The Birth Lounge Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Join HeHe and Dr. Jennifer Dunatov, an ethicist, in an eye-opening conversation about the vital role of ethics in childbirth. Discover what an ethicist does, how ethics consultations can support both patients and providers, and the complexities of navigating medical dilemmas in birthing spaces. Learn about real-life scenarios, the importance of patient autonomy, and ways to ensure your wishes are respected during labor and delivery. This episode is a must-watch for expectant parents, doulas, and healthcare professionals seeking to understand the intersection of ethics and birth.

Understanding the Role of an Ethicist

Ethics in Birthing Spaces

How to Request an Ethics Consult

Navigating Values Conflicts

Ethics Education for Providers

The Process of an Ethics Consult

Provider Hesitations and Ethical Dilemmas

Patient Autonomy and Medical Advice

Ethics Consults: When and Why to Call

Navigating Hospital Ethics Mechanisms

Real-Life Ethical Scenarios in Birth

The Role of Ethics in Patient Care

Addressing Ethical Conflicts in Labor

Guest Bio:

Dr. Jennifer Dunatov is a health care ethicist living and working in the greater Los Angeles area. She consults, teaches and writes on all things birth ethics. Jennifer co-founded the No Trauma Mama® Project in 2017 after learning as a new mother about the global epidemic of obstetric violence and birth trauma. She believes when people experience ethical and respectful births, it can be transformative for birthing people, families, and entire communities.

Jennifer has served in clinical and academic roles for 19 years. She is currently Senior Director of Ethics in Southern CA for a multi-state health care system.

Connect with HeHe on IG 

Connect with Dr. Jennifer Dunatov on IG 

Connect with HeHe on YouTube

Join The Birth Lounge here for judgment-free childbirth education that prepares you for an informed birth and how to confidently navigate hospital policy to have a trauma-free labor experience!

Download The Birth Lounge App for birth & postpartum prep delivered straight to your phone!

https://notraumamama.com/

Join HeHe in an enlightening conversation with Labor & Delivery nurse Jen Atkisson, known as the 'Pitocin Queen,' as they dive deep into the controversial use of Pitocin in labor and delivery. In this episode, they discuss when and why Pitocin might be used, how to use it responsibly, and the critical importance of evidence-based practices. Jen shares her insights on natural oxytocin versus synthetic Pitocin, the potential risks and benefits, and ways to avoid unnecessary interventions. This transparent and data-driven discussion aims to empower expectant parents and healthcare providers with the knowledge necessary for safer, more satisfying birth experiences.

Understanding Pitocin and Its Uses

Oxytocin vs. Pitocin: Key Differences

The Role of Oxytocin in Labor

Pitocin Administration and Safety

Nervous System and Labor

Personal Experiences and Reflections

Challenges in Healthcare and Pitocin Use

Effective Pitocin Dosing Strategies

Risks and Complications of Pitocin

Unexpected Labor Story

Signs of Labor and Cervical Exams

Understanding Pitocin Usage

Managing Pitocin Dosage

Dealing with Excessive Contractions

Pitocin Protocols and Guidelines

Patient Advocacy and Pitocin

Third Stage of Labor and Pitocin

Alternatives to Pitocin

Guest Bio:

With over 17 years of unique experiences in nursing and consulting, I've seen the same patient safety & legal themes come up over and over again. And they're not what you think they are! Because keeping our moms and babies safe is always our first priority, I needed to make this information available to all nurses!

Connect with HeHe on IG 

Connect with Jen on IG 

Connect with HeHe on YouTube.

Join The Birth Lounge here for judgment-free childbirth education that prepares you for an informed birth and how to confidently navigate hospital policy to have a trauma-free labor experience!

Download The Birth Lounge App for birth & postpartum prep delivered straight to your phone!

Connect with Jen here!

HeHe is joined by Jen Darwin to talk about reimagining postpartum in the US! As a former Labor & Delivery RN and now a doula, Jen is no stranger to the disparities that happen in postpartum support for moms-- the lack of 'the village,' the single six-week check up and no paid maternity care. Overall, the United States spends the most money in the world on healthcare per person. However, in regard to maternal outcomes, we typically rank last when compared to other wealthy nations. Today, Jen shares about her postnatal retreat center nestled in San Francisco and provides full-service, round the clock postpartum care for new parents! The retreat center is a comfortable, relaxing place where you, your partner and baby can get the support you need to get off to a healthy start. Meals are prepared for you, dishes are done for you, staff makes your bed, and washing bottles and pumping parts! Their King Studio and King Suites are customized for postpartum recovery and come equipped with heated bidet toilets, rainfall shower heads, and comfortable King Size beds. Whether it’s your first child or your fifth, a “village” of support can offer the resources you need.

Connect with HeHe on IG 

Connect with The Village on IG 

Join The Birth Lounge here for judgment-free childbirth education that prepares you for an informed birth and how to confidently navigate hospital policy to have a trauma-free labor experience!

Download The Birth Lounge App for birth & postpartum prep delivered straight to your phone!

The Village Retreat Center

**Receive $200 Spa Credit and $100 off your total stay when you mention The Birth Lounge Podcast

HeHe sits down with Sarah King to discuss navigating pregnancy after an eating disorder.  Sarah and her team of allied health professionals specialize in helping women ditch disordered eating, recover their period from hypothalamic amenorrhea, and improve their body image so they can regain their health and their life.

