allies throughout trying to conceive pregnancy and the postpartum. Ray Rachlin, she/they, is a licensed midwife, certified professional midwife, author, and founder of Refuge Midwifery. Since 2017, Ray has been providing fertility care, home birth care, and community education throughout the greater Philadelphia area and South Jersey. Ray is also co-author of the book Baby Making For Everybody, which just came out in April 2023. Ray and her family live in West Philadelphia. Marea and Ray join me to discuss their practices as queer midwives and the work they are doing to make the fields of midwifery, fertility, and reproductive health more inclusive, more transparent, and more accessible to the clients they serve. Through their new book, they have demystified and provide comprehensive education on everything regarding baby making from nutrition to legal matters. Their work is the definition reproductive justice – by inviting more families to be included and safe in this space. Resources: · Follow Marea's work on Instagram @Restore_Midwifery · Follow Ray's work @refugemidwifery · Follow the impact of Marea and Ray's new book on Instagram @babymakingforeverybody and check for additional information and resources on their blog · Join the community PregnantTogether and on Instagram Check out the following books: · Complete Lesbian Conception Pregnancy Birth. · Taking Charge Of Your Fertility For legal information about family formation near you, check out Family Equality here https://www.familyequality.org For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Want to get involved at EBB? | |||
| EBB 369 - What is Mistreatment in Childbirth? with Dr. Morgan Richardson Cayama from Team EBB | 27 Aug 2025 | 00:43:59 | |
Dr. Morgan Richardson Cayama, public health researcher, doula, and member of Team EBB, joins Dr. Rebecca Dekker to explore the critical issue of mistreatment in maternity care. Drawing from her doctoral research—including interviews with Black women in Florida and data from the Giving Voice to Mothers study—Dr. Morgan shares what respectful maternity care really looks like, and how the lack of it can negatively impact birth outcomes and future healthcare decisions. She also opens up about her own preterm hospital birth, offering insight into how even the most informed parents can feel disempowered by coercive hospital systems. Together, they break down the systemic roots of obstetric violence and offer community-driven recommendations for change. Content Note: Discussion of obstetric mistreatment, medical trauma, discrimination in maternity care, and stillbirth. (04:35) How a Global Health Class Sparked a Career in Public Health (08:17) From Dissertation to Delivery: Dr. Morgan's Birth Story (15:57) Reflecting on the Power of Language and Provider Ultimatums (19:40) What Mistreatment in Maternity Care Looks Like in the U.S. (24:08) Florida's Unique Birth Landscape (26:10) Researching the Lived Experiences of Black Birthing Women (28:13) What Respectful Care Really Means to Patients (35:29) Participant Recommendations for Healthcare Providers and Parents (40:01) How a Single Birth Interaction Can Shape Lifelong Views on Healthcare (42:00) Centering the Voices of Birthing People to Create Change Resources Access the FREE 2-page handout: ebbirth.com/rmc Read the Giving Voice to Mothers study: birthplacelab.org Listen to EBB 338 – Respectful Maternity Care with Dr. Jessica Brumley For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class. | |||
| REPLAY - The Evidence on Birthing Positions | 06 Sep 2023 | 00:47:34 | |
On today's episode we are bringing back one of the most popular Signature Article episodes on the Evidence on Birthing Positions. Listen and learn more about:
Read more about The Evidence on: Birthing Positions on the blog. For parents - learn more about your options and sign up for the EBB Childbirth Class here . For birth professionals - get access to the full-length signature articles here.
| |||
| EBB 281 - Mini Q&A about Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) | 30 Aug 2023 | 00:22:06 | |
Content note: We strongly encourage you to listen to EBB Podcast Episode 277 The Evidence on PROM and check out our recently updated Signature Article on PROM here before listening to this episode. Content Warnings: Discussion of viability, complications with preterm birth, causes of preterm birth, and racism. On this episode of the EBB Podcast, we bring you a mini episode on the research on Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes. We are excited to share this episode as an extension of the recent Signature Article update on PROM. In this episode, I will cover the following topics:
Read our Signature Article on GBS here Read our Abortion Resource Guide here Guidelines for PPROM
| |||
| EBB 280 - Bringing Equity to Lactation Imagery with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and Founder of the Melanated Mammary Atlas® | 23 Aug 2023 | 00:44:29 | |
On this episode of the EBB podcast, I talk with Nekisha Killings, IBCLC and founder of The Melanated Mammary Atlas®, all about cultural humility and educating clinicians and birth workers about identifying and diagnosing conditions that present in Black and Brown breasts/chests. Nekisha Killings, holds a master's in public health (MPH) and is an international board certified lactation consultant (IBCLC). She's an equity strategist and maternal and child health advocate who speaks, teaches and facilitates on topics related to equity and dismantling bias across various sectors. She is also a director of equity, inclusion, and belonging with the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association and consults with organizations on implementing creative strategies to better support marginalized communities. As a leader in the field, she wrote the chapter titled Cultural Humility in the latest core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care and continues to wow audiences with new realizations that positively impact their approach to business and life. Nekisha shares how she's working to change the face of lactation education and bring equity, inclusion, diversity and most importantly training and education to clinicians and birth workers around the normalization of Black and Brown breasts/chests, as well as, identifying and diagnosing clinical conditions that present on melanated skin. Not only is Nekisha working to revolutionize how we understand many pathologies in lactation, she shares how she has been entrusted to carry forward in the production of the pivotal Breastfeeding Atlas and ensure that future clinicians and folks vested in the lactation dyad have access to accurate, complete, and inclusive information. Content Warning: Discussion of birth/lactation trauma and lack of diversity and inclusion in lactation training. Resources: Follow The Melanated Mammary Atlas® on Instagram Follow Nekisha on Instagram Learn more and subscribe to The Melanated Mammary Atlas® here Learn more about Nekisha and her work here Find The Breastfeeding Atlas here Learn about the Black Mothers' Breastfeeding Association Learn about Black Breastfeeding Week Listen to EBB episodes: EBB 214 - Supporting Pumping Parents in Lactation with IBCLC, Nichelle Clark EBB 211 - Supporting Expectant Families through Birth and Lactation with Birth Doula and EBB Program Team Assistant, Rikki Jenkins EBB 189 - Why Black Lactation Matters and the Importance of Black Breastfeeding Week with IBCLC, Janiya Mitnaul Williams For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Want to get involved at EBB? | |||
