Episode 86: Thriving Neighborhoods

Join the Conversation on Tuesday May 21st at 6pm as Ryan and Carmela celebrate thriving neighborhoods. What happens when a neighborhood trusts its children to lead community change? One neighborhood in Sarasota is asking this question and thriving as a result. We welcome Tim Dutton and Allison Pinto to discuss Sarasota Community Studio - a creative space where neighbors come together around the talents of neighborkids. Have questions for our experts? Email us or post to our facebook wall.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, May 21st at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours,
Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode (Epilogue) 85: Your Pelvic Floor Muscle

 

Tonight’s show focused on pelvic floor health- a particularly important subject for those who have given birth. Our first guest tonight was Tonya Saah. Tonya, a local homeschooling mother of two, shared her story of dealing with cystocele (herniated bladder) and uterine prolapse with us. She shared with us how her midwife and her knowledge of her body helped her to deal with her fear and pain, and shared her story of healing with us. She first shared her frustrations in trying to get medical care, and how  she dealt with these difficulties of seeking help, and then her decision to avoid surgical care in favor of  an internal vaginal support device (or pessary) and pelvic floor exercises. Finally, Tonya discussed the difficulties of dealing with her new body, and accepting the changes in what she is able to do.

                Our next guests were Dr. Lennox Hoyte and Jessica McKinney. Dr. Hoyte is a fellowship trained specialist in Urogynecology and Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. He has specialized in treating women with prolapse, bladder and bowel incontinence, overactive bladder, childbirth related pelvic floor injury, and complications related to vaginal mesh surgeries. Jessica McKinney is the co-found and director of The Center for Women’s Health at Marathon Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine, as well as the Executive Director of Women’s Action Initiative, which is adopting the Share Mayflowers as its flagship project.  Dr. Hoyte began with a basic discussion of anatomy- providing us with a brief 101 on the pelvic floor and its purpose. He also presented some complications that individuals can face because of issues with the pelvic floor, such as incontinence, pain, and urinary frequency.

                Next, Jessica and Dr. Hoyte discussed some steps that women can take to protect their pelvic floor, including properly performed exercises and  maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Jessica gave us some tips for performing a healthy pelvic floor exercises, including doing a wider variety of exercises than just Kegels, especially exercises focused on relaxing the pelvic floor muscle. She also suggested some concrete advice for going about pelvic floor exercises. Jessica also discussed the transverse abdominis, which is the pelvic floor and respiratory diaphragm, which  Jessica states are hardwired to work together- a phenomenon which can be utilized to strengthen our pelvic floor, and the importance of developing a greater understanding of these muscle groups.

Share Mayflowers will be addressing “very serious pelvic health topics affected women and girls at every life stage” throught the month of May. Visit their website in the link for more info!

Hab It Pelvic Floor Exercises

Website for Dr. Lennox Hoyte

 

TONIGHT’S RIGHT: Every woman has the right to unrestricted access to all available records about her pregnancy, labor, birth, postpartum care and infant; to obtain a full copy of these records; and to receive help in understanding them, if necessary. To learn more about your rights, please visit ChildbirthConnection.org.

 

BIRTH IN THE NEWS:

Listening to Mothers Survey

ACOG Effort to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity

Every Mother Counts Grant to Jennie Joseph

Introduction of Pregnant Woman's Fairness Act to Congress

Episode 85: Your Pelvic Floor

Join The Conversation tonight, May 14th at 6pm, as Laura and Cheryl discuss pelvic floor health and common issues to look out for. They will be joined by local mother Tonya Saah, who will share her story of prolapse and the care regimen she is following, as well as Dr. Lennox Hoyte, fellowship trained specialist in Urogynecology and Female Pelvic Medicine. We will also hear from the folks at Share MayFlowers, a public health and awareness campaign focused primarily on the under-discussed topics of female pelvic and perinatal health.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, May 14th at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.
For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours,
Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode 84: Mothers' Day Music and Mantras

Join the Conversation tonight, May 7th at 6pm, as Carmela and our resident doula Rob Demperio celebrate Mothers' Day with music and mantras devoted to moms everywhere. Have questions for or hosts? Email us or post to our facebook wall.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, May 7th at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours,
Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode 83 (Epilogue): Vaginal Birth After Cesarean Part II

 

We started the show tonight by talking to our intern, Lauren Brenzel, about her thesis research, which focused on control and empowerment in both the hospital and out-of-hospital birth setting. She shared a bit of her findings with us on air.

On tonight’s show, Laura and Carmela revisited the subject of vaginal births after Cesarean sections (or VBAC). Tonight, we delved a bit deeper into the experience of women who seek VBAC care. Our first guest tonight was Lisl Liang. Lisl is the the cofounder, President and Editor in Chief of SRQ Magazine, and the mother of two children--Griffin, her almost three year old son and Piper who celebrated her two month birthday last Friday. She is also the Chair Elect of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and recent keynote speaker for the Women's Leadership Council of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. Lisl shared both of her birth stories with us, and the learning and growing she did after her C-section with her first child, Griffin.  In particular, Lisl shared with us the lessons she learned in following her intuition and letting go of the idea of a perfectly planned birth, stating that “preconceived notions of what we want… can override instinct.” Lisl also highlighted the importance of self-advocacy, and learning to communicate needs with care providers.

