Down to Birth
Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
<p>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.</p>
- 1 hour 17 seconds#356 | February Q&A: Tearing vs. Episiotomy, Decels, Posterior Babies, Pitocin, Premature Rupture of Membranes, High Palates, Oversupply
Welcome to the February Q&A! We begin with a brief reflection on a mother's need to find time for play (not with her children but for herself) and creativity during early parenthood, before diving into your questions. Today’s episode addresses a common pattern in maternity care: past birth experiences being used by providers to justify predetermined interventions in subsequent pregnancies.
One listener asked, do women need to get out of the tub for fetal heart rate decels, and is this based on policy or physiology? Is Pitocin given after heavy bleeding in a prior birth justifiable for routine use in a subsequent birth? Additionally, we explore the long-term impact of episiotomies and membrane sweeps performed without consent, and address myths about posterior (OP) babies and whether those conditions are mother-specific or unique to each pregnancy. Finally, we talk about water breaking before labor and how much time most women realistically have before intervention is generally recommended (and whether it is actually needed).
As always, we close with quickies, including our best beauty tips (no, it is not a product you can buy).
Thank you for the excellent questions. Call us anytime at 802-438-3696. That's 802-GET-DOWN! Oh, yeah, if you loved this episode, leave us a 5-star review, and thank you!
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
25 February 2026, 10:00 am - 43 minutes 43 seconds#355 | First Birth as a Teen, Next as a Woman: Samantha's Blissful Experience Even with Induction
In today's episode, mother of two, Samantha Collignon, joins us to share two very different birth experiences separated by thirteen years. She gave birth to her first baby at 18 with minimal support and limited understanding of her options. At 31, married and deeply informed, she approached birth with education, confidence, and a strong sense of autonomy, resulting in a profoundly different and blissful birth experience.
Samantha reflects on how age and life stage shaped the way she was perceived by medical providers, shares how IVF factored into decision-making during her second pregnancy, and why an induced labor can still be a everything you wished for in birth.
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
18 February 2026, 10:00 am - 55 minutes 23 seconds#354 | From Trauma to Trust: Moran's (@2lifedoula) Journey to Birth Work and Motherhood
In this episode, we talk to Moran of @2lifedoula, a doula whose journey into birth work was born from her own harrowing transition into motherhood. Moran candidly shares the story of her first birth—a clinical, disconnected experience where lack of preparation and resurfaced childhood trauma led to a "full-blown panic attack" and postpartum depression.
Knowing that wasn't how birth was meant to be, Moran transformed her approach for her subsequent birth, ultimately having a euphoric, spontaneous homebirth. This transformation sparked her 14-year career as a doula and inspired her new book, written for the woman she once was: unprepared, overwhelmed, and unaware of her own strength.
Moran explains why birth is a portal of transformation, regardless of the outcome, and offers a roadmap for women to heal and advocate for themselves, whether you are a first-time mother or a birth professional.
Birthing Without Trauma & Fear
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
11 February 2026, 10:00 am - 45 minutes 52 seconds#353 | No Stitches Required: Preventing & Healing Perineal Tears in Birth
Tearing is one of the most common fears around birth—and one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we talk about what really causes tearing, what the research shows, and what you can do to reduce your risk. We cover perineal massage, positions for birth, breathing and pacing, water birth, warm compresses, and what makes recovery smoother.
Through the episode, we review our followers' real-life "tearing" stories, and provide our commentary, which includes labial tears, scar tissue, pelvic floor recovery, over-stitching and unnecessary repairs, how beliefs and fear affect pushing, poor suturing techniques, the harm caused by routine episiotomies and the so-called, absolutely outrageous, “husband stitch”.
This is an honest, evidence-based conversation about the perineum—how to protect it, how to heal, and what every woman can know before giving birth.
Watch our full Preventing Perineal Tears workshop on Patreon.com/DownToBirthShow.
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
4 February 2026, 10:00 am - 1 hour 4 minutes#352 | January Q&A: Water Birth Myths, Breaking Waters, Cord Clamping in C-Sections, Fetal Monitoring, Wake Windows, Frozen Breastmilk
Welcome to our first monthly Q&A episode of Season 7!
