The Science Chick Report: Evidence You Can Use for Real-World Women's Health Titelbild

The Science Chick Report: Evidence You Can Use for Real-World Women's Health

The Science Chick Report: Evidence You Can Use for Real-World Women's Health

Von: Kathleen Kendall-Tackett
Jetzt kostenlos hören, ohne Abo

Nur 0,99 € pro Monat für die ersten 3 Monate

Danach 9.95 € pro Monat. Bedingungen gelten.

Über diesen Titel

 Hosted by Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, The Science Chick Report brings women’s health research you can trust to the people holding it all together: birth workers, lactation consultants, doulas, midwives, mental health providers, and nurses. Every episode turns the latest science into practical tools, helping you advocate, recover, and stay grounded in the work you love, even when it feels like you’re doing it alone.Kathleen Kendall-Tackett Hygiene & gesundes Leben
Folgen
  • Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health

    Military Sexual Trauma and the Silent Crisis in Perinatal Mental Health
    Jan 14 2026
    Do you know that simply serving in the military places women at significantly higher risk for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and adverse birth outcomes, even before combat exposure is considered? And do you know that one of the most powerful drivers of this risk is still rarely discussed in perinatal care?In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett shines a light on an overlooked public health crisis: the impact of military service, and specifically military sexual trauma, on perinatal mental health and birth outcomes. Drawing from large-scale studies, systematic reviews, and longitudinal data, she reveals just how profound these risks are for pregnant and postpartum veterans.Dr. Kendall-Tackett walks listeners through research showing extraordinarily high rates of prenatal and postpartum depression, PTSD, anxiety, preterm birth, and low birth weight among military women. She explains how trauma-related stress physiology affects pregnancy, why these outcomes persist even when controlling for other risk factors, and how military culture itself may contribute to vulnerability, even for women who were not directly assaulted.For healthcare providers, policymakers, and anyone working in women’s mental health, this episode is a call to move beyond treatment alone and begin addressing prevention, screening, and systemic change. For military mothers, it is validation and proof that these outcomes are not personal failures, but predictable responses to chronic stress and trauma.In This Episode:(00:00) Introduction and episode overview(01:06) Growth of women in the US military and vulnerability(02:11) Defining military sexual trauma (MST)(04:04) MST vs. combat exposure: mental health impact(05:18) Physical health consequences of MST(06:26) Review of studies on pregnancy outcomes(07:41) Study: harassment, assault, and mental health(10:04) Mental health outcomes by assault status(11:07) Study: MST, PTSD, and birth experience(12:17) Study: MST, combat, childhood trauma, and birth outcomes(13:31) Quantifying MST’s impact on birth weight and depression(14:38) Study: MST and mother-infant bonding(15:45) Call to action: addressing MST in guidelines(16:43) Betrayal trauma and military culture(17:42) Conclusion and further resourcesNotable Quotes:(02:37) “These papers, I actually have to admit, kind of blew my mind. I knew there was some increased vulnerability within this population, but I had no idea it was this high.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(01:07) “We talk about treatment, but we’re not really talking about prevention and this is a population that is particularly vulnerable.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(04:19) “Military sexual trauma can actually have an effect above and beyond the effect of combat exposure.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(07:58) “71% of the women who were harassed, actually had depression, compared to 41% of the non-harassed women.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(11:02) “Chronic activation of the stress system sends inflammatory messengers that directly affect pregnancy.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettResource and LinksThe Science Chick ReportThe Science Chick Report Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettWebsiteLinkedInXFacebookResearchGate (upcoming paper)Mentioned Manzo (2024) – Military trauma and pregnancy outcomesGross et al. – Military sexual trauma and perinatal mental healthSchaefer et al. (2024) – PTSD, trauma, and birth experiencesNilny et al. (2022) – Military trauma, preterm birth, and depressionCreech et al. (2022) – Military sexual trauma and mother-infant bondingChikowsky (2017) – Long-term health outcomes in veterans
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    19 Min.
  • Helping Mothers Heal

    Helping Mothers Heal
    Dec 31 2025

    Birth can be life changing in beautiful ways, but it can also leave women carrying fear, confusion, or unresolved emotional pain, especially when the experience felt rushed, dismissive, or frightening. In this episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall Tackett sits down with trauma specialist Dr. George Rhoades to explore how Trauma First Aid, a method used around the world in disaster settings, can be applied to perinatal women who have endured traumatic births, medical mistreatment, or overwhelming postpartum experiences.

    Dr. Rhoades explains how Trauma First Aid works by creating a safe space for mothers to share their story, helping them identify the problems left behind by the experience, and guiding them toward realistic solutions that restore a sense of control and grounding. Together, he and Dr. Kathleen examine the subtle ways birth trauma shows up, from unmedicated C sections to cold or dismissive medical care, and why early, compassionate support can prevent long term psychological harm.

    This conversation offers a clear and practical framework for doulas, nurses, lactation consultants, and anyone supporting new mothers. It also provides powerful validation to women who may smile on the outside but feel shaken on the inside, reminding them that their experience deserves to be heard and healed.


