Shows
Evidence Based Birth®REPLAY - EBB 130: Home Birth in the Black Community with Isis RoseFebruary 7, 2024 - For today's episode, we are highlighting one of our favorite home birth podcast episodes with the replay of a 2020 conversation with student midwife, Isis Rose, about her very own home birth. If you are inspired during this listen, please support Isis in her midwifery journey! She is currently accepting support via her GoFundMe page and Venmo. ----- In this episode I talk with Isis Rose, a full spectrum doula, home birth mom, certified lactation counselor, and placenta encapsulation specialist. She lives in Urbana, Illinois. Isis is starting midwifery school in July, w...2024-02-071h 07
Homecoming PodcastChae, Mensa, and the Homebirth of Masara MensahOur co-host Chae Pounds just had a baby this March 2021! Chae and her husband Mensa tell us the story of Masara Mensah who was born at home. Chae is a mother of 4 and an apprentice midwife in New Orleans who also works with Birthmark Doula Collective. Mensa is a father, recording artist, school teacher, and an advocate of homebirth. Their story addresses iron-deficiency anemia in pregnancy, planning an unassisted birth also known as a family birth, prodromal labor, the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on postpartum, a postpartum "soup diet" and how even when birth is normal we can...2021-10-011h 17
Homecoming PodcastTalise and Arsalaan's Surprise Twin Homebirth!Isis and Chae interview Talise and her husband Arsalaan (formerly known as Deron). All 6 of their children were born at home including their surprise breech twins! Talise Xavier, of Atlanta, Georgia, is a wife, mother of six, author, and homemaker. Talise uses her birth experiences and expertise to help empower other women as a Natural pregnancy, Breastfeeding, and Postpartum care advocate. Her mission is to encourage women to birth their way, re-normalize natural homebirth, and educate women about their pregnancy and birthing options. Talise’s book, “Home is Where The Birth Is: The Stories of my 6 Homebirths and How You C...2021-01-071h 14
Homecoming PodcastGiving Birth to a Spirit: Miscarriage as Homebirth with Ellenie CruzTRIGGER WARNING: Mention of miscarriage, abortion, D&C and blood loss. This episode features Ellenie Cruz. Ellenie’s homebirth story is special because it centers her miscarriage which she frames not as a pregnancy loss but rather a gain. Through her experience, Ellenie saw the impact and importance of community and of birth work. She also recognizes that birthing people who experience miscarriage still require postpartum care! Ellenie is a New Orleans-based educator, artist, poet, doula, student midwife, herbalist, and reiki master. She promotes ancestral practices to heal self, family, and community. Ellenie is the founder of...2020-12-011h 31
Homecoming PodcastUnpacking Medical and Obstetric Racism with Dr. Dana-Ain DavisIsis and Chae interview Dr. Dana-Ain Davis who discusses her book Reproductive Injustice, as well as how medicalized childbirth is an extension of slavery, how racism is a risk factor for all Black birthing people, and why we need more radical birth workers.2020-10-301h 00
Homecoming PodcastAnswering the Call of Midwifery with Nubia MartinIn this Season 3 premiere episode, Isis and Chae interview Nubia Martin a Black midwife based in Yonkers, NY. Nubia is the proud mother of 5 -- two daughters and three sons. Her first 2 babies were born in the hospital. And her last 3 were born at home with midwives. After seeing a need in her community, Nubia has actively worked to fill that need by providing necessary childbirth education, lactation support, and now midwifery care to a population that has been historically disenfranchised and to this day still feels the effects of segregation and racial health disparities. Her organization, Birth from...2020-09-061h 14
