The Birth Lounge Blog

The Issue with Hospital Provided Doulas You’re sitting at a friend's table. Your ever expanding belly is, of course, the topic of conversation. “I’m thinking about hiring a doula”, you tell your friend. In the background the sounds of her own children serve as an unending, but joyful soundtrack. “OH!” she replies, “The hospital you’re delivering at provides a doula for anyone wanting them. They’re affordable, too. Maybe even free!”. Perfect, you think. Now, you can finally stop worrying about the money aspect. “Really? I’m impressed the hospital is providing them. That makes me feel so safe”, you tell your friend. “Isn’t it amazing!?”. You agree. Pause a moment here and let’s consider a few things: Is it amazing? Or could it be problematic? Let’s break down the conflict of interest before you grab the phone and hire that hospital provided doula.  The Ethical Issue The presence of a doula is supposed to ensure an unbiased, evidence based birth environment. When you hire a doula they...

Things that F*ck Up your Birth Plan LATE PREGNANCY ULTRASOUNDS Ultrasounds are a ‘normal’ part of pregnancy if you ask any American woman—BUT if we look at the science behind them, you might be surprised at what you find… While you may enjoy seeing your baby, it’s worth discussing the risks before saying ‘yes’ to any and all ultrasounds and scans. Pregnant people routinely go through a number of ultrasounds during pregnancy.  Most commonly: - 11-14 weeks to confirm pregnancy - 18-22 weeks to confirm anatomy is looking normal - 35-38 weeks which is known as the growth scan (we check the ‘size of baby’ and baby’s position) I put ’size of baby’ in quotations because the accuracy of ultrasounds is so laughable that it’s ridiculous to lead anyone to ever believe we could accurately predict the size of a baby that way. Ultrasounds also get less and less accurate as the baby grows. However, there are risks with late-pregnancy ultrasounds and some are severe like misdiagnosis, unnecessar...

The Beginning of Home Birth with Kaitlyn Fusco ( Derived from Episode 142 of the Birth Lounge Podcast ) Today, we are chatting with Katelyn Fusco, Host of Happy Home Birth Podcast. We are covering home birth and how birth has transformed over the years. Katelyn is sharing who is right for home birth and the top home birth myths. We are also diving into stickier topics like the business side of birth and how legislation can impact women’s health. We shine a spotlight on consent and continuity of care as well. I'll hand it over now for Katelyn's thoughts! We are so ingrained now, especially in the United States, to think that birth is a medical event that just has to take place in the hospital. I mean, that's just in our minds. I know growing up, that's how it was for me. My mom had all three of her children as C-sections. So when I was growing up, I thought, 'Okay, well, I'll have C-sections for my babies. Birth is surgery the end'. I don't think I'm ...

Podcast Recs: True Crime + Women's Health This isn’t going to be the typical blog that you find here! In true Halloween spirit last week, I asked our Instagram audience if they were into True Crime Podcast. This led to most folks saying “Duh!” and me digging deeper by asking who wanted to hear about my favorite podcasts that blended True Crime and women’s health?! The overwhelming majority said ‘hell yeah!’ So, here we are!  Before we dive into these, I want to provide a brief trigger warning. These podcasts combine true crime with women’s health. Some readers & listeners may find the content traumatic. Fetal Abduction Podcast* may be especially triggering for anyone who is reading and pregnant.  Sick Podcast   This was my first introduction to an investigative podcast about women’s health (I am a long time listener of Crime Junkies). This podcast was the tiny hairline fracture I needed to fully break the dam and open my eyes to just how deep the deceit and corruption...