Down to Birth
Join Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig once per week for evidence-based straight talk on pregnancy, birth and postpartum --- beyond the clichés and beyond the system. With 40 years' combined experience in midwifery, childbirth education and advocacy, publishing, research and postpartum care, we've guided thousands of families toward safer, more empowered choices. Down to Birth is all about safe childbirth, while recognizing a safe outcome isn't all that matters. We challenge the status quo, explore women's rights in childbirth, and feature women from all over the world, shining shine light on the policies, culture, and systemic forces that shape our most intimate and transformative of life experiences. You'll hear the birth stories of our clients, listeners and numerous celebrities. You'll benefit from our expert-interviews, and at any time you can submit your questions for our monthly Q&A episodes by calling us at 802-GET-DOWN. With millions of downloads and listeners in 90 countries, our worldwide community of parents and birth professionals coms together to learn, question and create change, personally and societally. We're on Instagram at @downtobirthshow and at Patreon.com/downtobirthshow, where we offer live ongoing events multiple times per month. Become informed, feel empowered, and join the movement toward better maternity care in the United States and worldwide. As always, hear everyone, listen to yourself.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 337
- Years Active
- 2019 - 2025
#74 | Table For Five: Author Ted Yang Gives Voice To Fathers Who've Lost A Baby
When Ted Yang learned his wife was pregnant, life felt amazing! He was married to the love of his life, had a fulfilling and lucrative career, and was expecting not one but three babie…
#73 | Trisha Mini: The Six Week Postpartum Visit: No, I'm Not Ready to Have Sex
The six week postpartum visit is generally the time when new moms get the green light to return to having sex, yet so many (more than 80%) are not ready to do so. In today's mini-sode …
#72 | The Winding Road Through Postpartum with Claude Racine-Valinsky
You may remember professional dancer and choreographer Claude Racine-Valinsky from episode #28. Claude came back on the show today to talk about her postpartum experience – the battle …
#71 | December Q&A: Postpartum Hair Loss; Fear of Childbirth; Sex During Pregnancy; Postpartum Resentment; Induction for High Blood Pressure; A Mother's Stress on Baby; Co-Lactation in Same-Sex Parents
Our last episode of 2020 is here and it's loaded with great questions! Have you wondered why so many women experience significant hair loss postpartum? How much does a mother's experie…
#70 | Home Birth on Little Cranberry Island Breaks 93-Year Streak
On a little island off the coast of Maine, reside only sixty-five year round residents. The last woman to give birth on the island was Erin's grandmother ninety-three years ago. On Se…
#69 | Birth Story Mini: Courtney's Birth Managing Rh Incompatibility with RhoGam
In this birth story mini episode, Courtney shares the story of her second son's birth, which involved managing her pregnancy with a RhoGam shot due to her Rh incompatibility (which occu…
#68 | Our Five Must-Hear Episodes of 2020
While we still have a few more episodes going live before the end of the year, Trisha and Cynthia spend this episode looking back at the 67 episodes published thus far in season one, si…
#67 | Leah's Birth Story: From Trauma to Triumph in Two Dramatically Different Births
Leah’s first-birth trauma began the moment she arrived at the hospital and continued during an unusually difficult, even dangerous postpartum recovery period. She was the last person t…
#66 | Informed Pregnancy: Interview with Dr. Elliot Berlin
Dr. Elliot Berlin is a chiropractor and doula who has a knack for getting babies to assume the best position for birth. He's become an integral part of the Los Angeles county natural b…
#65 | Birth Story Mini: Jen's First VBAC After Placenta Previa
In today's mini-episode, Jen shares the story of her first of two VBACs - that is, vaginal birth after Cesarean. Jen's first birth was a scheduled Cesarean due to placenta previa, and h…
#64 | November Q&A: Comfort Foods & Breast Milk; Water-Birthing Temperatures; Struggling with Asking For Help; Antenatal Colostrum; Labor Breathing Techniques; Pubis Symphysis Dysfunction; Combating Nausea
We are back with our monthly Q&A! This week we discuss the just right temp for laboring in the water, understanding why it is so hard to ask for help postpartum, how to best breathe in …
#63 | Planning Your Successful VBAC
What does it take to have a successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean)? In this episode, we hear from several women about their successful VBAC stories followed by a discussion bet…
#62 | Cynthia Mini: Deconstructing "Supportive Partners"
I've been doing this work a long time. And from where I sit, I have the unique advantage of being able to observe trends and societal patterns. And there's something I've been trying to…
#61 | When Breastfeeding Sucks: Interview with Zainab Yate
Breastfeeding aversion is a little known and little discussed phenomenon that more than a few mothers experience. Zainab, author of “When Breastfeeding Sucks” and advocate for women who…
#60 | Love + Marriage + Baby: Interview with Maggie O'Connor, LMFT
We are never more receptive to love (thank you, oxytocin) than in the early months after having a baby. For every couple, bringing home a baby for the first time brings up massive amoun…
#59 | Birth Story Mini: Andrea's Natural Birth
In this episode, one of Cynthia's HypnoBirthing clients, Andrea, shares her pregnancy and birth experience. She wanted a happy, natural birth and describes her process in achieving one,…
#58 | October Q&A: Milk Supply; VBA2C; Second-Pregnancy Symptoms; Urge to Push; Sitz Baths; Vertex Babies Who Flip
What does it mean if my baby won't stay head down in late pregnancy? Can I prepare my perineum for birth by taking a sitz bath during pregnancy? Let's talk about VBAC/VBA2C and why Fai…
#57 | Childbirth: A Woman's Awakening with Certified Professional Midwife, Joni Stone
Joni Stone is a homebirth midwife of twenty years. After studying neuroscience in undergrad, she earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Spirituality from Columb…
#56 | Breastfeeding Mini: The Importance of Establishing Your Milk Supply in the First Month
It's not your boobs! It's your baby. One of the biggest misconceptions that new mothers have around breastfeeding is that they won't be able to produce enough milk to meet their baby's …
#55 | Against Many Odds: Jasmine's Vaginal Delivery After Two Cesarean Sections (VBA2C)
When it came to having the birth experience she desired, Jasmine was not giving up. After two prior C-sections, she was determined to have a VBAC. More than forty-eight hours into her …