Down to Birth – Details, episodes & analysis

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Welcome to the August Q&A episode with Cynthia and Trisha. Today, we start by discussing various experiences in which mothers feel a visceral response to a family member, friend, or provider crossing a boundary with their baby--think kissing your baby without permission. In our first question of the episode, we invite Carly Hartwig from @cleanlivingwithcarly, to explain how to understand our fertile window and ovulation through assessing your cervical mucus. Next, Cynthia provides some financial guidance in response to one mother's concern about transitioning to a SAHM and not having her own financial independence or source of income. Additionally, we discuss the risks, or lack thereof, with marginal cord insertions, uterine windows, concerns about fundal massage, the bogus term anorexic pelvis, contact naps, GBS in urine, postpartum hemorrhage, lack of libido and more! 

If you are not already a subscriber on Apple podcasts or Patreon, please join us today for the extended version of today's episode. Thank you for your wonderful questions as always, and please keep them coming at 802-438-3696 or 802-GET-DOWN.

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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 our unique link and receive a free 8-day supply. Be sure to use the unique link to buy yours today.

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

If you've ever felt that your husband is falling short or if you are a dad looking to be more available to your wife, this episode is for you. Today, we chat with Dan Doty, the co-founder of Fatherhood Ready and a passionate advocate for expectant dads. As a father of three, Dan brings his unique perspective on building a men's organization focused on emotional growth, exploration, and connection. His journey from wilderness guide to fatherhood expert was shaped by his transformative experiences working with adolescent boys and their fathers. Witnessing the profound emotional breakthroughs that happen when fathers and sons connect deeply inspired Dan to support expecting dads.

We delve into the challenges new fathers face, from societal expectations to the lack of role models, and Dan offers practical advice on bridging the gap between intention and action.

Additionally, we tackle the issue of the "motherload" and its impact on parental and marital stress. We share personal and professional anecdotes, exploring why many women feel their partners "just don't get it" regarding the immense responsibilities and emotional burdens they carry daily.

Dan’s honest and heartfelt discussion provides valuable insights for anyone navigating the complexities of parenthood or seeking to understand family dynamics better. Join us for this engaging conversation and discover how expecting dads can make a meaningful impact from day one, contributing fully to their family's well-being and their own growth as fathers.

Fatherhood Ready

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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.

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Can you imagine giving birth without ever "checking on" your baby? Without a test, an ultrasound, a need for reassurance from others that your baby is okay? And, what does it mean to cross the threshold from Maiden to Mother? How does a woman step into her wiser feminine self, relinquishing her controlled, organized, masculine energy and need for control in birth? What is required of a woman to feel so safe in her body that she can release hypervigilance and surrender fully to the power of her body? These are some of the untraditional questions we consider in this deeply provocative conversation with Lea, the woman behind Trusting Birth and the Wise Woman Diaries Podcast. This open and deeply personal episode invites us to look more closely at our lifelong struggle to trust ourselves, to embrace stillness, and to distinguish fear from intuition. Ultimately, this conversation dares us to take radical responsibility for the power of our feminine energy and all it can do for us.   

Trusting Birth on Instagram

#14: Roundtable: Mothers of Stillbirth and What They Can Teach Us
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Down to Birth is sponsored by:
Vitality: An athleisure brand made for women, by women, designed with style and comfort for pregnancy and beyond.
Davin & Adley-- The perfect nursing and pumping bra combined
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.

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Hello all! We are back with our monthly Q&A. To kick it off, we have a short conversation on maternal instincts.  Next, we discuss how one woman should handle her mother-in-law's request to be called "Mama".  Then we review the very few reasons when an induction is absolutely needed, how long you can go with ruptured membranes before inducing labor, followed by a question on familial history and  a genetic predisposition to needing a cesarean birth.  Another mother calls in to express her postpartum exhaustion and relationship struggles, as she feels depleted by the day and with nothing left to give her husband at the end of it.  One mother wonders if being sick during pregnancy is harmful to her baby, and finally we discuss Lotus birth--what is it and is it un-hygienic?

