Down to Birth

In today's episode, we sat with Ontario couple Jessica and Aaron, who share the birth story of their first child. Jessica's pregnancy included several key decision points, including whether to accept RhoGAM and how to approach care and manage the expectations of their loved ones as they moved well past their due date -- nearly 3 weeks past! They describe how they evaluated risk, navigated recommendations, and remained aligned as a couple under increasing pressure, while working with a midwife...

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2026

Happy Spring! And welcome to the May Q&A! We start with a listener email we loved, followed by a discussion on creativity and why it matters, especially in the early years of motherhood when it can feel completely out of reach. Then we get into your questions. We talk about postpartum hemorrhage and how it’s defined, including whether 500 cc of blood loss is truly cause for concern, and the use of Pitocin and Cytotec in that context, particularly for VBAC mothers. We also revisit RhoGAM a...

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2026

In today's episode, Kristina shares her breech birth story following a long journey marked by cycle irregularities, miscarriage, and difficulty conceiving. At 40 weeks, she learned that her baby was breech and was scheduled for a C-section, despite having been told throughout pregnancy that the baby was head down. Unwilling to move forward with surgery, Kristina sought out an alternative and ultimately found a physician in Connecticut willing to support a hospital-based vaginal breech birth. ...

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2026

In today’s episode, Cynthia and Trisha are joined once again by Nancy Wainer, award-winning author, longtime home birth midwife, and the woman who coined the term VBAC in her 1980s book Silent Knife. With decades of experience supporting women through vaginal birth after cesarean, Nancy brings clarity to a conversation that is shaped by fear, false information, and shifting medical standards. This episode is part free-flowing conversation and part Q&A, where we take listener questions and...

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2026

In today's episode, we speak with Stephanie about her stillborn daughter, Penelope, who arrived at 39 weeks and 6 days. After two healthy births and a completely uneventful third pregnancy, Stephanie found herself facing the unthinkable: an awareness of no fetal movement, confirmed by a silent Doppler and finally a hospital ultrasound. What followed was labor induction, birth, and the impossibility of leaving the hospital without her baby, riding home with her innocently cheerful toddlers in ...

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2026

Welcome to the April Q&A with Cynthia and Trisha! Today, we begin with a conversation about one of the most personal questions women face: is there a best age to have children? We talk about the pressures around timing, fertility, career, and spacing, and why this is one of those decisions that depends entirely on the individual woman, her life, and what feels right to her. Next, we get into your questions, starting with a mother who experienced a very fast labor and wants to know if prec...

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2026

Today, we talk with Tiffany Belanger of @cosleepy about some of the challenges that may arise for co-sleeping families, whether you're trying to reduce night feeds, prepare for another baby, or simply want your bed back. We discuss how these transitions often unfold, including moving a child into a crib or floor bed, and why the experience can look completely different from one family to the next, depending on lifestyle, a child’s temperament, and the parents' mental and emotional states, lik...

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2026

We are back with another breastfeeding-only Q&A episode. In today's conversation, we respond to several listener questions related to nursing, sleep, and fertility after breastfeeding. One mother who is co-sleeping with her 15-month-old, who wakes three to five times per night to nurse, asks how she can help her toddler sleep longer stretches without abruptly stopping breastfeeding. Another listener with a 4.5-month-old who has never taken a bottle is planning to attend a bachelorette par...

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2026

In today's episode, one of Trisha's clients, Holly, shares the story of two very different births and two equally different breastfeeding experiences, and what shifted between them. Her first labor began spontaneously but ended with a vacuum delivery, and the demoralizing message that her “pushes weren’t productive.” Breastfeeding was just as difficult, leading to a year of mostly exclusive pumping and undiagnosed postpartum anxiety. Four years later, she approached birth with rea...

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2026

Water birth has long been controversial, but more recently, a wave of claims has emerged from the natural birth community that water birth is dangerous for babies and disruptive to the physiologic process of birth. In this episode, we sit down with midwife Barbara Harper, the world's leading expert on water birth and founder of Waterbirth International, to explain the preponderance of evidence supporting the safety of water birth and to dispel circulating fallacies. We talk about the idea tha...