Our next guest was Sharon Lytle. Sharon was introduced to midwifery in 1991 while working in a small community in Illinois. She followed in the footsteps of other local nurse by attending the University of Illinois at Chicago's midwifery program, earning a Master of Science in Maternal/Child Nursing with a Midwifery focus in 1999. Since that time, she has served women in both private practice as well as public health settings. A resident of Sarasota for two years, Sharon is happy to have recently joined Dr Sullivan, Dr Cohen, and nurse practitioners Marge Thiron, and Beth Hinkleman at Associates in Gynecology and Obstetrics. While interviewing with Dr's Sullivan and Cohen, one of the first questions on Sharon's agenda was "Do you offer VBAC?" Sharon discussed with us how individuals within her practice come to be informed about their options concerning VBAC, and also discussed issues of informed consent and active dialogue with patients on the subject of VBAC. Sharon encouraged individuals seeking VBAC care to ask lots of questions. Sharon also discussed some potential steps that could be taken in a general sense to increase VBAC numbers.

Our final guest tonight was Roanna Rosewood. Roanna is an award-winning international speaker, successful restaurateur, accomplished real estate investor, co-founder of BirthPlan Radio , executive action chair for Human Rights in Childbirth , and author of the new memoir, Cut Stapled and Mended: When one Woman Reclaimed Her Body and Gave Birth on Her Own Terms After Cesarean. She shared her motivations for writing her memoir.

TONIGHT’S RIGHT: Every woman has the right to be informed if her caregivers wish to enroll her or her infant in a research study. She should receive full information about all known and possible benefits and risks of participation; and she has the right to decide whether to participate, free from coercion and without negative consequences. To learn more about your rights, please visit ChildbirthConnection.org.

Birth in the News:

Autism and Placental Formation

Removal of Sacramento Boy From Parents Custody After They Sought Second Medical Opinion

AAP Homebirth Guidelines

Episode 83: VBAC Revisited

Join the Conversation tonight, Tuesday April 30th as Laura and Cheryl revisit the subject of Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) and the patient-provider relationship. We will be joined by the Editor and CEO of SRQ Magazine, Lisl Liang, who will share her VBAC story, as well as CNM Sharon Lytle who has just joined our maternity care community. We will also hear from Roanna Rosewood, author of the hot-off-the-presses new VBA2C memoir "Cut, Stapled, & Mended: When One Woman Reclaimed Her Body and Gave Birth on Her Own Terms After Cesarean." Have questions for our experts? Email us or post to our facebook wall.

Tune into WSLR 96.5 LPFM or online at www.wslr.org tonight, Tuesday, April 30th at 6:00pm ET. The program will also available later in the evening via podcast at maternallyyoursradio.com.

For more information, please contact the hostesses of Maternally Yours at MaternallyYoursRadio@gmail.com, or on our facebook page at facebook.com/maternallyyours.

Maternally Yours, 

Cheryl, Carmela, Ryan and Laura

Episode 82 (Epilogue): Tandem Nursing

Tandem Nursing refers to a mom who nurses multiple babies or children at the same time. Sometimes these children are the same age, such as twins, but sometimes these individuals are different ages, such as siblings. Cheryl, and tandem nurser herself, and Carmela discussed tandem nursing, with a focus on nursing siblings of different ages. They started by noting that each tandem nursing mother is different, just as their individual nursing relationship with each child is different

Our guest tonight was Jeanie DeLa. Jeanie is a parenting enthusiast, Certified Lactation Counselor, Certified Childbirth Educator, Car Seat Safety Technician, Infant Mental Health Specialist, and Licensed Mental Health Counselor. But her greatest achievement is being mother to Justin age 11 and fraternal twins Jason and Jamie age 8. Jeanie tandem nursed her twins, and walked us through some of the struggles she had when she first started nursing, and how she came through this difficult time to a successful tandem nursing experience. Jeanie and Cheryl discussed concerns that individuals may have about milk supply, and assured listeners that bodies can make enough milk to nurse multiple children.  The also stressed the importance of reaching out for help if individuals are struggling with nursing.  Jeanie also dispelled the myth that women cannot nurse when they’re pregnant, and noted that for the vast majority of individuals, nursing during pregnancy is safe.  We also discussed shifts in breast milk during pregnancy and after birth, and what this means for tandem nursing.

Cheryl then moved to a discussion of some of the potential frustrations that can be associated with tandem nursing, in particular a need for space that mothers may feel when nursing both a baby and a toddler. Jeanie suggested some steps to take in order to develop new nursing patterns with the older child to best meet the needs of everyone involved.  Cheryl and Jeanie also discussed “momma guilt” in nursing relationship, and how mothers can best manage by paying particular attention to the specific needs of each child, instead of just general ideas of what being the “best” mother is.

Next, Carmela and Jeanie discussed potential for germ and illness sharing in tandem nursing household, focusing on the fact that breast milk is a good boost for the immune system. Finally, Jeanie discussed how individuals with chronic low supply can best attempt tandem nursing, focusing in particular on releasing guilt associated with supplementation and cherishing beautiful breastfeeding moments that do happen as more than just filling bellies. We closed our show tonight with some listener statements on tandem nursing.

Breast Beginnings: Every Friday at 11:30 at the First Presbyterian Church (2050 Oak St, Sarasota)

Phone Number: 941-266-415

TONIGHT’S RIGHT; Tonight we want to share with you that Every woman has the right to accept or refuse procedures, drugs, tests and treatments, and to have her choices honored. She has the right to change her mind.* (Please note that this established legal right has been challenged in a number of recent cases. To  learn more about your rights, please visit ChildbirthConnection.org.

Birth in the News:

Company’s  Defense of the Controversial Milk Screen Assessment Test

UNICEF Ranks US Poorly in Study on Child Well-Being in Rich Countries