In our extended version, available via Apple Subscriptions, we'll be responding to one woman's concern about pre-empting family issues postpartum in her quest to get them to provide help when they visit. Another mom asked our opinion on amber teething necklaces, and Trisha explains how they're often misunderstood as actual "teething" products, when they're not. There were some breastfeeding questions related to frequent plugged ducts; fever and low milk supply. And finally, one birth worker is asking whether amnio-infusion is a reasonable solution when amniotic waters are low. 

If you don't listen on an Apple device and would like access to our exclusive and extended episodes, email us at [email protected] and put "Extended Episodes" in the subject line.

Thank you as always for your great questions and see you next week! If you would like to submit a question, please call and leave us a message with your question at (802) 438-3696 That's 802-GET-DOWN.
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Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Infant sleep is one of the most important topics on the mind of every new parent. New parents are left wondering what normal infant sleep looks like, how much their baby needs at each age, and how create easier sleep routines resulting in longer stretches of sleep during day and night. Many of today's parents are afraid that any degree of crying will create negative associations or, worse, teach the child their needs won't be met. In preparation for this episode, we solicited questions from the Down to Birth community on Instagram, and we've asked the expert: Ellie is a birth doula and infant sleep specialist who shares her expertise on how to help babies learn healthy sleep habits using wake windows and without aggressive sleep training techniques. In this episode, we take your most important infant sleep questions and get Ellie's expert answers on how to help, such as: Should I swaddle to sleep? Is it ok to breastfeed to sleep? Can I let my baby cry it out? How do I get my baby to sleep longer stretches, how to handle vacationing with baby, and many more. Ellie gives us practical and gentle tools to help our babies get their daily sleep needs met without feeling guilty. If you are looking for more sleep with less stress, this episode is for you.   

Ellie Lindenmayer

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
Baby Notebook - Get the App Here
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
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Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Hermine Hayes-Klein is a fearless legal advocate for sexual and reproductive rights with a particular passion for defending women’s human rights in childbirth, which, she says, are routinely violated in maternity care systems.

You may recall attorney Hermine Hayes-Klein from our previous episodes with her:

Episode #138 | Legal Case Study #1: Traumatized at a Major Teaching Hospital While Interns Watched and Learned
Episode #153 | Legal Case Study #2: Injured by Obstetrics with Nowhere Else to Turn 

In today's episode, we talk to Hermine about provider bias; in particular, the bias hospital-based providers can demonstrate toward (especially home-birth) midwives. However, limiting birth options for mothers does not decrease risk of poor outcomes but rather puts mothers and babies at increased risk. When women choose an alternative birth experience, such as out-of-hospital birth or home birth, the medical bias held by hospital-based providers often results in sub-par or even negligent care of the birthing woman, increasing both her risk and her baby's risk. Hermine Hayes-Klien talks to us today about how United States law fails to protect birth choices and instead excuses obstetricians for biased and negligent care of  women who transfer from home to hospital. 

What if instead, we had a system allowing for collaborative care with continuity of providers...So how do we get over the paradigm clash and create an integrated system to better protect women who choose out of hospital birth? 

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
Baby Notebook - Get the App Here
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

There are over 85,000 chemicals approved for use in personal care products and fewer than 200 of those have been tested for safety. Carly Hartwig is a home-birth mother of one,  Instagram influencer @cleanlivingwithcarly, and soon-to-be certified endocrine wellness and fertility counselor. Her passion for clean living grew out of her own hormonal havoc when she was told in her twenties she had the hormonal landscape of a post-menopausal woman. She soon realized the products she was using daily in her skincare, make-up and household routines were compromising her health and hormones. After eliminating the most common culprits of toxic living such as heavy metals, Pthalates, and Bisphenols, her health was beautifully restored. Today, she is here to educate us on the lack of FDA-regulation when it comes to the personal-care and household-product industries in the Unites States. She also shares some of the primary sources of endocrine disruptors, teaches how to swap the toxic for clean-and-green products, and explains why this is critical for all mothers who are pregnant or trying to conceive. This episode will have you going "Marie Kondo" on everything in your bathroom, pantry, laundry room, and cleaning products, so get ready for clean living with Carly!

