80 episodes

Identifying gaps, acknowledging biases, and co-creating a trauma-informed standard of birthcare with change agents across the spectrum of birthwork.

Your BIRTH Partners Your BIRTH Partners

    • Health & Fitness
    • 5.0 • 9 Ratings

Identifying gaps, acknowledging biases, and co-creating a trauma-informed standard of birthcare with change agents across the spectrum of birthwork.

    The Future of Community Birth Care #080

    The Future of Community Birth Care #080

    As we wrap up season six of the podcast, we have shared so many incredible conversations over the last 11 episodes as we dove into what community means in birthcare.

    There is so much breadth of thought and energy these folks bring through their ability to see what could be, despite the ways that our systems fail us now.

    And so in this episode, I share these visions for the future of community birth care from the 11 guests that we had on this season. I invite you to take in, digest, ruminate on their answers as you come up with your own.

    Hear more about creating our collective vision for the future of community birthcare including:
    ~accessible, IN ALL ways
    ~equitable, prioritizing the needs of queer, trans, & gender nonconforming people
    ~inter-disciplinary and birthing-person led
    ~expansive support that meets all needs
    ~grounded in radical optimism!

    Connect more with this season's guests through their profiles found here!
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    • 29 min
    Being with Families in Community #079

    Being with Families in Community #079

    In this week's episode, we're diving into a conversation around perinatal mental health, and how we screen for and provide better support to parents as they continue to navigate early parenthood.
     
    Our expert this week, Dr. Erin Sadler is a psychologist at Children's National in their NICU who has focused her work around supporting infant mental health with starts with pregnancy and parents.

    She will be sharing a little bit of the process that her hospital has used to implement a universal screening for caregivers around their mental health in both the ER and the NICU environments.

    This episode is for all of you who are also looking to understand more about how we integrate our mental health care and resources into the standard medical care that we provide to families.

    Join us for insights on:
    ~Removing barriers to connection
    ~Supporting vulnerable families and decreasing ACEs
    ~Universal mental health screening as standard of care
    ~Safety nets built into screening
    ~Therapeutic interventions for NICU caregivers
    ~Asking the "scary" questions about mental health

    Connect with Dr Sadler and her work here.

    Here is an addition resource recommended by Dr Sadler:
    Two of our Children's National physicians discussing an article on the establishment our in-house PMH task force. 
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    • 41 min
    The Power of Culturally Congruent Care Communities #078

    The Power of Culturally Congruent Care Communities #078

    In this episode we invite you to think more about what it means to create community spaces that are powered by culturally responsive care.
     
    How do we build trust within them, and how we build trust within ourselves, as we contemplate the changes that happen in our bodies, through pregnancy and postpartum, how we connect with what we want and need. 

    How do we understand our feeding choices, how we think about food for our babies and ourselves?

    And why it is so important to tune in and be aware of cultural differences?  Why do we need more representation throughout perinatal care across the spectrum of all of the different roles within it?

    We need more representation, we need more folks who have different lived experiences who can offer racially and culturally congruent care who have a shared ancestral practices to uplift and support folks.  To bring all of these topics together and share their wisdom on the subject is the wonderful Shalini Shah. 

    Welcome to this conversation as we dive into all of this and think about how we create perineal care environments that are supportive, open, and welcoming for all.

    Join us as we discuss:
    ~Uplifting BIPOC birthworkers
    ~Fostering interdependence rather than individualism
    ~Eliminating shame in feeding journeys
    ~Body image & changes through pregnancy & postpartum
    ~Ayurveda & bringing yourself back to your body

    Learn more and connect with Shalini here.


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    • 51 min
    Impact of Family Policing System on Community #077

    Impact of Family Policing System on Community #077

    We are diving into another heavy and intense conversation here, as we talk about the family policing system, sometimes also referred to as the child protective system. 

    We are confronting what it means for us, as healthcare workers, as birth workers, to be tied up in this system that is involved in family separation, and ultimately, the policing of families. 

