Down to Birth

What happened to medical freedom, informed consent, and the right of parents to make healthcare decisions for their own children? And how did vaccination become one of the most divisive issues in modern parenting?

This week, we're joined by pediatrician and bestselling author Dr. Bob Sears, whose groundbreaking The Vaccine Book has helped countless parents navigate one of the most controversial decisions they face. Drawing on nearly three decades of pediatric practice, Dr. Sears challenges conventional thinking about childhood vaccines, vaccine mandates, and the risks and benefits of natural immunity.

We discuss whether vaccines prevent infection and transmission, the argument that vaccination protects immunocompromised children, and why Dr. Sears believes vaccine mandates have ultimately backfired. We also examine vaccines during pregnancy, the role of breastfeeding and the infant microbiome, and why so little attention is given to supporting children's immune systems naturally.

Dr. Sears shares which vaccines he considers particularly unnecessary, his perspective on measles, chickenpox, and whooping cough, and what he's observed among the largely unvaccinated children in his practice.

Finally, we turn to another deeply personal parenting decision: circumcision. Why are American attitudes changing, and how can parents navigate disagreement when one wants to circumcise and the other doesn't?

It's a candid, wide-ranging conversation about medical freedom, bodily autonomy, informed consent, and the importance of questioning conventional wisdom rather than surrendering our decisions to authority.

Find Dr. Bob Sears: drbobsears.com | Instagram: @drbobsears

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Morgan's first birth was nothing like she expected. After being put on Pitocin, receiving an epidural that left her unable to move, and pushing for nearly five hours, her doctor told her the baby was too big, she was too small, and she needed an emergency C-section. Morgan refused. Her daughter was born vaginally, but the experience left her determined never to return to a hospital to give birth.

For her second pregnancy, Morgan chose a birth center and had an entirely different experience. Her son was born in the water, without interventions, and she finally understood what birth could feel like when she was supported and respected. But shortly after his birth, elevated blood pressure readings led to a hospital transfer, a diagnosis of severe postpartum preeclampsia, and 24 hours on magnesium sulfate. When she later reviewed her medical records, she found that her blood pressure readings and lab results had been repeatedly described as only mildly elevated.

Morgan joins us to share all three of her births, including the home birth of her third baby, and how her experiences with the medical system left her with years of anxiety around something as simple as having her blood pressure taken. We discuss the importance of informed consent, the difference between being informed and being frightened into compliance, the questions surrounding her preeclampsia diagnosis, and why taking responsibility for your birth begins long before labor.

Additional Resource:

Check out our episode on preeclampsia with Sarah Thompson here.

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Welcome to the October Q&A! Today we kick things off with the surprising discovery that three Jeopardy contestants couldn’t identify the placenta from the clue “a temporary organ made of maternal and fetal tissue,” leading to a conversation about just how little most people are taught about the placenta.

Then we get into your questions. One mother experienced intense postpartum depression for five or six months after her first baby and now wonders whether having it once makes her more likely to experience it again. We discuss recurrence risk, what may contribute to postpartum depression, and what women can do differently the next time around.

Next, a mother who is eight months pregnant has a history of anal fistulas and previous repair surgeries. Her midwife and colorectal surgeon are comfortable with a vaginal birth, but an OB has suggested an elective C-section. Does an anal fistula make vaginal birth too risky, and what happens if she tears?

Then, a breastfeeding mother hoping to conceive before her menstrual cycle returns wants to avoid an early dating ultrasound. If she conceives with her first ovulation, she’ll have no last menstrual period to establish a due date. How can she determine gestational age, particularly with a home birth midwife who has a strict 37-to-42-week policy?

Quickies this month include precipitous labor happening again, newborn wellness checks, RSV season and the RSV antibody shot, drinking alcohol before knowing you’re pregnant, six dates a day and blood sugar, breastfed babies going days without pooping, whether children need their own bedrooms, spacing pregnancies, newborns who don’t want to be put down, progesterone supplementation, elegant baby girl names, favorite fall desserts, and our favorite (and least favorite) seasons.

Resources related to this week's episode:

Ultrasound: The Research and the Rhetoric

Recognizing Postpartum Depletion

Should I Be Induced? The ARRIVE Trial

Call us with your questions, comments or stories at 802-GET-DOWN!

