Circumcision, Water Births, and Evidence-Based Care with Dr. Rebecca Dekker

As new parents or parents-to-be, we can spend hours going down rabbit holes trying to find the best information to support our birthing and parenting decisions. In a lot of instances, the articles people see online talking about controversial issues are heavily slanted towards the author’s own views and not necessarily backed by evidence.

While most of what I talk about is related to what I’ve seen in the trenches working with families over the past 20 years, I am a strong believer in passing evidence-based information to parents to inform decisions. 

My special guest today, Dr. Rebecca Dekker, became fed up with how the system treats birthing families. She is now working hard to take the stress out of research and make science sexy for parents and birth workers alike! She is the founder of Evidence Based Birth®, and has made it her mission to ensure all birthing families have access to safe, respectful, evidence-based, and empowering care. 

Join our conversation now to hear her evidence-based insights into two controversial birthing topics.

Resources

Read the Evidence Based Birth® article on circumcision here

Read more on the evidence around waterbirth here

Watch the College Humor video on the history of circumcision

Listen to the Evidence Based Birth® Podcast

Follow @ebbirth on Insta

Go to the Evidence Based Birth® Youtube Channel

If you need more support for this or if you have questions about this topic, you can follow Brandi and her work @deardoulapodcast on IG, @brandi_jordan_official IG, and send questions, comments and platitudes to [email protected]. Have a question you want Brandi to answer? Shoot her an email or a DM and she might include it on her next podcast episode!

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Time Stamps

01:22 - Dr. Rebecca Dekker tells us more about Evidence Based Birth® and the work that they do.

02:47 - Brandi tells us about her own experience of circumcision with her now 16 year old son.

03:58 - Dr. Dekker discusses her background and how she approached the evidence-based work she has produced around circumcision.

06:02 - Dr. Dekker shares how she was personally confronted with the topic of circumcision and how this put the procedure into perspective for her.

07:59 - Dr. Dekker discusses the ethical considerations around circumcision.

11:46 - We find out what the evidence shows with regard to circumcision.

16:30 - Brandi and Dr.Dekker speak about the regret parents can feel around their decision to circumcise their children.

23:06 - We learn about the historical context of circumcision.

26:25 - Dr. Dekker talks through evidence-based information surrounding waterbirths.