Homecoming PodcastDoula Shayla Brown's Homebirth StoryIn this season finale episode, Isis and Chae interview Shayla Brown, community doula, childbirth educator and founder of Genesis Birthing and Living. Chae calls Shayla a "pioneer woman" because she broke new ground in mothering in her family. She was the first in her family to have a home birth, to breastfeed, and to embrace natural, unmedicated childbirth as a preference and strategy for survival. Shayla is a wife, a mother of 4 (with 1 on the way!) and an advocate for natural birth options for Black women. Shayla has given birth naturally 4 times: Once in a hospital, twice at home...2020-08-071h 16Homecoming PodcastKeeping It All the Way Real with Nicole Deggins, CNM"Birth is the Revolution," y'all! This week Isis and Chae interview Sista Midwife, Nicole Deggins, CNM, who is one of the leading birth advocacy experts in the US. Nicole, a NOLA native, is a sought-after trainer, public speaker, and community educator who works to eliminate perinatal disparities and bring light to the broken medical-obstetrical model of birth. Nicole knows hospital birth extensively and was a labor and delivery nurse before becoming a nurse midwife. Now, through her business Sista Midwife Productions, Nicole has provided full-spectrum, community-based training for dozens of cohorts of doulas or birth companions who hope to...2020-07-011h 38
Evidence Based Birth®EBB 130 – Home Birth in the Black Community with Isis RoseIn this episode I talk with Isis Rose, a full spectrum doula, home birth mom, certified lactation counselor, and placenta encapsulation specialist. She lives in Urbana, Illinois. Isis is starting midwifery school in July, with plans to become a Certified Professional Midwife, and she’s a member of the Illinois Council of Certified Professional Midwives. Isis co-hosts the Homecoming Podcast alongside Chae Pounds, which launched in 2018 to tell stories of Black families who give birth at home. Isis and I discuss her birth story, including her unique approach to prenatal care, and hemorrhaging she experienced immediately after he...2020-06-101h 04Homecoming PodcastHolding Space for Grief and Healing with Tayo MbandeShow dedication: In Loving Memory of Tayo's father--DeShon Reddick, Sr. “Demo,” The King of B Boy Soul. Isis and Chae open this episode discussing self-care and its importance in pregnancy and postpartum healing. Chae also mentions her love for moxibustion. We continue the self-care conversation with Tayo on Patreon with our monthly subscribers. This episode features Tayo Mbande--a Californian living in Chicago, a homebirth mama, birthworker, and co-founder of Chicago Birth Works Collective. She founded the collective with her mother, Toni Taylor, who has always been a supportive force and doula to Tayo especially for the...2020-06-041h 45Homecoming PodcastJeanine Valrie Logan: Illinois Midwife and Breastfeeding AdvocateIsis and Chae interview Jeanine Valrie Logan, MPH, CLS. Jeanine is a Chicago-based advanced practice midwife, certified lactation education specialist, youth ally, homebirth mama, ecofeminist, podcaster, and homeschooler. In this episode, Jeanine discusses her entry into birth work in 2008. We also talk about the status of homebirth midwifery in Illinois and how there are still no Black certified professional midwives in Illinois. Her book Free to Breastfeed: Voices of Black Mothers is available at https://www.amazon.com/Free-Breastfeed-Voices-…/…/1939807115 Jeanine co-hosts Birthworker Baes podcast!2020-05-221h 06Homecoming PodcastChae Births Moziah at HomeAfter experiencing emotional ups and downs during pregnancy, including a false diagnosis, Chae had a beautiful home birth! Chae decided to birth unassisted although she did have the support of her birth team including her husband Mensa. In Season 1, Chae shared her breech birth story which started as a planned home birth but resulted in a hospital transfer. In this episode, Chae shares the power of giving birth a second time in the comfort of her home. Click here for more information about Chae's birth services. This episode is dedicated to midwife and activist Claudia Booker who p...2020-02-271h 29Homecoming PodcastStacey and Tommy's Unassisted Home Birth Story - Part IIAlabama-based homesteading business owners, wellness practitioners, and bee keepers, Stacey and Tommy Fluker describe their unassisted birth in Alabama. After being supported by midwives for their first two home births, Stacey and Tommy felt comfortable and empowered to birth without any