
Ep: 204: Are Cervical Checks Important?
Melissa Chappell, LDEM, CPM is a midwife and owner of two birth centers in Utah, as well as a doula trainer of over 20 years. She is passionate about women’s health from a holistic and nourishing perspective, and advocates for women’s wellness in all areas of their lives. She has worked with midwives and birthing women all over the world, including in Haiti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and loves seeing how women’s lives improve with access to safe and effective midwifery care. She’s the owner of Fresh Melissa, a company dedicated to creating tasty treats that are also healthy. She is the mother of 4 children and 3 grandchildren that she adores. In between catching babies, Melissa loves to explore as much of the world as she can – from international travel to exploring the mountains in her backyard.
11 Loka 202236min

Ep. 203: The Know Your Rights Map (Obstetrical Violence)
A former communications strategist at a top public affairs firm in Baltimore, Maryland, Cristen Pascucci is the founder of Birth Monopoly and Birth Monopoly's Doula Power group, co-creator of the Exposing the Silence Project, and, from 2012 to 2016, vice president of national advocacy organization Improving Birth. She has run an emergency hotline for women facing threats to their legal rights in childbirth, created a viral consumer campaign to “Break the Silence” on trauma and abuse in childbirth, and helped put obstetric violence and the maternity care crisis in national media. Today, she is a leading voice for women giving birth, speaking around the country and consulting privately for consumers and professionals on issues related to birth rights and options. Cristen is also the host of Birth Allowed Radio as well as executive producer of a documentary film planned for release in 2020 to start a national conversation on obstetric violence, birth trauma, and women's rights in birth. facebook.com/birthmonopoly instagram.com/birthomonopoly
26 Syys 202240min

Ep: 202: Carseat Safety with Dahlia Rizk
As fall and winter weather approaches and we all begin reaching for those coats we are re-sharing our episode about carseat safety with Dahlia Rizk of Buckle Me Baby Coats. About Dahlia: My 3 kids, 2 cats, dog and I live in New Hampshire where winter is long and cold and like you our lives are super busy. I want my kids to be safe and warm in the winter but I found myself too tired to wrestle their winter coats off in the car seat every single trip. One day, feeling overwhelmed with all the taking the coat off - put the coat on, I thought if the zipper wasn’t in the middle this wouldn't be a problem… and I realized I had a super simple and easy fix to the winter coat problem!! Excited, I spoke with every coat manufacturer imaginable. I thought they would jump on the idea and together we would quickly get the coat out to all parents but none of them believed that coats needed to be redesigned for the car seat. They weren’t in the trenches though – I was – and I knew other parents needed car seat coats too but this was pre-social media and I didn't have a way to talk to parents directly so I focused on my growing family and going back to school and getting a degree. A few years ago on a grey depressing March day I saw a mom in a parking lot. Her daughter was screeching while wrapped in a blanket that was dragging through the slush. I looked at the moms face and she looked as tired and defeated as I felt when I thought of the coats. I knew that look and felt her pain. I thought to myself who needs the big guys Ill tell parents myself, so I had a sample made, made a video with my nephew and posted to Facebook. My post went viral - parents loved them! In a few short years Buckle Me Baby Coats has grown from shipping out of my kitchen to shipping all over the world. Outside of Buckle Me Baby Coats I'm also a mental health counselor – running a mental health private practice where I treat adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Follow along: www.bucklemecoats.com
20 Syys 202216min

