Down to Birth

By: Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
  • Summary

  • Join Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig once per week for evidence-based straight talk on having a safe and informed birth, which starts with determining if you've hired the right provider. If we had to boil it down to a single premise, it's this: A healthy mom and baby isn't all that matters. We have more than 30 years' experience between us in midwifery, informed rights advocacy, publishing, childbirth education, postpartum support and breastfeeding, and we've personally served thousands of women and couples. Listen to the birth stories of our clients, listeners and celebrities, catch our expert-interviews, and submit your questions for our monthly Q&A episodes by calling us at 802-GET-DOWN. We're on Instagram at @downtobirthshow and also at Patreon.com/downtobirthshow, where we offer live ongoing events multiple times per month, so be sure to join our worldwide community. We are a Top .5% podcast globally with listeners in more than 80 countries every week. Become informed, empowered, and have a great time in the process. Join us and reach out any time - we love to hear from you. And as always, hear everyone, listen to yourself.

    © 2024 Down to Birth
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Episodes
  • #284 | September Q&A: The Midwife-Client Relationship; Ghosting Your Induction; 2-Step Delivery; Postpartum Resentment; Platypelloid Pelvis; No FER
    Sep 25 2024

    Send us a text

    Welcome to the September Q&A episode with Cynthia & Trisha. Today, we begin with discussing the problem of increased reliance on Google searches and googling our way to answers that require deep introspection and self-trust rather than an automated and potentially biased and generalized result.

    In our first question, Cynthia & Trisha debate one woman's question on whether or not she should stay with a midwife she does not feel emotionally connected to or fire her late in the game and choose free birth instead.

    Additionally, we answer the following:

    • My midwife is making me feel very uncomfortable about my weight gain. How much focus should be put on weight and nutrition in pregnancy?
    • My home birth midwife told me her home-to-hospital transfer rate is 30%. Is that too high, and if so, what should I do about it?
    • What happens if I don't show up for my induction, and should I do this if I don't want to be induced?

    Later, in the extended version of today's episode available on Patreon or Apple subscriptions, we discuss:

    Two-step delivery: what it is and why we don't like it; Pushing your baby out when you have no urge to push; Rupturing of membranes and the potential impact on causing a baby to rotate from an anterior to posterior position; What it means to have a platypelloid pelvis and if any pelvic shapes make vaginal birth impossible or more difficult?

    Finally, we close with a round of quickies on the following: nipple shields; eating placentas and likening it to cannibalism; height and big babies; holding clingy babies; flying at 35 weeks; resenting sleeping husbands; prolapse after birth; making a twin pregnancy happen; morning sickness; timelines for breastfeeding babies getting back to birth weight; and personal experiences with terrible haircuts.

    #87 | Postpartum Rage: The Outburst-Guilt-Shame Cycle


    #272 | Nancy Wainer, CPM and Pioneer of the VBAC, Shares Her Journey from Mother to Midwife


    #273 | Special Q&A Featuring Nancy Wainer on VBAC and More


    Livestream: Postpartum Rage: A Deep Dive into postpartum rage, why it occurs, and how to understand and break the cycle. Available on Patreon.

    **********
    Our sponsors:
    Silverette Nursing Cups -- Soothe and heal sore nipples with 925 silver nursing cups.
    Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
    Needed -- Our favorite nutritional products for before, during, and after pregnancy.
    Use promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for all sponsors.

    Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
    Email Contact@DownToBirthShow.com
    Instagram @downtobirthshow
    Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

    Work with Cynthia:
    203-952-7299
    HypnoBirthingCT.com

    Work with Trisha:
    734-649-6294

    Please remember we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed medical provider for all your healthcare matters.