birthworkers or medical providers present for the birth of their third child. For more information about Stacey and Tommy and Healing Exchange AL (H.E.A.L.) click here.2020-01-2336 minHomecoming PodcastStacey and Tommy Fluker Talk Alabama Midwifery and Home Birth - Part IStacey and Tommy Fluker are parents of three children and the owners and operators of Healing Exchange AL. Stacey and Tommy are healers, thai yoga massage practitioners, bee keepers, and lovers of nature and music. Stacey is also a doula who witnessed her mother birth birth at home and was inspired to birth her children at home. Her first two births were assisted by underground or "rebel midwives." Her third birth was unassisted and is featured of part two of this episode. Read more about Stacey here. It’s been a year since Alabama legalized homebirth midwifery by...2020-01-2352 minHomecoming PodcastKristin of exBreast Yourself Talks Cloth DiapersAnother cloth diaper episode, ayyyee!! We interview Kristin Mejia-Greene a birth and postpartum doula, placenta encapsulation specialist, and Certified Lactation Counselor. Kristin serves the greater Nashville, Tennessee are and is the owner of exBreast Yourself Festival Pumping Suites. She provides luxury pumping suites for festivals and trade shows in the mid-South. Kristin is also the founder of Homeland Heart & Birth Wellness Collective, a collective of Black doulas and wellness workers in Nashville working to reduce Black maternal and infant mortality rates. When she's not working, she's homeschooling her children, Kennedy and Kruze, and loving on her new husband Terrance.2019-12-1842 minHomecoming PodcastNuola's Homebirth StoryIn part II of this episode, Nuola, mother of 3, answers the question, "Why did you have a home birth?!" despite everything she endured with her first two pregnancies including D&C and stillbirth. For more info about Nuola visit www.nuolaakinde.com2019-10-301h 07Homecoming PodcastWhen Loss Leads to Home Birth with Nuola Akinde*content warning: pregnancy loss, D&C, stillbirth* Nuola shares her first experiences with pregnancy and birth. She first became pregnant as a college student. Her doctor ultimately convinced her to terminate a potentially difficult but wanted pregnancy. After experiencing a coerced D&C and later a stillbirth, Nuola went on to have two health children born in the hospital--first with an OB then a nurse midwife. When Nuola got pregnant again, she opted for a home birth and tells us why.2019-09-291h 00Homecoming PodcastIsis' Birth StoryChae interviews Isis who discusses what it was like to find a midwife in Illinois where non-nurse midwives still cannot legally attend home births. Isis describes her at-home water birth as healing and beautiful despite having postpartum complications.2019-08-301h 24Homecoming PodcastLou-Ann and Michael's Birth Story (Season 1 Finale!)In this Season 1 finale episode, we interview Lou-Ann and Michael. Lou-Ann is a wife, mom of 2, and Graphic Design Consultant from Northern Virginia. Lou-Ann first gave birth to her daughter, Charlotte, in the hospital. After experiencing a "failed epidural," Lou-Ann decided to have a midwife-assisted home birth when she became pregnant with her son Malcolm. Lou-Ann had an empowered, unmedicated home birth that was beautiful beyond belief! Lou-Ann's book recommendations: Natural Childbirth: The Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin2019-06-101h 38Homecoming PodcastA Week in the Life of Detroit Homebirth Midwife Cynthia JacksonDetroit homebirth midwife, Cynthia Jackson, describes a typical prenatal appointment, why Black women should consider home birth, and a memorable surprise breech birth! Cynthia is a professional birth worker and founder of Sacred Rose Birthing Services. She provides homebirth midwifery care and hospital doula support for Detroit families (Wayne, Macomb, Oakland, and Washtenaw counties). 