In this episode of Birthing Instincts, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in pregnancy.

Together they explore what lupus is, how it affects pregnancy, and what current evidence says about risks such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, stillbirth, and congenital heart block. 

Along the way, Stu revisits the decades-old Hadlock fetal growth curve and questions whether a single growth standard can accurately reflect diverse populations around the world. The conversation highlights the importance of individualized care, informed decision-making, and understanding risk without defaulting to fear-based management.

References:

Instagram Live with @Kristen_Nagle

Reclaiming Birth Gathering: reclaimingbirthconference.com

Made For Birth Podcast: Questioning The Standard of Maternity Care 

Discussed in This Episode

• What systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is and how it affects pregnancy

• Lupus flares, remission, and preconception planning

• Preeclampsia risk in women with lupus

• Hydroxychloroquine safety and use during pregnancy

• Antiphospholipid antibodies and pregnancy outcomes

• How lupus and preeclampsia can look similar

• The limitations of the Hadlock fetal growth curve

• Population differences in fetal growth and birth weight

• Why individualized care matters more than blanket recommendations

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week, Blyss and Stu welcome birth pioneer, author, filmmaker, and educator Suzanne Arms, one of the most influential voices in the natural birth movement of the last half-century.

Long before conversations about physiological birth, informed consent, and the over-medicalization of maternity care became mainstream, Suzanne was asking difficult questions. Her groundbreaking 1975 book *Immaculate Deception* challenged routine obstetrical practices and helped spark a movement that continues to influence birth professionals and families around the world.

In this fascinating and deeply personal conversation, Suzanne shares how her own traumatic birth experience and the birth of her daughter led her to investigate maternity care practices, interview women across the country, and ultimately write one of the most important birth books ever published.

This episode is part birth history lesson, part cultural critique, and part love letter to the women who have spent decades protecting physiological birth.

About Suzanne Arms:

Today on Birthing Instincts we're honored to welcome Suzanne Arms, one of the most influential voices in the natural birth movement of the last half century.

Suzanne is an author, filmmaker, educator, and advocate whose work has helped generations of parents and birth professionals rethink pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early bonding. She is perhaps best known for her groundbreaking book Immaculate Deception. Came out in 1975, which challenged many of the routine practices of modern maternity care, and became a catalyst for change in how birth is understood and supported. Over the decades, Suzanne has co-founded an early free-standing birth center, produced award-winning films about childbirth, and dedicated her life to exploring what she calls the primal period, the critical time from conception through a baby's first year.

Through her organization, Birthing the Future, she continues to champion the idea that how we care for mothers and babies shapes not only individual lives, but the future of our communities and culture. Suzanne's work has inspired countless midwives, doulas, physicians, educators, and families around the world.

Book: Immaculate deception: A new look at women and childbirth in America

Website: birthingthefuture.org

References:

Jennifer Margulis, Substack - The Valorous Vagina: Babies benefit from being born vaginally (moms do too)

The Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health (APPPAH) https://birthpsychology.com/

Pathways to Health pathwaystofamilywellness.org

ACOG Instagram: @acog_org

Discussed in This Episode

The origins of Suzanne Arms' groundbreaking book “Immaculate Deception”

The decline of midwifery and what was lost along the way

How birth practices influence bonding, breastfeeding, and early development

The role of fathers and partners in birth, then and now

Why home birth rates have declined despite growing awareness

The importance of understanding your own birth story

How fear shapes maternity care decisions

The connection between early life experiences, attachment, and culture

What Suzanne believes every pregnant woman should know today

The continuing fight to preserve physiological birth

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

What happens when a birth photographer picks up a camera and decides she can no longer stay silent?

This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss welcome Jacinta Lagos, an award-winning birth photographer, doula, filmmaker, and creator of the powerful new documentary, Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife.

Born and raised in Argentina, Jacinta grew up believing cesarean birth was simply "how babies were born." After immigrating to the United States and discovering the world of birth photography, she witnessed both the beauty of physiological birth and the realities of obstetric violence. Armed with a single camera, relentless determination, and a passion for storytelling, she set out to create a documentary that challenges the stories we've been told about birth.

Centered around the extraordinary work of global midwife Kristine Lauria, Allowed to Birth weaves together voices from around the world to explore the tension between physiology and policy, autonomy and authority, fear and trust.

Birth belongs to women. Stories preserve wisdom. And sometimes all it takes to change hearts and minds is one person willing to press record.

About Jacinta Lagos:

Jacinta is an Argentinian 40 year old, a mom of 3. She's married to the guy who got a job offer in the USA and decided to move in 2017. She has had a camera in hand since ever. Video and film has always been a passion of her, since she was a little girl. Back in Argentina, she had a successful business in the wedding videography industry, and when she moved to the states with 2 little kids, she decided to stop giving away all of her weekends to attend weddings. 

That was when she found out that birth documenting was a thing: in Argentina, that would be completely unheard of.

