So a midwife goes to midwifery care and gets all excited about physiologic birth, and then she goes to work for a hospital where they enforce obstetrics.

They enforce policies that are outdated and not evidence-based.

And her hands are tied because she's got to practice that way.

And even the World Health Organization is calling it obstetric violence that is likened to

rape for a woman. We have the highest maternal mortality rates among developed countries and even

some underdeveloped countries. And our newborn mortality and morbidity is embarrassingly high.

Our maternity system is failing.

I'm Cynthia Overgard, owner of Hypniburthing of Connecticut, childbirth advocate, and postpartum

support specialist.

And I'm Tresha Ludwig, certified nurse midwife and international board certified lactation consultant.

And this is the down-to-birth podcast.

Childbirth is something we're made to do, but how do we have our safest and most satisfying

experience in today's medical culture?

Let's dispel the myths and get down to birth.

I'm Anne Margolis. I'm a certified nurse midwife now for 27 plus years. I got my Bachelor of Science in University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, and then I got my master's through Case Western.

And I've practiced both in home birth center and hospital settings, but predominantly I have moved towards the home

birth. And I've caught about, you know, well over a thousand babies in my practice, help thousands of moms around the world now because I have not just an in-person practice, but my work has gone online through a lot of very large social media following that my daughter put me on.

And I said, what's that?

But it just blossomed and, you know, created all these, you know, online courses and

online coaching from birth professionals and moms.

And then it led me to write my two books.

One is called Natural Birth Secrets, an insider's guide, how to give birth holistically,

...