| EBB 279 - A Surprise Advanced Maternal Age Pregnancy and Unplanned Home Birth with Dr. Maria Rosselson and Nimrod Gutman, EBB Childbirth Class Graduates | 16 Aug 2023 | 00:46:15 | |
In this episode of the EBB Podcast, I talk with EBB Childbirth Class graduates, Dr. Maria Rosselson and Nim Guttman their surprise pregnancy, and equally surprising home birth. Dr. Maria Rosselson is a physician practicing as a board certified ophthalmologist in the Chicago area. Her husband, Nim Guttman, is an architect. They've been married since 2016 and live with their dog, Asher. Maria and Nim share their experiences taking the EBB Childbirth Class and how it resulted in an evolution of thought for Maria as a physician and discuss extensively what it was like to surprisingly grow their family well after they thought that chapter of their lives was behind them. Their life took a surprising turn when they found themselves unexpectedly expecting their first child, a baby girl, in the Fall of 2022. Their baby's arrival into the world was just as unexpected, an unanticipated, unplanned, unmedicated home birth. Content Warning: discussion of unplanned pregnancy, unplanned home birth, and a 911 call. There is also a mention of witnessing a postpartum maternal death in medical school. Resources: Learn about about the topics discussed in this episode at the following EBB resources:
| |||
| EBB 278: Creating an Innovative, Afrocentric Model of Prenatal Care with Hakima Payne, Founder and Executive Director of Uzazi Village | 09 Aug 2023 | 00:43:06 | |
On this episode of the EBB podcast, we interview Hakima Payne, founder and executive director of Uzazi Village, about her creation of the Village Circle, an innovative Afrocentric model of prenatal and postpartum care. Hakima Payne, holds a bachelor's in nursing and a master's in nursing education. She is the founder of Uzazi Village, a nonprofit working to eliminate maternal health disparities in African American communities, as well as the founder of The Village Doula Program, which is a community-based home visiting community health worker program for pregnant families. She also created Chocolate Milk Cafe, a breastfeeding support group for Black families, the Village Circle, which is an Afrocentric group prenatal care model, and a curriculum called Culturally Congruent Care, which is an anti-racist medical education curriculum. Hakima sits on her local Fetal Infant Mortality Review board to address Black infant mortality and has been appointed by her city's mayor to serve as a health commissioner. Mama Hakima is a certified trainer for community health workers and she speaks nationally on the topics of Black maternal and infant health. Ms. Payne works relentlessly to make birth safer, the village healthier, and to promote anti-racist models of care for African American families. She is the subject of a documentary that just came out called Sister Doula, and she's going to be featured in a second upcoming documentary called Pregnancy and Prejudice. Hakima talks with us about her work in improving maternal health in Kansas City. Not only is Hakima bringing an innovative model of care to her community, that includes access to community-based, Afrocentric prenatal care, doulas, herbalists, a chef and more, she is proving that it works. Through partnerships with a team of epidemiologists and a local university, Hakima is able to measure and quantify their client experience and demonstrate how Uzazi Village improves birth and postpartum outcomes. Hakima discusses the unique aspects of the Village Circle model and why each piece is important to the care of the community. Resources:
Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 277 - Evidence on Induction vs. Waiting for Labor with Term PROM | 02 Aug 2023 | 00:51:21 | |
On this episode of the EBB Podcast, I am so excited to bring you brand new, evidence on premature rupture of membranes (PROM) at term! We are releasing today's episode to celebrate the update of our Signature Article on the Evidence on PROM. In today's episode, I am going to cover the following topics related to PROM:
| |||
| REPLAY - EBB 194: Nutrition and Real Food in Pregnancy with Lily Nichols, RDN | 26 Jul 2023 | 00:37:42 | |
July 26, 2023 - For today's episode, we are highlighting one of our favorite podcast episodes with the replay of an interview with Lily Nichols, RDN, all about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Content warning: gestational diabetes, high-risk pregnancies, food insecurities, "failed diet therapy", NICU, and interventions On today's podcast, we're going to talk with Lily Nichols, RDN, about nutrition and real food in pregnancy. Lily Nichols (she/her) is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based prenatal nutrition. Her work is known for being research-focused, thorough, and critical of outdated dietary guidelines. She is co-founder of the Women's Health Nutrition Academy and the author of two books, Real Food for Pregnancy and Real Food for Gestational Diabetes. Lily's bestselling books have helped tens of thousands of families, are used in university-level maternal nutrition and midwifery courses, and have even influenced prenatal nutrition policy internationally. In this episode, we talk about the difference between eating real food and processed food in pregnancy, and the best ways to use nutrition to "stack the deck in your favor" for a lower-risk, healthier pregnancy. Lily talks candidly about the gap between evidence and nutritional practice, the importance of protein and choline in pregnancy, and why blood sugar management is so important in pregnancy. Resources:
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.
Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 276: Challenging the Myths of the "Perfect Mother" and "Perfect Birth" with Avital Norman Nathman, Author, Editor, and Activist | 19 Jul 2023 | 00:45:01 | |
On this episode of the EBB podcast, we are talking with Avital Norman Nathman, author and freelance writer about trends in birth and parenthood in the US. Avital is a freelance writer and editor who focuses her work on motherhood, maternal health, gender and reproductive rights and justice. Her writing, which places a feminist lens on a variety of topics, including motherhood, maternal health, gender, reproductive rights, and cannabis, can be found in a variety of print and online articles for outlets like The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, VICE, and more. Her first book, The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood to Fit Reality, provides a platform for diverse voices that often get left out of the conversations surrounding parenting. Avital is currently working on two new books. She is a co-editor for an anthology on abortion, and her upcoming book, The Perfect Birth Myth, combines research, expert analysis, and narrative experiences to look at the intersection of the birth industry and the health care system to understand how this ideal of the perfect birth came about, why it's a red herring, and how we can do better to ensure that all folks who are pregnant can have access to quality care and the chance at a birth that is safe and that they are comfortable with. Avital discusses the evolution of "motherhood" from the early aughts and "Mommy blogging" to internet activism, connection, and the ongoing "mommy wars" of the internet. Additionally, Avital discusses her upcoming and ongoing projects related to writing about the current state of having a baby in the US healthcare system and political climate, while calling out the experiences of marginalized populations and bringing forth the less obvious but very important consequences of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Trigger Warning: abortion, miscarriage, hemorrhage, Dobbs decision, Roe v. Wade, maternal healthcare deserts, birth trauma Resources: Listen to the following podcast:
| |||
| EBB 275: A PROM, GBS, and Birth Center Transfer Story with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Emily Helgerson | 12 Jul 2023 | 00:46:37 | |
In today's episode, we talk with Emily Helgerson, an EBB Childbirth Class Graduate about how taking the EBB Childbirth class helped her navigate transferring from a birth center to the hospital after experiencing premature rupture of membranes while being positive for Group B Strep. Emily Helgerson holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education in Spanish, with a minor in Italian, from the University of Minnesota and a master's in second language teaching with a focus on immersion from McGill University. Emily taught Spanish immersion elementary school before deciding to stay home with baby Teddy, after he was born. Her and her partner, Brad, live in Minneapolis with their toddler and two cats. In 2023, it was announced that Emily will be the new Dean of Skovsøen, the Danish language village in Northern Minnesota. Emily shares how the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class provided tools, resources and preparation that her and her partner were able to practice throughout pregnancy and remain empowered when they faced a hospital transfer. Emily talks about her Golden Ticket team, with her partner, doula (who is also her mom!) and the team of midwives between the birth center and the hospital. We will also introduce a newer research topic regarding placenta size, placental measurement and its correlation to newborn health outcomes. Content Warning: Group B Strep, Antibiotics for group B Strep, Heart decelerations, birth center transfer to hospital Resources: Check out EBB's Signature Articles: Follow Emily Helgerson's Parenting Group on IG @Common Ground Parenting Listen to the following podcasts:
| |||
| EBB 274: Honoring the Mothers of Gynecology with Michelle Browder— Artist, Activist, and Creator of the Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey Monument | 05 Jul 2023 | 00:50:35 | |
On this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Michelle Browder, artist, activist, and the creator of the Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsy Monument in Montgomery, Alabama, established to honor the three Mothers of Gynecology. Trigger Warning: anti black racism, the use of the N-word, experimentation on enslaved women, sexual trafficking and sexual abuse, postpartum suicidal ideation. Resources: Follow Michelle's Work Instagram: @anarchalucybetsey Twitter @mothersofgyno and on Facebook Sign up for Michelle's newsletter and learn more about the 2024 conference here https://www.anarchalucybetsey.org Read the following books:
| |||
| EBB 368 - Redemptive Cesarean after Planning a Home VBAC with Rikki and Nova Jenkins | 20 Aug 2025 | 00:55:28 | |
Rikki and Nova Jenkins join Dr. Rebecca Dekker to share the personal and powerful story of their second birth: a planned home VBAC that ultimately led to a hospital transfer. Rikki, Evidence Based Birth® Instructor Coordinator, doula, and IBCLC, reflects on the trauma of her first Cesarean birth and the deep healing she found through midwifery care, doula support, and intentional preparation. Nova, a Grammy-nominated music producer and proud girl dad, shares his emotional journey from feeling powerless in their first birth to becoming a protective presence throughout this redemptive experience. Together, they offer a vulnerable, moving conversation about reclaiming birth after trauma, processing grief, and creating a peaceful bubble of support for their family, even when things don't go as planned. Content Note: This episode contains description of obstetric violence from (14:05) to (18:55) and of unexpectedly losing consciousness during a Cesarean from (40:54) to (45:43). (04:36) Why They Chose a Home VBAC After Trauma (08:46) Dual Care with a Midwife and OB (11:22) Processing the First Cesarean—Seven Years Later (19:09) Prepping for a Home Birth and VBAC (21:40) Including Their Daughter in Prenatal Care (24:10) Amora's Labor and When Things Stalled (30:12) Making the Empowered Decision to Transfer (34:11) A Healing, Respectful Cesarean Experience (45:02) When Language Hurts: "Failed Home Birth" (51:04) Planning for Postpartum and Accepting Support (52:49) Advice for Those Planning a VBAC or Home Birth Resources Follow Rikki: @sacredjourneylv Follow Nova: @novablessed Explore Heart & Soul Collective: www.heartandsolcollective.org | @heartandsolcollective Check out Flor Cruz's "Badass Motherbirther:" www.badassmotherbirther.com For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class. | |||
| EBB 273 - Evidence on Nitrous Oxide for Pain Management During Labor | 28 Jun 2023 | 00:29:30 | |
In this episode of the EBB Podcast, we dive into the updated research on Nitrous Oxide. I discuss the following topics:
