Send us a text Hello, everyone! It's Cynthia here. Today, in celebration of my birthday, I want to share the extraordinary story of my daughter's birth. This personal narrative delves into the pivotal role intuition and self-trust played throughout my conception and pregnancy with her. You'll learn of some unexpected challenges we faced, and you'll hear about our unconventional attempt to reposition our breech baby head-down. Definitely don't try that at home - even though we did. I hope you enj...
Oct 11, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 234
Send us a text Liz Eidelman , whose name some of you may recognize as the funny mom on Instagram @lizeidelman , gave birth to her first child in the hospital with a team of med students present. She had an episiotomy she didn't want, a vacuum-assist that led to another flood of people in the room, and a baby who was whisked away to the NICU within moments of birth, leaving Liz in the dark about her baby's condition. Overhearing nurses whisper, "The mother doesn't know yet," added to her anxiety....
Oct 04, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 233
Send us a text Hello Friends! It is time for the September Q&A episode! Today, we open with two listener emails sharing their experiences on declining circumcision and accepting a necessary emergency cesarean birth. Next, we dive into your questions beginning with: Can I still labor and birth in the tub even if my membranes have ruptured before labor begins? Lucky for ya'll, we have Barbara Harper of Waterbirth International pop on the show to answer this question. Next up, we address whethe...
Sep 27, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 232
Send us a text Jo Young is a "heart mom" from the U.K. Being a heart mom indicates belonging to a community of parents whose children are born with congenital heart defects. The pivotal moment in Jo's story began at her twenty-week anatomy scan with her husband. It was here that they received the life-altering revelation that their baby girl bore a congenital heart defect requiring immediate postpartum surgery. This condition, known as "transposition of the great arteries" (TGA), unveils a compl...
Sep 20, 2023•37 min•Season 4Ep. 231
Send us a text Sara Rosser is a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). While she has not had a free birth herself, she has supported women in her community who have chosen to do so. Free birth (or "wild birth") is a controversial practice in which a woman chooses to give birth in the absence of a trained birth professional, whether that be a midwife or obstetrician. In today's discussion, we dig into why a woman might choose free birth, whether or not free birth is "safe" for a mother and baby, h...
Sep 13, 2023•41 min•Season 4Ep. 230
Send us a text Dr. Sara Wickham, PhD, MA, PGCert, BA, is a best-selling author, speaker, and researcher who works independently. She has more than twenty years' experience as a midwife; she's lectured in more than 30 countries; and, she is a researcher and author of seventeen books, and has edited three midwifery journals. She is considered a leading expert on the research and evidence around many of the most controversial topics and most difficult decisions in childbirth: Induction, newborn int...
Sep 06, 2023•54 min•Season 4Ep. 229
Send us a text It's time for the August Q&A episode with Cynthia & Trisha! We kick off today's episode with the crazy and unsupportive comments most often heard by our listeners. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and get ready for some laughs. Next, we get into our questions, including: Is routine Pitocin postpartum necessary? What can you tell me about insufficient glandular tissue and breastfeeding? What to do about family members who use sweets as a way to get children's attention? Is aggr...
Aug 30, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 228
Send us a text Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality around the world. When considering home birth, preventing and/or effectively treating PPH is an essential part of safe care. Allie Woods of Almost Holistic Allie is here today to share her three home birth stories, the first two of which resulted in significant postpartum hemorrhaging, including a hospital transfer. In the first case, she and her midwife presumed it was a fluke when she had an unkno...
Aug 23, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 227
Send us a text Every mammal in nature sleeps with their offspring, but these days, many mothers are cautioned against co-sleeping by pediatricians and well-meaning friends and family. This guilt or fear keeps parents distant from their sleeping babies even when it goes against their own inclination. Then, the cycle continues with a baby whose nervous system wakes them often in search of physical comfort, while parents frantically seek the latest and greatest sleep product on the market (Snoo, an...
Aug 16, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 226
Send us a text Maternal mortality for black women is three times higher in the United States, at almost 70 deaths per 100,000. As a woman of color, Nichollette Jones was motivated to protect herself and her daughter from the risks and protocols associated with hospitals, especially during Covid, which showed a sky-rocketing of maternal mortality statistics across the board in the U.S. Unable to cover the cost of a home birth midwife, she determined her next-safest option was to have her baby at ...
