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Down to Birth

Down to Birth

Written by: Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
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Join Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig once per week for evidence-based straight talk on pregnancy, birth and postpartum --- beyond the clichés and beyond the system. With 40 years' combined experience in midwifery, childbirth education and advocacy, publishing, research and postpartum care, we've guided thousands of families toward safer, more empowered choices. Down to Birth is all about safe childbirth, while recognizing a safe outcome isn't all that matters. We challenge the status quo, explore women's rights in childbirth, and feature women from all over the world, shining shine light on the policies, culture, and systemic forces that shape our most intimate and transformative of life experiences. You'll hear the birth stories of our clients, listeners and numerous celebrities. You'll benefit from our expert-interviews, and at any time you can submit your questions for our monthly Q&A episodes by calling us at 802-GET-DOWN. With millions of downloads and listeners in 90 countries, our worldwide community of parents and birth professionals coms together to learn, question and create change, personally and societally. We're on Instagram at @downtobirthshow and at Patreon.com/downtobirthshow, where we offer live ongoing events multiple times per month. Become informed, feel empowered, and join the movement toward better maternity care in the United States and worldwide. As always, hear everyone, listen to yourself.

© 2026 Down to Birth Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences
Episodes
  • #389 | October Breastfeeding Q&A: Colic, Getting Pregnant & Breastfeeding “Rules”

    #389 | October Breastfeeding Q&A: Colic, Getting Pregnant & Breastfeeding “Rules”
    Oct 14 2026

    Welcome to another Breastfeeding Q&A episode. Today, we start with a conversation about breastfeeding advice on social media and ask our community which breastfeeding “rules” they wish they had never heard.

    For today's questions, Trisha responds to these listener topics:

    • Getting your period back while breastfeeding and whether you need to wean to conceive
    • Night nursing at 14 months and how prolactin can affect the return of ovulation
    • Colic, gas, high-pitched crying, and a baby who suddenly struggles at the breast
    • What else to consider when a three-month-old is having difficulty nursing
    • Taking a week-long trip without your 16-month-old and whether time apart could lead to weaning
    • Maintaining milk supply while traveling and returning to breastfeeding after separation

    For quickies, we tackle waking newborns to feed, infant breast preferences, uneven milk production, when supply regulates, hospital lactation consultants, nipple shields, weaning age, letdown, mastitis and clogged ducts, night sweats, collecting colostrum during pregnancy, and whether a painless, effective latch ever needs fixing.

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    Send us Fan Mail

    Support the show

    Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

    Needed <-- for 20% off
    DrinkLMNT <-- for FREE 8-day supply
    Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
    Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
    ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
    Join Patreon here
    IG @downtobirthshow

    Call 802-GET-DOWN.
    Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.
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    44 mins
  • #388 | Twin Home Birth at 38 Weeks: Leaving High-Risk Care and Choosing a Midwife

    #388 | Twin Home Birth at 38 Weeks: Leaving High-Risk Care and Choosing a Midwife
    Oct 7 2026

    When Victoria learned at 10 weeks that she was carrying MoDi twins, she was immediately placed in high-risk care and told to expect frequent monitoring, an operating-room birth, and potentially a C-section. But as her pregnancy progressed, the fear and anxiety she felt at every appointment led her to reconsider the model of care she had accepted.

    Victoria joins us to share how she left her OB and maternal-fetal medicine team midway through pregnancy and found a home birth midwife experienced with twins and vaginal breech birth. She takes us through the pressure she faced when leaving the practice, the surprising moment during labor when she went from one to nine centimeters, and the births of her two healthy boys at home at 38 weeks and one day.

    We also discuss preparing nutritionally for a twin pregnancy, the Brewer diet and her focus on protein, navigating fears planted during pregnancy, giving birth to a second baby just minutes after the first, tandem breastfeeding twins while also nursing a toddler, and the role prayer and faith played throughout her pregnancy and birth.

    **********

    Send us Fan Mail

    Support the show

    Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric

    Needed <-- for 20% off
    DrinkLMNT <-- for FREE 8-day supply
    Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
    Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
    ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
    Join Patreon here
    IG @downtobirthshow

    Call 802-GET-DOWN.
    Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.
    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
  • #387 | September Q&A: Home Birth Reactions, Miscarriage Prevention, Short Umbilical Cords, Stalled Pushing, Postpartum Anxiety, Tandem Breastfeeding

    #387 | September Q&A: Home Birth Reactions, Miscarriage Prevention, Short Umbilical Cords, Stalled Pushing, Postpartum Anxiety, Tandem Breastfeeding
    Oct 1 2026
    Welcome to the September Q&A! Today we kick things off with your answers to the question, “What did people say when they found out you were planning a home birth?” From being told you’re putting your baby in danger and that you’ll end up in the ER to family members questioning your midwife, calling you brave, or even threatening to tell your husband not to let you, you had a lot to say.Then we get into your questions. One mother is seven weeks pregnant after a 12-week miscarriage earlier this year that resulted in significant hemorrhage and an ambulance transfer. Her midwife has recommended a miscarriage prevention protocol that includes baby aspirin, progesterone cream, and supplements. Is there evidence that these interventions prevent miscarriage after a single loss, and are there additional considerations when there’s a history of hemorrhage?Next, a mother who recently had her first baby at home noticed that her baby’s umbilical cord was quite short, making it difficult to bring her baby fully up to her chest during her water birth. She’s considering a free birth in the future and wants to know whether having a short cord once makes it more likely to happen again, what determines cord length, and whether a short cord poses any particular risks during birth.Then, a listener asks about a home birth she recently attended where the mother pushed for two to two and a half hours, her contractions eventually stopped, and the baby was not descending. The mother ultimately transferred to the hospital, but could rest have been another option? We discuss what it means when contractions stop during pushing, when a long second stage becomes concerning, and what might help labor get going again.Quickies this month include suddenly resenting your pets after having a baby, homeschooling, tandem breastfeeding a newborn and three-year-old, normal pumping output, pacifier use while breastfeeding, C-section after a traumatic shoulder dystocia, measuring three days behind on an early ultrasound, trying again after miscarriage, weaning from exclusive pumping, showering and self-care postpartum, postpartum anxiety improving around nine months, postpartum care after stillbirth, sleep versus exercise versus sunlight, postpartum depression and anxiety in fathers, grounding yourself during anxiety, and whether postpartum depression is more likely to recur with subsequent babies.Call us with your questions, comments or stories at 802-GET-DOWN!#385 | The Lindsay Clancy Case: Postpartum Psychosis or Psychiatric Drug Reaction? with Dr. Roger McFillinPostpartum Psychosis: The Signs, Risks, Symptoms and RecoveryLivestream: Should we homeschool? Ask a Mom whose family thrived.**********Send us Fan Mail Support the showAccess our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs RhetoricNeeded <-- for 20% off DrinkLMNT <-- for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% offJoin Patreon hereIG @downtobirthshowCall 802-GET-DOWN. Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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