For Practitioners For Parents
References For a full list for references, please access https://evidencebasedbirth.com/nitrous-oxide-during-labor/
| |||
| EBB 272 - Navigating Assisted Reproduction & Full Spectrum Childbirth Support with EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Jessica King | 21 Jun 2023 | 00:58:26 | |
In this episode we talk with Jessica King, an EBB Childbirth Class graduate, about their journey to parenthood and the importance of finding support networks before, during, and after pregnancy. Jessica grew up in Upstate New York and then moved to Boston to get her Master's in architecture. While in Boston, she met her wife and fellow upstate New Yorker, Sarah. They started working on creating their family three years ago, and they welcomed their daughter this past November! Jessica and Sarah are graduates of the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class with EBB Instructor, Anna Sutkowski. Their family currently lives in St. Louis with their two dogs. Jessica and her wife, a surgical resident, decided to take the EBB Childbirth Class to ease their anxieties and demystify the process of labor and delivery. In this podcast episode, Jessica opens up about her family's struggles, setbacks, and joy in their journey from assisted reproduction to postpartum. Jessica also shares how she was able to use the skills and knowledge learned in the course to advocate for herself postpartum when she had difficulties with lactation and a postpartum mood disorder. We wrap up this episode by talking about how knowing you are not alone can make all the difference in the world. Trigger Warning: assisted reproduction, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), pregnancy loss, bleeding in pregnancy, epidurals, preeclampsia, newborn jaundice, and postpartum mood disorders. Resources: Learn more about Anna Sutkoski and her EBB Childbirth Class here For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 271 - Bringing a Whole Family Approach to Birth and Postpartum Doula Work with Brandi Jordan, Founder of The Cradle Company | 14 Jun 2023 | 00:45:01 | |
On this episode the EBB Podcast, we talk with Brandi Jordan, the founder of The Cradle Company and the Dear Doula podcast, all about supporting infant mental health using a whole family approach. Brandi is a board-certified lactation consultant, pediatric sleep specialist, newborn care specialist, and a postpartum doula. Brandi's work as a consultant, parenting group leader and in-home practitioner have led her to develop a unique philosophy of gentle parenting techniques that are pragmatic, practical, and a healthy approach for the whole family. In 2018, Brandi founded the National Association of Birth Workers of Color and currently hosts the Dear Doula podcast. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California where she's also an adjunct faculty lecturing in infant mental health and culturally competent mental healthcare. Brandi talks with us about how to find our unique skills and assets to bringing our whole selves into birth work. Once you know what sets you apart, you can connect with the right clients for you to make this work more sustainable. Brandi believes that whatever you think might be your deficit in this work – is actually your assets – it is exactly the type of support certain clients will need. Additionally, she discusses the growing field of infant mental health and how we can support families across the spectrum of development and bring a more holistic and comprehensive approach, a whole family approach, to caring for infants in the prenatal and postpartum periods. Resources: Follow Brandi's work: Listen to the following EBB Episodes: | |||
| EBB 270 - Intersectionality and Representation in Birth Work with Cheyenne Varner, Doula and Founder of The Educated Birth | 07 Jun 2023 | 00:37:55 | |
In this episode of the EBB podcast, we talk with Cheyenne Varner, the founder of The Educated Birth, about intersectional reproductive health and the importance of birth education to be more inclusive and representative. Cheyenne, is a professional certified birth and postpartum doula and founder of The Educated Birth. The Educated Birth creates intersectional reproductive health education content, from online articles to social media posts to digital and print teaching tools for reproductive health workers. Cheyenne also publishes Everyday Birth Magazine, a print and digital magazine with the same mission to make information and education about pregnancy and postpartum more inclusive. Cheyenne shares her journey from nonprofit work to doula work to now finding herself as the founder of The Educated Birth and the publisher of Everyday Birth Magazine. We discuss the importance of how we talk about pregnancy, how it is shown in pop culture and how most often, images and stories of pregnancy and childbirth are not realistic, representative, or inclusive of real people and their communities. Cheyenne has a passion for making everyone feel safe, seen and protected during vulnerable times. This is evident in how she centers all of her projects in the support, protection and education of communities who have historically been excluded from storytelling and imagery within the birth space. Resources: Learn more about Cheyenne's work at · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth · Life's work Documentary Signup for one of Cheyenne's workshops here Follow Cheyenne's work on Instagram: · The Educated Birth · Everyday Birth Support Cheyenne's work on her Patreon here Learn more about Roots Community Birth Center here Learn more about the Richmond Doula Project here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 269 - Mini Q & A on Early Newborn Discharge from the Hospital, Vacuum Delivery, and More! | 31 May 2023 | 00:24:09 | |
In this Mini Q&A episode of the EBB podcast, I will be answering a variety of questions that have recently been asked of us, including: 1. What if my hospital won't let my healthy newborn go home before 48 hours? 2. Are modern ultrasounds better at detecting big babies? 3. What's the maximum time a vacuum can be used during a vacuum assisted delivery? 4. Does EBB have any new resources I should know about? References/Resources:
Resources
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 268 - Debunk the Myths of Premature Rupture of Membranes, GBS, & Waterbirth with EBB Founder, Dr. Rebecca Dekker | 24 May 2023 | 01:06:02 | |
On today's podcast, we will be sharing with you an excerpt from a live webinar featuring Dr. Rebecca Dekker all about debunking the myths of Premature Rupture of Membranes, GBS, & Waterbirth. We discuss the following topics:
This is podcast breaks down the topics for parents and professionals to be informed and empowered! LECTURE HANDOUTS
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Association of Ontario Midwives on PROM: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/prom-term Full list of References can be found on our blog post here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved?