She started doing birth videography and photography in 2019, got her doula training in 2020 and has attended 200 births since. She has won many awards, she's been published and is considered one of the best birth documentarians in the world. She finds birth work to be her true calling in this life.

In 2024 started working on her first documentary feature film ""Allowed to birth: the journey of a global midwife"", which will come out at the end of the summer.

Website: allowedtobirth.com / jacintalagos.com

Instagram: @allowedtobirth / @jacintalagosbirthservices

Discussed in This Episode

Argentina's Cesarean Culture

The surprising origin story behind the documentary Allowed to Birth

The significance of the word "allowed" in maternity care

Birth Around the World: Perspectives beyond American maternity care.

The difference between hospital policy and patient rights

Kristine Lauria's impact as a teacher and global midwife

An award-winning documentary with one camera and determination

The Hidden Message About Female Obstetricians

Why documenting birth can become a powerful form of advocacy

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]

Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into the increasingly popular recommendation of inducing labor at 38 weeks for suspected “big babies”.

Prompted by a recent social media post from a prominent obstetric influencer, they examine two studies being used to justify earlier inductions for "big babies" and ask an important question: do the data actually support the conclusions being promoted?

Along the way, Blyss and Stu challenge listeners to look beyond headlines and social media summaries, examine how studies are designed, and consider whether interventions are being recommended based on meaningful risk reduction, or simply because they can be.

The episode emphasizes the importance of respecting nature's design, individualizing care, and helping families understand the difference between relative risk, absolute risk, and true informed choice.

References:

AJOG MFM Article: Induction at 38 weeks for large-for-gestational-age or macrosomic fetuses decreases the incidence of cesarean delivery: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

https://www.ajogmfm.org/article/S2589-9333(26)00008-X/fulltext

The Lancet Article: Induction of labour versus standard care to prevent shoulder

dystocia in fetuses suspected to be large for gestational age in the UK (the Big Baby trial): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial

https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2825%2900162-X

Birthing Instincts Podcast #431: "Hold Your Beer" It's Fetal Macrosomia Guidelines

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1MJg92Du4WLUn7P8ypPBVc?si=SJ6YtH6CRMKClgCDGdXXqw

Discussed in This Episode

Analysis of the BIG BABY Trial

Why statistical significance does not always equal clinical significance

What shoulder dystocia rates actually mean

Large-for-gestational-age (LGA) v true macrosomia

Accuracy limitations of estimated fetal weight

How labels like "big baby" often trigger cascades of intervention

Differences between physiologic birth and hospital management

What informed consent should actually look like when discussing risks

The often-overlooked downstream consequences of routine induction

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use  code INSTINCTS for 15% off
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

What happens when hospitals decide informed consent no longer applies to breech birth?

In this powerful and deeply important episode, Blyss and Stu welcome back attorney and birth rights advocate Hermine Hayes-Klein to unpack a landmark Oregon malpractice trial centered on coercion, informed consent, and the growing normalization of mandatory cesarean sections for breech babies.

This is not just a conversation about breech birth. It’s a conversation about power, coercion, medical culture, and whether women still have the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies during childbirth.

If you care about birth autonomy, informed consent, or preserving disappearing birth skills, this is an episode you cannot miss.

About Hermine Hayes-Klein:

Hermine Hayes-Klein, JD is an attorney and advocate for reproductive justice and human rights in pregnancy and childbirth. Hermine works on legal actions and advocacy projects related to preventable injury and informed consent violations in childbirth, and advocacy for access to midwives and doulas around the US and beyond. Hermine began her international advocacy for the recognition of human rights in childbirth when she was teaching law at The Hague University in The Hague, the Netherlands, in 2012, and organized 6 international conferences on that topic in the US, Europe, South Africa, and India. She has worked on many cases related to breech birth for both plaintiffs and defendants.

Website: https://fringeheals.com/

Instagram: @fringeheals

Blog: https://fringeheals.com/blogs/blog/tagged/womens-health.

Email: [email protected] 

References:

Realfoodology Podcast - Why So Many Women End Up With C-Sections: Birth Interventions Explained with Dr. Stuart Fischbein

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HChoFaUvAmmHsGMoCRvCp?si=LHN-gYRgS_OgE6f24W2qHA

CHD.TV segment with Stu NEEDED

Mentorship with Blyss:  wovenmoon.com

Elena Bridgers Substack: To Home Birth or Not to Home Birth?

https://elenabridgers.substack.com/p/to-home-birth-or-not-to-home-birth?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=l982r

Dr. Sara Wickham Instagram Post @drsarawickham

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPHRC0DPqg/?igsh=NmZwMHNpNGxiY2Vx

Discussed in This Episode

The dangerous misuse of the phrase “standard of care”

Why informed consent is a legal duty, not a physician preference

How hospital policies quietly override individualized care

The lasting trauma many women experience during cesareans and epidurals

The legacy and flaws of the infamous Term Breech Trial

Why bodily autonomy in childbirth matters now more than ever

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use  code INSTINCTS for 15% off
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week, Dr. Stu and Blyss break down a recent Substack article reviewing large studies comparing planned home birth and hospital birth for low-risk women. The data? Fewer interventions, lower C-section rates, fewer infections, less hemorrhage, and fewer severe tears with planned home birth. But as always, the conversation goes deeper, into absolute vs. relative risk, the infamous cascade of interventions, postpartum trauma, and why hospitals continue doubling down on systems that many families no longer trust.

