InCast InJoy Health Education

Most of us listening today live in a well-resourced country and have access to skilled obstetrical/perinatal care. Although we do not have a perfect healthcare system here in the U.S., it is hard to imagine the realities of birth in the places in Africa we are going to talk about today.  

When complications arise in the U.S. and other western countries, there are medications, supplies, and trained providers to respond in most cases.  But in Africa, there may not be any skilled birth attendants or the equipment they need to save lives during a birth if things go awry.  Many women receive little or no prenatal care. In fact, the lifetime risk of a woman dying from complications of childbirth in Africa can be as high as 1 in 38, compared to 1 in 7,500 in the U.S. Complications that may be handled without too much difficulty in a well-resourced country may lead to tragedy there.  

In this episode, we will hear firsthand about the challenging situations and needs that medical providers have in various places in Africa as we speak with Dr. George Mulcaire Jones, founder of Maternal Life International. He decided that something needed to be done to improve outcomes and save as many lives as possible, while respecting each area’s unique culture. Through his eye-opening stories of mothers’ experiences, we will explore practical solutions to improve outcomes and how we can all help, even though we may be worlds away.  

Dr. George Mulcaire-Jones is the founder and director of Maternal Life International.  He worked in Cameroon for two years with Mission Doctors Association and continues to work in various countries in Africa. He is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed a family medicine program at the University of Minnesota and an obstetrical fellowship at Sacred Heart and Deaconess Hospital in Spokane, Washington.  He practiced family medicine and obstetrics for 29 years in Butte, Montana.  In addition to his work with Maternal Life International, he is the project director for the Southwest Montana Community Opioid/Substance Use Coalition and has been a consultant for the Montana Perinatal Quality Collaborative. He and his wife Mary have 6 children and 10 grandchildren.   

Listen and learn: 

Why Maternal Life International was born 
How a stable family partnership impacts birth outcomes 
How maternal death impacts more than just the lost mom and baby 
Why having ultrasounds available increases the likelihood of getting other prenatal care 
How in bringing medical provider training to locations in Africa, the teacher also becomes the learner 
What the three “delays” are that impact outcomes 
What causes stunting in children in Africa 

 

Join us in supporting Dr. George’s life-saving work in Africa! 

InJoy is honored to support the work of Maternal Life International (MLI). Their Safe Passages program is run by a very small team and can really use your help. Your donations will allow the program to purchase practical items to care for pregnant women in resource-scarce areas. 
 
Learn more and donate.

 


Resources:  

Maternal Life International – Safe Passages 

How can a free app help prevent over 30% of stillbirths in Iowa?  Join us as we discuss the amazing organization that founded the project now used by many pregnant people to do just that.  Megan will take us through the history of the organization and the development of the Count the Kicks app and other educational materials available on their website.  She will also share the background and definition of stillbirth.  The fact that stillbirth affects about 21,000 babies every year in the US should help us all understand how important it is to help parents take preventable measures whenever possible.   

Megan is the Program Director at Healthy Birth Day, Inc., the national non-profit organization that created the Count the Kicks evidence-based stillbirth prevention program.  She oversees the organization’s programming work, including grants, system and policy change work, and app development. Megan believes that knowledge truly is power. She used the Count the Kicks app during her pregnancies and has three healthy and rambunctious children. She is proud to be part of such an important organization with a powerful mission of saving babies. 