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
Baby Notebook - Get the App Here
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Hello! It is the last Wednesday of the month, and you know what that means.  We are here with our August Q&A episode. Today, Cynthia & Trisha are discussing weight loss after having a baby--can you lose too much too fast? What tests should be done if you've had multiple miscarriages?  Can you give us the scoop on Evening Primrose oil for getting labor started--is it helpful or hurtful? How do I handle my mother-in-law who keeps giving me keepsakes for the baby that I don't want? Is there a way to safely bed-share with your baby without investing in extra contraptions? What is the best way to create a stash of breastmilk without causing oversupply? And one of everybody's favorite topics: pushing in labor--when should you and when should you not?

Remember you can access the extended, ad-free version of this episode by subscribing on Apple. This month's extended version is jam-packed and includes the following:

Trisha gives one woman the lowdown on all the types of "pain relief" options in labor. Another moms is experiencing some unusual physical symptoms at six-months postpartum and wonders if it means her period is returning. We discuss "failure to descend" versus failure to progress because one listener had a c-section and had never heard of that diagnosis before. We discuss a pregnant woman's high blood pressure questions as she's preparing for her home birth, and Trisha responds to a question about newborn feeding schedules as far as whether there's a time and place for using an alarm. We also discuss short cords, and resources for evidence-based info on induction versus waiting. 

If you don't listen on an Apple device and would like access to our exclusive and extended episodes, email us at [email protected] and put "Extended Episodes" in the subject line.

Thank you as always for your great questions and see you next week! If you would like to submit a question, please call and leave us a message with your question at (802) 438-3696 That's 802-GET-DOWN

**********

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Dr. Aumatma is a holistic fertility expert who, through her own hormonal challenges, became impassioned about supporting and optimizing women's cycles and fertility irrespective of age. Today, she shares with us the three most common myths in infertility and fertility management, explains what tests we must do to better understand our hormones, and walks us through the key lifestyle factors, sleep, stress, and diet, and how they impact our fertility and conception. 

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*
DYPER*
Beautiful Births and Beyond*
Postpartum Soothe*
Baby Notebook - Get the App Here
*Use promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
**********

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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

Send us a text

Matthew Fray's new book "This Is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships" is directed primarily toward a male audience, and asserts most marriages end with a whimper, not a bang. Matthew helps us understand how good people like him "can be terrible husbands" by unknowingly causing harm to their wives. Did you know most divorces are initiated by women? Matthew explains relationships don't tend to end from a single betrayal, but after years of a slow but persistent erosion in trust over seemingly minor marital disputes. Having first-hand experience with a wife who left him when their son was a toddler, Matthew turned to blogging as his outlet for expressing his extreme pain and frustration, initially victimizing himself as a good guy who didn't deserve to lose his family just because he's not perfect. But after hearing from thousands of men and women - particularly after his viral article "She divorced me because I left dishes by the sink" - Matthew experienced a transformation by taking full responsibility for hurting his wife time and time again, having seldom taken seriously her complaints along the way. Matthew says part of the problem is that no one ever taught him how to be a better husband, and he doesn't hold that opinion as an excuse, but as a conviction that men can learn to do better and not end up with wives who'll leave them, as his did. Matthew has been coaching couples for several years before writing his book.

Postpartum is an extremely vulnerable time for mothers and a delicate time for relationships. We hope this episode will shed light on how husbands can best support their wives and avoid the pitfalls of resentment and relationship breakdown over time.  We read Matthew's book and invited him on the show because we believe he understands how to bridge the gap between well-meaning husbands and the wives they unwittingly end up hurting or disappointing.

Matthew - and we - recognize the obvious fact that these conversations don't apply to all men, nor do all relationships follow the heterosexual normative. Nevertheless, we believe this discussion, through all its generalizations, are eye-opening and beneficial for either partner in any relationship.

Send this one to your partner or a friend. We believe they'll thank you for it.

Matthew is the author of "This is How Your Marriage Ends: A Hopeful Approach to Saving Relationships."

Matthew Fray

This show is sponsored by:
Silverette USA*

Primally Pure: From soil to skin, Primally Pure products are made with down-to-earth ingredients that feel and smell like heaven for the skin. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 10% off.

ENERGYBits: Get the superfood Algae every mother needs for pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for 20% off.

Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
Instagram @downtobirthshow
Call us at 802-GET-DOWN

Watch the full videos of all our episodes on YouTube!

Work with Cynthia:
HypnoBirthingCT.com

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