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2026

Welcome to the March Q&A! We begin today’s episode with a conversation about the strange, intrusive, and sometimes downright insulting comments women receive in public while pregnant. We also share a listener story about a home birth that took an unexpected turn when a woman’s mother, meant to support her during labor, ended up creating some chaos after drinking too much wine. Next, we address feeling unusually irritable toward an older child during pregnancy, what to consider after exper...

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2026

In this episode, Abby shares her VBAC birth story following an emergency cesarean. Determined to experience a vaginal birth, she prepared carefully while navigating limited provider options in Alabama. What unfolded during labor and delivery underscores how provider behavior, rather than maternal physiology, often determines birth outcomes. Abby describes how a manual vaginal extraction caused a nearly catastrophic fourth-degree tear, requiring three subsequent surgeries in the months that fo...

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2026

When Trisha was pregnant with her second baby, she read Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering — a book that completely reframed how she understood labor, and to this day remains her favorite book on pregnancy. Trisha's second birth unfolded in just three hours, a stark contrast to her first. That book was written by Dr. Sarah J. Buckley, and we've long dreamed of getting her on the show. That day has finally come! Dr. Buckley is a New Zealand–trained family physician and leading researcher on the ho...

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2026

Six seasons later, we are revisiting one of our first episodes of this podcast: Using evidence-based care to plan your birth. Much of what happens in labor is presented as standard, routine, or unavoidable—but that doesn’t mean it’s evidence-based. Birth care hasn’t become more complex because women need more intervention. It’s become more complex because intervention has become the default. If you’ve ever wondered whether what’s happening in labor is truly backed by research—or simply ...

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2026

Welcome to the February Q&A! We begin with a brief reflection on a mother's need to find time for play (not with her children but for herself) and creativity during early parenthood, before diving into your questions. Today’s episode addresses a common pattern in maternity care: past birth experiences being used by providers to justify predetermined interventions in subsequent pregnancies. One listener asked, do women need to get out of the tub for fetal heart rate decels, and is th...

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2026

In today's episode, mother of two, Samantha Collignon, joins us to share two very different birth experiences separated by thirteen years. She gave birth to her first baby at 18 with minimal support and limited understanding of her options. At 31, married and deeply informed, she approached birth with education, confidence, and a strong sense of autonomy, resulting in a profoundly different and blissful birth experience. Samantha reflects on how age and life stage shaped the way she was perce...

Transcribed - Published: 18 February 2026

In this episode, we talk to Moran of @2lifedoula, a doula whose journey into birth work was born from her own harrowing transition into motherhood. Moran candidly shares the story of her first birth—a clinical, disconnected experience where lack of preparation and resurfaced childhood trauma led to a "full-blown panic attack" and postpartum depression. Knowing that wasn't how birth was meant to be, Moran transformed her approach for her subsequent birth, ultimately having a euphoric, spontane...

Transcribed - Published: 11 February 2026

Tearing is one of the most common fears around birth—and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we talk about what really causes tearing, what the research shows, and what you can do to reduce your risk. We cover perineal massage, positions for birth, breathing and pacing, water birth, warm compresses, and what makes recovery smoother. Through the episode, we review our followers' real-life "tearing" stories, and provide our commentary, which includes labial tears, scar tissue, pelvi...

Transcribed - Published: 4 February 2026

Welcome to our first monthly Q&A episode of Season 7! In today's episode, we discuss why C-sections are sometimes framed as “prevention,” how fear around tearing, fetal monitoring, or cord concerns impacts clinical decision-making, and why breaking the bag of waters is still routine practice despite clear risks and limited benefit. We explain what delayed cord clamping looks like during a cesarean and why vague language like “misplaced cord insertion” can unknowingly lead to unnecessary i...

Transcribed - Published: 28 January 2026

In this episode, Jessica shares the breastfeeding journey she never expected. After a smooth birth at a birth center, feeding quickly became complicated: flat nipples, an early nipple shield, a missed first feeding window, a significant tongue tie, and a baby who grew increasingly sleepy and underweight. What followed was weeks of pumping, weighted feeds, donor milk, tongue-tie revision, and the ongoing effort to understand why breastfeeding wasn’t working despite doing everything “right.” Je...

