The Rosewood Doula Pod
By Emily Flynn
From the writer and doula, Em Flynn comes a pod about all things birthwork. From creepy baby tech to parenting science babble, Handmaid's Tale recaps, and business advice, this doula fireside chat covers the often under discussed and misaligned pusedo science babble within the birthing industry.
The Rosewood Doula PodMay 30, 2021
00:00
08:10
Birth like a #GirlBoss?: Discussing the birth scenes in Pam & Tommy and Inventing Anna
This week I’m doing a solo episode discussing one of my favorite things: birth scenes in media! I recently watched Netflix’s Inventing Anna and Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, both of which feature pregnancy through lines and birth scenes. I argue that one of the two broke some real ground on depicting birth on film while the other sorta pretended to while delivering viewers with a lot of the same old fat & farty stuff we’ve always seen, but dressed up in a cloak of post-#Metoo fourth wave feminism. Was I entertained? Sure! Was I bored at seeing more waters breaking in the most inopportune time for the millionth time on screen? You betcha! So I keep asking myself, in the age of a glowing and glamorous pregnant Rihanna, why is pregnancy in Hollywood still written like it’s from a man cave? If you want more pop culture pregnancy and birth commentary, head on over to my new Substack - www.doulathinking.substack.com
Mar 18, 202226:01
Scarcity Mindset with Meg Pirie
What do online dating, doula agencies, doom scrolling, comment trolling, care work, and parenting all have in common? They all are influenced — usually for the worse — by scarcity mindset. This week, returning guest Meg Pirie of Inclusive Care Doula Services helps walk us through how scarcity mindset is imbedded in us even at a young age, how it manifests in career choices, partnerships, social media presence, and importantly — the birth worker community. From agencies promoting “value adds” which drive up rates and drive down doula autonomy to how the gamification and commodification of human bodies is making us lose our empathy in dating and work and friendships, this focus on what we DON’T have is making us all honestly a bit more crap to one another. We discuss action steps doulas can take to combat scarcity mindset without getting into some of the culty #girlboss MLM abundance manifestation that’s too easily promoted and offer some productive and compassionate alternatives to doula competition. This was one for the books and couldn’t hit me at better time. You can find Meg on IG @inclusive.care.doula.services *when she feels like it lol* and likewise me @rosewoodrepro. Please give the show some abundant likes, rates, subscribes, and tell your friends 😉 And check out the bonus episode with more on scarcity mindset, Black Mirror, and baby tech up on the Patreon later today
Nov 03, 202101:51:06
The Californian Parenting Ideology : Doulas and Reproductive Technologies
This week it's just me rambling on about my passion research project - baby tech. I read from an essay I wrote based on the prescient 1995 essay "The Californian Ideology" by media scholars Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron, which details the unlikely political, social, and economic philosophies behind Silicon Valley's influence on our world. I use that lends to discuss how it's impacting parenting, birth work, and domestic care. All this to promote my upcoming talk as part of the Bay Area Doula Project's virtual Salon Series on Oct 26th from 6:30-8:30 pm PST. You can find out more about that lecture on my biz page: www.rosewoodconsult.com and on IG @rosewoodrepro
Oct 20, 202147:50
On Being a Long Haul Doula with Doula and Poet Carrie Murphy
This week’s episode has been long in the making - both in how much had to be shifted and collided to make our schedules line up, but also in the nearly 25 years of combined experience in the birth world we packed into this interview. I sat down with full spectrum doula, advocate, herbalist, parent, author, poet, and new friend Carrie Murphy to talk about what it means to be a “long haul doula.” We note the arcs and variations occurring within doula trainings and policy shifts, give some tips for new and experienced doulas on making connections to one another and staying connected to this work, and a whole lot more. Plus, Carrie tells us about her new class offering - Writing Your Birth Story - an inclusive and affordable online course for parents wanting to tell their own narratives around their experiences in birth and parenting. You can find Carrie on IG @carriethedoula or @carriemurph to learn more about that class. You can find me @rosewoodrepro on IG, @Whatisadoulainfo on Twitter, and patreon.com/rosewoodrepro for member bonus content and my advanced doula trainings. Please give the show a rating and hit subscribe!
