Ruby Fruit Birth 🍊

Get vaccinated! Protect each other 🫂

Dismantling childhood vaccination programs is medical malpractice

Just stating the obvious

CDC’s crisis marks a dark moment for public health “The firing of Susan Monarez, the first Senate-confirmed CDC director in history, was more than just unprecedented,” writes Ashish K. Jha.

CDC’s crisis marks a dark moment for public health

www.statnews.com/2025/08/28/c...

The architecture boat tour is always a hit. You can also take the ferry along the same route to Chinatown to get some dim sum. The Art Institute or Garfield Park Conservatory too

Abortion Bans are Another Weapon for Abusers Anti-choice laws are endangering victims and empowering abusers

I talked to Sanctuary for Family's Reproductive Abuse Initiative about how the changing abortion rights landscape impacts their clients & the anti-abortion movmt's latest campaign to justify abortion bans by sweepingly/baselessly framing abortion as "coercive":

Beyond Do No Harm — Interrupting Criminalization | Research In Action

Health care workers can REFUSE to participate in harm and the criminalization of care.

If you're a health care worker or provider who is committed to your oath to do no harm, and you want to connect with others for strategy and support, check out our Beyond Do No Harm network: bit.ly/BDNHLaunch

🚨 BREAKING: The Supreme Court has just ruled against patients’ rights, completely disregarding what every person wants: the ability to choose their own trusted health care provider.

It's been 3 years since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision, which overturned the right to abortion in the United States.
Here's a thread of online ways to promote abortion access in the US (even just on Bluesky)! 🧵

Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades. The city with the most lead service lines in the country doesn’t plan to finish replacing them until 2076.

Lead pipes are STILL a systemic problem in the United States.

Adriana Smith did not give birth to a baby.

She was used as an incubator, cut open, and a baby was taken out of her lifeless body.

A Black woman was used as a science experiment.

The city of Chicago will have zero operational freestanding birth centers by the end of the month 😓😓😓😓😓 #birthjustice #autonomy

Happy pride fam 🤰🫄 👩‍❤️‍👩 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Care work is activism if you’re doing it right ❤️

'Nowhere is safe': Doctor in Gaza describes scenes of 'nonstop' injuries after Israel ends ceasefire Israel is continuing to bombard Gaza, one day after declaring the ceasefire with Hamas over and launching a series of surprise airstrikes.

Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to respond to the surge of injured patients pouring in one day after Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas. Dr. Razan al-Nahhas describes the scene as 'pure chaos.'

(via @wbur.org)

I’d really like to say I had more faith in most folks ability to take communicable disease seriously for a prolonged length of time, but I don’t.

I remember when we used to close off a room for an hour after a COVID patient, and now they’re lining the halls and they and the staff won’t even mask.

Set yourself up for success in pregnancy. From booking your first appointment to prenatal vitamins and parental leave, these eight steps shared by an ob-gyn can help you navigate your journey through pregnancy: bit.ly/3Q3DqGi

How to save a life? Narcan!

Narcan® is available throughout Chicago in wall-mounted Harm Reduction boxes and can be located by visiting bit.ly/FindNarcan

Wear a mask to protect yourself 😷 wear a mask to protect your community 😷 it matters that we care for one another ❤️

Transnational feminism forever ♾️ we are all in this together

Microplastics in placentas linked to premature births, study suggests Tiny plastic pollution more than 50% higher in placentas from preterm births than in those from full-term births

New Research: Microplastics linked to premature births!
Researchers recently presented their study, which found that tiny plastic pollution was more than 50% higher in placentas from preterm births than in full-term births.

Read more via @theguardian.com
🔗 loom.ly/5SMpowU

trans rights forever

Considering adding some yoga blocks to my doula bag. They’re v handy but I try to minimize bulk since I don’t drive to births… what’s in y’all’s bags 👀 #doula #birth

Cover of They Call It Love: The Politics of Emotional Life by Alva Gotby

They Call It Love by Alva Gotby.
A look at the interrelatedness of capitalism, gender, and emotional subjectivity. Pairs well with Care Work by @thellpsx.bsky.social

I’m excited to start accepting Medicaid this year. It’ll be interesting to see what that means for how doulas practice here

😍 love to see expanded access to midwives and doulas. People deserve the right to choose who they want on their care team for pregnancy

Why is it so hard to get lactation professionals to use gender inclusive language?? Just say “nursing” like omg

Cover of Essential Labor by Angela Garbes

Cover of Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino

Cover or Ejaculate Responsibly by Gabrielle Blair

Cover of Tits Up by Sarah Thornton

So far on this month’s bookshelf 📚 #booksky #booklists

1. Essential Labor by Angela Garbas
2. Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
3. Ejaculate Responsibly by Gabrielle Blair
4. Tits Up by Sarah Thornton

doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000004567

Another victim lost to intimate partner violence 😓 homicide is still a leading cause of death during pregnancy. Rest in peace Edith ❤️

Hey 🍊😌 I’m Kendall and I work as a certified doula and lactation counselor in Chicago. Follow along as I post about feminism, public health, birth work, and books 🤰🤱📚 #intro #doula #postpartum