InCast

Teen parents are often navigating pregnancy and birth while carrying layers of stigma, judgment, and unmet educational needs. This episode shines a compassionate light on why teens deserve the same evidence-based, respectful childbirth education as any adult—delivered in ways that truly meet them where they are. With honesty, heart, and deep practical experience, this conversation explores how education can shift teen parents from fear and shame toward confidence, agency, and long-term resilience. If you care about equity, dignity, and real-world impact in perinatal education, this episode is essential listening. About Julie Thompson Julie Ruckstuhl Thompson, ICCE is a certified childbirth educator, doula, and longtime special education professional with a passion for supporting adolescent parents. With 27 years of experience working with middle and high school students, Julie brings a developmentally informed, trauma-aware lens to childbirth education for teens. She teaches childbirth, baby care, and breastfeeding classes through the Colorado Adolescent Maternal Program (CAMP) and works closely with teen families in both hospital and community settings. Julie is a strong advocate for respectful care and believes deeply in helping young parents understand their choices, find their voice, and step into parenthood with confidence and dignity. What You'll Learn: Why childbirth education for teens requires a different approach than adult-focused classes How stigma and judgment impact teen parents' birth experiences—and what educators can do to change that Why developmentally appropriate teaching builds confidence and advocacy skills, not just knowledge How respectful education during pregnancy can strengthen long-term parenting outcomes Why teen parents deserve choice, voice, and agency in birth just like any other family How educators and doulas can support teens without "promoting" teen pregnancy, while fostering resilience and healthy futures Resources: CAMP – Colorado Adolescent Maternity Parenting & Family Program Contact Julie Thompson: [email protected] Related InJoy Products: Teen On-Demand Video Library Stages of Labor: A Visual Guide for Teens 3rd Edition video program Healthy Steps for Teen Parents 2nd Edition video program Understanding Birth book + web app Related InJoy Resources: Season 3, Episode 8: Intimate Partner Violence in Teens with Mary Jo Podgurski of The Academy for Adolescent Health

Join us for the latest information on perinatal addiction. We will explore the most commonly used substances that affect the lives of families and their babies during pregnancy and postpartum. We also discuss the new legislation in some states that has changed the way that parents with substance use issues are treated. Since it's been proven that punitive measures do not lead to change with people who have this complicated problem, new laws were put into place with the hope that women with substance use issues start prenatal care earlier. You'll also learn how educators and other birth workers can offer resources for those who want to seek help. Our guest, Dr. Kaylin Klie, MD, MA is an addiction medicine specialist who works at UCHealth in Colorado as an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry with a special focus on perinatal addiction. She is the founder of the Denver Health and University of Colorado OB Addiction Medicine clinics, which provide integrated peripartum care and substance use assessment and treatment for pregnant and mothering women. Dr. Klie has been on a steering committee member for the State of Colorado Substance Exposed Newborn task force, and the co-chair for Provider Education. She served on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Maternal Mortality Review Committee, helping healthcare workers and the public understand the impact substance use continues to have on maternal morbidity and mortality in Colorado. Listen and Learn How legislative changes for Colorado families include that substance exposure during a pregnancy alone is no longer automatically considered child abuse or neglect How a punitive response to substance use in pregnancy has negative health effects for families, instead of being helpful What is meant by "context more than the toxicology" in helping to keep a plan of safe care for the family That substance use covers a wide variety of products that people are addicted to How to think about what kind of support a person who uses substances may need When we welcome people with substance use into our services and classes, it helps them seek prenatal care rather than waiting due to fear Resources & Mentions Get in touch with Dr. Klie: [email protected] Related Products from InJoy Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum Understanding Birth Curriculum Understanding Breastfeeding Curriculum Alcohol & Pregnancy You Can Quit! How to Stop Smoking During Pregnancy Healthy Steps for Teen Parents