    When I was thinking through all of the different angles to take throughout the season, as we figure out what it means to be in community, with each other with those we serve one of the pieces that just kept coming back to me is how disconnected our care, especially in the hospital, can be from the greater community that we prepared to serve. And I think one of the big ways that that shows up is in how we interact with folks who use drugs, with folks that have mental health disorders, with folks who in so many ways, are othered, they don't meet our kind of expectation about "textbook perfect parent."  We are thinking a lot about how that plays out in our role as mandated reporters, how we engage with these systems. 

    I am so grateful to have Carlyn Mast back on the podcast. Carlyn is an exceptional advocate a repeat guest on the podcast, who as a social worker, and parent advocate has a lot of information to share that it gives light to really some of what what goes on when we report folks, the family policing system, and how this impacts families, how it impacts communities, and really the role that we have within this as perinatal care professionals. 

    So this episode is for those of us who are not really familiar with the child protective or family policing system, how it came to be, and how it currently operates. Carlyn is going to share some of the actual steps that we can all take as we continue to interact with families so that we can show up as a community advocate with them.

    Join us to dive into:
    ~Language: Family Policing System
    ~History of Taking Children from their Community
    ~Legislation that Criminalizes Poverty
    ~Racial Discrimination in the System
    ~Abolition of Incentivizing Family Separation
    ~Steps to Support Families


    Connect more with Carlyn here.
    *The statements from Carlyn Mast are her sole opinion and experience, not the opinions or views of her employer.

    Resources:
    Dorothy Roberts and her book Torn Apart
    Joyce Macmillan
    April Lee
    Movement for Family Power
    upEND Movement
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    • 56 min
    Accountability: Supporting the Black Trans Community #076

    Accountability: Supporting the Black Trans Community #076

    In this episode, we are sharing with you a conversation with Kayden Coleman.

    Many of you may already know Kayden through his incredible advocacy and storytelling about his experiences as a transgender dad, a seahorse dad who gave birth to two daughters.

    Through this podcast he shares why he was called to be vocal about his experiences as a Black transgender dad and the prevalence of anti-Blackness in society.  He brings education and insights into how we can improve birthcare, healthcare, and our human to human interactions to be more inclusive and equitable for trans folks, with greater awareness of intersecting identities.

    Tune in for insights on:
    ~Creating a community
    ~Educating folks who have an intent to misunderstand
    ~Accountability: calling in and calling out
    ~Anti-Blackness & the trans community
    ~Raising our awareness around social media dynamics
    ~Steps to take for equitable care

    Connect more with Kayden and his work here and don't miss his latest offerings mentioned on the podcast!


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    • 41 min
    Creating a Community of Advocates #075

    Creating a Community of Advocates #075

    In this episode of podcast, we are continuing our examination of community.

    Joined by guest Emily Edwards of The Good Birth Co, who is a nurse, birth worker and all around advocate for thinking and changing how we talk about birth, and how we address & prevent birth trauma.  This episode will be really impactful or those of you who are also out here trying to figure out how we shift power in the birth space.

    How do we call out issues when we see care, that is not care? When we see wrongdoing?  When we see obstetrical violence? When we see folks not respecting patient autonomy? When we start to see the seeds planted that could lead someone to have a traumatic birth, that will leave someone feeling disempowered, and the unfortunate, unethical things that have become standard in a lot of birth care?

    Dive in to:
    ~Moving beyond saviorship & the focus on birth outcome
    ~Advocacy in birthwork
    ~Stepping into power to prevent birth trauma
    ~Recognizing the community responsibility to change birthcare
    ~Working through the nuance of hard concepts on social media
    ~Finding your role and impact in change-making

    Emily is offering a bonus to our podcast listeners.  Catch the replay of her training on how to tackle birth trauma head on & feeling clear about your role in fixing the system

    Connect with Emily and her work here.
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    • 47 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

Erin R Wolfe ,

This podcast is GOLD

As an aspiring birth worker, I am constantly blown away by this incredible podcast! It is a breath of fresh air to hear conversations about things that are not talked about enough. There is a wealth of knowledge, perspectives and experience in this podcast and it is definitely worth a listen.

Elle Tang ,

Phenomenal info for birthing people and their support team!

This podcast is a fantastic place to learn about birthing information from professionals with excellent experience!! So happy I found this gem!

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