Gina and Nedra wrap up the loose ends of Mod Midwives, and their home birth practice, in this final episode.By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

This week we spend a little more time getting to know our illustrious student, Paige Hesen. Paige has been involved in our practice for over a year and has become an important member of our team! This episode, though, is going to be our last for a time. Mod Midwives has been continuously running for two years and we have yet to take a season off. I…

This week Nedra and Gina have a frank discussion about those times when we, as practitioners, make mistakes. Sometimes this comes in the form of a missed or mis-diagnosis, sometimes it looks like unhappy clients, and sometimes it's just when we don't stick to boundaries and protocols that we know we should. It doesn't happen often, but it is a part…

This week, Gina and Nedra talk listeners through how we organize our equipment and supplies--in our cars, bags, and office. You can find more information, including some videos, on our blog here: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=4330By Ned Hale, Gina Gerboth

This week Gina and Nedra discuss why framing breastfeeding/chestfeeding as a simple parenting choice is problematic. Not only is it an oversimplification of very complex issue, this also places blame and shame on new parents who were likely derailed, undermined, or unsupported in meeting their own feeding goals for their babies. We hope you enjoy t…

In this week's podcast, Gina and Nedra talk about parenting babies in the wee hours. From what to expect with feeding, to the importance of skin to skin and close contact, to a discussion about safe sleeping arrangements, it's all covered in this episode. As promised, in the discussion of skin to skin, Gina mentioned that she would provide referenc…

This week we tackle a topic that most of us don't particularly enjoy talking about: money.We cover a number of topics related to your financial agreement with your home birth midwives from what is involved in the fee to insurance reimbursement to refunds. Just a few takeaways from this week's podcast are:* You are not paying for a home birth, you a…

This week, Gina and Nedra bring you another episode in our Practical Advice for Midwifery Practice series. Over the years and between the two of us, we've had a lot of different office configurations: home visits in the clients' home, shared office space, home offices in the midwives' homes, and dedicated office space. This week, we discuss the pro…

In this week's podcast, Gina and Nedra tackle the most common questions our clients ask us--both for baby and mom. For baby we discuss: Normal newborn breathing (and clearing of secretions)The fussy second nightUmbilical cord careFor the birthing person we discuss:Postpartum blood clotsAfterpains/cramping (particularly with subsequent babies)Recomm…

Peer review is something that midwives--and clinicians of all types--regularly engage in. It's an de-identified, confidential review of cases. It's meant to provide the midwife with feedback, suggestions, and guidance, as well as accountability and continuing education. As an added bonus, it's a great way to develop community and relationship build…

In this episode, Gina and Nedra discuss a less-than-concrete topic: what traits do homebirthers tend to have in common. From determination, resilience, and intelligence to flexibility and the ability to surrender, there are certain characteristics that we see over and over in our clients and ourselves. We hope you enjoy listening to our reflections…

This week, Gina and Nedra give a variety of different ideas for paying yourself--and Uncle Sam--after your business expenses have been met. Of course some of these lessons were learned the hard way, so we hope that we can help you set up some good procedures from the outset! Enjoy!By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

In this week's podcast, Nedra and Gina talk about postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and an option that is available to you: Active Management of the Third Stage of Labor. In this episode we cover some background information about postpartum hemorrhage: the definition of PPH, how often it occurs, and causes, risk factors, prevention, and treatment. We hav…

We're back this week with another episode in our Practical Advice for Midwifery Practice series. This week we are talking about marketing and advertising of your midwifery business. We cover topics like SEO, paid vs. organic advertising, web presence and branding. We hope you enjoy our tips and tricks for building not only your client load, but als…

This week Gina and Nedra discuss ideas for jobs that people who are attending your birth can do to support you and your family. In addition, they discuss even who you might want to consider attending your birth (reminiscent of an earlier podcast: By Invitation Only). And in true Mod Midwives fashion, they take a significant detour to talk about bir…

This week's episode may lack a little excitement and romance, it is one of the most important tasks of a midwifery practice. We discuss personal protective equipment, procedures, and ideas for keeping those germies at bay--and not only COVID--in this episode in our Practical Advice for Midwifery Practice series. https://metromidwifery.com/?p=4089…