Content warning: We will mention labor, medical interventions (i.e. antibiotics, epidural), hospital transfer, waterbirth, pain, premature rupture of membranes, gendered language, medications in labor, vaginal/pelvic birth, Group B Strep, inductions, cervical exams | |||
| Replay - EBB 155 - Pelvic Floor Health in Pregnancy and Postpartum with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin | 17 May 2023 | 00:32:08 | |
May 17, 2023 - On today's episode we are honoring Pelvic Floor Awareness Month with a replay episode from one of our most popular episodes, an interview with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin all about pelvic floor health in both pregnancy and postpartum. Content warning: discussion of sexual function and dysfunctions in plain terms. In this episode, I will be talking with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin. Dr. Martin is a pelvic floor specialist for 13 years and now an Evidence Based Birth® Instructor. Dr. Martin is the owner and founder of JMM Health Solutions. She's created a few programs for pregnant individuals as well as two coaching programs, one of them being a 12-week program for people with endometriosis, and the other being a four-week program for individuals suffering from dyspareunia. We talk about the benefits of pelvic floor therapy for pregnancy and postpartum. We also talk about the importance of advocating for accessible pelvic care services.
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.
Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 267 - Debunking Myths about Fundal Massage with Barbie Christianson, RN | 10 May 2023 | 00:56:31 | |
On this episode of the Evidence Base Birth® Podcast, we talk with Barbie Christianson, RN all about fundal massage. We discuss what the evidence actually says about this routine procedure versus what happens in everyday practice, and why this practice continues to persist in routine preventative care.
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 266 - Advocating for your Newborn during an Unexpected NICU Stay with EBB Childbirth Class Graduates Priscilla and Nathan Layman | 03 May 2023 | 00:58:17 | |
On this episode of the EBB Podcast, we talked with EBB Childbirth Class Graduates, Priscilla and Nathan Layman about how the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class prepared them for a home birth and their unexpected hospital transfer with a NICU stay. Nathan and Priscilla are happy parents who live and work in San Antonio, Texas. Nathan is a pipeline engineer and Priscilla splits her time between caring for their 19-month-old daughter and providing part-time psychotherapy services, as a licensed clinical psychologist. Join us as Nathan and Priscilla share their experience learning advocacy skills reviewed in the EBB Childbirth class and how they were used during their daughter's unexpected NICU stay after their homebirth transfer. We also talk about their birth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and how empowered they felt with their support team in birth and postpartum. Content Warnings: 911 call, emergency transfer to the hospital for low oxygen state in a newborn, respiratory support for an infant in a neonatal intensive care stay. Resources:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episodes listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 265 - Evidence on Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work | 26 Apr 2023 | 01:06:51 | |
On today's episode we are celebrating the release of Part 3 of our BRAND NEW Signature Article, "The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work!" EBB Research Editor Ihotu Ali, the lead author on this paper, talks with Rebecca Dekker about how Evidence-Based Equity Tools are solutions that can collectively move Black and Brown voices, leaders, innovative programs, accountability conversations, supportive funding, and legislation from the sidelines to the mainstream. You can find all three parts of our NEW Signature Article, The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work here: www.evidencebasedbirth.com/antiracism Join the conversation to learn more about:
Additionally, learn how you can answer the call as a birth worker and become an ally in the fight for reproductive justice. Resources: Find the Black Birthing Bill of Rights® from the NAABB here Find The Evidence on: Anti-Racism in Health Care and Birth Work here All of our Free Handouts, including "Getting Started," "Quiz on Anti-Racism," "Afrofuturism in Birth" and "Fighting Anti-Black Racism in Birth" are available hereListen to EBB Episodes:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Want to get involved at EBB? | |||
| EBB 367 - Early AROM and High-Dose Pitocin with all Inductions? Breaking Down the Latest Induction Trends with Jennifer Anderson, RN, Doula, and EBB Instructor | 13 Aug 2025 | 00:59:33 | |
Jennifer Anderson, RN, experienced doula, Evidence Based Birth® Instructor, and member of Team EBB, returns to the podcast to join Dr. Rebecca Dekker in unpacking a new trend in labor induction protocols—starting Pitocin at higher doses and incorporating early artificial rupture of membranes (AROM). Drawing from her work with high-risk clients and firsthand experience inside hospital systems, Jennifer highlights how policies aimed at "optimizing" labor often prioritize speed over patient-centered care. Together, they examine what's in these new induction bundles, the evidence behind faster-moving protocols like dual-method cervical ripening and 4x4 Pitocin, and the importance of informed decision-making at every stage. (04:10) A Client Story That Sparked Concern Over High-Dose Pitocin (07:27) What "2x2" vs. "4x4" Pitocin Protocols Mean (09:41) Hospital Protocols: What the Nurse Can (and Can't) Do (12:25) Inside the New Induction Policy: What's Changing and Why (18:40) Balloon Checks, Membrane Sweeps, and Patient Comfort (23:43) "Timely AROM" and the Push for Early Artificial Rupture of Membranes (30:54) Does Early AROM Shorten Labor Without Increasing Infection? (45:19) Alternatives to Shorten Labor Without Breaking the Water (52:04) Why a "Failed Induction" Policy Can Prevent Unnecessary Cesareans (55:43) How to Push Back on High-Dose Pitocin or Early AROM Resources Explore Jen's work: birthfusion.com | @birthfusion Take the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class: ebbirth.com/childbirth-class/ Watch the EBB Crash Course on YouTube here Get the EBB Labor Induction Pocket Guide here EBB Failure to Progress Resource Page: ebbirth.com/failuretoprogress EBB 155 – Pelvic Floor Health in Pregnancy and Postpartum with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin EBB 118 – How to Have a Healthy Postpartum Transition with Dr. Alyssa Berlin For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class. | |||