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What if a tongue tie is about much more than breastfeeding? Biological and airway dentist Dr. Hilary Fritch, DMD, joins us to explain how tongue function, jaw development, nasal breathing, and sleep are interconnected, and why problems that begin in infancy can have effects that extend well into adulthood.

We discuss how the tongue helps shape the palate and jaw, why breastfeeding plays such an important role in facial development, what a high or narrow palate can mean for breathing and feeding, and why so many children today have crowded mouths and insufficient room for their wisdom teeth. Hilary explains the relationship between mouth breathing, fragmented sleep, snoring, and symptoms that can look like ADHD, as well as the signs parents can watch for in their own children.

We also get into tongue-tie releases in babies, children, and adults; when a frenulum actually needs to be treated; myofunctional therapy; airway expansion; mouth breathing and mouth taping; the connection between the tongue and fascia throughout the body; and why correcting oral function early can change the way a child's face, jaw, and airway develop.

Plus, we discuss why tongue ties can be both overdiagnosed and undertreated, what parents should look for when evaluating their child's airway, and why an airway dentist may see things that a conventional dental exam does not.

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Welcome to another Breastfeeding Q&A episode. Today, we start with a conversation about breastfeeding advice on social media and ask our community which breastfeeding “rules” they wish they had never heard.

For today's questions, Trisha responds to these listener topics:

•  Getting your period back while breastfeeding and whether you need to wean to conceive 
•  Night nursing at 14 months and how prolactin can affect the return of ovulation 
•  Colic, gas, high-pitched crying, and a baby who suddenly struggles at the breast 
•  What else to consider when a three-month-old is having difficulty nursing 
•  Taking a week-long trip without your 16-month-old and whether time apart could lead to weaning 
•  Maintaining milk supply while traveling and returning to breastfeeding after separation 

For quickies, we tackle waking newborns to feed, infant breast preferences, uneven milk production, when supply regulates, hospital lactation consultants, nipple shields, weaning age, letdown, mastitis and clogged ducts, night sweats, collecting colostrum during pregnancy, and whether a painless, effective latch ever needs fixing.

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Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

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Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
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When Victoria learned at 10 weeks that she was carrying MoDi twins, she was immediately placed in high-risk care and told to expect frequent monitoring, an operating-room birth, and potentially a C-section. But as her pregnancy progressed, the fear and anxiety she felt at every appointment led her to reconsider the model of care she had accepted.

Victoria joins us to share how she left her OB and maternal-fetal medicine team midway through pregnancy and found a home birth midwife experienced with twins and vaginal breech birth. She takes us through the pressure she faced when leaving the practice, the surprising moment during labor when she went from one to nine centimeters, and the births of her two healthy boys at home at 38 weeks and one day.

We also discuss preparing nutritionally for a twin pregnancy, the Brewer diet and her focus on protein, navigating fears planted during pregnancy, giving birth to a second baby just minutes after the first, tandem breastfeeding twins while also nursing a toddler, and the role prayer and faith played throughout her pregnancy and birth.

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Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

Needed <-- for 20% off
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Welcome to the September Q&A! Today we kick things off with your answers to the question, “What did people say when they found out you were planning a home birth?” From being told you’re putting your baby in danger and that you’ll end up in the ER to family members questioning your midwife, calling you brave, or even threatening to tell your husband not to let you, you had a lot to say.

Then we get into your questions. One mother is seven weeks pregnant after a 12-week miscarriage earlier this year that resulted in significant hemorrhage and an ambulance transfer. Her midwife has recommended a miscarriage prevention protocol that includes baby aspirin, progesterone cream, and supplements. Is there evidence that these interventions prevent miscarriage after a single loss, and are there additional considerations when there’s a history of hemorrhage?

Next, a mother who recently had her first baby at home noticed that her baby’s umbilical cord was quite short, making it difficult to bring her baby fully up to her chest during her water birth. She’s considering a free birth in the future and wants to know whether having a short cord once makes it more likely to happen again, what determines cord length, and whether a short cord poses any particular risks during birth.

Then, a listener asks about a home birth she recently attended where the mother pushed for two to two and a half hours, her contractions eventually stopped, and the baby was not descending. The mother ultimately transferred to the hospital, but could rest have been another option? We discuss what it means when contractions stop during pushing, when a long second stage becomes concerning, and what might help labor get going again.

