Birthing Instincts

“Black Adam” & “Sex/Life” star Sarah Shahi shares her journey to choosing home births and having a breech birth of twins with Dr. Stu! Sarah also opens up about trusting oneself and honoring each individual’s story. Blyss & the "legendary" Dr. Stu chime in with insight on coping through labor, twin births, and informed consent. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: How Sarah chose...

Dr. Stu and Blyss are joined by Certified Nurse-Midwife Naomi Drucker. Today, you’ll hear about the inside workings of Naomi’s model of care, which gives women the option of having a home birth or hospital experience with a midwifery team. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Naomi’s practice: offering hospital & home births with midwives Ways to get doctors to support midwives in hospitals...

When agenda and rigid ideology replace beneficence and autonomy, relationships and trust collapse. Blyss and Dr. Stu talk with health care ethicist Dr. Jennifer Dunatov about how our physical and mental well-being depends on restoring respect for ethics above all else. Dr. Jen gives crucial insight into ethics services in hospitals, providing practical routes for you to use your voice and obtain a...

Today, Dr. Stu and Blyss are answering a listener’s question on velamentous cord insertion, detailing what to know about this rare occurrence and how it does not risk you out of home or vaginal birth. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Anatomy of the umbilical cord & velamentous insertion Home or vaginal birth with velamentous insertion Helping men become better birth partners Blyss reflec...

Today, Dr. Stu and Blyss are addressing the misinformation on home births that was discussed on The Joe Rogan Experience with comedian Bridget Phetasy. As the comedians talk about Bridget’s C-section and use comedy to ease discomfort, they flippantly share inaccurate statistics and comments that promote fear and limiting perspectives around childbirth. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Addres...

With Blyss busy on Halloween doing birthing stuff, Dr. Stu cleans out his mental attic and finds some scary stuff. Today, he’s unpacking recent updates from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) on vaccine recommendations and how hospitals should navigate the current “oxytocin” shortage, along with a breakdown of why some vaccine studies and articles need to be questioned....

Today, Dr. Stu and Blyss are discussing the “fluid of life” aka amniotic fluid! They answer questions like, what’s too much? What’s too little? How can you support your fluid amounts nutritionally? Whether spontaneous or artificial, Blyss doesn’t like the word rupture and tells of a transport. Dr. Stu ponders mosquitoes and polar bears and gives updates from the road. In this episode of Birthing I...

A healthy lifestyle applies to both clients and practitioners alike. Today, Blyss and Dr. Stu chat with midwives Josie & Maral of Tourmaline Birth & Wellness Collective about their integrative model of care. They break down what makes their birth center different, including the structure of having multiple care providers and the non-profit that subsidizes care for those who can’t afford mi...

After catching up on life and listener stories, Blyss and Dr. Stu flush away the fear and confusion on the topic of meconium and Meconium Aspiration Syndrome. They discuss how meconium is quite common, and how birth may change when it is present. Dr. Stu and Blyss also get into the topics of cord clamping, stolen cord blood, and Dr. Stu’s experience with “Bait and Switch.” In this episode of Birth...

Fellow travelers ask Dr. Stu to comment on a popular Social Media influencer's video. Dumb Doctor Dogma is everywhere, and Blyss and Dr. Stu are here to break down the fallacies in arguments made by non-experts on home birth. They also talk about the lack of acknowledgment of midwives’ credentials, how birth is not inherently a dangerous experience for low-risk moms, and why we should not equa...

 Modern men face a crisis of masculinity. This week, we are joined by Blyss’ brother and author John Wineland to discuss a new masculine paradigm and ways to nurture intimacy and connection. So often couples have challenges in their relationships after having a baby, and through John’s healthy intimacy framework, he helps them baby-proof their relationships. He teaches embodiment practices that i...

The Down to Birth Podcast team, Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig, join Blyss and Dr. Stu to talk about red flags when seeking a practitioner so you can feel empowered to make the best choice for your pregnancy and birthing experience. They also discuss a high-profile mom’s birthing story, unpacking the hospital tyranny she experienced and her call for change. ------------- Cynthia’s Bio: Cynth...

In today's podcast, Blyss & Dr. Stu share wisdom through stories of loss and wonder. Blyss vulnerably and openly shares about the death of her daughter and the ways her unimaginable loss has deepened her ability to hold space for others. This episode is filled with the joy, beauty, trauma, and pain that comes with birth work, and ultimately, life. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Bly...