| EBB 264 - Top 3 Tips for Exercise in Pregnancy with Gina and Roxanne of Mamaste Fit | 19 Apr 2023 | 00:43:29 | |
In this episode, we talk with Gina and Roxanne, the sister duo behind Mamastefit about how fitness can keep you comfortable and pain-free during pregnancy and birth. Gina Conley and Roxanne Albert are the sister duo of MamasteFit. Together they offer childbirth education, specializing in labor and pelvic biomechanics and pre and postnatal fitness programming. Located in Aberdeen, North Carolina, you can train with them in person or you learn from them all over the world with their Instagram account and online classes. Additionally, Gina, has her master's in exercise science, runs the MamasteFit in-person perinatal fitness training facility and she discusses how she supports families as a birth doula. Roxanne, is a labor and delivery nurse, recently serving as a birth assistant in a freestanding birth center and tells us how being a student midwife influences her understanding of the body in birth. Today, we talk with Gina and Roxanne about their own experiences being pregnant and how it inspired the creation of Mamaste Fit. They explain how an understanding of one's body during pregnancy and birth can impact the birth experience. We talk about fitness and how movement and pelvic biomechanics can minimalize pregnancy-related discomfort and prepare your body for labor. Check out the resources below to follow along and learn more! Resources: For more information about their courses and offerings, check out their website here Listen to EBB Episode EBB 256 - Top 3 Recommendations for Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction after Birth with Dr. Sarah Duvall, Found of Core Exercise Solutions here EBB 155 - Pelvic Floor Health in Pregnancy and Postpartum with Dr. Juan Michelle Martin here EBB 196 - Pelvic Biomechanics and movement in Labor with Brittany Sharpe McCollum here EBB 224 - Failure to Progress or Failure to Wait with Ihotu Ali, Erin Wilson, and Rebecca Dekker here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 263 - Birthing Liberation with author, CEO, educator, full spectrum doula, and Black Luxury expert, Sabia Wade | 12 Apr 2023 | 00:43:54 | |
In this episode we talk with Sabia Wade about her new book, Birthing Liberation: How Reproductive Justice Can Set Us Free. Sabia Wade (she/ they) is the founder of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, an accessible and inclusive training program for community care workers, and the founder of For the Village, a nonprofit providing doulas at no or low cost to low-income and marginalized communities in San Diego, California, as a coach, board member, investor, educator, and programming development consultant for organizations throughout the birth and reproductive health space. Every part of Sabia's work centers on liberation of all people through Reproductive Justice. Sabia talks with us about the process of writing a book for birth workers about Reproductive Justice and how we can create the future we want for all birth people. Sabia introduces us to the ideas of Birth Neoterism and Black Luxury. Through these key concepts, Sabia shares how we can learn from our history, find hope in our present and recreate the future of birth in America. Sabia's hope for the readers of their book, is that they are able to engage on their own journey in interacting with the book and connecting through the storytelling and working through the somatic exercises to work through trauma and towards healing. In those spaces of healing and caring for ourselves can we begin the process of collective liberation. Resources:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 262 - Advocacy During Birth and a Navigating a Hospital Stay for Newborn Jaundice with Emily Chandler and Taylor Washburn, EBB Childbirth Class Graduates | 05 Apr 2023 | 00:54:11 | |
In this episode we talk with Emily Chandler and Taylor Washburn, EBB Childbirth Class graduates about their experiences in the childbirth class; their informed and empowered hospital birth; and how they navigated an extended hospital stay for newborn jaundice. Content Warnings: extended hospital stay due to newborn jaundice, "yellow baby," difficulty breastfeeding, syringe feeding, lack of lactation support poor latch, heel pricks and bilirubin testing, treatment for elevated bilirubin, poor outcomes for Black and Brown infants with jaundice Resources: Access the Evidence Based Birth® Signautre Articles on:
Listen to EBB 145- Fatherhood and Advocacy in Birth with JacMichael Perryman here Listen to EBB 244 - Evidence on AROM, AVD and Internal Monitoring here Learn more about Chanté Perryman's EBB Childbirth Class and services here or on her Instagram account @babydreamsmc Learn more about The Nest Collaborative for lacation support here References: Here are the scientific references on jaundice for the blog article: Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 261 - Ask Me Anything about Group B Strep | 29 Mar 2023 | 00:17:00 | |
In this bonus episode, we wrap up our 2-part series on Group B Strep in Pregnancy, where I answer some of your questions following the first two episodes. Here are the questions answered in this bonus episode:
Make sure you listen to Part 1 and Part 2 to review the updated GBS research. Resources:
References:
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 260 - Midwifery, Community Birth Work, and Plant Medicine in Louisiana with Ms. Divine Bailey-Nicholas, the Founder of Divine Birth Wisdom | 22 Mar 2023 | 00:49:50 | |