 

Listen and Learn:  

How the lifesaving organization began  Which number is higher, stillbirth or deaths due to SIDS  What are the disparities in stillbirth for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native families  Why number of kicks AND strength of kicks matters  How the app helps lower parents’ anxiety and helps them bond with their baby prenatally  When and how to download the app and to tell others how to do it  What languages the app is available in  How we can bring this subject up with pregnant families without planting scary ideas  Who should be talking about the Count the Kicks app 
 

Resources & Mentions:  


https://countthekicks.org/ 

Megan Aucutt’s contact info aucutt.megan@healthybirthday.org 
 
Related Products from InJoy:
Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum
Understanding Birth Curriculum

About 10% of newborns will spend some time in the NICU, and you probably know at least one family who has spent time there. Join us for an inside look at the NICU with Megan Teague as she shares a vivid story of what caring for babies and families looks like on a daily basis.  You will learn how to incorporate information about a potential stay in the NICU into your interactions with pregnant families to make them aware but not overwhelmed. This information can also help you understand the scope of work that goes on in the NICU and how to support families with newborns in the NICU as they navigate their NICU journey.  

Megan Teague attended Regis University in Denver, CO where she graduated with a BSN in 2005. She has worked at Lutheran Medical Center her entire career, first as a mom/baby nurse and then in their Level 3 NICU for the past 17 years. She has an RNC certification for NICU, is a preceptor, and is a member of the unit-based council. Megan is also a supervisory RN at her children’s school, and she teaches several prenatal classes, including CPR/safety, grandparenting, and newborn care. Megan loves working in the NICU because it is the perfect mix of skills, advocacy, education, and emotional support.  

Listen and Learn: 

How nurses can be an advocate for the babies in the NICU  How family-centered care impacts the NICU experience  How nurses and other professionals can respond to the actual needs of patients, including teaching, negotiating, and respecting their needs  What key information families need before bringing their babies home from the NICU  What Family Integrative Care is and how many take advantage of it  How lactation assistance helps make sure NICU parents who breastfeed succeed  The impact PMADs have on families in the NICU and other available resources  What is “NICU-itis” and how it can be overcome   What safe sleep looks like for a preemie in an open crib at home   How Recovery Nurse Advocates work with mothers who have substance use concerns  What NICU information should be shared in childbirth education classes, if any 
Resources: 

Nourish and Bloom Perinatal Behavioral Health Program:  peaks_bloomprogram@imail.org or call 303-318-2621 


Recovery Nurse Advocates: Michelle Dueto (Michelle.dueto@imail.org) and Stacy Hernandez (Stacy.hernandez@imail.org)  

Megan Teague can be reached at Megan.Teague@imail.org  

 

Related Products from InJoy:

Understanding the NICU & Your Baby Curriculum

Join us to better understand the poignant topic of perinatal suicide.  Perinatal suicide is the leading cause of maternal mortality from pregnancy to 1 year after birth, accounting for 23% of all maternal deaths.  Listen to learn about the static risk factors that can increase the chance of suicide, along with.  some dynamic risk factors that may appear for the first time in pregnancy and postpartum. Understanding the warning signs is important for all who work with pregnant and new mothers/birthing persons.  In our role with families, what can we do to listen and refer them to the proper resources?  What types of resources are available in your area? 
Our guest, Lindsay G. Lebin, MD is a psychiatrist specializing in women’s behavioral health and consultation-liaison psychiatry. She received her MD from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She completed psychiatry residency at the University of Washington and a consultation-liaison psychiatry fellowship at University of California San Francisco. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include integrated care, psychosocial oncology, and reproductive psychiatry. She also engages in scholarly work in medical education and has presented nationally on various education-related topics.
 
Listen and Learn:
Why suicide is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality How suicidal thoughts are common and occur across a spectrum of risk That screening for suicidal thoughts is an important first step and must be followed up by a risk assessment What range of interventions are available and what the protective factors for suicide are How safety planning and connection to care can be powerful interventions for many  
Resources & Mentions: 
Postpartum Support International Helpline – 800-944-4773 call or text Help to same number Postpartum Support International National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: https://mchb.hrsa.gov/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline Suicide screening tools: https://zerocuicide.edc.org/toolkit/identify/screen-options Colorado links, look for similar in your area: Postpartum Support International, CO Chapter http://www.postpartum.net/colorado/ Parents Thrive Colorado: https://parentsthrive.org/resources/​ Colorado Crisis Services: https://coloradocrisisservices.org/​ University of Colorado Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Outpatient Clinic and Services  
InJoy Products:
Understanding Postpartum Health & Baby Care Curriculum Understanding Self Care After Birth Video Program & Web App Complete Postpartum Teaching Solution Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum Understanding Birth Curriculum