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2026

In today’s breastfeeding Q&A, we take calls from mothers facing the challenges that often arise well beyond the newborn phase. We begin with a question about nursing an eighteen-month-old who lifts his mother’s shirt the moment she sits down, and what healthy boundaries can look like when a toddler is still deeply attached to nursing. From there, we address concerns about forceful letdowns, oversupply, pumping routines, and the role of pacifiers when feeding becomes overstimulating for th...

Transcribed - Published: 14 January 2026

Dr. Morgan MacDermott, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor specializing in perinatal and postpartum health, joins us to explore why postpartum isn’t simply a recovery period—it’s a complete physiological and emotional transformation. We discuss why American culture celebrates productivity instead of rest, and the critical role of the “5-5-5 rule." As the conversation unfolds, we move into the realities of early motherhood—how high-achieving women struggle with loss of control, the connec...

Transcribed - Published: 7 January 2026

Welcome to our end-of-year Q&A episode! Settle in with your favorite drink and listen as we play listener voicemails from around the world. You'll hear us reflect on six years of podcasting together, while we share voicemails, questions, and stories as we close out the season and prepare for the new year. We begin by addressing one of our posts that sparked an unexpectedly intense reaction online, and then get into an impassioned conversation on why postpartum life is never 50/50. We also...

Transcribed - Published: 31 December 2025

In today's episode, we reconnect with Sarah and Lara of Dynamic Doulas, who last joined us in Episode 196: The Toughest Part of Being a Doula. Three years later, we tackle the conversation that is in fact the toughest part of being a doula: Supporting women through the loss of a baby at birth. Sarah and Lara return to talk to us about their recent experiences including when a baby dies or faces a severe adverse outcome. We move beyond business and birth plans and into the realities most...

Transcribed - Published: 17 December 2025

Pregnant women often carry fears about breastfeeding long before their babies arrive — fears of pain, low supply, clogged ducts, or not knowing when to feed. After all, if breastfeeding is so natural, why do we keep hearing how hard it is? In this episode, Cynthia asks Trisha to address the most common concerns from the women in our community. We discuss why these fears are so prevalent, what’s actually normal, and how much of breastfeeding success depends on preparation, support, and confide...

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

Midwife and mother of two, Sophia Henderson, host of the Born Wild podcast, joins us to tell the story of her children’s births – and how a chiropractor may have saved her newborn daughter’s life. In her first pregnancy, Sophia navigated weeks of unexplained bleeding, chose home birth as a student midwife, and after giving birth learned her son had no anal opening and would ultimately be diagnosed with VACTERL association. She describes what it means to care for a medically complex baby, how ...

Transcribed - Published: 3 December 2025

Welcome to the November Q&A! Today, we start with a topic that always stirs strong feelings—birth partners. From the gestures that truly helped to the ones that fell short, we chat about your experiences of your partner's support, presence, connection or not. Next, we respond to an emotional call for help from a sleep-deprived and emotionally exhausted mother whose husband threatens to call the cops on her for how she handled an overwhelming moment with her toddler. Today's episode ...

Transcribed - Published: 26 November 2025

When it comes to infant sleep, few topics are more misunderstood—or more burdened by cultural myths—than the expectation that babies should “sleep through the night.” Pediatric sleep and development specialist and author of Rest Assured: The Heart and Science of Nurturing Baby Sleep, Louise Herbert, joins us to explain what’s really happening in a baby’s body and brain during sleep. Louise breaks down the biology of circadian rhythms, sleep pressure, and night wakings—clarifying when frequent...

Transcribed - Published: 19 November 2025

After six seasons, we’re finally doing it—we’re talking about how to get down to birth. As your "due date" approaches, many women find themselves up against policies, deadlines, and pressure to accept a medical induction. But what if other ways actually work? Today, we explore all the safe, risk-free, and surprisingly enjoyable ways to support your body as it prepares for labor and to help get things going when the pressure is on. Some are physical, some are emotional, and yes—some even play ...

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2025

After birth, many women are left blindsided by physical changes they never expected. Vaginal dryness, painful sex, recurring UTIs, and even emotional strain can all show up during breastfeeding — but most mothers are never told why. In this episode, we sit down with Sara Perelmuter, a third-year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Sara currently serves as president of the Sexual Medicine Research Team and has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications on repro...

