Down to Birth

Kendra grew up around physiologic birth and was a VBAC, breech baby herself. She was planning a birth center birth when she went into labor unexpectedly at 35 weeks. Her physiologic birth plans quickly went out the window as she was continuously monitored,  poorly treated, stalled around 7 cm, got an epidural and ended up with a C-section when her baby's heart rate dropped. Despite being born with excellent APGAR scores, her baby was whisked away from her and sent to the NICU for five days, where she had limited access and wasn't able to breastfeed on her terms.  Later, she was accused of drug use when they found opiates in her urine (forgetting that she had an opioid in her epidural), was threatened with her baby dying when she refused antibiotic eye ointment, and was questioned about taking her baby home with mild jaundice upon discharge. Every step of Kendra's hospital experience was dictated by policy and protocol rather than individualized care, leaving her with post traumatic stress and delayed bonding.  She shares her story today to help women understand that obstetric violence is real, but healing is possible and bonding with your baby always happens. **********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

Today's episode is another special roundtable, in which we sat with some postpartum women in Cynthia’s kitchen to talk about their experiences with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, arguments with their spouses, lack of professional and personal support and  unmet expectations. Amy is a young mother of three; Devon is a forty-year old mother of one. Through tears and some laughter, you’ll discover that much of what a struggling mom experiences in her early months and years is universal, and even with different lifestyles and networks of support, it’s the emotional journey of postpartum life that everyone can relate to.To listen to our previous Postpartum Roundtable, listen to Episode #3:Postpartum Roundtable on Isolation, Anxiety, Sex and MarriagePostpartum Support International Call the PSI HelpLine: 1-800-944-4773**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

Hey everyone! Starting this month, we have an exciting announcement: Down to Birth Show is now producing longer Q&A episodes. So if you can't get enough Q&A, and you want to enjoy ad-free episodes all the time, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts!This week we're answering questions on: Difficult conversations with your doctor and how to discuss things like aging placentas, eating during labor, breech deliveries, etc.; What Erythromycin eye ointment works for and what it does not;  Are there ways to prevent mastitis? How soon after birth can or should you have a non-hormonal IUD placed?  Does artificial rupturing of membranes make labor more painful? When can I expect some sort of routine with my exclusively-breastfed one-month old baby? Don't forget to check the chapter markers to skip to specific questions or to our quickies section where we talk about elevated prolactin levels, skin-to-skin, doulas & midwives at your birth, "running" from your in-laws, and more! And for Apple subscribers, our ad-free, longer version includes: Our thoughts about one home-birth midwife's advice in telling her client not to take a shower for days after giving birth; how to know whether you're hiring the right doula for you; and we answer a second-time mom's question about her tendency to bleed into her second trimester when pregnant, and whether that's a miscarriage or stillbirth risk. Finally, we give our advice to another second-time mother about how best to prepare her toddler for the imminent new family member, and Trisha answers a breastfeeding question that had us laughing for a bit.Here's the link to the "preparing your dog for baby" episode we referenced: Episode #38: Your Dog And Newborn: Interview with Heather Corum from Canine Company**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

You may remember today’s guest from episode #105: Tips for Supporting Women in Labor with Guest Host Doula Krisha. This time, Krisha of @serenitylifedoula returns to the show to discuss her effective techniques for "training" - in the athletic sense - her clients for a natural birth. As a former collegiate athlete, Krisha has developed a methodology for training your mind and body to have your easiest, fastest, and safest birth. Today, she explains her four key steps to get there and how you can utilize these practices at home to get your mind and body in the best birth shape.Krisha on InstagramKrisha's Website* * * * * * * * * *Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at Contact@DownToBirthShow.com. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.This show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*DYPER*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

If you are on Instagram and you have a vagina, you most likely know Sara Reardon, aka the vagina whisperer, pelvic floor extraordinaire! Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that attach to your pelvis and support your bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs. A healthy pelvic floor is essential to normal functions such as: peeing, pooping, sex, and childbirth.  But after pregnancy and childbirth many women experience difficulty in one or all of the above. Sara joins us today to let us know that it is all fixable with the right help and support.  She talks us through painful postpartum sex,  what to do about leaking urine, when diastasis recti is actually harmful,  why you might need a "squatty potty" to have bowel movements after birth,  how to breathe to best support your pelvic floor and when, why, and how to Kegel for your healthiest pelvic floor post birth.  For more information on your pelvic floor check out episode #25:#25 | Your Core & Pelvic Floor: Interview with Women's Health Physical Therapist Tara Gibson* * * * * * * * * *Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at Contact@DownToBirthShow.com. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.This show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*DYPER*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan Mail Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