In this episode, we're going to talk with Ms. Divine Bailey-Nicholas, midwife apprentice, doula, certified lactation counselor, and master herbalist about her career in birth work, advocacy and plant medicine in Louisiana. We learn how she utilizes a community model of care that brings resources and education to combat maternal health deserts in the Deep South of the US. Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Ms. Divine is proud of her Delta, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia roots. Her cultural foundation breathes through her plant medicine and birth work. Currently, Ms. Divine is a charter member of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Louisiana chapter, where her role is historian. She's a member of the Healthy St. Landry Steering Committee and member of the Community Partners Advisory Sub-Community for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Divine is also the founder and executive director of Community Birth Companion, a nonprofit organization working to decrease infant and maternal mortality rates through childbirth education, breastfeeding support, and community doula support in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, where she resides with her husband and four children. Ms. Divine shares the reality of maternity care in the Southern US, including high rates of morbidity, mortality, and poor infant outcomes, especially among Black women. Ms. Divine shares how she has been inspired by the work of Grand Midwife Shafia Monroe to become a resource to her community and is working to improve birth outcomes and combat maternal health deserts through her perinatal safe space, the Community Birth Companion. Through a community model of care, Ms. Divine is providing education and empowerment to the families she serves. Additionally, Ms. Divine shares insight into her work as a Master Herbalist and teaches courses to support families in pregnancy and postpartum. Content warning: maternal mortality, maternal morbidity, maternal care deserts, health care inequalities, racism Resources Follow Ms. Divine's work on her social media channels: Learn about Ms. Divine's services or sign up for Ms. Divine's courses on plant medicine on her website here Learn more about Ms. Divine's work with Community Birth Companion on their website here Follow the Community Birth Compnaion on social media: Additional Resources:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved?
| |||
| EBB 259 - Cross-Cultural Experiences in Childbirth with Ruth Greene, Doula and Co-owner of Having a Baby in China Consulting Services | 15 Mar 2023 | 00:48:19 | |
In this episode, we're going to talk with Ruth Greene, birth doula, Evidence Based Birth® Pro Member, and Co-owner of Having a Baby in China Consulting Services, about the challenges of giving birth in a foreign country and how pregnancy and childbirth can unite us despite our unique cultural & lived experiences. After the birth of her second baby in a local hospital in China, Ruth began volunteering to support other foreigners as they struggled to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system. Ruth's passion drove her to seek formal training as a doula and childbirth educator. In May 2022, Ruth partnered with the creators of havingababyinchina.com to open an official Chinese company that offers breastfeeding, doula, and consulting services. Ruth's clients hail from every corner of the earth, from South Africa to Brazil, to England, to Iran, and, of course, China. No matter the cultural or personal background, Ruth considers it an absolute privilege to be invited into the sacred space of pregnancy and birth. Ruth shares her own experiences giving birth in China and how she came to find herself immersed in birth work and making a career of helping similar families navigate the process themselves. Ruth highlights the many differences and unique cultural traditions around having a baby in China, like the Zuo Yue Zi, or the "sitting month." Despite the differences, Ruth has found that experiences of pregnancy and birth unite us all. Resources:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 258 - A Hospital Waterbirth Story with Cord Avulsion featuring EBB Childbirth Class Graduate, Samantha Reisz, PhD. | 08 Mar 2023 | 00:44:49 | |
In this episode we talk with Samantha Reisz, EBB Childbirth Class graduate about her experiences taking the class and preparing for a waterbirth in a hospital with her "Golden Ticket" birth team, who were skilled and prepared to manage a placental cord avulsion also known as cord snapping. Content & Trigger warning: complications in the third stage of labor, active management of the third phase, umbilical cord snapping or avulsion, excessive blood loss Resources:
Listen to all the EBB Podcast Episodes on Waterbirth and Cord Avulsion:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! References: For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 257 - The Updated Evidence on Group B Strep: Part 2 | 01 Mar 2023 | 01:00:43 | |
In this episode, we continue to bring you the Updated Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy. This is Part 2 of a 2-part series, where we talk about the evidence on alternative treatments for GBS and answer some of your FAQs about this hot topic. In Part 2, we'll be talking about:
Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 256 - Top 3 Recommendations for Preventing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction after Birth with Dr. Sarah Duvall, Founder of Core Exercise Solutions | 22 Feb 2023 | 00:45:39 | |
On today's podcast, we're going to talk with physical therapist and founder of Core Exercise Solutions, Dr. Sarah Duvall (she/her) about connecting with your pelvic floor and preventing dysfunction after birth. When she's not hanging off the side of a mountain, Sarah is also a wife, mom, and adventure sports athlete who enjoys writing and presenting through her social media platforms and figuring out how her clients can continue to pursue their dreams and lead strong adventurous lives. Trigger warning: pelvic organ prolapse, Cesareans, incontinence, use of gendered language.
