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Down to Birth

Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig

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.

  1. 10h ago

    #373 | June Q&A: VBAC Labeling, Big Baby Ultrasounds, In-Law Matters & Labor Questions

    In today's episode we reference the following resources: Should I be induced? Evidence on the ARRIVE Trial Planning Your Successful VBAC ********** Welcome to the June Q&A! In today's episode, we begin with a listener who has some things to say about the term VBAC.  Our questions begin with one from a new mother whose enthusiastic in-laws are eager to babysit her exclusively breastfed baby. The conversation is less about breastfeeding and more about expectations, trust and boundaries. Next, we answer one we've never been asked: "What do contractions actually feel like?" How's it possible this hasn't come up before?! Then, we discuss a common late-pregnancy scenario: a routine ultrasound that leads to concerns about a "big baby." When a healthy 38-week pregnant woman is told her baby's abdomen is measuring large, how much weight should she give to that information?  As always, we finish with Quickies, covering cervical lips, high-lipase milk, pacifiers, coffee during pregnancy, milk blebs, antidepressants, swaddling, wake windows, dates, sex, retained placenta, induction, creatine, and a few personal questions about coffee preferences and family size. Have a question for a future Q&A? We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail and join the conversation! Call us 24/7 at 802-GET-DOWN! That's 802-438-3696. ********** Choosing Induction: When it Might be Needed Send us Fan Mail 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.

    54 min
  2. Jun 17

    #372 | The First Meal: Colostrum, Formula, and Newborn Gut Health with Dr. Rhonda Trust, PhD

    Most parents have heard that breastfeeding is beneficial. What far fewer understand is why those first feedings matter so much, what colostrum does beyond nutrition, and how early feeding choices shape the gut microbiome, immune system, and long-term health. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Rhonda Trust, PhD, registered dietitian, professor of health communication, and longtime breastfeeding educator, for a conversation about newborn gut health, colostrum, skin-to-skin contact, formula supplementation, and the larger systems influencing infant feeding decisions. We talk about what happens when babies receive formula in the hospital before breastfeeding is established, why nutrition education is still surprisingly limited in conventional medical training, and how formula marketing continues to shape the messaging parents receive. We also get into donor milk, birth mode, bacterial transfer, and why the newborn microbiome is about far more than digestion. We discuss: • What colostrum actually does in the newborn gut  • Why the first feeding matters differently from feeding decisions made later  • How skin-to-skin contact helps establish a healthy microbiome  • Why formula is so often introduced before breastfeeding is fully supported  • The connection between gut health, immune development, and chronic illness  • Why many pediatricians receive limited breastfeeding and nutrition education  • The role of donor milk when breastfeeding isn’t immediately possible  • How modern infant feeding culture became so disconnected from biology If you’ve ever been told “a little formula won’t hurt,” or wondered why the first few days matter so much, this episode provides much food for thought. ********** Send us Fan Mail 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.

    48 min
  3. May 27

    #369 | May Q&A: Postpartum Hemorrhage, RhoGAM, Family Boundaries, Induction, and Placenta Previa

    Happy Spring! And welcome to the May Q&A! We start with a listener email we loved, followed by a discussion on creativity and why it matters, especially in the early years of motherhood when it can feel completely out of reach. Then we get into your questions. We talk about postpartum hemorrhage and how it’s defined, including whether 500 cc of blood loss is truly cause for concern, and the use of Pitocin and Cytotec in that context, particularly for VBAC mothers. We also revisit RhoGAM and walk through when it may or may not be necessary, especially if you’re not planning future pregnancies. One listener asks how to handle being the only one in the family making different choices around birth and parenting. We share our thoughts on boundaries, restraint, and when saying less is often the stronger position. In quickies, we cover induction at 42 weeks, complete placenta previa, vitamin D for breastfed babies, pelvic floor therapy access, low libido in pregnancy, newborn weight checks, birth combs, and how to get through the third trimester in the summer. Finally, when one fan asked our opinion on which of us may be the better driver, one of us shares an old story of getting a reckless driving ticket! Access our workshop: How to Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital Access our workshop: Ultrasound: The Research and the Rhetoric ********** Send us Fan Mail 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.

    51 min
  4. May 20

    #368 | Kristina's Vaginal Breech Birth at the Eleventh Hour

    In today's episode, Kristina shares her breech birth story following a long journey marked by cycle irregularities, miscarriage, and difficulty conceiving. At 40 weeks, she learned that her baby was breech and was scheduled for a C-section, despite having been told throughout pregnancy that the baby was head down. Unwilling to move forward with surgery, Kristina sought out an alternative and ultimately found a physician in Connecticut willing to support a hospital-based vaginal breech birth. She describes the pressure she faced from both her care team and loved ones, the process of transferring care late in pregnancy, and the decisions she made to stay aligned with her instincts. This episode offers a detailed look at late breech diagnosis, informed refusal, and the realities of navigating hospital-based breech birth. Kristina also shares what she would do differently and what this experience taught her about trust, decision-making, and preparation. #257 | Labor & Delivery Nurses' Roundtable: How Their Hands are Tied to Doctors' OrdersSend us Fan Mail 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.

    43 min
  5. May 13

    #367 | Your VBAC Questions Answered by The First Woman to Have One, Nancy Wainer

    In today’s episode, Cynthia and Trisha are joined once again by Nancy Wainer, award-winning author, longtime home birth midwife, and the woman who coined the term VBAC in her 1980s book Silent Knife. With decades of experience supporting women through vaginal birth after cesarean, Nancy brings clarity to a conversation that is shaped by fear, false information, and shifting medical standards. This episode is part free-flowing conversation and part Q&A, where we take listener questions and explore them in depth. We cover topics including delayed postpartum hemorrhage after cesarean, uterine rupture, scar thickness, “uterine windows,” closely-spaced pregnancies, doulas in a home birth setting, and VBAC with twins or breech babies. We also look at the common reasons women are given for repeat C-sections and where those claims hold up and where they don’t.  We wrap with Quickies and a personal question Nancy's never been asked. #273 | Special Q&A Featuring Nancy Wainer on VBAC and More #272 | Nancy Wainer, CPM and Pioneer of the VBAC, Shares Her Journey from Mother to Midwife Send us Fan Mail 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.

    52 min
  6. May 6

    #366 | Full-Term Stillbirth at 39 Weeks: Penelope's Story

    In today's episode, we speak with Stephanie about her stillborn daughter, Penelope, who arrived at 39 weeks and 6 days. After two healthy births and a completely uneventful third pregnancy, Stephanie found herself facing the unthinkable: an awareness of no fetal movement, confirmed by a silent Doppler and finally a hospital ultrasound. What followed was labor induction, birth, and the impossibility of leaving the hospital without her baby, riding home with her innocently cheerful toddlers in the car. Next came shock and denial, pleading with God, managing her milk coming in, and experiencing an isolation so extreme that even a friend of fifteen years told Stephanie she couldn't handle maintaining a friendship in the face of something so grave. Stephanie also reflects on the impact to her equally-devastated husband, the family members who ranged from phenomenal to absent, and facing the disorienting task of caring for her two children while grieving a third. To this day, Stephanie grapples with how to answer the question mothers usually enjoy: "How many children do you have?"   Our conversation later turns to grief, faith, 'God winks' that seem to show up everywhere as signs of her daughter's love and presence, and Stephanie's evolving sense of peace, even hope and eagerness, as she looks toward continuing to expand her family.  ********** Send us Fan Mail 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.

    1h 10m
4.8
out of 5
574 Ratings

About

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.

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