Oct 13, 202101:49:41
Toxic Positivity in Birth and Birth Education with Krista Smith
And we’re back on the topic of toxic positivity this week. This was the theme of my first episode, which was the main impetus for starting this project, not even thinking I’d be in a season 2 with 17 episodes and counting, but through it all, my first episode on toxic positivity and parenting is STILL the most downloaded and shared episode — and for a good reason, I think. So it was worth it to me to sit down with another doula colleague, Krista Smith, to talk about how toxic positivity can leech into childbirth education, birth, and doula spaces with disastrous outcomes. It’s a great convo with tons of important info on expectations around working with a doula, how to choose childbirth education programs, how doulas can effectively work against toxic positivity in birth prep, how TP contributes to obstetrical violence and birth trauma, and so much more. Plus, there’s a bonus episode on TP and doula competition over collaboration over on my Patreon www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro. You can find Krista @sageandspirit on IG. I’m @rosewoodrepro on IG and @Whatisadoula on Twitter. Please give this episode a rate and review and hit subscribe to show us some love.
Oct 06, 202101:32:30
Doulas Watching Movies: Look Who's Talking with Heather Williams
Are you a kid of the late 80’s? Do you love John Travolta? Do you have reoccurring nightmares about driving a runaway car with a breadstick? If so, you likely saw Look Who’s Talking on VHS about a million times like most 30 year olds I know. This week I rewatched that classic 1989 flick with doula Heather Williams. We chat about the impact it made around our ideas of birth and parenting as 80’s/90’s kiddos and what we think of it now as longtime birth workers. How does it hold up? You’ll have to listen to find out! As always, you can support the show as well as get a ton of bonus content through my Patreon at Patreon.com/rosewoodrepro and follow me on IG @rosewoodrepro Twitter @Whatisadoula and learn more about the podcast at www.rosewoodconsult.com. You can find Heather on IG @ohheyheath
Sep 29, 202101:18:08
Doulas Watching Movies: MOM ADDITION!
This week I sat down with my very own mother to chat about a show we both love, Bones. There are three seasons of the show featuring a main character who is pregnant plus three birth scenes, so there was A LOT to talk about. Mostly complaining because these writers lost their danged minds when writing about birth...it's wild. My mom shares a good bit about her own birthing experiences and turns out she's a huge supporter of doulas!! Thanks, mom! As always, you can rate and subscribe to the podcast wherever you are listening now. Please drop a comment and pass the show along to a doula friend. You can follow me @rosewoodrepro on Instagram, @Whatisadoula on Twitter and Patreon.com/rosewoodrepro for bonus content.
Sep 24, 202101:41:24
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome with Doula Darcy
This week I sat down with Darcy Sauers aka Doula Darcy to chat about a topic I felt like I needed a lot of clarity on — Imposter Syndrome. My students ask me about overcoming it all the time and I honestly didn’t feel that equipped to do so, but Darcy has made it her mission to help new and experienced doulas overcome this sometimes crippling feeling. She also talks about her decade long experience in the advertising world prior to becoming a doula and how it’s helped her expand her business in a time and place which had barely even heard of doulas as she was getting started, and how she supports other doulas craft their authentic voice to get the word out about their businesses online and in person. You can follow Darcy at @thedouladarcy and thedouladarcy.com. She also has private FB Doula Groups where you can connect, grow, and learn more from her expertise. As always, you can support the show via Patreon at patreon.com/rosewoodrepro and follow me @rosewoodpreo on IG and @Whatisadoula on Twitter.
Sep 08, 202101:06:33
Being an Eco-Doula with Ila Shimabuku
The ICPP recently published their 2021 Climate Change Report and oh man...not good. Soon after it was released, I sat down with environmental engineer turned doula Ila Shimabuku of Happy Island Births to talk about all things climate change and how we can bring in environmental conversations into our client sessions without being pushy, judgy, or downright wrongheaded. We steer clear of purely doom and gloom and focus on action items, resource guides, and conversation starters to hopefully leave you feeling like you can take on these difficult conversations in your practice head on. You can find me as always at patreon.com/rosewoodrepro and @rosewoodrepro on Instagram. You can read up on Ila’s work on her blog at www.happyislandbirths.com. Please give the show a rate and review and pass it along.
Sep 01, 202101:24:15
Kerry Ingram on What Builds Community
"Community" is a word so tossed around lately it's almost cliche. It's used to sell us underwear and get us addicted to social media groups, but we're actually lonelier now than we've ever been - a trend emerging since even before the pandemic. Isolation and social distancing were sadly regular features of the American postpartum experience of the past few decades. Kerry Ingram of Community Supported Postpartum seeks to change that by honoring the "magic in the mundane" of in-person community parenting gatherings focused on getting our needs met by our own local networks. We talk time banks, the vulnerability of breaking bread together, the power of story telling, defeating "swipe left culture" in seeking parent bonds, and a whole lot more. You can find out more about Kerry's wonderful Facilitators course via www.communitysupportedpostpartum.com As always, you can find me on IG @rosewoodrepro and support the show by joining my Patreon at patreon.com/rosewoodrepro
Aug 04, 202101:02:25
The podcast for Overnight Doulas
For this episode, I'm talking about all things overnight work for postpartum doulas, night nannies, night nurses, etc. I go over "shift work sleep disorder" : how to spot it and how to mitigate it. How building standards and community structures can help lessen the burdens we often face as nighttime care takers. Tips for setting solid expectations with families around overnight doula work. Notes on sleep training and infant feeding during overnight shifts. And more on how these work cycles can alter our wellbeing. As always, you can find me on IG @rosewoodrepro on Twitter @Whatisadoula and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro
Jul 28, 202150:39
Top 10 Reasons Why Every Doula Needs to Put This Podcast in Their Doula Kit.
