Empowering Birth Advocacy: Navigating Your Well-Being During Childbirth in the United States – A Comprehensive Guide for Moms

The Motherhood Kit

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On today's episode of The Motherhood Kit Yamel is joined by two guests to talk all about empowering birth advocacy.
As well as being an RN, Yamel is an IBCLC and a Doula, supporting birthing people in various settings throughout their labour and birth experiences, and today she is joined by two midwives - Amy Reinke, a hospital-based midwife and Mary Catherine Hamelin, a home-birth midwife. Together with Yamel, they dive into the crucial topic of navigating the complexities of childbirth advocacy in the United States, discussing how you can be an active part of your birth experience, the importance of having a birth plan (download your Birth Plan Template here) and how to build your team in order to have a positive birth experience.

Keep in touch and in the loop with Yamel on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

● This episode is powered by One Love Doula Services, follow us on Instagram to learn more about our work.

● For more motherhood resources, join the private Motherhood Kit community.

● If You are in Tampa and interested in Holistic Postpartum Support for your Mothering Journey, contact One Love HERE.

In this episode, Yamel, Amy and Mary Catherine discuss:

● Amy and Mary Catherine’s backgrounds in doulaing and how this intersects with their midwifery careers, and what the roles of a midwife includes

● The importance of informed consent in birth - how this includes being given a thorough explanation of the situation at hand, being told the benefits and the risks, and being given the space to then reflect and come to your own decision.

● The role of a doula and how they can help empower you to advocate for yourself in your birth experience, and the power of coming into your birth with adequate knowledge so you can be an active participant in the experience

● The importance of having a birth plan and of thinking of it as a set of preferences but to also allow for an element of flexibility within this. Amy, Mary Catherine and Yamel also break down what makes a good birth plan, including doing research beforehand and using pictures for clarity. Please see here for your birth plan template, to empower yourself with the tools to navigate your birth experience with confidence and ensure your voice is heard every step of the way.

● The importance of doing adequate research in the choosing of your birth location, and of making an empowered choice based on their set up and what you want for your birth experience.

● The importance of diversity within care teams, and how you have the right to build a birth team that you feel supported by and safe with. And more!

To connect with Amy and Mary Catherine, you can find out more about them here:

- Mary Catherine - you can find out more about her work at her website here.
- Amy - you can find out more about her

Keep in touch and in the loop with Yamel on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.