Midwife and researcher, Dr. Mimi Niles, talks to Adriana Lozada about the U.S. hospital system, how your goals as a birthing person are at odds with the system’s goals, and how to tap into your power as a consumer within said system so you can have a better birth experience. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this episode, listen to this episode on the cultural ideals that shape your birth experience,...
Oct 04, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Adriana Lozada goes through the pros and cons of three places where you can give birth: a hospital, a birth center, and at home, and what you should consider when making an informed decision. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this episode, listen to this story on Why Having an Audience Stalled Her Birth and this episode about Showing Up at Your Birth. You can connect with Birthful @BirthfulPodcast an...
Sep 27, 2023•12 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Medical anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd talks with Adriana about the technocratic, humanistic, and holistic birth models. She explains why we’ve gotten so obsessed with machines and numbers, why we need more midwives, how some OBs are making positive changes by embracing the midwifery model of care, and what you can take from those models to improve your experience. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you li...
Sep 20, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Sarah Winward’s story starts with some lovely swing dancing in the living room, and stomping through deep snow with her dog, then gets really intense, having Sarah ask herself over and over “Where is the break?! There’s supposed to be a break. Where is the break?!” She shares with Adriana how being open to all her options let her be grounded in the experience. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this...
Sep 13, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Author and childbirth educator Britta Bushnell describes eight deeply entrenched cultural ideals that can unconsciously— and even negatively— impact the course of your labor and how you parent. She and Adriana share how to reframe these beliefs to uplift realistic expectations and have a more transformative experience. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this episode, listen to this interview on the pu...
Sep 06, 2023•57 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Michelle Onaka shares the ups and downs along the way toward having her child, including her fertility journey, then completely gutting their house during pregnancy, and following that up with a fabulous waterbirth. She shares with Adriana how immediate postpartum became a bit of a rude awakening, and how helpful it was to connect with a lactation consultant, a cloth diaper service, to start co-sleeping, and actually learn about how to navigate life with a newborn from a place of confidence (eve...
Aug 30, 2023•57 min•Ep. 416
Criselda F. shares with Adriana the details of her three-day-long birth, which she describes as amazing and transformative. It also truly illustrates how birth is not linear, as it can easily go from prodromal to precipitous! Find out what helped her get through the frustration of not knowing when it was really going to start, the joy of having her partner catch the baby, and why tearing was the one thing that really took her by surprise. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the reso...
Aug 23, 2023•38 min•Ep. 415
Alison Spath shares with Adriana the many twists and turns included in her path toward a planned homebirth after two cesareans (HBA2C), including getting things started with castor oil, having to hold at bay the fear-based opinions of random obstetricians, celebrating her victories along the way, and a last-minute trip to the hospital. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this episode, listen to our int...
Aug 16, 2023•47 min•Ep. 414
Shelley Wylie shares with Adriana how marvelous it can be to see your partner really have your back and tell the nurse to wait until your contraction is over, how labor is not as horrendous as the Machu Picchu trail, and how you can absolutely have a lovely birth, even if you have to come undone and regather yourself in the process. She also highly recommends that if you dislike the tub, try the shower! Sponsor offers - TIME SENSITIVE! AQUATRU - Get 20% off any AquaTru purifier at AquaTru.com wi...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 413
Kally McConnell shares her glorious VBAC story, along with all the things she did differently from her first birth, how it all started with a literal bang when her bag of waters broke, and how there was no time for the tub. She also shares with Adriana the insights she gained about the difference between labor contractions, pushing contractions, and Pitocin-generated contractions. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page ...
Aug 02, 2023•44 min•Ep. 412
Dani Izzie, a disability advocate who is quadriplegic, tells Adriana how her years of navigating the medical system, connecting with a community that understands her, building a supportive team, and her deep understanding of her body helped her through the birth of her twins. Get the most out of this episode by checking out the resources, transcript, and links listed on its show notes page . If you liked this episode, listen to our interview titled If Pregnancy Becomes Medically Complicated: Wor...
Jul 26, 2023•32 min•Ep. 411
Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show’s most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ shows. Doula Lesley Everest explores the primal nature of birth using somatic and emotional support therapies and an interspiritual ministry. She teaches you how uncontrollable shaking is a very common part of labor, with a significant ...
Jan 04, 2023•29 min•Ep. 382
Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ episodes. Dr. Jack Newman, lactation expert, shares all his best advice on what to expect, what to avoid, and when to ask for help, in order to get lactation started, and breast/chestfeed successfully. Here's the original episode in full. For ...
Aug 31, 2022•30 min•Ep. 364
Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ episodes. Specialist and educator Carrie Contey explains what you need to know about how babies communicate their needs to us. Learn how you can tune into and translate their messages, and how it begins with tuning in - to yourself! Here's the...