Yvonne Strahovski is the Emmy-nominated, SAG Award-nominated and Golden-Globe-nominated actress whose voice you may recognize as the stoic Serena Joy Waterford from The Handmaid's Tale. She is the mother of a toddler and newborn, with starkly different birth stories to share. During Yvonne's first pregnancy, she felt an intuitive pull toward birthing at home, but suppressed her inner voice in favor of the rational, which warned Yvonne that she lived too far from the hospital in the event of a possible transfer.  Choosing not to explore it further, Yvonne had her first baby in the hospital. Despite having an obstetrician she deeply trusted, she felt her birthing body start to shut down as soon as she arrived to the unfamiliar setting and found herself surrounded by numerous "strangers" - e.g. hospital staff. Yvonne began her second pregnancy sensing some PTSD from her first birth, and this time allowed her inner voice to grow louder. Yvonne shares her story of consuming  a series of inspiring home-birth stories on Down to Birth Show and other platforms, until finally she said, "If all these women can do it, why can't I?" Yvonne's second son was born at home in December 2021, with her husband, midwives and doula present, along with some of her closest friends and even her obstetrician, who served as a back-up attendant. Yvonne shares how her fear was never completely eradicated before going into her second labor, and said her supportive team and HypnoBirthing - which she had once assumed was best-suited for those with an inclination toward yoga and meditation - were what kept her erring on the side of grounded and calm through pregnancy and birth rather than fearful.Yvonne commented on the irony of playing Serena Waterford in the world of Gilead during these formative years as a new mother, and is certain she'll have more to say when she can speak freely after the next season drops. Even though Yvonne is typically very private, she felt compelled to join us as a way to pay forward an inspiring story that might reach those with their own inner voices about pursuing home birth. This show is sponsored by:Silverette USADYPERNOM MaternitySerenity KidsWildbird.coSend us Fan Mail Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

It is time for our monthly Q&A episode!  This month we kick it off with a follow-up conversation on the impact of early, frequent breastfeeding on significant jaundice. Next, we address the question of why babies who are born "big" get heel sticks for blood sugar monitoring; the impact of a c-section birth on your pelvic floor;  how to manage family boundaries around your birth and birth preferences with your sister and mother-in-law; if you tear during vaginal birth and get medication for stitches, is it still considered an unmedicated or natural birth? Is there a way to monitor your baby's heart rate and still be able to move freely and change position? Will an anterior placenta impact my labor? Tune in to catch all these great questions and more. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions for our monthly Q&A. If you have  a questions for a future episode, please submit on our website downtobirthshow.com * * * * * * * * * *Connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow, where we post new information daily related to pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum. You can reach us at Contact@DownToBirthShow.com. We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To submit a question, visit the Down To Birth website or send us a voice memo through Instagram messenger.This show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*DYPER*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

When Jessica Pin was a teenager, she became convinced her labia minora were unusually large and unattractive. Within days of her 18th birthday, she underwent  labiaplasty with a prominent and trusted OB/GYN. Without her consent or knowledge, her surgeon severed the dorsal nerve of her clitoris, resulting in a loss of clitoral sensation. In the face of clear evidence, her doctor denied wrongdoing. Jessica has since discovered labiaplasty is regularly performed by OBs even though (a) it's not covered in residency, (b) there are no training standards, and (c) there is no procedure code, which means there is no way to know how many labiaplasty surgeries are performed, and (d) adequate vulvar anatomy is not talk to OBGYNs, which makes damages difficult to prove in litigation. Through her online platform, Jessica has attracted countless women who've shared their stories of losing sensation during the same surgery. Jessica is here to tell her personal story - including how her parents reluctantly supported her surgery - and to share the achievements and challenges of her activism.  Jessica has already succeeded in have some medical texts and journals corrected, and she's on a tireless mission to warn women that surgeons know little to nothing about clitoral anatomy.Jessica PinThis show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*DYPER*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

Postpartum psychosis occurs in 1 to 2 per thousand births and involves extreme conditions such as hallucinations, intrusive thoughts, paranoia, suspiciousness, hyperactivity and inability to sleep. Today, Christa Ardelean joins us to share her powerful story of suffering with postpartum psychosis. Her story begins with a difficult pregnancy and birth, which, unbeknownst to Christa, included numerous risk factors associated with perinatal mood disorders. When Christa's son was born, she didn't want to hold him.  Shortly after, she woke up one morning and said to herself, "My baby would be so much better off if he were dead or if I were."  Terrified, she found 24/7 support for the next six weeks while she suffered with hallucinations, intrusive thoughts, and an inability to bond with her baby. With continuous support, medication, and journaling, in time, she completely overcame these feelings. By nine months, she felt like her own person again and now reflects on how her deep love for her son saved her life. If you are suffering from postpartum psychosis, you can can get help now. Call the PSI HelpLine: 1-800-944-4773Postpartum Support InternationalMore episodes like this:#50 | Postpartum Mini: You're Not Going Crazy, It's Probably Postpartum Anxiety#94 | The Terror of Intrusive Thoughts: Lisa's Postpartum AnxietyThis show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*DYPER*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is the most common metabolic complication of pregnancy impacting 5-10% of pregnancies in the United States. It is controversial, complicated and loaded with misinformation. Do I really have it? Can I reverse it? Is there a way to prevent it? According to Lily Nichols, RDN CDE author of Real Food for Gestational Diabetes and Real Food for Pregnancy, you can certainly "stack the deck in your favor" to reduce your chances of it impacting your pregnancy and birth. In this episode, we discuss the nutritional deficits that may set you up for the development of GDM along with the flaws in how we screen women for GDM and finally, the things you can do to best manage your diet if you are diagnosed with GDM. Lily NicholsThis show is sponsored by:Silverette USA*NOM Maternity*Serenity Kids*Wildbird.co*Beautiful Births and Beyond*Postpartum Soothe**Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH**********Send us Fan MailNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <--  this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure:  ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshowDown to Birth ShowCall 802-GET-DOWNWatch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.