Follow Sarah:

www.sarahlizking.com

Krystle Howald DPT educates and empowers women to take hold of their physical health. She specializes in orthopedic and women's health- treating patients in her clinic Empower Movement Physical Therapy in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She also owns Expecting and Empowered- a prenatal and postpartum business aimed at helping women navigate both periods with safe and effective workouts. E + E also disseminates as much free information as possible to help every single woman understand the pregnancy and postpartum process better. 

Krystle is the co-founder of Expecting and Empowered. After going through our first pregnancies (our first kiddos are 6 months apart) we realized that women were being told, "Just listen to your body and do whatever you were doing before pregnancy." This type of message wasn't going to cut it, and women deserve better.

Our DREAM was to use our professional expertise to help women thrive from their pregnancy journey through postpartum. We created a roadmap for each period - one that accounts for all the changes and modifications that need to come with each phase of motherhood. We know that mamas are short on time, so our guides are made with that in mind to help you exercise efficiently to feel your best!

We are mamas who are passionate about giving ALL women the knowledge and tools to empower them to feel confident in keeping their baby safe during pregnancy and to heal properly during recovery from a c-section or vaginal birth.

Your Website:: Www.expectingandempowered.com

Mandy Major is on a mission to change how America handles the fourth trimester. After learning first-hand how little we support and inform new parents during postpartum, she left her 10+ year career in digital media to dedicate herself to birth work and closing the gap in postpartum care. Today, she’s a certified postpartum doula PCD(DONA), founder of virtual postpartum care company Major Care, and creator of the My Fourth app, the first daily tracker devoted to postpartum parents. She has been a spokesperson for Philips Avent and currently serves as the postpartum expert for BabyCenter’s medical advisory board. She holds a M.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and has written as a perinatal expert for HuffPost, Healthline, Motherly and more.

Socials

Instagram @DoulaMandy and @MajorCareDoulas

Links

• My Fourth: https://www.majorcaredoulas.com/my-fourth 
• MomStrong culture article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/postpartum-support-mothers-united-states_n_60f42d83e4b01ba8eed7084b
• Code for your community: LOUNGE30

Download app with link above, head to Subscribe and enter the code for 1 free month of our doula texting plan/premium subscription.

Kaytee Crawford supports families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum as a childbirth educator, birth and postpartum doula, and babywearing educator. She uses her training, combined with a wealth of experience parenting four boys, to create personalized care as well as fun, insightful social media content.

Kaytee is passionate about sharing her experiences in pregnancy and as a Black woman and a person living in a larger body in order to create safer, trauma-free experiences for others.

Kaytee lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband and four sons. She owns and operates Doula Kaytee, her birthwork business, as well as Ahava Creative Co, where she creates art and graphic design.

Follow along with Kaytee:

Www.DoulaKaytee.com

Special offer: $5 off a babywearing consult. Sign up on Kaytee's website and put “podcast” in the notes during checkout!

HeHe sits down with Dr. Nidhi Kotak, pediatric dentist to discuss taking your baby in the dentist for the first time. We break down when, where to find a dentist, how to talk to your child about the dentist to get them prepared, etc.  Dr. Nidhi Kotak discusses when to start brushing, how we should be using toothpaste, types of brushing, teething, and so much more!

Follow Along with Dr. Nidhi Kotak: @babytoothdentist

HeHe sits down to chat with Tatiana Koontz- Licensed Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, monitrice (advanced birth doula), postpartum doula, placenta encapsulator, and childbirth educator. Tatiana owns a home birth practice in San Diego, CA.

Tatiana and HeHe have PLENTY in common as birth workers, but today they are connecting on their shared experiences as birth workers without children or personal birth experience. 

Tatiana has devoted her life to birth and postpartum work since she trained as a doula in 2006 and has been privileged to walk with hundreds of families on parts of their special journeys. She has a deep love for postpartum support, helping families transition as they integrate their babies and overcome challenges. Tatiana has a passion for birth options, informed consent, improving connections within families, and aiding them in building their community both before and after birth. 

Tatiana is a dog lover that is fluent in Spanish after living in South America for several years. She loves to travel whenever possible, watch movies outdoors, and enjoy the sunshine.

Follow along with Tatiana: https://www.birthwavesmidwifery.com/

Facebook or Instagram

Amanda Janzen is a registered nurse and international board-certified lactation consultant. With 8 years of L&D, postpartum, and special care nursery experience she has worked in a hospital setting, free-standing birth center, and now in private practice as a birth/postpartum doula and lactation consultant. As a mom of two, she knows the realities of postpartum and honors every parents "intuitive knowing" when something "feels off." She strives to bring all options to the table so parents can feel confident in their choices even if they go against the grain.

Amanda landed a job as a new graduate in labor and delivery and began to recognize patterns that led to the rarest/scariest birth complications. She questioned the "norm" early in her career and now realizes these experiences have shaped her into the practitioner she is today.

These same questions carried over into her postpartum nurse role when educating parents about the "ABCs" of sleep at hospital discharge. She was secretly bed-sharing (safely) with her own baby at home, yet telling parents this was not an option for them with a hospital "gag order" in place.

She refuses to teach abstinence only education when parents want more information on bed-sharing and believes lives can be saved when we intentionally teach parents how to make this a safer practice.

Follow along with Amanda: www.midwestmommacollective.com

Generously, Amanda has offered $25 off a virtual safe sleep consult. These consults look at each families unique medical histories, feeding practice, sleep situations, and home/bedroom setups to help determine if bed-sharing is right for you. Mention you heard the podcast on The Birth Lounge!