Down to Birth
Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
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About This Podcast
Join Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig once per week for evidence-based straight talk on pregnancy, birth and postpartum --- beyond the clichés and beyond the system. With 40 years' combined experience in midwifery, childbirth education and advocacy, publishing, research and postpartum care, we've guided thousands of families toward safer, more empowered choices. Down to Birth is all about safe childbirth, while recognizing a safe outcome isn't all that matters. We challenge the status quo, explore women's rights in childbirth, and feature women from all over the world, shining shine light on the policies, culture, and systemic forces that shape our most intimate and transformative of life experiences. You'll hear the birth stories of our clients, listeners and numerous celebrities. You'll benefit from our expert-interviews, and at any time you can submit your questions for our monthly Q&A episodes by calling us at 802-GET-DOWN. With millions of downloads and listeners in 90 countries, our worldwide community of parents and birth professionals coms together to learn, question and create change, personally and societally. We're on Instagram at @downtobirthshow and at Patreon.com/downtobirthshow, where we offer live ongoing events multiple times per month. Become informed, feel empowered, and join the movement toward better maternity care in the United States and worldwide. As always, hear everyone, listen to yourself.
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Recent Episodes
S7E371 #371 | Mothers in the Birth Space: Should You Have Her There? How Women Decide.
In today’s episode, we take on a question many women think about but don’t always say out loud: should your mother be at your birth?We share listener voicemails from women who made very different…
S7E370 #370 | 43-Week Pregnancy: Jessica and Aaron Researched, Prayed, and Waited
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…
S7E369 #369 | May Q&A: Postpartum Hemorrhage, RhoGAM, Family Boundaries, Induction, and Placenta Previa
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…
S7E368 #368 | Kristina's Vaginal Breech Birth at the Eleventh Hour
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…
S7E367 #367 | Your VBAC Questions Answered by The First Woman to Have One, Nancy Wainer
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.…
S7E366 #366 | Full-Term Stillbirth at 39 Weeks: Penelope's Story
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…
S7E365 #365 | April Q&A: Best Age to Have Children, Precipitous Labor, Pushing and Tearing, Pregnancy Weight Gain, Water Birth Myths
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…
S7E364 #364 | When Co-Sleeping Gets Complicated: Weaning, Toddlers, and Sleep Transitions with Tiffany Belanger
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…
S7E363 #363 | Breastfeeding Q&A: Chemical Pregnancy, Night Weaning, Oversupply, Mild Tongue Ties
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…
S7E362 #362 | Birth Trauma to Redemptive Birth: Holly's Birth and Breastfeeding Stories
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…
S7E361 #361 | Is Water Birth Dangerous? Barbara Harper Debunks Fallacies
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…
S7E360 #360 | March Q&A: Wild Pregnancy Comments, Tipsy Family Member at Home Birth, Repeat Shoulder Dystocia, Pregnancy Irritability and More
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…
S7E359 #359 | When VBAC Comes with Medical Assault: Abby's Birth Story
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…
S7E358 #358 | Dr. Sarah J. Buckley on Oxytocin, Safety, and the Biology of Birth
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…
S7E357 #357 | Back to Basics: Birth Planning 2.0
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…
S7E356 #356 | February Q&A: Tearing vs. Episiotomy, Decels, Posterior Babies, Pitocin, Premature Rupture of Membranes, High Palates, Oversupply
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…
S7E355 #355 | First Birth as a Teen, Next as a Woman: Samantha's Blissful Experience Even with Induction
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…
S7E354 #354 | From Trauma to Trust: Moran's (@2lifedoula) Journey to Birth Work and Motherhood
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…
S7E353 #353 | No Stitches Required: Preventing & Healing Perineal Tears in Birth
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…
S7E352 #352 | January Q&A: Water Birth Myths, Breaking Waters, Cord Clamping in C-Sections, Fetal Monitoring, Wake Windows, Frozen Breastmilk
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…
Frequently Asked Questions
Down to Birth has published 376 episodes since December 2019, covering topics in Alternative Health, Documentary.
Down to Birth is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 42m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Down to Birth, including email and social media links.
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