birthingdisparities

Today, I am excited to continue our important 3-day series about the Minnesota Healing Justice Network!

**Content warning: In this episode, we talk about the uprisings after George Floyd’s murder and safety concerns during birth due to racial traumatic event. We also discuss an event in which parents were temporarily separated from their newborn baby, which may be disturbing to listen to.**

In this episode, you'll hear from new parents Jenae Herron and Marcel Malekebu. Jenae is a housing case manager, and Marcel does podcast production. Jenae and Marcel took the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class co-taught by EBB Instructors Heather Christine Struwe and Rhonda Fellows. Rhonda was also their doula, and she was featured on yesterday's podcast about birth in Minnesota.

Towards of the end of Jenae's pregnancy in June, the COVID-19 pandemic was already in full swing, and then George Floyd was murdered. The day Jenae's water broke at 37 weeks, they were unsure what to do because of elevated safety concerns in the city. She and Marcel navigated a long labor and a switch from planning a birth center birth at Roots Community Birth Center, to home birth, to hospital birth.

We discuss their unique experience and flexibility in their birth, as well as the evidence surrounding chorioamnionitis (maternal infection) and the implications for newborn care. I answered their questions about newborn resuscitation with the cord intact, and how to know when a baby needs antibiotics if the mother had an infection during labor.

Learn about Oily Doula MN here (https://www.oilydoulamn.com/) and follow Oily Doula MN on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/oilydoulamn/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/oilydoulamn/).

Learn about the Minnesota Healing Justice Network here (https://www.mnhealingjustice.com/).

Follow Minnesota Healing Justice Network on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mnhealingjustice) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mnhealingjustice/).

Follow and support the Roots Community Birth Center here (https://www.rootsbirthcenter.com/)

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.

Today is a special day, as we are starting a 3-day podcast focus on the amazing work being done by the Minnesota Healing Justice Network!

In today's episode, I am joined by EBB instructor, Rhonda Fellows and Dr. Jennifer Almanza to talk about birthing and disparities in Minnesota.

**TRIGGER WARNING: In this episode, we talk about racial violence and Black and Indigenous maternal health disparities.**

Rhonda Fellows is a Certified Birth Doula and Evidence Based Birth® Instructor who has 20 years of working with youth and families in the nonprofit world as an after-school program director, co-director of an overflow homeless shelter, tutor and counselor of high school students, teen mission trip facilitator, and healthy relationships guest speaker in health classes.

Rhonda serves family in the Twin Cities Area, and she loves teaching childbirth education classes to help parents realize their rights, options, and feel empowered to advocate for themselves. She is also a teacher of the Evidence Based Birth Childbirth Class. In addition to birth work, Rhonda is a founding member of the Minnesota Healing Justice Network.

Dr. Jennifer Almanza has her Doctorate of Nursing Practice and is a Certified Nurse Midwife. Dr. Almanza's work amplifies health equity through endorsing physiologic birth, helping clients maintain their agency and power, providing evidence-based care, and pushing reproductive justice via policy and research activism.

Dr. Almanza believes in building the body of research done by, with, and for Indigenous Black, Latinx, multiracial, and other people of color. Dr. Almanza practices with women's health specialists at the University of Minnesota Physicians. Dr. Almanza is an adjunct clinical faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School for the School of Nursing department, as she teaches in the Doctorate of Nursing program in Midwifery.

We talk about the events of George Floyd’s murder and the COVID-19 pandemic, and how both events affected Black maternal health in the Minnesota community. We also discuss the importance of decolonizing birth and acknowledging Indigenous birth working practices and cultural traditions.

Learn about Rhonda Fellows via Oily Doula MN here (https://www.oilydoulamn.com/) and follow Oily Doula MN on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/oilydoulamn/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/oilydoulamn/).

Learn about the Minnesota Healing Justice Network here (https://www.mnhealingjustice.com/).

Follow Minnesota Healing Justice Network on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mnhealingjustice) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mnhealingjustice/).

Learn about Autumn Cavender-Wilson, CPM and Yellow Medicine Midwifery here (https://yellowmedicinemidwifery.org).

Follow Minneapolis Indigenous Breastfeeding Support Circle on Facebook.

Learn about Britt Jackson and Metro Home Birth here (https://www.metrohomebirth.com/) and follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/metromidwiferymn/) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MetroMidwiferyMN/).

Learn about Resmaa Menakem's book, "My Grandmother's Hands" here. 

To learn more about Sabia Wade (The Black Doula) and Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings here (https://www.badoulatrainings.org/). Follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/birthingadvocacy/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/birthingadvocacy/).

Learn about Roots Community Birth Center here (https://www.rootsbirthcenter.com/). Follow them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rootscommunitybirthcenter/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rootsbirthcenter/).

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EvidenceBasedBirth/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ebbirth/), and Pinterest (https://www.pinterest.com/ebbirth/). Ready to get involved? Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/become-pro-member/). Find an EBB Instructor here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/find-an-instructor-parents/), and click here (https://evidencebasedbirth.com/childbirth-class/) to learn more about the Evidence Based Birth® Childbirth Class.