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2025

Welcome to the October Q&A episode! We kick things off with a few confessions from our community (and one from us!) before diving into your thoughtful questions on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Today’s questions include: Is it safe if you pee in the birth tub? How can you afford a home birth when money is tight? What does it mean to “push wrong” in labor, and how does the Ferguson reflex really work? We also discuss the fear of postpartum rage returning in a subsequent pregnancy, whet...

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2025

Emily shares two unforgettable and very different birth stories: an unmedicated hospital induction with Pitocin, and an unplanned free birth at home. In her first birth, she transferred late in pregnancy under New Hampshire’s “two high readings” rule for blood pressure. With a Foley balloon, Cervidil, and the lowest possible Pitocin drip, she labored quietly on all fours, declined unnecessary interventions, and delivered under the fetal ejection reflex—so calmly that all the nurses and doctor...

Transcribed - Published: 22 October 2025

Welcome to another Breastfeeding Q&A episode. Today, we start with a conversation on how to night wean and your personal experiences with what worked best. For today's questions, Trisha responds to: How child-led weaning works at 14 months, 18 months, and 2 years oldNursing strikes at 6 months — why they happen and how to respondNight weaning tips: gentle strategies without losing daytime breastfeedingWhy milk supply sometimes doesn’t come in (and hospital factors that affect it)Ho...

Transcribed - Published: 15 October 2025

Bringing a new baby home is exciting—but it can feel overwhelming when you’re worried about how your toddler will adjust. You may be wondering: Will my toddler feel jealous? How do I handle tantrums? How do I keep my child feeling loved while caring for a newborn? In this episode, toddler expert Devon Kuntzman, author of the book Transforming Toddlerhood: How to Handle Tantrums and Power Struggles and Raise Resilient Kids Without Losing Your Mind, joins us to share practical wisdom for parent...

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2025

In this episode, occupational therapist and IBCLC Michelle Emanuel joins us to explore the hidden ways tongue-tie affects babies long before birth. She explains how oral restrictions begin in the embryo, influence fetal positioning, and impact birth outcomes including torticollis and C-sections. We dive into the anatomy of the tongue, how it connects to breathing, posture, and feeding, and why many tongue-ties remain hidden or misdiagnosed. We discuss feeding positions, tummy time, swaddling,...

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2025

In this month’s Q&A, we start with a big one: What are your biggest fears in life? (Besides snakes and spiders, of course!) Then we dive into your thoughtful community questions, including: Homebirth vs. family pushback: My sister is a labor & delivery nurse, my family isn’t supportive, and my MIL has no boundaries. What should I do?Breastfeeding oversupply: I had a major oversupply with my first baby—will it be worse or the same with my next?Birth interventions: In my first birth, my...

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2025

Motherhood, pregnancy, and postpartum life are filled with moments that test our patience — from bedtime battles and clutter overload to partner misunderstandings and in-law tensions. But these moments aren’t just “part of the job” — they’re emotional triggers, and they hold powerful clues for personal growth, stress relief, and a healthier, happier motherhood journey. In this episode, we dive deep into emotional triggers for moms, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. We share relatabl...

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2025

Emily Vondy hardly needs an introduction. She's a mother of six, songwriter, and online creator @emilyvondy whose humor, reflections, and music have brought laughter and validation to millions. In this episode, she invites us into the story of her fifth birth, which came after two heartbreaking miscarriages. What began as a pregnancy marked by fear and doubt became an experience of profound peace—and what she vividly experienced as clear-as-day divine intervention. That’s right: Emily shares ...

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2025

In this episode, filmmaker and microbiome advocate Toni Harman joins us to explore the groundbreaking science behind establishing the infant microbiome—and why the earliest moments of life matter so much for lifelong health. Toni shares her personal journey from an unexpected C-section to uncovering how birth methods, antibiotics, and feeding choices shape immunity, metabolism, and risk of chronic disease over our lifetime. Key Points Discussed Include: Why vaginal birth, skin-to-skin contact...

Transcribed - Published: 3 September 2025

Welcome to the August Q&A episode! What is your secret quirk? We want to know! We share a few of yours along with our own. Today's first question is from a mother who had a large first baby without a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. She's concerned in her second pregnancy that she might develop late-onset gestational diabetes. Next, a pregnant mother's mother is a medical doctor and is having a hard time supporting her daughter's natural birth choices because of her experiences in...

