Zulgeil Ruiz Ginés, born and raised in Puerto Rico, is affectionately known as “Zul”. After the birth of her first daughter, she was forever changed in how she understood pregnancy and birth. Supporting families in their pregnancy, birth and postpartum care became her passion. She has studied with birth workers in Los Angeles, Mexico and now Florida.

Zul is the owner of UMA Midwifery & Homebirth Services assisting families in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and the greater Tampa Bay area.

We discuss challenges women, especially women of color, face while seeking proper birth care.

Description:

There is an alarmingly high maternal mortality rate among women of color in the United States- 40 deaths per 100,000 compared with a 12.4 deaths per 100,000 for white women. This is on par with women experience in developing nations. Why is this continuing to happen in one of the wealthiest nations and no one is talking about it? More importantly- What are the solutions?

...

Pregnancy and birth truly are a one of a kind experience. There's nothing quite like it. Forty weeks of gestation followed by a birth of an unknown length and possible interventions can naturally spark a lot of questions and even fears for a soon to be mama. This is often especially true if this is your first pregnancy or you have had past pregnancies that sadly may not have had the outcomes you had hoped for. Cultivating a relationship of trust with your providers can be one of the best tools for overcoming any fears or anxieties that may pop up along the way. 

Here are my 5 tips for getting the most out of your relationships with your OB's and midwives right from the start. 

1. Treat your first visit like a business meeting and don't be afraid to interview them. 

Picking an OB, midwife or large practice to provide you with prenatal and birthing support is often one of the most overlooked parts of the birthing process. Many women will opt to stay with the OB they have...

It has been said that your birth story dictates how you will parent. It is the essentially the fractal that plants the seed for how you will FEEL about mothering. At first blush it can seem like an overwhelming concept, but if you think about it in generalities it’s simplicity shines through. For most of us, our thoughts dictate our feelings which dictate our actions and actions give rise to our results or circumstance. 

Preparing for birth and all of its wonder can make the difference during birth, whether you feel empowered on your new journey as a parent, able to go with the flow and present in most moments or as if you are being told what to do and barely managing. I don’t know about you, but the former sounds much better than the latter as a trajectory into motherhood. So how does one prepare for such a magical event of which we have seemingly so little control?

The truth is, we are never fully prepared for what will be the uniqueness of our birth story and...

Why we use our placenta, how to get labor going, and understanding when an intervention is medically necessary.

Description: We are thrilled to have the awesome Dawn Herring of Empowered Birth Series back as our guest today. Like myself, Dawn wants to change the conversation in labor to where it can unfold throughout the process and the woman finds it easier to trust her body through grounded knowledge and preparation. Every woman is different, every birth is different, and we are here to share our full-circle journeys to help empower and free us from an exact perception of what birth should look like. I talk with Dawn about the Bishop Score, placentas, and the importance of taking labels off any judgment of looking at any and all options during childbirth and conception. We hope our talk inspires you to allow what is and listen to your own body as a guide.

Takeaways

[7:16] Dawn shares how some of the complications of her own birth experience helped to heal her own...