This week, a new commercial by Frida Mom hit the airwaves during the Golden Globes. This ad is being applauded for normalizing breastfeeding. It certainly shows a real, raw glimpse of those early days as a nursing parent. We absolutely agree that it did a great job of pushing boundaries that needed to be pushed. But did it really show what the earl…

Despite the increased popularity of community birth (which includes home and birth center births), it still represents a very small minority of births in the US. In this episode we discuss a number of ideas around normalizing countercultural practices that are common in our community such as home and birth center birth, breastfeeding/chestfeeding, …

While we all have personal preferences and opinions, this week Gina and Nedra share some of the considerations they've taken into account as they've named their businesses in the past. From cliches to treading on others' names to SEO we cover things you might want to consider when thinking of the best name for your business. Hopefully there's one o…

Being well supported during pregnancy and postpartum is hard enough during normal times. But getting the support you need to feel confident and connected during COVID has been beyond difficult. In this week's podcast we explore ideas for finding your support circle, particularly during the postpartum time. https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3993…

In this week's podcast we review our practice statistics for our first year of practice (plus the only four births from 2019). We cover everything from number of clients in care to specific outcomes in this week's podcast! Hope you enjoy! https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3978By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

One thing we didn't mention in the podcast was that even if you schedule one person's due date each week, there is no way to predict when people will deliver (with a 5 week window of "full term"), and, consequently, no way to avoid the possibility of births overlapping--even with one person due per month. However, the more clients you have due, the…

After the recent release of the Netflix movie, "Pieces of a Woman," Gina and Nedra decided we simply had to watch it and discuss on Mod Midwives. Whenever a loss in a home birth is portrayed, we are always worried about the optics. While the subject matter is tough, and we have a number of issues about the specifics, the movie did unfold differentl…

We're back with Ask the Midwives! This week we tackle some of your questions, including:*Where to should we up the birth tub?*Is there any danger of the birth tub falling through the floor?*Should I express and save my colostrum before the birth (AKA colostrum harvesting)?*Can I get a wax while I'm pregnant?Don't miss this week's episode! You can f…

Both Gina and Nedra have long subscribed to a parenting philosophy called Attachment Parenting. Coined by William and Martha Sears in The Baby Book, this parenting style emphasizes attachment and connection. Though it evolves over time, it starts from the very moments of birth. There are seven tenets of Attachment Parenting--also referred to as the…

Much like last year, we are spending the last podcast of the year reflecting upon the year that has passed and looking forward to the next year with intention. We find the idea of setting resolutions for 2021 to be somewhat laughable after the year we've all had, so, instead, we are talking about our "strands of hope" for the new year. If we've lea…

For this week's podcast, we are doing a couple things. First of all, we are telling birth stories. Everyone loves a birth story, right? Secondly, we are reminiscing about the first births we attended together in our new practice--that just happened to have occurred last Christmas. We hope you enjoy our walk down memory lane! You can also find this …

Whew! Just when we thought we were ahead, we had some massive technical obstacles this week! But never fear--we managed to get a podcast to you, albeit two-and-a-half days late. This week we have our second installment in our Practical Advice for Midwifery Practice series. We are going to give you insight into some things you need to do when you ge…

This week for Mod Midwives we cover the regulation of milk supply. From endocrine to autocrine control, to demand and supply, to activating prolactin receptor sites, we discuss how your milk supply is established and promoted. You can find any relevant links on our blog: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3825…

This week we are thrilled to launch a new series: Practical Advice for Midwifery Practice. We are busy midwives, and busy people in general, so we've really invested some time into improving our practice workflow and procedures. At the encouragement of one of our students, we decided to share some of our experience and insights with you. We will be…

This week on the podcast we tackle the sticky issue of talking to your family--especially when they are skeptical--about your plans for a home birth.This can be a tricky area to navigate, and different families find different approaches for navigating these conversations. We reference a number of other podcasts, if you want to dig a little deeper. …

We are back with more questions from you! This week we tackle:The prenatal visit scheduleCOVID and the holidaysMucus plugsWhat we've seen change in birth and breastfeeding over the last 10 yearsYou can also find us on our blog here: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3770By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

This week's Mod Midwives episode comes to you as Gina is recovering from COVID. We know lots of you have questions about exposure, and timelines, and symptoms so join us for our conversation about what it's looked like for our families and our practice. https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3747By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