Quickies this month include suddenly resenting your pets after having a baby, homeschooling, tandem breastfeeding a newborn and three-year-old, normal pumping output, pacifier use while breastfeeding, C-section after a traumatic shoulder dystocia, measuring three days behind on an early ultrasound, trying again after miscarriage, weaning from exclusive pumping, showering and self-care postpartum, postpartum anxiety improving around nine months, postpartum care after stillbirth, sleep versus exercise versus sunlight, postpartum depression and anxiety in fathers, grounding yourself during anxiety, and whether postpartum depression is more likely to recur with subsequent babies.

Call us with your questions, comments or stories at 802-GET-DOWN!

#385 | The Lindsay Clancy Case: Postpartum Psychosis or Psychiatric Drug Reaction? with Dr. Roger McFillin

Postpartum Psychosis: The Signs, Risks, Symptoms and Recovery

Livestream: Should we homeschool? Ask a Mom whose family thrived.

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When Marine Corps officer Jacob Dubois's wife, Madison, told him she wanted a home birth, he was skeptical. He assumed the hospital was the safest place to have a baby until he began asking questions, researching, and meeting midwives. 

That journey inspired Jacob to write Why Home Birth?, a book written for fathers who want to better understand birth and confidently support the women they love in chooseing birth outside of the medical system.

In this conversation, we discuss why birth experiences shape women long after the baby is born, how our culture has normalized traumatic birth, why fathers often see birth differently than mothers, and how couples can approach birth as a shared experience that strengthens their family for years to come.

If you enjoyed today's episode, you may be interested in these Down to Birth streaming workshops:

Birth Trauma: Recognizing & Overcoming It

Home Birth: Women's Round Table

Jake Dubois on Instagram

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The tragic case of Lindsay Clancy has ignited a national conversation about postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health, and criminal responsibility. Clinical psychologist Dr. Roger McFillin of The Radically Genuine Podcast believes a critical part of the story has been largely overlooked: the psychiatric care Lindsay received in the months leading up to what happened.

Roger returns to Down to Birth to examine Lindsay’s medical history, severe sleep deprivation, reported reactions to psychiatric drugs, and the extraordinary number of prescriptions she received from multiple providers in a matter of months. We discuss what happens when adverse drug reactions are interpreted as worsening mental illness, why the psychiatric standard of care deserves greater scrutiny, and whether what happened to Lindsay was truly postpartum psychosis at all.

We also confront the difficult question of personal responsibility, and whether the role of psychiatric drugs and medical care can be examined separately from the question of criminal responsibility. Although this is a deeply unsettling topic, we feel families will benefit from the facts of this case, particularly around informed consent, the known side effects of psychiatric drugs, personal accountability, and a medical system Roger believes failed Lindsay Clancy and her family long before she committed this unimaginable tragedy. We hope this conversation offers reassurance to mothers who have been left fearing that postpartum psychosis can simply strike without warning, while encouraging women to trust themselves, ask questions, and understand the risks and benefits of the care they receive. We also hope it helps fathers to better understand what to watch for, what questions to ask, and how to advocate for and protect the women and children they love.

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Check out our previous episode with Dr. Roger McFillin here:

Access our workshops on postpartum:

Understanding Postpartum Psychosis

Overcoming Postnatal Depletion

Postpartum Rage: What To Do About It

Send us Fan Mail

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Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

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Tara was pregnant and stationed with her husband in Sicily, where military rules required her to give birth at the naval hospital on base. What followed was a birth marked by pressure, fear-based counseling, an induction she did not want, repeated talk of a C-section, and a series of interventions that often seemed to create more questions than answers. 

In this episode, Tara shares how late fetal heart rate decelerations led her care team to tell her that refusing induction could result in stillbirth or her child becoming a "vegetable", and how close she came to agreeing to a C-section that, when all was said and done, would have been unnecessary.

We discuss informed consent, fetal monitoring, Pitocin, epidurals, hospital time limits, military maternity care, and just how difficult it can be to hold onto your instincts and decision-making when providers are warning you of the worst possible outcome.

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Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

Needed <-- for 20% off
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Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
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Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.