This week I sat down with Meg Pirie of Inclusive Care Doula Services to chat about the dilution and commodification of the endless parenting and birth listicles online. How has the internet shaped the way we talk about birth? How does the listification and oversimplification of experiences make parents feel like failures or outcasts? Why should doulas reconsider setting up these expectations for their clients and how can they be more mindful of this messaging through their online presence? And piggy backing a bit off my episode a few weeks back on spammy, scammy doula courses, we chat about about how this watered down language is a set up for "micro courses" doulas and parents get roped into through false promises. As always, you can find me at www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro and on IG (where I DON'T listicle) @rosewoodrepro and Twitter @Whatisadoula you can follow Meg on IG @inclusive.care.doula
Jul 21, 202101:11:04
What to Expect When You're Expecting (the movie)
This week in birthy pop culture analysis I hung out with the exuberant Sarah Bliss, full spectrum doula and co-lead of the Bay Area Doula Project, to talk about What to Expect When You're Expecting a Plotline About Pregnancy to Make Sense...Sorry, I mean What to Expect When You're Expecting The Movie. We've got everything you want in a Chace Crawford vehicle : weird African adoption nonsense, fart jokes, miscarriages, food trucks, fat shaming, cringy circumcision discussions, go cart chases, baby fairs that make you want to crash a go cart into a convention hall...you know...birth stuff. This near aimless ambling "comedy?" we've decided is not quite as bad as the book, but it ain't that great. But listen, watch, and see for yourself! As always, you can find me on IG @rosewoodrepro , Twitter @Whatisadoula , Patreon www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro and you can follow Sarah on IG @miss.sarahbliss
Jul 14, 202101:55:12
Shady Doula Ladies : Scams, Shams, and MLMs in the birth world
Here's a sobering statistic: Scams rose 25% during the pandemic. In our world of internet hijacks, identity fraud, and unregulated professions, sadly it's all too ease for doulas to wind up scamming or being scammed. After hearing of a few shocking shady stories, I decided to dig deeper into some of the creepier aspects of this work. In this episode, I speak with a doula who noticed a sexting fraud ring hitting unsuspecting newer doulas and luring them into sexually explicit and non consensual dirty birth talk, another doula who was instructed to lie by someone pretending to be a licensed midwife (she was still a student and had failed her NARM!), and a parent who was so abandoned and shamed by her doulas that she'll never work with one again. Though most birthworkers are trained, committed, honest professionals, they can do some crappy things. Likewise, they are just as prone to scams and perhaps even more likely to fall prey to MLMs than the average person. Though our profession hardly needs more outside scrutiny, we could definitely benefit from community frameworks that keep us safe using internal systems of accountability. Listen here to learn more about how to protect yourself. As always, you can find me at IG: @rosewoodrepro; Twitter: @Whatisadoula; and Patreon: www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro. Make sure to rate, subscribe, and share this episode.
Jul 07, 202156:37
Doulas Watching Movies: Knocked Up and Juno (2007)
This week I sat down with returning guest, Olivia Levine-Gorelick, to chat about two breakout pregnancy and birth movie hits from 2007, Knocked Up and Juno. We had a blast dissecting these beloved films from our pre-doula training days. How's they hold up? You'll have to listen in to find out. You can follow Olivia via @lavendermoondoula on FB and IG. You can follow me @rosewoodrepro on IG, @Whatisadoula on Twitter, and you can support the show and have access to Sunday Reading List Mini Pods and more on my Patreon via www.patreon.com/rosewoodconsult.com. Do you have a movie or TV show you love that features a pregnant character or birth scene and want to break it down for the pod? Let me know! My email is doula at rosewoodconsult.com. Make sure to rate and subscribe and share this episode with your birthy friends.
