Down to Birth
Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
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.
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Top 10 Down to Birth Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Down to Birth episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Down to Birth for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Down to Birth episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
09/07/22 • 45 min
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
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Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
07/01/20 • 40 min
Jen Schwartz is the founder and CEO of Motherhood Understood, a community for women affected by pregnancy and postpartum mental health issues.
Jen had the perfect fairy tale vision of what life with a baby would look like. But, almost immediately after giving birth, everything felt different and she knew something was not right. She tells of how her mother described “the light going out of her eyes.”
Today, she shares with us her journey through both postpartum depression and anxiety and how her recovery inspired her passion for helping to inform, support and heal the lives of other women who’s postpartum mental illness may otherwise have remained hidden in the dark.
Motherhood Understood
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please share with your pregnant and postpartum friends.
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To join our monthly newsletter, text "downtobirth" to 22828.
You can sign up for Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Postpartum SoothePostpartum SootheTM is 100% organic. An herbal tincture for pads toward a safer, easier recovery.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
03/13/24 • 50 min
Like many mothers, Taylor Chamberlain Dilk had no idea where to begin in preparing for childbirth. Lucky for her she has a large social media presence and requested recommendations from her audience, and lucky for us, Down to Birth Show came highly recommended. Once she started digging in, she felt her inner maternal voice rising to the surface. She knew she wanted an unmedicated birth, but had no idea what she was up against giving birth with an OB in the hospital. When she was offered a membrane sweep in her 41st week, she accepted, triggering uncomfortable contractions but not labor. As an unsure first-time mom, she went to the hospital thinking her water had broken yet still awaited labor. It wasn't until she transformed her hospital room into a safe space that she could truly let go and allow her labor to flow. Join us as Taylor shares her invaluable insights, emphasizing the importance of informed decision-making, cultivating a supportive environment, and harnessing the power of one's own thoughts to guide the miraculous journey of childbirth.
Taylor on Instagram
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Down to Birth is sponsored by:
DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT with this link today and receive a free sample kit.
Silverette Nursing Cups -- Soothe and heal sore nipples with 925 silver nursing cups.
Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
Needed -- Optimal nutritional products to nourish yourself before, during, and after pregnancy
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
10/21/20 • 31 min
Joni Stone is a homebirth midwife of twenty years. After studying neuroscience in undergrad, she earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Spirituality from Columbia. Her work explored the physical changes our brains go through in becoming mothers, and how these changes are akin to the same brain changes that occur after an intense life experience, which may result in spiritual enlightenment. In this episode, she explains the five factors in enlightenment, raises the possibility that traumatic birth may interfere with having those types of experiences, and discusses simple yet powerful techniques for both awareness and healing.
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please subscribe and share with your pregnant and postpartum friends.
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To join our monthly newsletter, text "downtobirth" to 22828.
You can sign up for Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
05/13/20 • 45 min
Our guest today is blogger and mother-of-six, Lisa Bass, who you may recognize by her social media platform Farmhouse on Boone. Lisa is the epitome of the modern-day natural living mother. She's making sourdough starter one moment and sewing her children's clothes the next, while wearing her baby in a sling and managing her multi-platform business. Her husband is home with her full-time, and they home school.
Today Lisa joins us to share how her six birth experiences evolved, from her highly medical first birth to a planned birth center birth, which resulted in an unassisted car birth while her husband drove 70 mph down the highway.
All three babies after that were born peacefully at home.
Lisa's story inspires the intuitive approach to finding the right provider and right birth space, where a mother feels her safest during labor and most at peace with her birth experience.
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please share with your pregnant and postpartum friends.
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To join our monthly newsletter, text "downtobirth" to 22828.
