In this episode we talk with Samantha Reisz, EBB Childbirth Class graduate about her experiences taking the class and preparing for a waterbirth in a hospital with her “Golden Ticket” birth team, who were skilled and prepared to manage a placental cord avulsion also known as cord snapping.

Samantha Reisz, she/her, is a Scholarly Assistant Professor of Human Development at Washington State University in Vancouver, Washington, just outside of the Portland, Oregon area. She completed her bachelor's in Psychology and master's in Infant Mental Health from Mills College in Oakland, California when she first began studying childbirth. Samantha then earned her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied infant parent relationships and the transition to parenthood. Samantha is a passionate scholar and educator. After years of studying these topics academically, she finally was able to live her own research with the birth of her first child. Samantha lives in Vancouver, Washington with her baby, partner, and two dogs.

Samantha shares how she prepared to give birth for the first time with the use of a doula who recommended the EBB Childbirth Course. Samantha and her partner planned for a waterbirth in a hospital with an OBGYN attending the birth. After experiencing the beautiful waterbirth she had desired, complications arose in the 3rd stage with a placental cord avulsion. Her “Golden Ticket Birth Team” was skilled and prepared to support her through this experience.

Content & Trigger warning: complications in the third stage of labor, active management of the third phase, umbilical cord snapping or avulsion, excessive blood loss

Resources:

• Find out more about Samantha’s work and research here.
• Find out about Scarlett Lynsky’s EBB Childbirth Education class here and listen to her EBB Podcast interview here.
• Read the EBB Sigature Article on The Evidence on Waterbirth here
• Read the EBB Signature Article on Eating & Drinking here
• Listen to the EBB Natural Induction series here
• Find out more about the Evidence on Nitrous Oxide in EBB Episode 15 here

Listen to all the EBB Podcast Episodes on Waterbirth and Cord Avulsion:

• Find EBB 4 – Waterbirth and the Newborn Microbiome here
• Find EBB 11 – Evidence on: Waterbirth here
• Find EBB 202 - A Fast First Time Birth Expereince with Childbirth Class Graduate, Haley Grachico here
• Find EBB 223 – An Empowering Hospital Water Birth Story with Samantha Parker and Justin Fontaine here
• Find EBB 230 – An Inspirational Home Waterbirth Story with EBB Childbirth Class Parent Shelitha Owens here

Go to our YouTube channel to see video versions of the episode listed above!!

References:

Bovbjerg, M.L., Cheyney, M., Caughey, A. B. (2022). “Maternal and neonatal outcomes following waterbirth: a cohort study of 17,530 waterbirths and 17,530 propensity score-matched land births.” BJOG 129 (6): 950-958. Access the article here

Burns, E. E., Boulton, M.G., Cluett, E., et al. (2012). “Characteristics, interventions, and outcomes of women who used a birthing pool: a prospective observational study.” Birth 39(3): 192-202. Access the article here

Schafer, R. (2014). “Umbilical cord avulsion in waterbirth.” J Midwifery Womens Health 59(1): 91-94. Access the article here

Sidebottom, A.C., Vacquier, M., Simon, K., et al. (2020). “Maternal and neonatal outcomes in hospital-based deliveries with water immersion.” Obstet GYnecol 136(4): 707-715. Access the article here

For more information and news about Evidence Based Birth®, visit www.ebbirth.com.

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• Check out our Professional membership (including scholarship options) here
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