In today's episode, we discuss why C-sections are sometimes framed as “prevention,” how fear around tearing, fetal monitoring, or cord concerns impacts clinical decision-making, and why breaking the bag of waters is still routine practice despite clear risks and limited benefit. We explain what delayed cord clamping looks like during a cesarean and why vague language like “misplaced cord insertion” can unknowingly lead to unnecessary intervention. Additionally, we talk about nursing while pregnant, early breastfeeding challenges, frozen breastmilk, feeding to sleep, and other common postpartum concerns. Lastly, Barbara Harper joins us to dispel the fear around water birth by explaining the exact physiology of newborn transition under the water.
As always, thanks for calling in with your questions. Call us anytime at 802-GET-DOWN (that's 802-438-3696).
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ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshowCall 802-GET-DOWN
Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
28 January 2026, 10:00 am - 47 minutes 57 seconds#351 | Inside A Difficult Breastfeeding Journey: Flat Nipples, Tongue Tie and Slow Weight Gain
In this episode, Jessica shares the breastfeeding journey she never expected. After a smooth birth at a birth center, feeding quickly became complicated: flat nipples, an early nipple shield, a missed first feeding window, a significant tongue tie, and a baby who grew increasingly sleepy and underweight. What followed was weeks of pumping, weighted feeds, donor milk, tongue-tie revision, and the ongoing effort to understand why breastfeeding wasn’t working despite doing everything “right.”
Jessica describes the emotional strain of those early weeks, from feeling inadequate to questioning her own anatomy, and the constant fear she was letting her daughter down. This conversation brings needed attention to the realities behind many breastfeeding challenges and the gaps that leave mothers without the support they need.
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
21 January 2026, 10:00 am - 34 minutes 15 seconds#350 | Breastfeeding Q&A: Nursing Boundaries with Toddlers; Breast Milkshake; Strong Let-Downs; Fast Flow; Oversupply; Vasospasm
In today’s breastfeeding Q&A, we take calls from mothers facing the challenges that often arise well beyond the newborn phase. We begin with a question about nursing an eighteen-month-old who lifts his mother’s shirt the moment she sits down, and what healthy boundaries can look like when a toddler is still deeply attached to nursing. From there, we address concerns about forceful letdowns, oversupply, pumping routines, and the role of pacifiers when feeding becomes overstimulating for the baby. We also take a call from a mother with a three-week-old who experiences gas and discomfort at the breast, and we discuss the differences between oversupply, fast flow, and the possibility of oral restrictions.
Today's conversation highlights how individual feeding dynamics are and why a tailored approach is always necessary.
Thank you for your thoughtful questions and for your continued support of the show. To submit your questions for a future episode, call our hotline at 802-438-3696, that's (802) GET-DOWN.
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
14 January 2026, 10:00 am - 1 hour 40 seconds#349 | The Supermom Complex: Trying to Do it All with Dr. Morgan MacDermott, NMD
Dr. Morgan MacDermott, NMD, a naturopathic medical doctor specializing in perinatal and postpartum health, joins us to explore why postpartum isn’t simply a recovery period—it’s a complete physiological and emotional transformation. We discuss why American culture celebrates productivity instead of rest, and the critical role of the “5-5-5 rule."
As the conversation unfolds, we move into the realities of early motherhood—how high-achieving women struggle with loss of control, the connection between personality type and postpartum mood disorders, and why relying on intuition matters more than parenting scripts, tracking apps, or “doing it right.” We also talk about the myth of the woman who can do it all, the importance of presence over perfection, and how stability—not constant stimulation—is what children remember and rely on most.
Together, we examine how modern mothers can reclaim postpartum and motherhood as a sacred and restorative experience, and how that same understanding can shape calmer, more confident parents -- and children -- in the years that follow.
Dr. Morgan MacDermott on Instagram
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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
7 January 2026, 10:00 am - 1 hour 13 minutes#348 | A New Year's Q&A Where We Talk About E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g
Welcome to our end-of-year Q&A episode! Settle in with your favorite drink and listen as we play listener voicemails from around the world. You'll hear us reflect on six years of podcasting together, while we share voicemails, questions, and stories as we close out the season and prepare for the new year.