    In This Episode:

    • (00:26) Meet Dr. George Rhoades, disaster psychology expert

    • (01:09) Understanding trauma first aid

    • (01:44) The impact of birth trauma

    • (02:37) Psychological first aid in crisis situations

    • (02:55) Comparing trauma responses in Vietnam and WWII veterans

    • (03:55) Addressing trauma in unmarried pregnancies

    • (04:30) Practical solutions for trauma recovery

    • (05:16) The importance of hope in trauma counseling

    • (06:21) Challenges in postpartum care

    • (10:33) Debriefing and long-term trauma counseling

    • (13:00) Supporting postpartum mothers

    • (16:53) The role of supportive friends and family

    • (17:51) Handling grief and loss

    • (18:42) The importance of listening and follow-up

    • (19:37) Understanding trauma responses

    • (22:04) Practical skills for coping with trauma

    • (24:25) When to seek professional help

    • (26:36) Training laypeople for trauma support worldwide

    • (27:50) Moral injury among caregivers and birth workers

    • (31:53) How birth trauma inspires some mothers to enter birth work

    • (32:04) Final thoughts and gratitude


    Notable Quotes:

    • (01:30) “Anything that's devastating has trauma.”— Dr. George

    • "(05:20) “Having hope that they will get better will help many people just be able to keep pushing through.”— Dr. George

    • (07:07) “It’s amazing when you look at the literature how abusive some of this stuff is. Even in supposedly prestigious medical centers.” — Dr. Kathleen

    • (09:58) “In South Korea, they don't believe in having a co. Epidural. They think you should suffer some pain.” — Dr. George

    • (29:57) “If you go through a trauma and there's some injustice done, there has to be some form of justice.” — Dr. George

    • (31:48) “I can't tell you how many people I know that have gotten into birth work because of what happened to them” — Dr. Kathleen

    Resources and Links

    The Science Chick Report

    • The Science Chick Report

    Dr. George Rhoades

    • Website

    • LinkedIn

    Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett

    • Website

    • LinkedIn

    • X

    • Facebook

    • ResearchGate (upcoming paper)

    Mentioned

    • When Hello Means Goodbye

    • End of Beginnings
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    33 Min.
  • Cry It Out or Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Sleep Training (Part 2)

    Cry It Out or Burnout: The Hidden Cost of Sleep Training (Part 2)
    Dec 17 2025
    Forget everything you think you know about infant sleep. What if the secret to better rest for the whole family isn't about training your baby, but about tuning into their needs? And what if science shows that breastfeeding, often blamed for maternal exhaustion, is actually a key to more sleep and lower depression risk?In this groundbreaking follow-up episode of The Science Chick Report, Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett moves beyond the critique of "cry it out" to present the powerful, evidence-based alternative. She dismantles the simplistic sleep-training model by exploring the complex web of factors that truly influence infant sleep from prenatal stress and parental mental health to attachment security and feeding methods.Dr. Kendall-Tackett reveals stunning research that turns conventional wisdom on its head: exclusively breastfeeding mothers report more total sleep and better mental health than those who mix-feed or formula feed. She explains how responsive, attachment-based care creates a positive feedback loop of security and regulation, leading to better sleep outcomes for everyone.If you are a new parent lost in the fog of exhaustion, or a healthcare provider looking for compassionate, science-backed guidance, this episode offers a revolutionary and empowering guide. It’s time to stop fighting biology and start working with it.In This Episode:(00:00) Introduction and limitations of sleep training models(01:15) Domains influencing infant and child sleep(02:25) Prenatal maternal depression and infant sleep(04:37) Longitudinal evidence of prenatal depression effects(05:46) Attachment theory and relational interventions(06:48) Pilot study: parental education on infant crying(09:48) Maternal sensitivity at bedtime(10:58) Maternal responsivity and bedtime routines(12:01) Feeding method and infant sleep(13:04) Exclusive breastfeeding and maternal sleep(14:09) Large-scale study: sleep predictors and feeding(15:05) Contradictory findings on formula feeding(20:37) Exclusive breastfeeding and bed sharing(21:44) Does breastfeeding cause fragmented sleep(22:45) Ecological perspective on infant sleep(23:52) Attachment and ecological models vs sleep training(24:53) Methodological issues in sleep training research(25:50) Conclusion and resourcesNotable Quotes:(01:52) “Insecure attachment were linked to shorter sleep duration and more nighttime awakenings. And they said this was actually the most robust factor.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(03:24) “Higher prenatal depression scores were associated with shorter nighttime infant sleep duration, but interestingly only for babies born vaginally.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(07:51) “The maternal psychological stress can perpetuate infant regulatory difficulties in a negative feedback loop.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(09:55) “Secure attachment mitigates the effects of parental emotional dysregulation. And a secure attachment regulates infant sleep.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-Tackett(13:39) “Exclusively breastfeeding mothers slept 40 minutes longer than the mixed or formula feeding mothers.” — Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettResource and LinksThe Science Chick ReportThe Science Chick Report Dr. Kathleen Kendall-TackettWebsiteLinkedInXFacebookResearchGate (upcoming paper)Mentioned Dao & Liu (China) – Five domains influencing infant sleepCHiLD Study (Canada) – Prenatal depression and infant sleepTiffany Field (2007) – Stress hormones and infant sleep patternsALSPAC Study (U.K.) – Longitudinal maternal depression findingsMontessori (2018) – Treating maternal anxiety to reduce infant cryingEmotional availability and attachment studies (2019)Chinese and Canadian breastfeeding/sleep trajectory studiesJames McKenna & Helen Ball – Anthropological perspectives on infant sleep
    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    28 Min.
Noch keine Rezensionen vorhanden