Ep. 200: 5 Scripts to Help You Navigate Hospital Policy during Labor
THIS IS OUR 200TH EPISODE!! I can not believe that we have had 200 hang outs, 200 conversations about your rights and 200 times that you prioritized yourself and your birth so you can have a better birth! This is the way to a world that has no birth trauma and women are truly in control of their birth experiences again! Exciting news in that The Birth Lounge doors are open! They are open September 5th-9th! You can join at https://www.thebirthlounge.com/join In this episode, I will teach you how to can respectfully navigate the conversations around your birth goals and have your preferences honored! We are going to talk about declining routine cervical exams, declining an IV and continuous fetal monitoring as a low risk laborer, advocating for pushing in any other position than on your back and how to decline an unnecessary induction that does not feel aligned with you. Links mentioned in the episode: Evidence-Based Induction Guide: https://www.thebirthlounge.com/induction History of Lithotomy position: https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.77.5.636 Failure to Progress: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Failure-to-Progress-Handout.pdf Inducing for Due Dates in *NOT* evidence based: https://evidencebasedbirth.com/evidence-on-inducing-labor-for-going-past-your-due-date/
5 Syys 202245min

Ep. 199: Gestational Diabetes with Leslee Flannery
Leslee is a registered dietitian who specializes in gestational diabetes. She has been working with pregnant moms for eight years and is passionate about women advocating for their health. Lesley founded the better blood sugar Method coaching program for Gestational diabetic moms in January 2020. In the program Leslee teaches women how to enjoy the foods they love while managing blood sugars confidently! She also has a husband and two young boys that keep her very busy! Leslee enjoys to be outdoors in her free time either hiking, gardening, or watching her boys play sports! She also has a husband and two young boys that keep her very busy! Leslee enjoys to be outdoors in her free time either hiking, gardening, or watching her boys play sports! Follow along: @gestational.diabetes.nutrition
14 Kesä 202222min

Ep. 198: A Vaginal Breech Birth Story
HeHe sits down with Cassidy Piney to share Cassidy's breech birth story. Cassidy is a mother of two daughters, a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Her first baby was born at home with midwives. Her second baby was breech and was born vaginally in hospital with a team of midwives. You don't want to miss this one!
7 Kesä 202239min

Ep. 197: Carseat Safety with Dahlia Rizk
HeHe is sharing carseat safety with Dahlia Rizk of Buckle Me Baby Coats. About Dahlia: My 3 kids, 2 cats, dog and I live in New Hampshire where winter is long and cold and like you our lives are super busy. I want my kids to be safe and warm in the winter but I found myself too tired to wrestle their winter coats off in the car seat every single trip. One day, feeling overwhelmed with all the taking the coat off - put the coat on, I thought if the zipper wasn’t in the middle this wouldn't be a problem… and I realized I had a super simple and easy fix to the winter coat problem!! Excited, I spoke with every coat manufacturer imaginable. I thought they would jump on the idea and together we would quickly get the coat out to all parents but none of them believed that coats needed to be redesigned for the car seat. They weren’t in the trenches though – I was – and I knew other parents needed car seat coats too but this was pre-social media and I didn't have a way to talk to parents directly so I focused on my growing family and going back to school and getting a degree. A few years ago on a grey depressing March day I saw a mom in a parking lot. Her daughter was screeching while wrapped in a blanket that was dragging through the slush. I looked at the moms face and she looked as tired and defeated as I felt when I thought of the coats. I knew that look and felt her pain. I thought to myself who needs the big guys Ill tell parents myself, so I had a sample made, made a video with my nephew and posted to Facebook. My post went viral - parents loved them! In a few short years Buckle Me Baby Coats has grown from shipping out of my kitchen to shipping all over the world. Outside of Buckle Me Baby Coats I'm also a mental health counselor – running a mental health private practice where I treat adults with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Follow along: www.bucklemecoats.com
31 Touko 202216min

Ep. 196: Cannabis in Motherhood with Bianca Snyder
Bianca Snyder, Founder of High Society Mama and Society's Plant High Society Mama inspires CannaMoms to feel comfortable and confident in their choice to use plant medicine, while also laughing and having fun in the process. Society's Plant is a seed to smoke artisanal hemp company that is grown with love by High Society Mama and High Society Papa. They have the mission to introduce society to the healing benefits of cannabis through smoking CBD flower. Follow Along: Www.societysplant.com Save with code: Tranquility30
24 Touko 202232min





