After sharing a couple of listener stories, Dr. Stu and Blyss unpack Dr. Sara Wickham’s book on Anti-D, RhoGAM, and Rh factor. They dive into the implications of routinely giving RhoGAM to all Rh-negative pregnant women, and how there is a lack of research trials and data on RhoGAM. You may get aggravated, you may get p*ssed, but as always, Dr. Stu and Blyss are here to provide informed consent an...

Given that modern medicine is more akin to a hamster wheel void of intuition than an industry that’s committed to learning and designed to help people, the thought of battling it can quickly become overwhelming. Today, Dr. Stu & Blyss continue to critique policy-makers, as well as pop-culture’s latest depiction of breech birth. The balance is restored by some incredibly uplifting birth stories...

Today on the show, Dr. Stu and Blyss are joined by their former patient and good friend, Desiree Doan. Desiree shares the details of all three of her birth stories: A hospital transfer, a successful VBAC, and how she navigated placenta accreta spectrum or, as Desi says, “That time my placenta went wild!”. Her story of self-advocacy is both awe-inspiring and informative…It’s amazing what a determin...

Blyss and Stu host Julie Hewett, a Clinical Psychologist and mother of two based in Santa Monica. Julie is passionate about helping people who have felt silenced to empower their voices to be heard. This took on very personal meaning to her this past year when she struggled with a fear-based medical system to deliver her breech baby on her own terms. Blyss, Stu, and Julie share their sympathies fo...

In today’s episode, Dr. Stu and Blyss get fed up after more listener letters continue to demonstrate the pervasiveness of medical professionals gaslighting their clients. On the contrary, one woman’s successful VBAC ripples through her community and empowers its women. The two also comment on the ethics of censorship and the importance of speaking your truth. In this episode of Birthing Instincts:...

Today on the show, Dr. Stu and Blyss chat with documentary filmmakers, Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein. The two share their wisdom and passion in a timeless discussion about two of their most prominent documentaries, The Business of Being Born & Business of Birth Control. Although the former was released in 2008, many of the themes within the film still ring true today. Recognizing that younger...

As listeners continue to share their stories with Blyss and Dr. Stu, the fact that so many OBs & MFMs continue to dis-empower women, to the point of them doubting their bodies, only becomes more and more puzzling. Why does this keep happening? Sometimes, it can appear as if the days of vaginal birth, VBAC or not, are limited. Women possess the magical, innate, ability to successfully grow huma...

Today, Blyss and Stu touch on a variety of topics, including proper language towards women who’ve endured miscarriages or abortions, Diethylstilbestrol syndrome (DES syndrome) and v@ccines. Dr. Stu Tells also the tales of two VBA3C moms and shares #ReteachBreech gratitude for his latest seminar in Sedona, AZ. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Stu’s latest birth developments Unpacking a listen...

Acclaimed birth worker, Lindsey Meehleis, joins Dr. Stu and Blyss for a passionate conversation about their profession. Lindsey is a mom and traditional spiritual midwife who has been serving childbearing women through birth, lactation and emotionally through trauma release work since 2004. She works in Southern California and has had the pure honor of witnessing over 1300 births. She believes tha...

In today’s episode, Blyss and Stu share their thoughts on listeners’ letters and questions and also take some time to discuss the recent passing of an icon. By example, language, and compassion we are changing the discussion. May our efforts create a better experience for our daughters and their daughters too. We invite you to give your gift, whatever it may be, as boldly and as passionately as yo...

Blyss shares the story of her most recent great birth and chimes in as Dr. Stu gets passionate while discussing the FDA’s recent authorization to begin jabbing babies as young as six months, and the fallacy of continuous electronic fetal monitoring.  In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Catching up on their latest birth stories The presence of spike protein in donor milk Critiquing the FDA’s aut...

Dr. Stu returns from Oahu and joins Blyss and a live audience in her new community in Santa Barbara, California to answer questions and discuss C-sections, VBACs, breech, vaginal steaming and more. In this episode of Birthing Instincts: Recapping Stu’s latest travels Discussing the c-section problem Why we need more home births How hospitals have stripped women of their power to birth naturally Wh...