Down to Birth

The Business of Birth Control is a new documentary directed by Abby Epstein and produced by Ricki Lake, who achieved international acclaim for their revolutionary 2008 film, "The Business of Being Born". Abby joins us today to discuss why she and Ricki made their new film, which boldly shines a light on some of the severe side effects that accompany hormonal birth control, including death -- and the fact that congress, and the pharmaceuticals who make the pill, have long known about these adverse outcomes and have done nothing about it. Most disturbing of all, even though women have gathered, protested and demanded a safer and better-quality pill since the 1960s when these side-effects became known, there has been absolutely no advance in technology nor any improvement in safety standards in decades. In fact, the majority of the budget is allocated toward marketing and advertising. And while most bereaved families have been gagged in exchange for financial settlements, in the film we meet the parents of those who refused and who are demanding change. 

Did you know a full fifty-percent of women who go on the pill come off it due to side effects? This only drives up the risk of unwanted pregnancies. We also discuss the lack of informed consent and unnecessary risks taken with  women and young, prepubescent girls, who are encouraged to go on the pill to clear up acne.

Abby gives us an insider's look into how the film is spun in the media as controversial and is  mischaracterized as "anti-birth control" when the opposite is true: The Business of Birth Control is overt in its demand for safer birth control and more education; and, for those who wish to come off the pill, it seeks to empower women to understand their fertility cycles so they can choose the birth control that's safest and most effective for them. Abby and Ricki have been on a busy media tour and we're so grateful they came on the Down to Birth Show to invite us into this important conversation regarding  women's health, choice, autonomy and consent.

To view The Business of Birth Control, visit the website and use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH to stream at 50% off.

Instagram: businessofbirthcontrol

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Vyana Infant Massage*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Hello! This month's Q &A begins with a story from one of our Instagram followers on the pressure to have a vaginal exam to document cervical status so that her doctor can schedule an induction that she didn't need or want. Next, we jump into our questions starting with, "I have a narrow pelvis and grow big babies; what can I do stretch my pelvis for birth?" What can be done about plugged ducts and "Is my haaka helpful or hurtful?" Do I have to be on my back for a cervical exam?  What are the risks of external cephalic version for breech babies? Is it normal to have no libido at four months postpartum?  Should I use castor oil to induce labor? What is actually necessary for baby care; do we really need all the things? Why is cord prolapse dangerous? And finally, why is postpartum sex so painful?

And if you want a lot more Q&A content, please subscribe to Down To Birth + on Apple subscriptions to get our extended version of this episode.

For our Apple subscribers, our ad-free, extended version includes:
Oral Vitamin K for babies, placental encapsulation, bad breastfeeding advice from pediatricians,  what to do about prodromal labor, trans-vaginal ultrasounds, and how to process a birth that did not go as planned.

Thank you as always for your wonderful questions and see you next week!
 
Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at [email protected]. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Vyana Infant Massage*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Danielle Daure holds a Master's Degree in Education and has over 20 years' combined experience in education and behavior analysis. She is a Board Certified and Licensed Behavior Analyst (BCBA, LBA). For years, Danielle worked with children as old as five with extreme anxiety around toilets, to the point where they had severe constipation through tears and tantrums. She saw frustrated parents trying to reward and/or punish their children into potty-training; children who couldn't start preschool because they weren't out of diapers; and even older toddlers with impacted bowels who had to be hospitalized because of days of withholding bowel movements. 

Toilet training isn't inherently difficult to learn; it is only that adults haven't been taught how to property introduce children to the toilet in a way that's natural and developmentally-appropriate. She has learned personally and professionally that when parents take simple daily steps, just 2-3 minutes per day from about four months on, toilet training will develop as easily and naturally as learning how to walk and talk and ride in a carseat. 

Her method is called Developmental Toilet Training, and doesn't subscribe to the diaper-free approach of the well-known Elimination Communication method because she says it's not practical, nor is it especially beneficial, to rush the process during infancy and avoid diapers entirely. Danielle, who offers a video series for parents, also encourages her clients to avoid using training-potties. 

Today, she walks us through her method for creating the easiest transition from diapers to toilet, and, surprisingly, the process isn't about getting to the goal of potty-training as soon as possible; it's about creating a safe, happy, stress-free and rewarding process for parents and children along the way.

Developmental Toilet Training Website

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Vyana Infant Massage*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

"There is something going on against midwives, against birth centers, and against choice for women." Cathy Parisi is the director of the Connecticut Childbirth & Women's Center in Danbury, Ct since 1999. The center is the only free standing birth center in Connecticut and promotes physiologic birth under the midwifery model of care, offering women choice, freedom, and empowered decision making in their care in the birth center itself or across the street at Danbury hospital.  Recently, the hospital administration cited more than one midwife for practicing "out of their scope of care" and revoked one midwifes' privileges to attend birth at the hospital for an incident that happened within the birth center, was clinically appropriate, and entirely within her scope of practice. Cathy joins us today to share the battle that not just her team of midwives are facing from the hospital monopoly; but also, what she believes to be a trend nationwide--punishing midwives and the women who choose to birth with them for choice and autonomy over their own bodies and birth.  This episode is close to our hearts as it impacts our local community of women and midwives, is where Cynthia gave birth to her first child and where Trisha provides her breastfeeding services. We stand with the midwives of CCWC. 

The Connecticut Childbirth & Women's Center
Help Support The Fight Against Danbury Hospital and Defend the Midwives

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Connect with Cynthia and Trisha at:

• Instagram: @downtobirthshow on Instagram
• Email: [email protected]
• Call: (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN)

Work with Cynthia:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Text: 203-952-7299 to RSVP to attend a free information session live on Zoom. Upcoming dates are posted at HypnoBirthingCT.com. You can also sign up for our Fourth Trimester Workshop,  Breastfeeding Workshop or Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes and weekly postpartum support groups at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut. 