Aug 17, 2022•31 min•Ep. 362
Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show’s most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ episodes. Midwife and pre- and perinatal psychologist Karen Strange talks about birth, but from the baby’s perspective. It turns out that there’s a specific sequence of events that occurs as newborns transition to the outside world. In ...
Aug 10, 2022•27 min•Ep. 361
For wellness content creator Cameron Rogers, being in a pregnant body felt more challenging than she had imagined. She tells Adriana Lozada about the coping strategies that got her through the physical and emotional toll of the experience, as well as what nourished her. If you liked this episode, listen to this interview on your anxious mind during pregnancy, or this episode about the structural body changes that happen during pregnancy and postpartum. Get the most of this episode by checking ou...
Jul 20, 2022•37 min•Ep. 358
Yana Katzap-Nackman shares with Adriana how taking control of her sugar levels and bringing together a supportive team of care providers led her to have the births she desired, despite living with type 1 diabetes. She tells Adriana how she matter-of-factly took herself off the hospital induction schedule, and how she navigated a postpartum experience that included having a TV crew from TLC’s Bringing Home Baby in her house. If you liked this episode, listen to this interview on newborn sugar lev...
Jul 06, 2022•55 min•Ep. 356
Adriana gives advice on ensuring you and your newborn can take advantage of the "golden hour," in any birth setting. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Support this podcast at — https://...
Mar 16, 2022•11 min•Ep. 340
Adriana continues her series on the “golden hour” with specifics on the benefits for your baby of having this undisturbed time right after birth. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Suppo...
Mar 09, 2022•11 min•Ep. 339
Adriana describes important elements of the "golden hour"—those crucial and magical first moments right after your baby is born—especially for you, the birthing person. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you li...
Mar 02, 2022•10 min•Ep. 338
Adriana describes the wide range of nipple shapes and sizes, and how to work with what you’ve got to successfully breastfeed. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at podcast@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Support this podcast at —...
Feb 23, 2022•11 min•Ep. 337
The truth is, you probably won’t know! But Kimberly Seals Allers is working hard to change that. Kimberly talks with Adriana about how she’s leveraging consumer power to shift the patient-provider dynamics, hold hospitals publicly accountable, and bring transparency to our perinatal experiences while centering Black and Brown families. Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to fu...
Feb 16, 2022•30 min•Ep. 336
Adriana shares how important joy can be to your experience as a parent, and gives practical strategies for how to prioritize joy in a time where raising kids seems harder than ever. Resources include: a free Yale University course on the science of well-being, and a free UC Berkeley course on the science of happiness . Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect wi...
Feb 09, 2022•11 min•Ep. 335
Adriana goes through six different medical options for relieving pain during labor, focusing on the best time to use each one to help you plan your pain management strategy. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you ...
Jan 26, 2022•10 min•Ep. 333
Infant care researcher and clinical director Dr. Pamela Douglas explains an emerging evidence-based paradigm in infant sleep that does away with sleep training. She shares with Adriana the importance of providing babies with rich sensory nourishment, and talks about what long naps have to do with excessive night waking. Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One for the Rest of Us.” Every week, she selects actions, books, and other resources to further inform you...
Jan 19, 2022•34 min•Ep. 332
Adriana explains why the type of mammal humans are impacts how much and what kind of care your baby needs from you. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Support this podcast at — https://redc...
Jan 12, 2022•10 min•Ep. 331
Adriana explains how different contractions feel in your body, and when you’ll know that you’re really going into labor. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcasts. Support this podcast at — https:/...
Dec 15, 2021•10 min•Ep. 327
Adriana has a candid conversation with Professor Monica McLemore about the lack of policies and practices that support new parents in the U.S. They discuss how paid family leave and the Black Maternal Health Caucus’ “Momnibus” legislative package fit into the need to reform, retrofit, and reimagine the perinatal health care system so it can truly support the courageous families that are bringing children into this world. Listen through to the end for Adriana’s “Two Things to Do: One for You, One...
Dec 08, 2021•30 min•Ep. 326
Adriana goes through positions for your body before, during, and after birth, and what makes each of them work for different stages of the birthing process. Download Birthful's Postpartum Plan FREE when you sign up for our weekly newsletter ! Don't miss even more tips, insights, and news from Adriana and her guests! You can connect with Birthful on Instagram @birthfulpodcast and email us at info@birthful.com . Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to podcast...
Dec 01, 2021•10 min•Ep. 325
Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+ shows. Somatic practitioner and author Kimberly Johnson shares the lessons she learned while writing about “the fourth trimester” and what it takes to fully recover—physically and mentally—after giving birth, including paying attention to what...
Nov 24, 2021•25 min•Ep. 324