    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • #283 | Breastfeeding Q&A: A 5-month Old Baby Starts to Breastfeed, Low Milk Supply, How Often To Feed in First 24-hours, Plugged Ducts & Pumping
    Sep 18 2024

    Send us a text

    Welcome to our second 'Breastfeeding Q&A' episode with Trisha & Cynthia. We open with an inspiring success story of a mother whose baby did not start breastfeeding for the first time until around five months of age. Additionally, we answer the following questions:

    • I tried everything to increase my supply and stumped every lactation consultant I met with; is this going to happen to me again and what could have been the cause of my low milk supply?
    • I have low milk supply and recurrent plugged ducts. My lactation consultant told me to pump after feeding but won't that increase my plugged ducts? How do I increase my supply and prevent plugged ducts?
    • From a nurse: In my hospital, we teach moms that babies are sleepy in the first 24 hours and won't eat very much, but also we tell them to wake the baby every 2-3 hours to feed them so they don't get low blood sugar. Help! I feel like I am confusing mothers.

    Lastly, we answer quickies including: what are the best breastfeeding snacks, are nipple shields harmful, does milk supply drop in pregnancy, how do I increase milk supply on one side, how to prevent thrush, what's the best breast pump, and more!

    Listen here to the May 2024 Breastfeeding Q&A

    Jaundice & Breastfeeding:
    When grouped by number of breastfeeds in the first 24 hours, exaggerated jaundice on day six occurred in:
    28% who breastfed 0-2 times
    24.5% of babies who breastfed 3-4 times
    15% of babies who breastfed 5-6 times
    12% of babies who breastfed 7-8 times
    0% of the babies who breastfed 9-11 times

    (Yamauchi and Yamanouchi, 1990)

    Thanks to everyone who called in! Please call 802-GET-DOWN (that's 802-438-3696). See you next week!

    **********
    Our sponsors:
    Silverette Nursing Cups -- Soothe and heal sore nipples with 925 silver nursing cups.
    Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
    Needed -- Our favorite nutritional products for before, during, and after pregnancy.
    Use promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for all sponsors.
    DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT with this unique link and receive a free 8-day supply.

    Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
    Email Contact@DownToBirthShow.com
    Instagram @downtobirthshow
    Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

    Work with Cynthia:
    203-952-7299
    HypnoBirthingCT.com

    Work with Trisha:
    734-649-6294

    Please remember

    Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
    Email Contact@DownToBirthShow.com
    Instagram @downtobirthshow
    Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

    Work with Cynthia:
    203-952-7299
    HypnoBirthingCT.com

    Work with Trisha:
    734-649-6294

    Please remember we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed medical provider for all your healthcare matters.

    Show more Show less
    41 mins
  • #282 | Escaping a Doctor Just Before His Arrest: Olivia's Story
    Sep 11 2024

    Send us a text

    "Hi I’m Olivia. I was a patient of Dr. Javaid Perwaiz, so, I don’t trust you." Each time Olivia met with a new medical provider, she prefaced her introduction with the above statement. Olivia was a patient of Dr. Perwaiz for many years before he was sentenced to 59 years in prison after a jury convicted him on 52 counts of health care fraud arising from performing medically unnecessary procedures including irreversible hysterectomies. Eventually, Olivia found a team of providers who she trusted to have a baby under their care. Despite developing severe pre-eclampsia, resulting in a 35-hour induction and relinquishing her natural birth plans, Olivia had a safe and satisfying birth experience because she had learned to take the most important advice: Hear everyone and listen to yourself. This self-trust allowed her to control what she still could and surrender to the rest. This powerful story is the perfect example of finding the balance between bodily autonomy, informed consent, and medically necessary care.

    To learn more about the case against Dr. Javaid Perwaiz read here

    **********
    Down to Birth is sponsored by:
    Silverette Nursing Cups -- Soothe and heal sore nipples with 925 silver nursing cups.
    Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
    Needed -- Our favorite nutritional products to nourish yourself before, during, and after pregnancy.
    Use promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for all of the above sponsors.
    DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT with this unique link and receive a free 8-day supply. Be sure to use the unique link to buy yours today.

    Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
    Email Contact@DownToBirthShow.com
    Instagram @downtobirthshow
    Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

    Work with Cynthia:
    203-952-7299
    HypnoBirthingCT.com

    Work with Trisha:
    734-649-6294

    Please remember we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed medical provider for all your healthcare matters.

    Show more Show less
    50 mins

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