Work with Trisha at:

• Email: [email protected] for online breastfeeding consulting services or text 734-649-6294 for more info.

We serve women and couples coast to coast with our live, online monthly HypnoBirthing classes, support groups and prenatal/postpartum workshops. 

We are so grateful for your reviews and shares!

Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Dr. Nathan Riley is a board certified obstetrician in California advocating for autonomous birth. Through his experiences as a hospice care provider he learned that choices around end of life care are no different from choices in birth: What matters is that mothers feel in charge of their bodies during their birth experiences.  He argues that birth is so much more than the standard metrics of vital signs, length of labor, fetal status or any variable routinely measured in labor in the medical model of care. Join us in this stimulating conversation on how women can better empower themselves in birth and hear one  courageous OB's perspective on what his role actually is in birth: Supporting your sovereignty and your choice without coercion or judgement. 

Dr. Nathan Riley OBGYN

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Vyana Infant Massage*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Kendra grew up around physiologic birth and was a VBAC, breech baby herself. She was planning a birth center birth when she went into labor unexpectedly at 35 weeks. Her physiologic birth plans quickly went out the window as she was continuously monitored,  poorly treated, stalled around 7 cm, got an epidural and ended up with a C-section when her baby's heart rate dropped. Despite being born with excellent APGAR scores, her baby was whisked away from her and sent to the NICU for five days, where she had limited access and wasn't able to breastfeed on her terms. 

Later, she was accused of drug use when they found opiates in her urine (forgetting that she had an opioid in her epidural), was threatened with her baby dying when she refused antibiotic eye ointment, and was questioned about taking her baby home with mild jaundice upon discharge. Every step of Kendra's hospital experience was dictated by policy and protocol rather than individualized care, leaving her with post traumatic stress and delayed bonding. 

She shares her story today to help women understand that obstetric violence is real, but healing is possible and bonding with your baby always happens.
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Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Today's episode is another special roundtable, in which we sat with some postpartum women in Cynthia’s kitchen to talk about their experiences with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, arguments with their spouses, lack of professional and personal support and  unmet expectations. Amy is a young mother of three; Devon is a forty-year old mother of one. Through tears and some laughter, you’ll discover that much of what a struggling mom experiences in her early months and years is universal, and even with different lifestyles and networks of support, it’s the emotional journey of postpartum life that everyone can relate to.

To listen to our previous Postpartum Roundtable, listen to Episode #3:
Postpartum Roundtable on Isolation, Anxiety, Sex and Marriage

Postpartum Support International
Call the PSI HelpLine: 1-800-944-4773

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Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

Hey everyone! Starting this month, we have an exciting announcement: Down to Birth Show is now producing longer Q&A episodes. So if you can't get enough Q&A, and you want to enjoy ad-free episodes all the time, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

This week we're answering questions on: Difficult conversations with your doctor and how to discuss things like aging placentas, eating during labor, breech deliveries, etc.; What Erythromycin eye ointment works for and what it does not;  Are there ways to prevent mastitis? How soon after birth can or should you have a non-hormonal IUD placed?  Does artificial rupturing of membranes make labor more painful? When can I expect some sort of routine with my exclusively-breastfed one-month old baby? Don't forget to check the chapter markers to skip to specific questions or to our quickies section where we talk about elevated prolactin levels, skin-to-skin, doulas & midwives at your birth, "running" from your in-laws, and more!

And for Apple subscribers, our ad-free, longer version includes: Our thoughts about one home-birth midwife's advice in telling her client not to take a shower for days after giving birth; how to know whether you're hiring the right doula for you; and we answer a second-time mom's question about her tendency to bleed into her second trimester when pregnant, and whether that's a miscarriage or stillbirth risk. Finally, we give our advice to another second-time mother about how best to prepare her toddler for the imminent new family member, and Trisha answers a breastfeeding question that had us laughing for a bit.

Here's the link to the "preparing your dog for baby" episode we referenced:

 Episode #38: Your Dog And Newborn: Interview with Heather Corum from Canine Company

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Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

You may remember today’s guest from episode #105: Tips for Supporting Women in Labor with Guest Host Doula Krisha. This time, Krisha of @serenitylifedoula returns to the show to discuss her effective techniques for "training" - in the athletic sense - her clients for a natural birth. As a former collegiate athlete, Krisha has developed a methodology for training your mind and body to have your easiest, fastest, and safest birth. Today, she explains her four key steps to get there and how you can utilize these practices at home to get your mind and body in the best birth shape.

Krisha on Instagram
Krisha's Website

* * * * * * * * * *
Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at [email protected]. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Serenity Kids*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

If you are on Instagram and you have a vagina, you most likely know Sara Reardon, aka the vagina whisperer, pelvic floor extraordinaire! Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach to your pelvis and support your bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs. A healthy pelvic floor is essential to normal functions such as: peeing, pooping, sex, and childbirth.  But after pregnancy and childbirth many women experience difficulty in one or all of the above. 

Sara joins us today to let us know that it is all fixable with the right help and support.  She talks us through painful postpartum sex,  what to do about leaking urine, when diastasis recti is actually harmful,  why you might need a "squatty potty" to have bowel movements after birth,  how to breathe to best support your pelvic floor and when, why, and how to Kegel for your healthiest pelvic floor post birth. 
 
For more information on your pelvic floor check out episode #25:

* * * * * * * * * *
Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at [email protected]. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
NOM Maternity*
Serenity Kids*
Wildbird.co*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow

Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.