EBB 47 - Creating a Listening Birth Circle with Jenn D’Jamoos
Release Date: 10/10/2018
Evidence Based Birth®
As 2025 comes to an end, guest host Dr. Sara Ailshire turns the tables and interviews Dr. Rebecca Dekker about the biggest childbirth trends, lessons, and breakthroughs of 2025, and what exciting changes are coming to EBB in 2026. Together, Sara and Rebecca dive into the shifting landscape of birth: the unprecedented rise in labor inductions, how AI is complicating the search for evidence-based information, changes in doula access and Medicaid coverage, and how politics continues to shape pregnancy and postpartum care. They walk through the most impactful EBB research updates of...
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The EBB End of Year Countdown Sale, featuring three days of one-day-only deals, is happening December 29 through December 31. Over those three days, we will release a different EBB tool or program at a special price, with each deal available for just 24 hours. Here’s what’s coming in the sale: Monday, December 29 - Quarterly EBB Pro Membership PLUS a FREE physical Pocket Guide of your choice for $149. Tuesday, December 30 - Bundle the Annual EBB Pro Membership with a 2-day ticket to the virtual 2026 EBB Conference for $499. Wednesday, December 31 - Order your...
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In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker dives into the evidence-practice gap, the disconnect between what research tells us is best during childbirth and what is actually happening in labor and delivery units around the world. She walks through the latest statistics on Cesarean rates, VBAC access, and the widespread use of non–evidence-based interventions, as well as the persistent underuse of practices proven to improve outcomes, like doulas, midwifery care, and birthing positions that support physiologic labor. Dr. Dekker also unpacks the systemic forces driving these gaps, including...
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After what should have been a joyful birth, Sofía Herrera (childbirth educator, EBB Instructor, Hypnobirthing instructor, and social & clinical psychologist) spent nearly 20 years believing she had postpartum depression, until her investigation revealed the truth: she had experienced birth trauma. That realization became the catalyst for her work supporting birthing families and confronting the widespread obstetric violence and misinformation embedded in Mexico's maternity care system. Sofía shares what trauma really means, how unconsented interventions and paternalistic care...
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Tras lo que debería haber sido un parto feliz, Sofía Herrera, (educadora perinatal, instructora de EBB, instructora de Hipnoparto y psicóloga social y clínica) pasó casi 20 años creyendo que padecía depresión posparto, hasta que sus estudios revelaron la verdad: había sufrido un trauma obstétrico. Esta revelación se convirtió en el motor de su trabajo de apoyo a las mujeres que dan a luz y de su lucha contra la violencia obstétrica generalizada y la desinformación arraigada en el sistema de atención a la maternidad en México. Sofía comparte lo que realmente significa...
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Across generations, birth workers have held space for families with skill, love, and deep purpose. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker talks with Elder Midwife Charlotte Shilo-Goudeau, a licensed Certified Professional Midwife from Louisiana, and Chanté Perryman, Director of Programs at Evidence Based Birth®, certified doula, and student midwife. Together, they explore what it means to embrace the dual calling of doula work and midwifery and how both roles are acts of service, advocacy, and healing. Elder Charlotte shares her journey from personal loss to becoming one of only a few...
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What if everyone had access to a doula, no matter their income? In this episode, Dr. Dekker talks with Amy Chen, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), about the growing movement to make doula care accessible through Medicaid and insurance coverage. Amy shares how her personal birth experiences inspired her work advocating for Medicaid reimbursement for doulas and explains how more than 20 states (and counting) are now implementing or expanding coverage. They also unpack the biggest challenges and successes so far, from sustainable reimbursement rates and...
info_outlineJenn D’Jamoos is a CAPPA-certified childbirth educator and Evidence Based Birth Instructor, human rights activist and mom of four who lives in Michigan. She founded the Livingston County Birth Circle in 2013 to serve the needs of families in her area. While the stated goal of the LCBC is to provide non-judgmental support to expectant and new families, the organization also works to elevate conversation surrounding the birth experience. Jenn recently enrolled in White Woman School through Mothering Justice to explore opportunities for anti-racism work in the context of perinatal education.
Jenn and I discuss the importance of birth settings and putting care provider relationships into proper perspective, as well as the use of motivational interviewing to help guide people through changes without telling them what to do. We also brainstorm ways to help people birth experiences with supportive dialogue, without reigniting feelings of trauma or stress.
Connect with Jenn at EarthMamaBirth.com, on Facebook, and Twitter.
Other resources:
Ladder of Empowerment - “From White Racist to White Anti-Racist: the Life-Long Journey” by Tema Okun
Mothering Justice
For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) and our Instructor program.