Down to Birth

Hello Again! It is time for our August Q&A. Because we love our IG conversations so much, we open the episode with the very important topic of establishing family boundaries postpartum and share your biggest concerns while offering our best advice.  Next we have a short convo on "good babies" followed by answering your questions including: Is measuring too big a reason for C-section? How to handle questions around the safety of VBAC in a birth center? Is high blood pressure in pregnancy a reason to be induced? In tandem nursing, will the new baby still get colostrum? How do you relax in labor if you have a history of birth trauma? Is there a happy medium between a lotus birth and delayed cord clamping? Do I need to do testing for AMA if my due date is just after my 35th birthday?

As always, thank you for your questions and your contributions to this awesome community!

This show is sponsored by:
Postpartum Soothe*
Beautiful Births and Beyond Doula Services*
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
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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.

Jessica found that community made all the difference, starting in pregnancy. After having a beautiful birth, she ran into significant breastfeeding and even formula challenges. She was moved and humbled when a community formed around her once again to ensure her baby was cared for and fed. Jessica's story inspires us to seek community and become that lifeline for someone else.
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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.

In today's episode, Cynthia and Trisha present the first of three conversations on determining whether you've hired the right provider for your pregnancy and birth.  In our experience there are tell-tale warning signs indicating your provider may not be as supportive of your birth goals as you think. When you hear or see this language or behavior, it may be time to look elsewhere.  Stay tuned next month for the second episode in this series.
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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.

Dr. Jess MD is a NYC-based doctor of Psychiatry who sought routine OB care early in her first pregnancy.  When her provider didn't know which trimester of pregnancy she was in, she realized she was just a number in a system that was not going to support the kind of birth experience she envisioned for herself, her husband, and her baby.  She sought out a home birth midwife and never looked back.  After experiencing birth as the supernatural, spiritual experience it can be, she wants all women, and especially Black women, to know that not only are they statistically safer birthing at home than in the hospital; but that they too can experience the bliss of a positive birth experience.   
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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.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains sensitive content around birth and birth trauma and may not be for everyone.

Kayleigh describes the birth of her son as the worst day of her life; and it literally was because she actually died during birth.  Her son was born via emergency cesarean as she was being resuscitated on the operating table after experiencing an Amniotic Fluid Embolism.  She and her baby survived and are healthy and well but the lasting trauma and post-traumatic stress is something she is still working through two years later.  As a survivor and therapist, she is a voice for of support and encouragement for those who have experienced any kind of birth trauma. Today, she shares her story and her emotional process of recovery to help other mothers who may be struggling with recognizing and processing their birth trauma. 

Connect with Cynthia and Trisha at:

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

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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.

It is time for our monthly Q&A! We are back with a short birth story of a necessary C-section birth followed by your input on food cravings in pregnancy, nausea remedies and your most common pregnancy food aversions.  Next, we discuss the most common relationship challenges in the early postpartum followed by your questions including: Can I have an unmedicated birth if I have a low pain tolerance?  Do I need to workout in pregnancy to have an easier birth? How do I get my baby to engage in the pelvis? Is it safe to go past 42 weeks of pregnancy? How do you manage transition? And what do you recommend for writing your birth story? So many great questions! Thank you to those who have submitted, and keep them coming! 
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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.

Nicole Neesby, her husband and children are Americans living in Mexico. In this mini-sode, Nicole tells the story of searching for the just-right provider to attend the birth of her fourth baby. When she didn't find what she was looking for in Mexico, they booked an Airbnb in San Diego and gave birth back in her homeland.

This show is sponsored by:
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.

Before Kristina became pregnant, she believed birth was a scary, painful, and potentially dangerous event. Her mindset around birth was mostly fear-based and centered on pain. Once she became pregnant, something stirred inside. She wanted to learn more. In educating herself, she realized she craved to feel all aspects of labor, took Cynthia's HypnoBirthing class, and decided to have an unmedicated birth. In the end, what surprised her most was that during labor she kept waiting for the pain — but it never came! Her baby’s head slipped out  very unexpectedly. Tune into this inspiring, beautiful birth-center birth story.

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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.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains sensitive content and detail and may not be for everyone.  We share this story because we know many women, like Andrea, suffer with the nearly impossible choices around late term abortion.

Andrea is a singer/songwriter living in NYC who wants to be a mother. She joins us on the show today to share her heart-wrenching story of choosing between having a severely disabled child or letting go of the baby she desperately wanted, not once, but twice.  She has been pregnant three times, one ending in a spontaneous miscarriage, and the other two ending with the agonizing experience of choosing late-term termination. In both cases, she was faced with a short  window of time to determine the level of viability of her babies using the available screening tests for 1st and 2nd trimester genetic and anatomical screening. Today's story sheds light on the question of how we judge ourselves and others in making these nearly impossible choices.

At the closing of the episode, Andrea sings a song from her newest album release, titled "Bruno" in honor of her journey in pregnancy and loss.

Listen now to Bruno
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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.

Are doctors misinforming patients? How can the medical model of birth cause harm to birthing mothers? Why are half of the cesarean births in the United States performed unnecessarily?  Why is one's satisfaction with her own birth experience so low on the priority list?  These are the questions we dive into with Dr. Stu on today's episode.

Stuart James Fischbein, MD, also know as “Dr. Stu” is a Board Certified OBGYN. He has been a practicing obstetrician in Southern California since 1986. In practicing obstetrics, he realized something wasn’t right in the medical model of birth, and he started offering backup support to home and birthing center midwives.

He now practices community based birthing and works directly with home birthing midwives at www.birthinginstincts.com to offer hope for those women who prefer and respect a natural birthing environment and cannot find supportive practitioners for VBAC, twin and breech deliveries. 

He is an outspoken advocate of informed decision making, the midwifery model of care and human rights in childbirth. He joins us on the show today to discuss the  biggest challenges facing birthing mothers today. 
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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.