Down to Birth

Mabel Bashorun  of withinherbirthservices is a certified Lamazae childbirth educator and certified lactation consultant. Her journey into birth work stems from her unique story of trying to conceive, at age 26, and desiring a vaginal birth while having uterine fibroids. Today, she shares her struggle with achieving her birth goals as a result of her diagnosis and helps other women living with fibroids learn how to advocate for themselves in their pregnancy and birth journey.  She is deeply passionate about women with special scars and/or fibroids receiving the respect and support they deserve in pursuing their birth choices. If you are facing limited options in birth based on special scars or uterine fibroids, this episode is for you. **********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.

We are back today with our 2nd episode in our three-part series on provider red flags. In this segment, we discuss the key issues that may come up in your second trimester and will get you thinking if you are in the right place with the right provider...think glucose screening test, discussions around baby's size, doulas, attention to your emotional well being,  provider punctuality and conduct, etc.  If you haven't heard our first episode on provider red flags, you can catch it here: #118 | Your First Trimester: Provider Red Flags* * * * * * * * * *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.

What does it really mean to have an orgasmic birth?  Sure, you might have a “birthgasm,” but more likely you’ll feel the ecstasy of the physiological birth process. In today’s minisode, Trisha walks us through the complex interplay of hormones that brings us to ecstasy in birth and what it takes to get there. This show is sponsored by:Postpartum Soothe*Beautiful Births and Beyond Doula Services**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.

Barbara Harper is an internationally-published author and the founder of Water Birth International.  Her best selling book “Gentle Birth Choices” has been translated into nine languages. Her latest collaborative project was published in May 2021, entitled, “Bringing Birth Home.”  Barbara joined us on Down to Birth to discuss all the benefits of water birth in episode #100.  Today, she is back to share her insight and experience in training obstetric professionals around the world. She helps to identify the qualities that indicate a provider is respectful, supportive, and holistic in his or her view of pregnancy and birth, and details the “green lights” to look for when choosing a provider to support our highest and best birth desires.  **********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.

Kayleigh Summers of @thebirthtrauma_mama  joined us on the show in episode #116: Surviving an Amniotic Fluid Embolism, to share her deeply traumatic birth story in which she literally died during childbirth. She and her baby both survived. In that episode we discussed her lengthy and non-linear healing process. It just so happens Kayleigh is also a therapist, who has a unique perspective on her own trauma as well as that of her clients. Today she returns to talk about the impact of birth trauma not on the birthing mother but on the spouse/partner, who can get overlooked or marginalized in the process. Kayleigh talks about how that stress played out with her and her husband in the household, and how  they began their journey toward reconnecting and healing. This show is sponsored by:Postpartum Soothe*Beautiful Births and Beyond Doula Services**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.

Hello Again! It is time for our August Q&A. Because we love our IG conversations so much, we open the episode with the very important topic of establishing family boundaries postpartum and share your biggest concerns while offering our best advice.  Next we have a short convo on "good babies" followed by answering your questions including: Is measuring too big a reason for C-section? How to handle questions around the safety of VBAC in a birth center? Is high blood pressure in pregnancy a reason to be induced? In tandem nursing, will the new baby still get colostrum? How do you relax in labor if you have a history of birth trauma? Is there a happy medium between a lotus birth and delayed cord clamping? Do I need to do testing for AMA if my due date is just after my 35th birthday?As always, thank you for your questions and your contributions to this awesome community!This show is sponsored by:Postpartum Soothe*Beautiful Births and Beyond Doula Services**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.

Jessica found that community made all the difference, starting in pregnancy. After having a beautiful birth, she ran into significant breastfeeding and even formula challenges. She was moved and humbled when a community formed around her once again to ensure her baby was cared for and fed. Jessica's story inspires us to seek community and become that lifeline for someone else.* * * * * * * * * *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.

In today's episode, Cynthia and Trisha present the first of three conversations on determining whether you've hired the right provider for your pregnancy and birth.  In our experience there are tell-tale warning signs indicating your provider may not be as supportive of your birth goals as you think. When you hear or see this language or behavior, it may be time to look elsewhere.  Stay tuned next month for the second episode in this series.**********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.

Dr. Jess MD is a NYC-based doctor of Psychiatry who sought routine OB care early in her first pregnancy.  When her provider didn't know which trimester of pregnancy she was in, she realized she was just a number in a system that was not going to support the kind of birth experience she envisioned for herself, her husband, and her baby.  She sought out a home birth midwife and never looked back.  After experiencing birth as the supernatural, spiritual experience it can be, she wants all women, and especially Black women, to know that not only are they statistically safer birthing at home than in the hospital; but that they too can experience the bliss of a positive birth experience.   * * * * * * * * * *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.

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 baby survived and are healthy and well but the lasting trauma and post-traumatic stress is something she is still working through two years later.  As a survivor and therapist, she is a voice for of support and encouragement for those who have experienced any kind of birth trauma. Today, she shares her story and her emotional process of recovery to help other mothers who may be struggling with recognizing and processing their birth trauma.  Connect with Cynthia and Trisha at:Instagram: @downtobirthshow on InstagramEmail: Contact@DownToBirthShow.comCall: (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN)**********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.