The Birth Lounge Podcast

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!

Join in today as HeHe sits down to discuss homebirth with Anne Margolis, CNM, LM, MSN, BSN, RN.

Anne Margolis is a Licensed Certified Nurse Midwife, Licensed Femme! Teacher, Certified Clarity Breathwork Practitioner, Yoga Teacher and practitioner. She is a 3rd generation guide to mommas birthing babies in her family. Anne has helped thousands of families in her 25+ year midwifery practice and has personally ushered the births of over 1000 healthy babies into the world. She has also guided countless human beings to heal from emotional pain, inner stress and trauma, tap into their strength and power, live fully and vibrantly, and reclaim their radiance, joyfulness, calm and overall sense of well-being.

Through her online childbirth course 'Love Your Birth', her online and in-person midwifery for pregnancy and postpartum support coaching, her birth professional mentoring, holistic gynecology, Clarity Breathwork, Yoga and Femme! experience offerings she infuses wisdom, compassion, inspiration, and joy into the entire process of women’s health care from teenaged years to menopause, as well as facilitating incredible healing and wellness for both men and women of all ages.

Anne is a two times number one national and international best selling author of 'Natural Birth Secrets: An Insiders Guide How To Give Birth Holistically, Healthfully and Safely, and Love the Experience', and also 'Trauma Release Formula: The Revolutionary Step by Step Program for Eliminating Effects of Childhood Abuse, Trauma, Emotional Pain and Crippling Inner Stress, to Living in Joy without Drugs or Therapy' both out in second edition. Anne’s work, insights and advice have been seen on TV shows and movies including 4 episodes of 'A Baby Story' on TLC Discovery Channel, and the award winning feature documentary, 'Orgasmic Birth' and 'The Human Longevity Project.' She has been interviewed for multiple local, national and international radio programs, shows and podcasts. Anne has also been a featured speaker and expert panelist at distinguished events for Weil-Cornell School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, RCC State University of New York School of Nursing, and Birthnet Association of Childbirth Professionals and Hudson Valley Birth Network to name a few. Anne's Clarity Breathwork and Femme! healing movement workshops have been hosted at numerous private events, as well as several yoga studios and wellness centers, including the conscious, high vibration and transformational community at The Assemblage in NYC. Anne is a proud founding member of The Health and Wellness Business Association, which was created to promote initiatives that support better collaboration, interaction and ethical business practices within the health and wellness business community.

She has midwifed mommas and babies for over two decades, and guides individuals to birth themselves as healthy and whole human beings capable of immense joy and inner peace. Her clients describe her as “passionate, sensitive, big hearted, and a playful ball of light.” When she’s not helping mommas around the world you can find her doing yoga (anywhere and everywhere), dancing, riding her bike, paddle boarding, swimming, taking or facilitating powerful growth and healing workshops, enjoying family time and watching comedy and historical drama.

Follow Along with Anne:

https://homesweethomebirth.com

Today HeHe sits down with Kayla Bitten to discuss Diversity in Lactation Support.  Kayla Bitten is a black, queer medical racism and equity activist, educator, and writer with over ten years in the world of birth work and her work in rooted in tradition, advocacy, and her Southern culture. She is a student midwife in Alabama and working to provide equitable support and options for BIPOC families and educate fellow birth workers on the importance of skills and cultural humility through her business The Southern Midwife. She is also the owner of Alabama’s first black-owned lactation clinic, The Postpartum Clinic, providing accessible lactation and postpartum care that goes beyond the American standard and prioritizes the uninsured and BIPOC postpartum families.

Follow along with Kayla here: www.thesouthernmidwife.work

Rixa Freeze, PhD studied at the U of Iowa and is a researcher, professor, and mother of 4 children. Her current research specialization is vaginal breech birth. She is president of Breech Without Borders, a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

She blogs at Stand and Deliver (rixarixa.blogspot.com) and is passionate about all things birth- and breastfeeding-related. 

