EBB 357 - Making Decisions about Elective Induction of Labor with Dr. Ann Peralta & Kari Radoff, CNM, from Partner to Decide

Evidence Based Birth®

Rebecca Dekker

Pregnancy, Health & Fitness, Childbirth, Parenting, Birth, Medicine, Kids & Family, Doula, Obstetrician, Midwife

4.6 • 978 Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Every pregnant person deserves the information—and support—they need to make truly informed decisions about labor induction. In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker talks with Dr. Ann Peralta and Kari Radoff, CNM, co-creators of Partner to Decide, a nonprofit initiative improving decision-making in perinatal care. They discuss the creation of their free, multilingual decision aid that supports families in understanding their options around routine induction of labor—and empowers them to advocate for their values, preferences, and autonomy.

Ann shares how her own birth experience, shaped by access to education and privilege, sparked the creation of the tool. Kari offers insight into how the decision aid has changed conversations in clinical settings—bringing clarity, reducing bias, and fostering truly shared decision-making. Together, they illuminate how access to balanced information can reduce anxiety, improve trust, and shift the culture of perinatal care.

(03:02) What Is a Decision Aid and Why It Matters

(07:12) Ann’s Birth Story and the Origins of Partner to Decide

(11:09) Gaps in Shared Decision-Making from a Provider’s Perspective

(14:24) Personal Values, Intuition, and Cultural Differences

(18:19) Designing the Decision Aid with Equity and Accessibility

(23:49) The Power of Absolute vs. Relative Risk in Birth Conversations

(25:01) Surprising Patient Feedback: From Access to Empowerment

(30:31) Provider Reflections and Challenging Bias

(36:11) Why “Routine” Induction Language Matters

(43:59) How to Respond to Pressure or Coercion Around Induction

(46:16) How to Access the Free Decision Aid and Support New Tools

Resources

Access the free Induction of Labor Decision Aid in seven languages: www.inductiondecisionaid.org
Learn more about the nonprofit: www.partnertodecide.org

For more information about Evidence Based Birth® and a crash course on evidence based care, visit www.ebbirth.com. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube! Ready to learn more? Grab an EBB Podcast Listening Guide or read Dr. Dekker's book, "Babies Are Not Pizzas: They're Born, Not Delivered!" If you want to get involved at EBB, join our Professional membership (scholarship options available) and get on the wait list for our EBB Instructor program. Find an EBB Instructor here, and click here to learn more about the EBB Childbirth Class.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, everyone. On today's podcast, we're talking with Anne Peralta and Kari Radoff about how to decide if you want a labor induction or not.
0:12.3	Welcome to the evidence-based birth podcast. My name is Rebecca Decker, and I'm a nurse with my PhD and the founder of evidence-based birth.
0:20.5	Join me each week as we work together
0:22.8	to get evidence-based information into the hands of families and professionals around the world.
0:28.7	As a reminder, this information is not medical advice. See eBbirth.com slash disclaimer for more details.
0:37.8	Hi, everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the EBV podcast.
0:42.0	Today I'm so excited to welcome Dr. Ann Peralta and Kari Radoff, who are here to talk about
0:47.2	their nonprofit partner to decide and how you can decide if you want a labor induction or not.
0:53.8	Dr. Ann Peralta is the founder and CEO
0:56.2	of Partner to Decide, a nonprofit dedicated to improving decision-making in perinatal care.
1:02.5	Anne has spent more than 15 years leading, innovating, and growing programs that support
1:07.0	empowered decision-making for families. She has a doctorate in public health in management,
1:12.8	leadership, and policy, and a master's in public health in maternal and child health from Boston
1:18.1	University School of Public Health. Anne is also a mom to two amazing kids, and it was her own
1:23.4	perinatal care journey that inspired partner to Decide's first decision aid on routine induction
1:28.9	of labor. Joining us also today is Kari Radoff. Kari is a certified nurse midwife and associate
1:36.1	director of midwifery services at Boston Medical Center. She is an assistant professor
1:40.9	of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine.
1:45.7	Ms. Radoff joined Boston University in 2012 after completing a Fulbright grant in Nicaragua.
1:52.1	During her grant, she developed a radio-based pregnancy education intervention.
1:56.8	Throughout her career, Ms. Radoff has advocated for patient-centered policies and interventions
2:01.6	to promote physiologic birth. Kari has also created patient education materials in multiple
	...

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