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
Bonus Episode | Trisha's Take on the recent CDC data and NY Times Article: Study Raises Concerns for Pregnant Women With the Coronavirus
In this bonus mini-sode, Trisha address the questions and concerns related recent data released by the CDC and published in the New York Times article by Apoora Mandavilli: Study Raises…
#34 | Postpartum Depression: Interview with Jen Schwartz of Motherhood Understood
Jen Schwartz is the founder and CEO of Motherhood Understood, a community for women affected by pregnancy and postpartum mental health issues.
Jen had the perfect fairy tale vision of wh…
#33 | Breastfeeding Mini: Out With The Rules, In With Your Instincts
In this "Mini-sode Monday" episode, Trisha shares the first and most important rule of breastfeeding--there are no rules! In this short episode, she explains how breastfeeding is a ri…
#32 | June Q&A: The Difference Between HypnoBirthing and Bradley, When Formula Might be Needed, What's a Cystocele, When To Allow Family Members at the Birth, Membrane Stripping and Vaginal Exams
It's the last Wednesday of the month, which means it’s time to answer your pregnancy, breastfeeding, birth and postpartum questions. Today we're discussing birth support and boundaries,…
#31 | Megan of Wilson Family Homestead's Birth Story: Unattended Home Birth in the Kitchen
We love a good birth story, and especially one that can’t help but inspire you to give a little or a whole lot more trust to the birth process! Megan, a blogger, homesteader, and lover …
#30 | Birth Story Mini: Three Pushes and Lydia's Baby Was Out - In Triage!
Hey, everyone! We've got a great birth story for you on this mini-episode Monday. Lydia shares the story of her second pregnancy and natural birth - it was a fast ride in labor to Yale …
#29 | Birth Control and Your Libido: Interview with Ann Konkoly, Certified Nurse Midwife
Today, we are having a different kind of conversation--one about how to not get pregnant and yet another on how to rev up that lagging sex drive after having kids. We have Ann Konkoly, …
#28 | Claude Racine-Valinsky's Birth Story: No Place Like Home
Claude Racine-Valinsky is a professional dancer and social media influencer who developed determination and grit in an industry that tells pretty much anyone over thirty that they're to…
#27 | Postpartum Mini: The Link Between Postpartum Depression and Wonderful Mothers
Hey, everyone! It's another Mini-Episode Monday and today I describe the burden we impose on pregnant and postpartum women when we lovingly predict she'll be a "wonderful mother". It ma…
#26 | May Q&A: Refusing Newborn Interventions, Birthing the Placenta, Breastfeeding Support At Birth, Co-Sleeping
We are back with another monthly Q&A episode. This week we have some big topics such as "mandatory" newborn interventions: can I say no to the antibiotic eye ointment and/or the Vitamin…
#25 | Your Core & Pelvic Floor: Interview with Women's Health Physical Therapist Tara Gibson
In today's episode we're sitting down with physical therapist Tara Gibson, founder of Aligned Life Physical Therapy and Pelvic Wellness, where she works with prenatal and postpartum wom…
#24 | HypnoBirthing Mini: Group B Strep with Released Membranes and Her Instinct Told Her to Run from Induction
Hi, Listeners! In this first Monday-Mini-Episode, I share the story of one of my HypnoBirthing clients, Christina, who was diagnosed with Group B Strep at 36 weeks. When her membranes r…
#23 | Lisa Bass's Birth Story: In the Hospital, In a Car, and At Home
Our guest today is blogger and mother-of-six, Lisa Bass, who you may recognize by her social media platform Farmhouse on Boone. Lisa is the epitome of the modern-day natural living moth…
#22 | Birth Into Being: Interview with Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova
Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova is one of the pioneers of the Conscious Birth Movement. From 1982 to 1989, she was one of the original organizers of the birth camps at the Black Sea in Russia…
#21 | April Q&A: Supporting the Immune System in Pregnancy, Painful Postpartum Sex, Your Rights Regarding Separation of Baby After Childbirth, Why You Can Skip the Newborn Bath, What to Expect During the Postpartum Recovery Process
How can you stay your healthiest during pregnancy? While the immune system is slightly compromised and worries are higher with COVID-19, there are many healthy, easy ways to keep yourse…
Bonus Episode | How Doulas Support Couples During COVID-19: Interview with Doula Colleen Myatt
Hey podcast community - We've been getting so many questions around COVID-19, we wanted to dive deeper on how doulas are supporting couples right now. In this bonus episode, we spoke wi…
#20 | Cord Blood Banking and How It Can Help with Diabetes, Cancer, Alzheimer's and Autism: Interview with Marion Welch of Cryo-Cell International
When it comes to having babies we all agree health matters most. While the benefits of delayed cord clamping are well known, less understood is cord blood banking--that is, saving those…
#19 | Trauma & Childbirth: Lindsay's Story
Today's episode depicts Lindsay’s story of healing from the emotional and physical trauma through her own grief, and how each of her births brought her one step closer to freedom from h…
#18 | Courtney's Birth Story: Baby + Triplets Make Four
Imagine you've had an easy, natural birth and are ready for baby number two. Then, when your first child is twelve months old, you go for your pregnancy confirmation visit only to hear,…
#17 | Roundtable: How COVID-19 Protocols are Affecting Pregnant Couples
Pregnant and birthing mothers face unprecedented challenges in birth choices during the Coronavirus pandemic. Not only are they concerned about exposure to the virus; but also, many are…