2019-03-0558 minHomecoming PodcastBrittany's Birth StoryBrittany Fluitt, registered nurse and community doula, shares the birth of her son Kamalu who was born at home in New Orleans with the support of her doula, midwife, and husband Ifeanyi. Brittany shares why it's important to prepare your body and spirit for birth even before getting pregnant. Check out the documentaries Why Not Home? The Surprising Birth Choices of Doctors and Nurses and The Business of Being Born.2019-01-261h 15Homecoming PodcastMama Cloth with Alysia - Part IIIsis and Chae continue their conversation with Alysia who is a mom of two boys. She always had an interest in cloth menstrual pads AKA mama cloth but made the switch when she began cloth diapering her son Apollo. Alysia was diagnosed with endometriosis and started mama cloth because she had really heavy, painful cycles. She was actually scheduled to have her ovaries removed but then she discovered mama cloth. Once she started using cloth, Alysia noticed a dramatic disappearance in her symptoms! No more painful periods, cramps, or endometriosis in the 3 years since she started using her mama...2019-01-0943 minHomecoming PodcastCloth Diapers with Alysia - Part IThis episode features Alysia mother of two boys. She talks about why she loves cloth diapers and how they are easy to wash and care for. We discuss the different types of modern cloth diapers including our favorite Black-owned brands! In Part II of this episode, we discuss cloth menstrual pads AKA mama cloth! We absolutely LOVE these cloth diapers: Nappy Bunz SHINE Cloth Pooters G Diapers 2018-12-1144 minHomecoming PodcastShayla and Isaiah's Birth StoryAtlanta residents Shayla and Isaiah had two home births! Shayla always knew she wanted a natural birth. Shayla’s first child, Maya Malawi was born at home. It was a planned home birth supported by Shayla’s midwife (a traveling, holistic, elder midwife and herbalist) and her midwife’s assistant. Shayla loved her midwife so much that she hired her when she became pregnant a second time. This is also the story of her second-born daughter Sanai Nairobi, born at home in the water as Shayla “breathed her baby out.” Shayla's Birth Affirmations: I am whole and...2018-11-261h 00Homecoming PodcastChae's Birth StoryChae and Mensa's daughter, Mezi, entered their lives butt first! Chae planned to have a home birth when she found out that she was pregnant. However, she experienced an emergency hospital transfer. Chae tells a powerful story of how having an empowered birth even when things don't go as planned. Chae says, "Breech birth is normal!"2018-10-2746 minHomecoming PodcastRoxanne's Birth StoryRoxanne is a wife and mother of two. Her first child was born at 27 weeks and 4 days via an emergency c-section. Because of the traumatic nature of her daughter's birth, and the struggles she had with breastfeeding, Roxanne made a point to educate herself about birth and breastfeeding. Using Hypnobirthing techniques, Roxanne's second child, Zion, was born at home in a birth pool. She was supported by her husband and a homebirth midwife. Roxanne is now a breastfeeding advocate with The Brown Baby Brigade and also promotes babywearing!2018-09-2850 minHomecoming PodcastKristen and Mosi's Birth StoryKristen A. Rome, Esq. is a mama, criminal defense attorney, social justice advocate and certified holistic doula. Kristen works to end the mass incarceration of African descended people by providing affordable and accessible client-centered legal representation. With a devotion to contemplative lawyering, Kristen acknowledges that our confinement extends beyond physical prison structures to the culture and institutions designed to subjugate and annihilate Black people. One of the only Black attorney-doulas in New Orleans, Kristen's commitment to eliminating the prison industrial complex is informed by the understanding that we must first eliminate the colonization of the Black womb. The measure...2018-09-021h 04Homecoming PodcastWelcome HomeThank you for tuning in to our first episode of Homecoming Podcast. We hosts, Isis and Chae, discuss the purpose of the show which features the stories of Black families who birth at home. We acknowledge that we are witnessing a renaissance in birth and maternal health. This "birth renaissance" is a response to the national crisis in maternal health in which Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. Everyday, more of us are taking birth back into our hands and birthing in the way of our ancestors as many of...2018-09-0238 min