Aug 09, 2023•33 min•Season 4Ep. 225
Send us a text Katie Ferraro of @babyledweanteam is a mother of seven, registered dietician and baby led weaning proponent. Baby-led weaning is a method of introducing solid foods to babies where purees and spoon-feeding are skipped in favor of finger foods, allowing the baby to self-feed. When Katie found out she was pregnant with quadruplets, she knew she needed the easiest, most effective way to feed her babies, and has developed a digital community support program on baby-led weaning and fou...
Aug 02, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 224
Send us a text Welcome to the July Q&A episode with Cynthia & Trisha. Today, we kick off the conversation with a story of an OB commenting on the "tightness" of a woman's perineum. Next, we jump into our questions on when sutures are or are not needed after a tear; placenta previa and a prolapsed cord; the risk of infection after rupture of membranes when GBS negative; how to get oxytocin flowing when your spouse is not present at birth; are there risks in pregnancy and postpartum if you...
Jul 26, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 223
Send us a text Dr. Lynelle Schneeberg, PsyD, is a sleep psychologist, an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine, and Director of the Behavioral Sleep Program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. She’s also a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. She works with adults who have insomnia and has a particular passion for helping parents whose children have sleep difficulties. She is the author of "Become Your Child’s Sleep Coach: The Bedtime Doctor’s 5-Step Guide, Ages 3...
Jul 19, 2023•52 min•Season 4Ep. 222
Send us a text Rachel Marynowsk of @Kale.blossom is a licensed naturopathic physician focusing on preconception, fertility and postpartum. In today's episode, Rachel introduces us to the fascinating phenomenon of fetal-maternal microchimerism and how it may influence women's health, particularly postpartum. Fetal-maternal microchimerism refers to the presence of fetal cells in a mother's body and vice versa, exchanged during pregnancy and birth. These cells are believed to serve as a unique form...
Jul 12, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 221
Send us a text Catrina's first pregnancy was labeled high risk when a routine ultrasound revealed a two-vessel cord, leading to repeat ultrasounds and a diagnosis of IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) and low fluid at 35 weeks. Her doctor immediately sent her in for an induction, and because her baby was still breech at that point, she ended up with a C-section. Catrina felt completely "checked-out" during the whole experience, as this was the exact opposite of the birth she had planned for....
Jul 05, 2023•33 min•Season 4Ep. 220
Send us a text We are back answering your questions in the June Q&A episode. We kick it off with a woman's story of multiple non-consented vaginal exams in labor, her complaint to the hospital, and the hospital leadership's response. Next, we jump into our questions including: I really want a home birth, but I am afraid that hospital birth is safer and that home birth is dangerous. How do I determine this risk? My mom had a c-section for a cervix that swelled shut. Is that possible? I am str...
Jun 28, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 219
Send us a text Eyla Cuenca , a birth doula and birth trauma alchemist, delves into the emotional and psychological aspects of pregnancy and birth. She highlights the varying experiences pregnant women may encounter when it comes to their healthcare providers and how it can impact their journeys. Eyla introduces the concept of birth trauma alchemy, which focuses on transforming birth traumas and wounds into opportunities for growth, self-knowledge and empowerment. We delve into the psycho-emotion...
Jun 21, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 218
Send us a text At least one-third of women report to experiencing birth trauma. Traumatic experiences can be trapped in the physical body and manifest as post-traumatic stress disorder, easily triggered by everyday events and preventing us from fully embracing our experience as a mothers. Talk therapy can be helpful but often is not sufficient to fully resolve trauma, because trauma causes our brains to become wired to focus on repetitive thoughts, creating a maladaptive circuit. Fortunately, wh...
Jun 14, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 217
Send us a text With the right knowledge and education about the intricacies of our own health, we have the potential to influence how our body gives birth. Did you know that by twenty-eight weeks of pregnancy your body is already making physiological and functional shifts to prepare for labor? Or that your baby's adrenal glands are the biggest factor in the initiation of labor? Have you ever heard that sub-clincal hypothyroidism is associated with a significantly higher rate of postpartum hemorr...
Jun 07, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 216
Send us a text Hello! We are back with the May Q&A. This month we kick things off with a short conversation on obstetrical rhetoric around the risks of cesarean birth and induction, followed by your excellent questions on: Short cords and small placentas Setting boundaries with well-meaning parenting advice-givers The necessity or not of Non-stress tests (NST) in late pregnancy True medical indications for artificial rupture of membranes (AROM) VBAC labor contractions and an interesting tidb...