Jun 30, 202101:39:22
Access to Doula Care During Covid
This week I sit down with Tien Nguyen of The University of Texas Austin to talk about her latest research around the access and acceptance of doulas during Covid 19. She and her research team set out to find out how adaptations to accessing doula services - including virtual support before, during, and after birth - affected maternal health outcomes through the pandemic. We chat about the takeaways doulas may have from being forced to change their practice models on the spot, how to create better communication channels within our networks, how policy could change around these discoveries, and more in this fascinating and insightful conversation. I learned a ton and I hope you do too. You can find Tien on Twitter @tiencngu to keep up with her research. You can find me on Instagram @rosewoodrepro on Twitter @whatisadoula and on my Patreon where I upload weekly essays, videos, and bonus pods at www.patreon.com/rosewoodrepro. If you liked this episode, please rate, subscribe, and share. Thanks!
Jun 23, 202101:02:06
Mini Episode 3 Sunday Doula Reading List : The Lonely Century
This week I'm talking about one of my favorite books, The Lonely Century by Noreena Hertz. Though I think this book is a must-read for anyone, I found I got a lot out of it directly related to how I want to improve my doula practice so it's a great one to put on your doula business reading list. How are the contributing factors of increased loneliness and isolation effecting our work? How are we battling those issues which affect our clients since of disconnect? How can doulas be collectivizing to drive down rates of burn out and loneliness? I talk about that and more in this discussion of Hertz' latest eye opening book.
Jun 13, 202114:00
Mini Episode The Sunday Doula Reading List : Midwifery and shared decision making with induction
This week I’m covering the recent paper “How is high quality research evidence used in everyday decisions about induction of labour between pregnant women and maternity care professionals? An exploratory study” from researchers in the UK in the mini episode, as well as in more depth via my Patreon (pattern.com/rosewoodrepro) How are flows of knowledge passed from provider to pregnant person around induction of labor. How are knowledge sources valued between the two groups? What can the removal of informed consent in choices around induction and routine offering of induction of labor tell us about patient-centered choice and medicalized midwifery care? How can doulas use this understanding of “non-decision making” to improve access to information for their clients?
Jun 06, 202111:06
The Human Use of Human Babies
Guess what!? I'm trying to write a book. It's about #babytech, which isn't just a real thing, it's a $54 billion dollar industry thing. So what's the human use of human babies if there's AI based personalities on a baby monitor check in? Where are their good applications of technology in the childbearing year? Lemme share with you a bit about the research I'm discovering and where I am in the process of writing this strange and exciting book about baby technology.
Jun 02, 202118:07
Mini Episode Sunday Doula Reading List : Birth Models that Work
In this first Sunday Doula Reading List episode, I'll walk you through some of the highlights of the 2009 collection of birth essays, Birth Models that Work, and why I think it's an important piece to have on any birth or postpartum Doula's bookshelf.
May 30, 202108:10
Postpartum Darkness : Toxic Positivity in Parenting Spaces
Welcome to my first podcast!
Today I’m joined by Olivia Levine-Gorelick : fellow birth and postpartum doula, placenta encapsulator, and energy worker to discuss the all too common plight of toxic positivity and spiritual bypassing in postpartum spaces.
Toxic positivity stresses the false idea that happiness, joy, gratitude, etc. are the primary valid emotions to be maintained at all times while uncomfortable emotions should be avoided at any cost.
Some common examples of this messaging are : Being told to “just look on the bright side,” “everything happens for a reason,” “It could be so much worse,” “happiness is a choice,” “no bad days,” and of course, “good vibes only.”
It’s a close relative of spiritual bypassing which emphasizes thoughts and prayers, meditation, love & light, and trusting in a higher power or “energy” over practical solutions or just being in presence with someone through an emotionally trying time.
With the attention of a set of pregnant eyeballs being worth 15x per glance than a childless person’s views, the market for positivity products for parents is at an all time high. So too, though, are the realities of rising levels of postpartum mood disorders and parents feeling increasingly confused, anxious, and ashamed around their less than relentlessly joyful experiences of pregnancy and postpartum.
Messages like, “At least your baby is healthy,” “You shouldn’t be so sad, you’ll miss these magic times,” and the like are contributing to the culture of isolation and embarrassment that helps fuel consumerism and is a major factor in driving up the rate of PMAD’s (postpartum anxiety and mood disorders).
On this episode of the pod, two birth and postpartum doulas sit down to talk about where we see toxic positivity rear it's ugly head in pregnancy, birth, parenting spaces; social media; wellness spaces; and in our relationships.
You can follow me on Patreon, Instagram, and check out my website for more information about my research and trainings. Supporting me on Patreon will help me move this pod to be ad-free and totally independent!
You can find Olivia over on Instagram, too.
Remember to rate, subscribe, and share this pod.
May 25, 202101:10:29
May 25, 2021
May 25, 202100:31