You can sign up for Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Postpartum SoothePostpartum SootheTM is 100% organic. An herbal tincture for pads toward a safer, easier recovery.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
01/20/21 • 47 min
To monitor or not monitor: that is the question. More specifically, how to best monitor your baby in labor without causing undue worry and intervention is the question of today's episode. Author, midwife, and researcher Amy Romano MBA, MSN, CNM tells us that a large body of evidence on fetal heart rate monitoring indicates that we are likely looking for and finding problems that don't actually exist when it comes your baby's heartbeat in labor. And there is a significant cost to both mom and baby including higher rates of cesarean section, more forcep and vacuum deliveries and fewer vaginal births. In today's episode you will learn:
1. The difference between Intermittent Auscultation (IA) and Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring.
2. The evidence or lack thereof to support Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring (CEFM) and the risks of EFM.
3. How to ask your hospital and care provider for Intermittent Auscultation for fetal monitoring in labor.
Amy Romano MBA, MSN, CNM
#5 | Preterm Babies & the Case for Midwifery Care: Interview with Midwife/Author Amy Romano
Optimal Care in Childbirth: The Case for a Physiologic Approach
Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please subscribe and share with your pregnant and postpartum friends.
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To join our monthly newsletter, text "downtobirth" to 22828.
You can sign up for Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
03/18/20 • 38 min
If you look up Julia Dzafic’s blog, Lemon Stripes, you’ll find a vibrant young mother sharing her tips on fashion, decor, motherhood, and lifestyle. But today on the podcast, Julia shares a part of her the public hasn’t fully seen: a woman with a history of anxiety who struggled with conception and miscarriage, and who finally conceived and birthed the healthy baby she’d dreamed of, only to feel completely disconnected from the moment of birth.
This is the story of a woman who began motherhood merely going through the motions, hiding her disillusion and belief that her baby deserved better...until some of her own fans sent her into a deeper spiral than she’d ever experienced. Julia tells us about reaching her breaking point, and the steps she took to face her truth and begin her journey toward healing.
Postpartum Support International
Postpartum Anxiety
Julia Dzafic's Blog: Lemon Stripes
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please share with your pregnant and postpartum friends!
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from you and will strive to feature your questions and comments on upcoming shows.
You can sign up for online and in-person HypnoBirthing childbirth classes for pregnant couples taught by Cynthia Overgard, as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
#79 | Cynthia Mini: What is Medical Rhetoric?
Down to Birth
02/08/21 • 7 min
Medical Rhetoric involves language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often lacks sincerity or meaningful content. How can you tell when your obstetrician or medical provider is using rhetoric to persuade, discourage or manipulate you into going along with a particular course of action without first offering you any information or data that would be useful in your decision-making?
Share your stories of rhetoric with us @downtobirthshow on Instagram or at www.DownToBirthShow.com.
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If you enjoyed this episode of the Down To Birth Show, please subscribe and share with your pregnant and postpartum friends.
Between episodes, connect with us on Instagram @DownToBirthShow to see behind-the-scenes production clips and join the conversation by responding to our questions and polls related to pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood. You can reach us at [email protected] or call (802) 438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). We are always happy to hear from our listeners and appreciate questions for our monthly Q&A episodes. To join our monthly newsletter, text "downtobirth" to 22828.
You can sign up for Cynthia's HypnoBirthing classes as well as online breastfeeding classes and weekly postpartum support groups run by Cynthia & Trisha at HypnoBirthing of Connecticut.
Please remember we don’t provide medical advice, and to speak with your licensed medical provider related to all your healthcare matters. Thanks so much for joining in the conversation, and see you next week!
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
Hello everyone - it's your favorite day of the month, when we take your calls! As always, thank you for submitting your excellent questions to 802-438-3696 (802-GET-DOWN). Keep them rolling in! We love hearing from you.
Today, we kick things off with some of the hilarious comments and questions your husbands and partners have said during pregnancy and birth. Next, we dive into our questions beginning with one mom seeking guidance on how best to make mom friends after having a baby. Another listener asks if it is true that her friend needed to have a C-section because her abdominal muscles were too tight. The answer is no, but we brought on pelvic floor specialist, Tara Gibson, to explain why. Next, we give our opinion on the recommendation for a mother with type 1 diabetes to have twice-weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests starting at 32 weeks. Is having a velamentous cord insertion a reason for needing a C-section or induction?
