Midwife Jessica Willoughby, LM, CPM discusses how her background in anthropology has helped her understand differences in culture as they relate to labor, birth, and breastfeeding. She speaks about the gifts midwifery has given her, paying it forward, and challenges with living the on call lifestyle. Jessica also talks about empowering c-section experiences as well as the most important things she's learned about midwifery.

Show notes and portrait can be found at www.workingbirth.com/ep14 

Leading infant sleep researcher and professor of anthropology Dr. James McKenna, PhD, discusses his extensive research on mother-baby sleep and cosleeping, bedsharing, and the new term "breastsleeping." We talk about the science of the mechanisms behind infant sleep, cosleeping around the world, the mysterious sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), sleep training, and the neurological effects of separation. He discusses how cultural ideologies interfere with infant sleep practices, and the huge gap in what mothers are doing with sleeping & breastfeeding, versus what is being recommended to families by the American Academy of Pediatrics and local governments. Jim also discusses his new research on colic/inconsolable crying.

There's a wealth of excellent information in this episode! See Jim's portrait and check out all the show notes at: workingbirth.com/ep13