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 255 - Teaching Girls What They Need to Know About Their Bodies with Laurisa Paul, RN, EBB Pro Member and Founder of Girls Who Know. | 15 Feb 2023 | 00:44:19 | |
In today's podcast, we talk with Laurisa Paul, a Registered Nurse, EBB Pro Member and founder of Girls Who Know® about her journey towards teaching girls what they need to know and respect about their bodies. Laurisa resides in Texas where she is a mother of five and an outdoor adventurer. Medically trained, Laurisa stumbled across home birth when she was actively seeking to improve her own birth experiences and since then she has worked as a midwife assistant. Resources: Check out Laurisa's organization Girls Who Know® here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 1 - Intro to Evidence Based Birth® | 06 Aug 2025 | 00:29:10 | |
What happens when a nurse finishing up her PhD in evidence-based practice becomes a parent and realizes her own birth care was anything but evidence-based? In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker take us back to the very beginning and shares how her first birth experience set her on a mission to change maternity care. She reflects on her two contrasting birth stories: one marked by unnecessary interventions and separation from her newborn, the other defined by empowerment, autonomy, and midwifery care. Opening up about how these experiences shaped her purpose, Rebecca shares how these experiences led her to launch Evidence Based Birth in 2012. Since then, the platform has grown from a simple blog into a platform for sharing evidence based info that is trusted by families and professionals around the world. (00:55) Why Dr. Dekker Re-Recorded This Episode in 2025 (05:03) Trying to Be the "Good Patient" (10:00) Separation from Her Baby and Delayed Bonding (13:45) Questioning the Evidence Behind Her Care (16:10) A Second Birth, Reclaimed (19:55) The Birth of Evidence Based Birth (24:20) How EBB Bridges the Gap for Families and Providers (27:40) What's Coming Next on the EBB Podcast For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class. | |||
| EBB 254 - Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy | 08 Feb 2023 | 01:04:19 | |
In this episode, we bring you the Evidence on Group B Strep in Pregnancy, in anticipation of the research update to the Signature Article on Group B Strep in Pregnancy.
Content Warning: GBS-related stillbirth, infant death, critical illness of newborns, antibiotics, disparities, access to health care. References and Resources:
Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 253 - Preparing for a 38-week Labor Induction due to Intrauterine Growth Restriction with Leah Bergman, EBB Childbirth Class Graduate | 01 Feb 2023 | 00:35:52 | |
In this episode we talk with Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class graduate, Leah Bergman about her experiences navigating a recommended 38-week induction due to a diagnosis of Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Leah Bergman is a new mom and has recently made the decision to leave her full-time job as a church musician to be able to dedicate more time to her family and raising her daughter. When she's not involved in music or busy with the baby, Leah enjoys cooking, knitting, coloring, sewing, and going on walks with her husband, Gunnar, and dog, Winnie. In this episode Leah shares how she was inspired by a friend to read Babies are Not Pizzas and on the recommendation of her midwife found the EBB Childbirth Class. Leah and her husband were planning for birth with as few interventions as possible, until an ultrasound showed signs of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). In collaboration with their midwifery team, they pivoted their plans and began to prepare for an induction at 38-weeks. Leah walks us through the difficulties in trying to make informed, evidence-based decisions about pregnancy and how they opted to induce at 38-weeks. Additionally, Leah shares her long two-part induction story and insights into how she was able to use the EBB Childbirth Education to advocate for herself during her induction and after delivery. Despite not having the birth she was originally planning, Leah reminds us that with education and preparation, you can achieve the positive and empowering birth you want, even if it isn't what you originally expected. Content Warning: Resouces: Find out more about Anna Sutkowski's doula practice and EBB Childbirth classes here. Intrauterine Growth Restrictions: Access a Medscape article on Fetal Growth Restriction (requires a free account) here. UpToDate article on Fetal Growth Restriction (requires a paid account) here Inductions: Listen to the EBB Podcast Episode 222: Navigating Induction and Pregnancy at 35+ with EBB Instructor and Birth Fusion Founder, Jennifer Anderson here. Obtain a copy of EBB Pocket Guide to Labor Inductions here. Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||
| EBB 252 - A Candid Conversation about Doula Advocacy with Doula and EBB Instructor Leslie Greene | 25 Jan 2023 | 00:54:49 | |
In this episode we talk with EBB Instructor Leslie Greene, about doula advocacy and empowering families through the EBB Childbirth education class. Resources: Listen to EBB 218 – The Evidence on Perineal Massage during Labor with Dr. Rebecca Dekker here Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!! For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on: Ready to get involved? | |||