Labor of Love: Season 2

Season 2: Stories from the Heart of Obstetric Care

In its second season, Stories from the Heart of Obstetric Care, the podcast focuses on the pandemic experience of obstetric care professionals. Dr. Pimentel will sit down with obstetrics colleagues to share stories and perspectives gained from working with patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This season’s episodes will provide a space for obstetric care professionals to peel back the layers of their work and share their challenges and triumphs in promoting public health during a pandemic.

Jump to Episodes

1. How Mental Health Is Taking Center Stage in Obstetric Care
2. Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy and Building Pregnant Patients’ Confidence
3. Building Patient Trust in Uncertain Times
4. Championing Health Equity in Obstetric Care
5. Building Workforce Capacity in Obstetric Care

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Episodes

Episode 1: How Mental Health Is Taking Center Stage in Obstetric Care

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Obstetric care professionals take on tremendous responsibility when working with pregnant patients, and that work can weigh heavily on their own mental health, especially during a pandemic. ACOG President Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG, and Pooja Lakshmin, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist, author, and founder and CEO of Gemma, join Labor of Love host Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to discuss multifaceted answers to mental health challenges for obstetric care professionals, such as burnout and work-life balance. The conversation provides valuable insights and helpful recommendations for how to promote personal mental health.

Resources

• ACOG | Minding Mental Health
• ACOG | Physician Wellness Tool Kit
• CDC | Support for Public Health Workers and Health Professionals

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Episode 2: Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy and Building Pregnant Patients’ Confidence

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As COVID-19 continues to circulate, encouraging pregnant patients to get vaccinated remains important. Labor of Love guests Peg Boyd, DNP, CNM, who practices at OB/GYN Associates of Erie, and Ashanda Saint Jean, MD, FACOG, obstetrics and gynecology department chair at HealthAlliance Hospital, join host Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to share how they answer patients’ questions about vaccines and effectively build vaccine confidence. They also delve into the challenges that obstetric care professionals face when working with patients who are reluctant to get vaccinated and offer practical advice about how to handle these discussions with sensitivity and compassion.

Resources

• ACOG | Inform to Empower: Building COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence One Conversation at a Time
• CDC | How to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation

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Episode 3: Building Patient Trust in Uncertain Times

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Rising misinformation and vaccine skepticism triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic have created unique challenges for obstetric care professionals to gain patient trust. In this episode, Labor of Love host Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, discusses strategies to build connection and trust with patients  and deliver better pregnancy care with guests Camille Clare, MD, MPH, CPE, FACOG, chair and tenured professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Downstate Health Sciences University, and Kristin Lyerly, MD, MPH, FACOG, a board-certified obstetrician–gynecologist at CCM Health.

Resources

• ACOG | Respectful Care eModules
• ACOG | COVID-19 Vaccines: Tools for Your Practice and Your Patients

Episode 4: Championing Health Equity in Obstetric Care

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The COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the ongoing crisis of health inequity, which continues today, especially among pregnant people in the Black community. Naima Joseph, MD, MPH, FACOG, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and Christina Marea, MA, MSN, CNM, PhD, assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Nursing and midwife at Community of Hope, join Labor of Love host Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to discuss how health inequity has affected systematically disadvantaged communities throughout the United States and how these disparities can be addressed head-on by obstetric care professionals and the health care industry.   

Resources

• ACOG | Health Care Disparities
• CDC | Maternal Mortality

Episode 5: Building Workforce Capacity in Obstetric Care

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The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the obstetric care workforce to its limit, creating unprecedented pressures on health care professionals’ mental health. Rachael F. Morris, MD, MS, FACOG, associate professor of maternal–fetal medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and Richard H. Beigi, MD, MS, FACOG, president of UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, join Labor of Love host Veronica Maria Pimentel, MD, MS, FACOG, to discuss how the pandemic continues to affect the obstetric care workforce and what workplace initiatives have been effective to expand capacity and build better working conditions in obstetric care.

Resources

• CDC | Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages

This podcast (“Resource”) is designed for patients and is for informational purposes only; it does not provide medical advice and it is not intended to replace the advice or counsel of a physician or health care professional. While ACOG makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information, this Resource is provided “as is” without any warranty of accuracy, reliability, or otherwise, either express or implied. ACOG does not guarantee, warrant, or endorse the products or services of any firm, organization, or person. Neither ACOG nor its officers, directors, members, employees, or agents will be liable for any loss, damage, or claim with respect to any liabilities, including direct, special, indirect, or consequential damages, incurred in connection with this Resource or reliance on the information presented. Please visit acog.org/laboroflove for more information, including the full disclaimer.

This Resource was supported by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as a part of a financial assistance award totaling $300,000 with 100 percent funded by ACOG and CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.