In the extended version of today's episode, always available ad-free on Apple subscriptions and Patreon, we answer the controversial question about the necessity of Vitamin D drops for breastfed babies, followed by another listener's concern about her "big baby" needing hourly glucose checks, questions on glucose, weaning, and more.
Finally, we close with a round of quickies including a question on VBACs, weaning from breastfeeding, and at last, our "personal question" of the month: the last show we each binged!
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Down to Birth is sponsored by:
Needed -- Optimal nutritional products for before, during and after pregnancy
Modern Nursery--Your one-stop shop for eco-friendly, stylish baby gear
DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT today and receive a free sample kit.
Love Majka Products -- Support your milk supply.
Silverette Nursing Cups -- Soothe and heal sore nipples with 925 silver nursing cups.
Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
![Down to Birth - #296 | Extended Q&A: RhoGAM; Premature Rupture of Membranes; Meconium; Fevers Cord Traction; Vitamin D; Waterbirth & Cold Plunges [Season 3 Reprise]](https://storage.buzzsprout.com/1mg1x3rgevxa9hw5yje7n1jzb8fs?.avif)
Announcement: Between now and year-end, we will be releasing a 50/50 mixture of new episodes interspersed with old-favorites, due to the sudden loss of Cynthia's husband in November. We have a new episode coming next week, and will be back to our usual production schedule by New Year's. If you'd like to donate a gift to the GoFundMe that was set up for Cynthia and her family, you may do so here. Thank you to everyone for your beautiful messages, gifts and prayers.
Please keep an eye out for new content and an expanded Down to Birth platform on Patreon, including a new Community feature where listeners can post questions for us and each other. To join and gain instant access to our entire library of video content, go to our Patreon and sign up.
Onto the show:
For this December Q&A, we kick it off, with a follow-up conversation based on one listener's response to episode #188 on RhoGAM. Next, we jump into our questions discussing the actual risks of going past 24 hours or ruptured membranes without contractions and how you can mitigate those risks. We break down why meconium becomes more concerning after 42 weeks gestation and what those actual risks are. One mother who has the flu in the third trimester wonders if this is harmful to her baby and what she should do about it; another mom is curious if it is more helpful or hurtful to use assistance to birth her placenta and questions if a hep-lock or IV port is really necessary in labor. Furthermore, is vitamin D supplementation truly necessary for breastfed babies? Also, we discuss how to accurately calculate your due date based on your specific menstrual cycle, not the average cycle. We discuss delayed cord clamping and where to clamp the cord, two-vessel cords and the implications for induction and the safety of home-birth with midwives who have restricted access to emergency medications.
Additionally, we have a great quickies segment on pregnancy headaches, aging placentas, newborn rashes, breast changes in pregnancy, cold-plunging postpartum, water birth and infections and whether or not sleep training babies is really needed.
Remember you can hang with us twice a month during our interactive and educational livestream for our Patreon community members!
Thanks for joining us, and remember you can call our phone line with your questions 24/7 at 802-GET-DOWN. (That's 802-438-3696)
Connect with us on Patreon for our exclusive content.
Email [email protected]
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.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Down to Birth have?
Down to Birth currently has 302 episodes available.
What topics does Down to Birth cover?
The podcast is about Breastfeeding, Health & Fitness, Parenting, Kids & Family, Alternative Health, Maternity, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Podcasts, Newborn, Birth and Hypnobirthing.
What is the most popular episode on Down to Birth?
The episode title '#162 | May Q&A: Conversations with Your OB; Erythromycin; Mastitis; IUDs; Artificial Rupture of Membranes; Feeding Routines for Babies; Quickies!' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Down to Birth?
The average episode length on Down to Birth is 39 minutes.
How often are episodes of Down to Birth released?
Episodes of Down to Birth are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Down to Birth?
The first episode of Down to Birth was released on Dec 29, 2019.
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