This week Nedra and Gina wax about our moniker Mod Midwives. What does it mean to be a mod midwife? We discuss how we navigate the art and science of midwifery, in addition to practical matters like social media presence and generational relevance. You can also find this episode on: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3735…

Even though we talk about water birth (or water immersion in labor to be more precise) all the time on Mod Midwives, we have yet to dedicate a full episode to it. So, this week we talk about all things water birth. We talk about pros and cons, challenges, guidelines for use, and logistics and set-up. You can also find this episode on this week's bl…

For this week's podcast we talk with our listeners about boundaries for midwives: why they're necessary, how to establish them, and ideas for making boundaries work while still being accessible to our clients. You can read more about this topic here: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3707By Nedra Hale, Gina Gerboth

This week we are interviewing local midwife and Director of Midwifery atSeasons Birth Center in Thornton, Colorado. Aubre's most recent accomplishment is as author of the book, Midwifery for Expectant Parents: A Modern Guide to Choosing the Birth That's Right for You. In our interview, Aubre shares her thoughts about some of our favorite topics: co…

In this week's podcast, we've created a special compilation of questions people have asked us about choosing a midwife. Most midwives offer a consultation or interview where you can get to know one another and ask any questions you might have. This week, we're hoping to give you some guidance and insight into the process of choosing a midwife. You …

It's been a while since we've had a podcast meant specifically for student midwives. We wanted to share some helpful hints for apprentice midwives or those who hope to someday take the journey. You can also find this episode on our blog: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3614By Nedra Hale, Gina Gerboth

This week is the third of a three-part series where we talk about the three stages of labor. However, we have put a bit of a spin on our discussion. Not only will we talk about the physiology of what's happening and what the birthing person and their partner should consider doing during each time, we also talk about what student midwives and newer …

This week is the second of a three-part series where we talk about the three stages of labor. However, we have put a bit of a spin on our discussion. Not only will we talk about the physiology of what's happening and what the birthing person and their partner should consider doing during each time, we also talk about what student midwives and newer…

This week is the first of a three-part series where we talk about the three stages of labor. However, we have put a bit of a spin on our discussion. Not only will we talk about the physiology of what's happening and what the birthing person and their partner should consider doing during each time, we also talk about what student midwives and newer …

Wow! In this, our 52nd podcast episode, we reflect over the past year of the podcast. Our practice is older by a few months, and has an ambiguous start date, but the podcast started the first week of September, 2019. And wow, what a year it has been. Talk about high highs and low lows. We hope you enjoy our walk back through the year as we reflect …

We get lots of questions about pumping when someone is planning to go back to work. We take a little time to answer these questions in this week's podcast. Visit our blog for links to shared resources: https://metromidwifery.com/2020/08/25/mod-midwives-milk-expression-for-returning-to-work/By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

This week we have overcome *some* of our technical issues, but you'll notice our sound quality for Nedra is less-than-stellar. So, forgive us our mistakes as we try to get an outdoor, socially-distanced podcast together for you.We often lament how differently we would have done things if we could parent our first children again. We hope that some o…

Midwifing is not for the faint of heart. It involves long hours, sleepless nights, and now added COVID headaches. Add that right on top of our normally busy lives--personal and professional--and it can be hard to keep your ducks in a row. So, for this episode we are sharing some of the things that we do to keep #midwifelife manageable. We include s…

In honor of WBW, Gina and Nedra discuss six of the most prevalent myths that we hear regarding lactation. You can find more information at our blog: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3487By Gina Gerboth, Nedra Hale

This week, Gina and Nedra talk about their favorite positions for labor and birth. While this may sound like a pat list, we actually dig a little deeper and talk about when and under what circumstances we like certain positions.As well, in this podcast you are briefly introduced to Gina's son (who knows nothing of labor and birth positions) and we …

It's been awhile since we talked about how COVID has been impacting our practice. We'll review what practice changes are still in place and where we've lightened up, and revisit the Incredible Mask Debate, as well as some just general pontification. You can also find this episode on our blog: https://metromidwifery.com/?p=3467.…

As a follow up to Your Vagina Looks Scary to Me, where we discuss what to expect with your body in the first few days after birth, this week we take a look at what to expect with your newborn in the first few days after birth. From bumpy skin to swollen genitals to misshapen heads, newborns are an interesting lot. We'll also talk about APGARs and o…