We begin by addressing one of our posts that sparked an unexpectedly intense reaction online, and then get into an impassioned conversation on why postpartum life is never 50/50. We also share a personal client story about placenta previa, late-pregnancy ultrasounds, and an unnecessary cesarean narrowly avoided.
Prompted by one woman's considerate voice message, you'll also hear Cynthia reflect candidly on grief, resilience, and what this past year has taught her.
All bets are off for this episode, where we have spontaneous conversations from one topic to the next.
Thank you so very much for being a part of our community, and for listening, calling our phone line, supporting our work, and sharing our commitment to evidence-based conversations about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and motherhood. Season Seven begins next week with a very exciting year ahead!
Enjoy today's episode ad-free, and consider joining us for ad-free episodes all the time, for just $29.99 on Apple Podcasts.
Finally, as a special end-of-year invitation, we’d love to welcome you into our Patreon community. For a limited time, you can get 40% off an annual membership of any tier using the code WELCOME2027. Patreon supporters receive ad-free episodes, extended content, access to our book club, and our growing library of past workshops and live events. Joining Patreon is the most direct way to support the work we do, deepen your engagement with us and be part of the conversations that shape everything we create.
Thank you again for supporting Down to Birth and we'll see you next week for our first episode of Season Seven!
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Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshowCall 802-GET-DOWN
Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
31 December 2025, 10:00 am - 46 minutes 58 seconds#347 | When Doulas Face the Unthinkable: A Return Conversation with Dynamic Doulas
In today's episode, we reconnect with Sarah and Lara of Dynamic Doulas, who last joined us in Episode 196: The Toughest Part of Being a Doula. Three years later, we tackle the conversation that is in fact the toughest part of being a doula: Supporting women through the loss of a baby at birth.
Sarah and Lara return to talk to us about their recent experiences including when a baby dies or faces a severe adverse outcome. We move beyond business and birth plans and into the realities most childbirth education never mentions.
We talk about a stillbirth at 38 weeks, a shoulder dystocia at 42 weeks, an ambulance transfer during a home birth, and what happens to the doula’s mind and body afterward. We explore the ethical tension between educating clients toward physiological birth and supporting every decision they make, even when those decisions give the doula pause.
We also look at the limits of “evidence-based” care, why risk can never be reduced to zero, how to think about induction at 42 weeks, big babies, shoulder dystocia, and continuous fetal monitoring without slipping into fear or blind trust in the system. For pregnant women and birth workers alike, this conversation examines responsibility, intuition, and the space between over-medicalized birth and simplistic reassurance.
Sarah and Lara share how these losses changed their practice, how they now talk to clients about risk and responsibility, and what it truly means to “hold space” when the worst outcome occurs. We also talk about nervous system strain, how doulas know when they need a break from their work, and why no doula should have to process these experiences alone.
For women who are pregnant, this episode offers perspective on how rare events are understood by the people supporting you, and how to stay rooted in your own values, intuition, and sense of responsibility. For birth professionals, we discuss burnout, secondary trauma, why partnership matters so much in this work, and how a strong professional doula partnership can make the difference between quitting and continuing onward with new clients after witnessing a client's loss.
#196 | The Toughest Part of Being a Doula with the Dynamic Doulas of London, Ontario
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17 December 2025, 10:00 am - 43 minutes 36 seconds#346 | Your Breastfeeding Fears, Alleviated
Pregnant women often carry fears about breastfeeding long before their babies arrive — fears of pain, low supply, clogged ducts, or not knowing when to feed. After all, if breastfeeding is so natural, why do we keep hearing how hard it is? In this episode, Cynthia asks Trisha to address the most common concerns from the women in our community. We discuss why these fears are so prevalent, what’s actually normal, and how much of breastfeeding success depends on preparation, support, and confidence—not just luck.
If you are worried whether your body will make enough milk, how to know if your baby’s latch is correct, or whether your milk will “come in” at all, this conversation will leave you informed, grounded, and far more at ease about what’s to come. You, along with your baby, can absolutely know breastfeeding success.
Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.
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Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% offJoin Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshowCall 802-GET-DOWN
Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.
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