Transcribed - Published: 27 August 2025

Sleep is the foundation of health—and yet in modern motherhood, it’s often the first thing we lose. In this episode, we’re joined by Heidi and Thaddeus of DreamWalkerz, parents of six and passionate educators on the biology of sleep. Together, we explore how light—yes, just light—is one of the most overlooked but powerful regulators of our sleep, hormones, mood, and even fertility. Heidi and Thaddeus break down what circadian rhythms really are, how they’re installed in babies, and why so man...

Transcribed - Published: 20 August 2025

Doulas play a critical role in supporting women through childbirth—but their work is anything but easy, and their work isn't for the faint of heart. Many face disrespect from providers and routinely witness coercion, misinformation, and violations of informed consent. Even with their deep commitment to the women they serve, doulas often feel powerless in the face of hospital systems driven by profit and control. Still, many doulas are called to this work—and despite everything, they continue ...

Transcribed - Published: 13 August 2025

At 28 weeks, Jessie found out her baby was breech—but instead of panicking, she trusted her gut. She felt strongly that her baby was meant to be born this way. After initially planning a home birth, Jessie began exploring other options and considered traveling to Pennsylvania for a hospital birth with experienced breech providers. But when labor started at 39 weeks, everything shifted. Mid-drive to Pennsylvania, Jessie and her husband decided to turn around and head to Yale New Haven Hospital...

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2025

Welcome to the July Q&A! Today, we kick off the show with a conversation about your experiences of unnecessary, frequent stressors that we have the power to change or eliminate: For Trisha, it's taking phone calls while grocery shopping. Next, we get into your questions, beginning with: Did taking folic acid in pregnancy cause my baby's tongue tie? Is having the cord wrapped three times around a baby's neck a legitimate reason for c-section? Is it true that I can't have a VBAC (vagi...

Transcribed - Published: 30 July 2025

Finally, after all these years, Trisha tells the stories of her three home births. Pregnancy, birth, & midwifery are woven into her life story, from her early obsession with pregnancy to her decision to pursue a career in midwifery, allowing her to understand every aspect of birth from a physiological and intellectual perspective. Hear how she became a midwife, how she got herself into labor with her first, grueling, long birth, to her wildly different second birth, and her unintentionall...

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

In this extraordinary episode, Leslie shares her deeply personal story of discovering a lump in her breast at 34 weeks pregnant—an aggressive, triple-negative breast cancer. A wellness coach who hadn’t taken over-the-counter medication in five years, Leslie spent her adult life doing everything she could to prevent disease. As she prepared to welcome her second baby at home, she was forced to face a diagnosis that would alter her life on every level. She confidently insisted on continuing wit...

Transcribed - Published: 16 July 2025

Drawing from our their personal experiences, your words, and our intimate birth story processing sessions, Cynthia & Trisha delve into the neuroscience around beliefs and birth. Our brain constantly wants to make sense of things, but it often lands on unhelpful conclusions. This episode is about recognizing those negative beliefs and actively replacing them with empowering ones. It's about taking charge of your internal narrative to foster healing and confidence, no matter your stor...

Transcribed - Published: 9 July 2025

Emily Woodward is a mother of two who planned a home birth for each of her babies. Her first labor began with confidence and joy—and stretched across multiple days, testing her endurance, her trust in her birth team, and her ability to surrender when the path ahead took an unexpected turn. She transferred from home to hospital with a crowning baby. Her second pregnancy was smooth and uneventful—until 31 weeks, when she awoke in the middle of the night to a pool of bright red blood, and everyt...

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Welcome to the June Q&A with Cynthia & Trisha. This month we kick things off with a conversation about a midwife who dropped her client in early labor because her HBAC labor was taking too long to get going--as you can imagine, we have a lot to say about this! Next we take your questions: One mom writes about her 3rd attempt at a homebirth after two hospital transfers and wonders if it is ok to keep her birth plans from her family with whom she is very close with. We also answer...

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

Neuroscientist and author of The Nurture Revolution, Dr. Greer Kirschenbaum, PhD, joins us today to discuss the profound impact of nurturing care in the first three years of life. Drawing from decades of brain research, Greer explains how responsive, connected parenting in early life lays the neurological foundation for emotional regulation, mental health, and lifelong resilience—and why this critical window is so often misunderstood, underestimated, or dismissed. We also explore the neurobio...

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025