Down to Birth

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...

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 tolera...

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 DOWNTOBI...

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 unmedi...

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 severel...

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...

Your body has been perfectly designed for childbirth. In this episode, Cynthia explains the difference between a mammal birthing in a state of fear versus trust. It's all part of nature's perfect design to protect the baby from arriving amid harm. Our job is to respect that process and to learn to work with it. This episode may be even more important for your partner to listen to than yo...

We have a fun and informative Q&A episode for you this month! We kick it off with confessions and shares from our Instagram community related to: Comments from our own mothers after we give birth; Finding community when we have none; Fear of intrusive thoughts; What constitutes too much crying postpartum; Fear of managing the "pain" of labor; Best food choices for labor and more. Nex...

Emily Geller Hardman , a New York Opera singer, gave the performance of a lifetime with her unassisted VBAC in the back of the car as her husband sped down the highway en route to the Connecticut birth center from Pennsylvania.  At 37 weeks, she went into labor unexpectedly while at a wedding three hours from home. In the middle of the night, she knew she was in labor, and it was time to hit the r...

Hello friends! When you first become pregnant, the next question is where and with whom will I give birth? In today's mini sode, Trisha helps you to determine the best place for you to give birth.  You may be surprised to learn that you have the answer more than we do, but we can tell you the most important question to ask yourself and how to create your best birth space. Take a listen to tod...

Wondering how to best manage the fourth trimester?  This week on the show we are speaking with Kimberly Ann Johnson , author of  "The Fourth Trimester" and "Call of the Wild." After experiencing her own “black hole” through her postpartum experience, she studied indigenous cultures around the world to learn how we can do a better job with the postpartum period.   From her exper...

Husbands and partners, this is one is for you! Today, on the show we have guest host Krisha of @serenitylifedoula speaking with us about the best ways to support mothers in labor.  Did we mention that Krisha is a birth doula with a 100% vaginal birth rate? And she gives all that credit to the birthing mother AND their partners for doing all the tricks and tips we share with you today!  Birth partn...

In today's "Pregnancy" Minisode, Cynthia discusses six red flags that could mean you're planning to birth with a provider who may not be right for you. After this episode, find us @downtobirthshow on Instagram and share your stories with us. That is, how do you know you are with the wrong - or right - provider?   ********** Send us Fan Mail Access our workshops: Have a Physiolo...

When it comes to giving birth, women are too often told a healthy baby is all that matters. And while none of us will argue that a healthy mom and baby are the highest priority, it’s time to give mothers the respect, dignity, and agency they deserve in their birth experiences. Milli Hill is the author of “Give Birth Like a Feminist” and “The Positive Birth Book”, and is here to tell you that women...

It's that time of the month! Our May Q&A is here and kicks off with two short, entertaining birth stories followed by excellent questions submitted by our listeners including: Are more babies born under the full moon? If I experience fear in labor will my cervix close or regress?  Do I need a cesarean birth if I have too much or too little amniotic fluid? What is the difference between a...

As Cynthia always says, no one is more determined to have a good birth than a woman who's already given birth. Meet Rachel: a  mom from Idaho who took Cynthia's live online HypnoBirthing class with her husband prior to having their third baby. After interviewing literally 17 home birth midwives - clearly a resource that's more abundant in Idaho than most states - Rachel felt she had...

For our 100th episode, we are featuring Barbara Harper:  the leading voice for childbirth and maternity care reform, an author, educator, midwife and internationally recognized expert on the use of warm water immersion for labor and birth.   Today, we are honored to have her join us on the @downtobirthshow to talk to us about the “great liberator” aka water birth and all  the benefits for you and...

“Push like you are taking a poop!  Pushing is a long, grueling process!” This is what most people are told about pushing in labor. But, is it true? Hehe Stewart, of Tranquility by Hehe, is a doula and maternity coach who grew up on a farm watching animals give birth in an undisturbed and effortless way.  After attending births in hospitals and homes, she realized things looked very different there...

In today's mini-episode, Trisha explains how and why we get clogged or plugged ducts and provides guidance on how to recognize them, how to prevent them, and simple steps to resolve them quickly to keep you breastfeeding comfortably.   If your plugged duct does not resolve within 24-48 hours seek the help of a professional lactation consultant.   * * * * * * * * * * Send us Fan Mail Access ou...

Amanda Pahls is a mother of four daughters, a blogger, and a home school educator with a passion for honoring  women's birth experiences. She joins us on the show today to walk us thorough her first hospital birth followed by three home-births and the dramatic difference in care she received between the two.  Her fifth pregnancy and most recent birth was a miscarriage, at home, which brought...

This month's Q&A kicks off with a couple personal questions of Cynthia and Trisha about their dream travel and what they admire in themselves and in each other. After our little heart-to-heart, we get down to business discussing: Pregnancy & birth risk associated with IVF; why you don't need painful uterine massage after birth; what our "must-have" items are for new mom...

Jessica is a first-time birthing mother from Atlanta who recently attended Cynthia's HypnoBirthing class via Zoom. She and her husband had a birth that began with laughter over a misunderstanding, and ended with a 5-hour pushing stage doing HypnoBirthing deep-breathing while wearing a mask. Jessica's story emphasizes how she and her husband felt respected and supported by their hospital...

In this episode, Lisa shared out loud for the first time the full extent of the intrusive thoughts that have been haunting and terrifying her postpartum. When women suffer from a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder such as postpartum anxiety, depression or psychosis they can suffer from intrusive thoughts such as: fear of drowning the baby in the bath, imagining yourself or someone else dropping th...

 As a registered dietician (RD) and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), Jaren Soloff was inspired to create a space and program to help postpartum moms navigate eating and body image after birth. She guides her clients in the anti-diet method of  "intuitive eating," which focuses on  tapping into your body's signals to tell you when you are hungry and when yo...

Most of us fall short when it comes to practicing self-care - especially postpartum moms, who are usually happy enough just to get more than 5 hours of sleep plus a shower. And when anyone tells them to go do something nice for themselves, it's always well-intended, but is it helpful when those moms think self-care means getting a professional massage, attending a live yoga class or getting a...