Content Warning: We discuss statistics of infant and maternal mortality.

HeHe is sitting down with Lara and Sarah, co-owners of Dynamic Doulas of London. Together, they are sitting down to share and dish about the secrets they have learned as doulas! 

Dynamic Doulas of London work with birthing people and their families to direct them to the best sources for information, support, and health care and encourage them to grow into confident, strong, happy humans.

For more about HeHe follow along: @tranquilitybyhehe / @the.birth.lounge

For more about Dynamic Doulas of London follow along: @dynamicdoulas

With the return of The Birth Lounge podcast in 2022 - HeHe is SO excited to dive right into things with Dr. Jen Morgan.  Join us as Jen explains all things prolapse!

Jen Morgan is a licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy, who specializes in treating pelvic health conditions. As a pelvic Health physical therapist, Jen specializes in treating all dysfunctions of the pelvis, across the  gender & age spectrums. Diagnoses often are related to the bowel, bladder, sexual health, pelvic pain, or musculoskeletal changes during pregnancy or postpartum; these conditions (like incontinence or pain with intercourse) may be “common” but are not normal & can be addressed!

Jen has a continued commitment to patient care that is individualized and person-first. Her goal is to always have her patient’s feeling educated and empowered about their health and healing plans. Her plans of care blend hands-on techniques (including those that are self-taught), movement & breathwork to improve range of motion, gaining strength, decrease pain, and regulating  the nervous system to facilitate your body’s healing. 

Jen has earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from A.T. Still University, completed countless hours of continuing education & has focused her efforts on being a teaching assistant for pelvic health & specialized manual techniques of visceral and neural manipulation, as well as her yoga certification (ERYT200) through yoga alliance. 

When not working, Jen is spending lots of time working on house projects with her husband, drinking coffee & loving on her pup. You can always follow along on Instagram @doc_jenmorgan for more of the fun. 

Inside the halls of American hospitals, millions of people find comfort, healing, and support. But for many doctors and nurses, this couldn’t be further from the truth. 

This podcast will dive into the shadows of American healthcare to investigate and uncover the abuse, control, and political power plays that leave the very people responsible for our nation's health, broken and battered.

We’re sharing stories of professionals in medicine that have experienced horrendous treatment at the hands of a broken system that does nothing to stop the trauma. As the Association of American Medical Colleges states, “Long before the #MeToo movement, women in medicine have instinctively banded together to counter a culture that too often tolerated harassment.”

From systemic trauma to abuse of power to the unspoken rules of cover-ups and corruption, Mandy Irby and HeHe will take you to the darkest corners of healthcare in America so you can have an inside look at bringing humanity back to medicine!

Sensitive Content Warning: This podcast will share details of triggering subjects such as sexual assault and workplace violence, so if you aren’t in a space to listen, respect your mental health and tune in again at another time.

Connect with us on Instagram: @pulsecheck.podcast

Eva is a Certified Infant and Child Sleep Consultant and is the founder of My Sleeping Baby and the Sleep Bible program.  Today HeHe and Eva cover the best tips for new parents to set their babies up for sleep success in those early months. Expecting? New parent? You don't want to miss these sleep strategies!

Eva’s main goal is to help her clients establish healthy sleep habits for their children. After experiencing the debilitating effects of chronic sleep deprivation from her middle child, Eva was inspired to help families overcome their sleep challenges. 

Eva is a proud wife and mother of two girls and a boy (who are all great sleepers) and lives with her family in Toronto. 

Contact:

Email: eva@mysleepingbaby.com
Instagram: @mysleepingbaby
Eva's Free Sleep Masterclass: Sign Up Here!

 In this episode, HeHe shares what she learned at the Smilo panel and how this information can help change the way we treat pacifiers as parents and caregivers. Dr. Dave Tesini shared some brilliant knowledge and HeHe is relaying it to you! She is also sharing her experience with pacifiers and what she has seen in her experience with hundreds of families, some choosing that pacifier life and some not. No judgement here, folks!