While witnessing the miracle of birth can be exhilarating, it is often wrought with circumstances that create stress, confusion, grief—and sometimes even burnout— in nurses, caregivers, doulas, and other birth workers. The COVID and post-COVID period has brought even more tension into the mix with restrictions and staffing issues.  Listen to explore the problems and discover some solutions to make life as a birth worker more resilient and satisfying.  

Nicole Heidbreder has worked as a Hospice Nurse and Labor and Delivery Nurse in various capacities for the last 10 years in the Washington, DC area, in addition to teaching Birth and End of Life Doula Workshops. As a birth worker, Nicole has been attending births as a doula for over 17 years in Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco, Sumatra, Bali, and Uganda, in addition to working as a labor and delivery nurse at George Washington University Hospital. Currently, she also facilitates independent birth doula workshops and trains nursing students as a Clinical Instructor with the Johns Hopkins University Birth Companions Program. Through her work as a DONA International approved Birth Doula Trainer, she has taught hundreds of women over the past 10 years and truly believes that teaching maternal child health is her life's calling.  

 

Listen and Learn 

Why over 38% of RNs are likely to leave their position in the next 2 years 
What drains birth worker passion 
What support is available to current birth workers to reconnect to the joy of birth work 
How birth workers with different levels of specialty and education working together can create friction 
When birth workers experience PTSD 


How a mindset of post-traumatic growth can be a game changer 
Practical skills for nonviolent communication for high-stress birth situations 
The best ways to use grounding and anchoring practices 
How to set boundaries and avoid saviorism  

Contact Nicole at Nicole@gracefulfusion.com 


 
Resources & Mentions: 

Learn more about Nicole’s Resiliency for Birth Workers workshop here: https://www.gracefulfusion.com/ 

 

Related Products from InJoy: 

Understanding Birth Curriculum 

Newborn babies get their first microbiome from their mother’s vagina during birth.  The baby will become covered with this beneficial bacterial as they come out of the protected environment of the womb, through the birth canal, and to the world beyond.  When the baby is born vaginally, they will have a gut microbiome similar to that of their mother’s vaginal and fecal flora.  This helps set up lifelong gut health.  But for babies not born vaginally, there are other ways to help insure good gut health.  Join us for a thought-provoking discussion of why microbiome is important and how to help families advocate for procedures that will be beneficial for themselves and their baby.  

Toni Harman is a graduate of the London Film School and has produced and directed a number of internationally-distributed documentary films, including: MICROBIRTH (about the origins of the human microbiome), FREEDOM FOR BIRTH (about the struggle for women's rights in childbirth), and DOULA! (about the work of birth and postnatal doulas). Toni’s extensive research for MICROBIRTH led to her co-authoring the books THE MICROBIRTH EFFECT and YOUR BABY’s MICROBIOME. Toni is a professional speaker at international conferences about the science of the microbiome and epigenetics. She also leads the MICROBIOME COURSES online school. Toni combines knowledge gained from researching the subject for ten years with her extensive experience of running educational one-day and multiple-day workshops for adult learners.  

Listen and Learn:

Why microbiome is so necessary for healthy humans, starting at birth 
How initial microbiome is transferred from mother to baby 
What happens with the microbiome if the baby is born by cesarean 
Processes other than birth that can help increase a newborn’s microbiome 
How we can teach these important facts to pregnant and new families 


How mothers can increase the beneficial parts of their microbiome for their own health and their baby’s 

Resources & Mentions: 

https://microbirth.com and https://microbirth.teachable.com 

Get in touch with Toni Harman:  toniharman@hotmail.com  


Related Products from InJoy: 

Understanding Birth Curriculum