For more than 40 years, the Nurse-Family Partnership has been improving the lives of first-time mothers and their babies! Nurses from the organization work with families for the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy until the baby reaches 2 years of age. You have probably heard of this community health program but may not have been sure of all they do. Listen in to learn more about their successes with the more than 380,000 families that NFP nurses have served since 1996. Perhaps some of your clients would benefit from the program! Our guests are Jane Pray, Sara Lynch, and Wendy O'Shea, who are all part of this program in various capacities. Jane is a Director of Regional Nursing Practice at the National Service Office for Nurse-Family Partnership. She helps with vision and strategic planning for the Nursing Department. Sara has worked for NFP for over 25 years. She is now the Senior Manager for Nursing Education. She manages the nursing teams and facilitates education sessions and webinars. Wendy is a Senior Manager for Nursing Practice where she has worked for six years. Before coming to NFP, Wendy was a nurse in maternal child health in Pennsylvania. Listen and Learn: How the family leads the relationship with her nurse and how the organization is client-centered What positive outcomes are reached with first-time families in the program, including decreasing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality rates, especially those that continue to work with their nurse for two years How helping families be self-sufficient has broader economic benefits How the Community Advisory Board in each town helps connect families with resources Who is eligible to become a Nurse-Family Partner client What additional services, beyond medical checks, NFP helps with How cultural sensitivity is built into their training and displayed everyday Resources & Mentions: More info on Nurse-Family Partnership NFP Moms Related Products from InJoy: New Parent Clips Parenting BASICS Stages of Labor Understanding Birth Curriculum Understanding Breastfeeding Curriculum Understanding Fatherhood Curriculum

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 [email protected] Related Products from InJoy: Understanding Pregnancy Curriculum Understanding Birth 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

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: [email protected] Related Products from InJoy: Understanding Birth Curriculum

Listen in as we discuss promoting Vaginal Nulliparous Term Singleton Vertex (NTSV) birth to decrease the risk of maternal morbidity and mortality. Dr. Lagrew agrees with a past president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Vincenzo Berghella, who said, "Physicians do need to balance risks and benefits, and for some clinical conditions, cesarean is definitely the best mode of delivery. But for most (NTSV) pregnancies that are low risk, a cesarean delivery may pose greater risk than vaginal delivery, especially risks related to future pregnancies." Working to decrease the number of cesareans that are not strictly for clinical conditions is something we can all work on. Educators, nurses, community health workers, and others can use the information Dr. Lagrew shares to help people avoid the first cesarean. This will not only lower unintended outcomes of the initial cesarean like hemorrhage and infection but also prevent problems in subsequent pregnancies. Dr. Lagrew is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and physician informaticist with a particular interest in maternal quality improvement. He recently retired as Medical Director of Women's and Children's services for Providence St. Joseph-Southern California and as a Providence System Provider Informaticist in Obstetrics. He has started his new role as Chief of Service, Maternal Fetal Medicine at Hoag Healthcare. He holds triple board certification in Obstetrics/Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, and Clinical Informatics. In addition to these administrative and leadership roles, he continues to actively author numerous peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He is a clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UC Irvine. He is the immediate past chair of the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine's Clinical Informatics Committee. Listen and Learn: That the absolute lowest risk delivery is a vaginal delivery after a previous vaginal delivery The rate of cesarean birth compared to vaginal births in the US now How an NTSV protects the woman's long-term health, especially if she plans to have more children How midwives may have a lower cesarean rate due to their practice of admitting to the hospital later during labor How the shared decisions help prevent primary cesarean births How having a wide range of cesarean rates, state by state, is actually a good thing A sneak preview of the US's ARRIVE Study compared to an upcoming study out of Canada That robust childbirth education about risks and benefits including an explanation of complications and outcomes will benefit parents and will likely decrease the cesarean rate Resources & Mentions: Nation's Ob-Gyns Take Aim at Preventing Cesareans Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery Childbirth Connection info on cesarean resources California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (many states have similar organizations) Email Dr. David Lagrew: [email protected] Related Products from InJoy: Understanding Pregnancy Understanding Birth The Stages of Labor