There is no rule book when it comes to parenting. I remember when I was pregnant with my first child, a friend who’d just had her baby said to me at my shower, “Your one job is just make sure the baby stays alive.” And I thought to myself…that’s it? That’s an interesting standard. And you know what, I now totally understand where she was coming from.

On today’s show we’re talking to guest Ashley Brichter, founder and CEO of Birthsmarter, a community and digital platform providing practical wisdom and guidance to the next generation of families. Ashley is an educator, speaker, and health and wellness advocate with over a decade of experience as a doula, birth educator, solo-entrepreneur, and mom of two. With over a decade of experience supporting new parents, Ashley provides one-on-one support, group classes, lectures, and distance learning for the perinatal population and the professionals who serve them. Together we discuss the features in our health care system…issues only exacerbated by Covid, the inequities faced by Black and brown pregnant women an how families can get affordable support before and after birth.