May 31, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 215
Send us a text Lisa Marie and Richard Oxenham are a water-birthing midwifery duo extraordinaire in addition to being husband and wife and protégés of Barbara Harper of Waterbirth International. Lisa has attended over six hundred water births and has never, not once, induced a woman's labor. Through their years of experience, they have come to believe that giving birth in water improves birth outcomes over giving birth out of the water. In this episode, we cover the ways in which water birth incr...
May 24, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 214
Send us a text When your hospital birth plan repeatedly includes the word "No", considering home birth becomes extremely enticing. In this episode, Colleen of @uncomplicatedfamily shares with us how she left her OB and chose home birth not only the first time but six more thereafter! Many mothers fear the idea of home birth because they only imagine what might go wrong. And while there are certain risks to consider before home birthing and it isn't the preference of every woman, we review how it...
May 17, 2023•42 min•Season 4Ep. 213
Send us a text Chanie of @yoledetacademy is an experienced labor and delivery nurse and expert witness in cases which the appropriate use of Pitocin is in question. Today, she joins us to give us an insider's perspective on the use of Pitocin in hospital birth. Pitocin, now known as the narcotic of modern obstetrics, is increasingly overused and the harms of its use are significantly under represented. Join us in this discerning conversation around the use and abuse of Pitocin in hospital birth....
May 10, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 212
Send us a text RhoGAM or Anti-D is a blood product offered to pregnant women with an Rh-negative blood type who have conceived with an Rh-positive father. The use of RhoGAM is said to significantly reduce the chances of the mother becoming sensitized to a future baby if the current baby she is carrying has an Rh-positive blood type. The RhoGAM injection is routinely offered to all Rh-negative women, despite that it is not always needed, comes with certain side effects, and isn't 100% effective. ...
May 03, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 211
Send us a text Hello everyone! We are back with our April Q&A episode, and it is loaded with your excellent questions! Don't forget you can subscribe on Apple podcasts Patreon to hear the extended, ad-free versions. Here's what we are talking about today: Is it safe to plan a birth center birth if someone has a history of pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome and a postpartum hemorrhage? Is it appropriate and/or expected to tip your doula? Other than placenta accreta, what other reasons are there fo...
Apr 26, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 210
Send us a text Chelsea was determined to have an unmedicated hospital birth. When she was unexpectedly diagnosed with cholestasis at 38 weeks, she found herself getting induced with Misoprostil, Pitocin, and ruptured membranes at 3 cm dilated. She quickly progressed to full dilation, had a short pushing phase and birthed her baby vaginally. Everything seemed great until she went home and starting passing large blood clots. After multiple calls to different OBs that all passed it off as normal, s...
Apr 19, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 209
Send us a text If you are pregnant for the first time or even the second or third, we all want to know the secret ingredient to experiencing a "pain-free" birth experience. Today, we brought on a leading voice in the pain-free birth world, Karen Welton, to go deep on what it takes. Do you know the most important step in accessing a "pain free" birth? Hint: It's not about what you do in labor. It's not about position. It's not even about your birth location or provider. It's about your brain. It ...
Apr 12, 2023•48 min•Season 4Ep. 208
Send us a text Erika gave birth to her first child in the hospital and was labeled a "weirdo" and stamped as "difficult" for her birth plan intentions. When the hospital staff tried to take her baby away in order to administer the Vitamin K shot and Erythromycin eye ointment, she refused, holding her baby close as the staff tried to pull the baby from Erika's arms. Next came the call to CPS (Child Protective Services), putting Erika on a government watch list as a threat to her child's well-bein...
Apr 05, 2023•38 min•Season 4Ep. 207
Send us a text We are back with the March Q&A, and it is packed with your awesome questions! How do I go about choosing a midwife? Are there red flags? I had pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome. Can I still have a home birth? Is it safe to take Valtrex in pregnancy for cold sores or is there an alternative? Is it necessary to rub and dry the baby after birth or can baby just be handed to me? Can we talk about the Lindsay Clancy situation and how do we know if we are suffering postpartum psychos...
Mar 29, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 206
Send us a text Dr. Nathan Riley is an OBGYN who understands the holistic picture of women's health. You may remember him from Episode #165 where he discussed autonomous, empowered birth. Today, he joins us to explain why infertility rates are on the rise, especially for men, and gives us the six principles of holistic fertility that are important for healthy, conscious conception, along with the five fertility powerhouse nutrients. In the second part of the episode, we discuss the aspect of fert...
Mar 22, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 205