Later in the episode, pelvic health physiotherapist and Fringe medical director Liz Frey joins the podcast for a fascinating discussion on pelvic floor dysfunction, postpartum recovery, menopause, prolapse, incontinence, breathing mechanics, and why so many women are told their symptoms are “normal” when they’re actually treatable. Liz also explains how red light, near-infrared, and blue light therapy may support healing, tissue health, pain relief, intimacy, and recovery through Fringe’s pelvic wand technology.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about birth, healing, autonomy, and what happens when women finally start getting the support they actually deserve.

About Liz Frey:

Liz is a clinic owner and practicing pelvic health physiotherapist. As an orthopaedic and pelvic health physiotherapist, Liz’s practice focuses on helping women navigate pregnancy, menopause, and everything in between.

Liz is always keen to explore and integrate evidence-based products into her pelvic health practice. Which led her to become the Women’s Health Medical Director at Fringe - a company that believes in helping people heal naturally.

Website: https://fringeheals.com/ Code birthinginstincts10 for 10% off

Instagram: @fringeheals

Blog: https://fringeheals.com/blogs/blog/tagged/womens-health.

Email: [email protected] 

References:

Realfoodology Podcast - Why So Many Women End Up With C-Sections: Birth Interventions Explained with Dr. Stuart Fischbein

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3HChoFaUvAmmHsGMoCRvCp?si=LHN-gYRgS_OgE6f24W2qHA

CHD.TV segment with Stu NEEDED

Mentorship with Blyss: wovenmoon.com

Elena Bridgers Substack: To Home Birth or Not to Home Birth?

https://elenabridgers.substack.com/p/to-home-birth-or-not-to-home-birth?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=l982r

Dr. Sara Wickham Instagram Post @drsarawickham

https://www.instagram.com/p/DYPHRC0DPqg/?igsh=NmZwMHNpNGxiY2Vx

Discussed in This Episode

Home birth vs. hospital birth outcomes

Relative risk vs. absolute risk in birth statistics

Hospital birth culture and liability-driven care

Pelvic floor dysfunction after birth

Incontinence, prolapse, and pelvic pain

Menopause and pelvic health

Breathwork and diaphragmatic function

Red light and blue light pelvic therapy

Pelvic floor physiotherapy explained

Why postpartum recovery deserves more attention

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

What happens when a medication designed to stop hemorrhage quietly starts creeping into routine birth care?

This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss take on TXA (tranexamic acid), what it is, when it actually makes sense, and why they’re increasingly concerned about how it’s being used in modern maternity care.

From postpartum hemorrhage protocols to the growing push for prophylactic use during cesareans and even BEFORE birth, this conversation digs into the science, the politics, and the unintended consequences nobody seems willing to talk about.

Along the way, they tackle the bigger issue underneath it all: Who gets to define “safe” birth care? Hospital systems? Bureaucrats? International organizations? Or the people actually attending births?

References:

Evidence Based Birth Podcast Episode 396 - Inequities in VBAC Access with Dr. Nicholas Rubashkin, MD, PhD

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ebb-396-inequities-in-vbac-access-with-dr-nicholas/id1334808138?i=1000764260687

Mom who sued the State of Nebraska in home birth case delivers baby

https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/mom-who-sued-the-state-of-nebraska-in-home-birth-case-delivers-baby/

Home births to resume after safety concerns

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/home-births-resumed-safety-concerns-183648374.html

Practice Bulletin No. 183: Postpartum Hemorrhage: https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/2017/10000/practice_bulletin_no__183__postpartum_hemorrhage.56.aspx

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum hemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28456509/

Efficacy of prophylactic tranexamic acid among parturient at increased risk for postpartum hemorrhage undergoing cesarean delivery: A systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41066405/

Discussed in This Episode

The Momnibus Act & the Future of Midwifery

TXA Enters the Midwifery World

What TXA Actually Does in the Body

The Evidence Behind TXA for Hemorrhage

Why Routine Prophylactic TXA Raises Concerns

Does TXA Cross the Placenta?

Four Ts of Postpartum Hemorrhage

Why Timing Matters in Hemorrhage Care

Defining “High Risk” in Birth

Use of Oral and Intermuscular TXA

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to lmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

In this week’s episode, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss sit down with Texas midwife Salli Gonzalez and attorney Octavia Martinez to unpack a case that should concern not only licensed midwives, but anyone with a license.

Together they discuss what happens when a midwife follows protocol, transfers appropriately, and still becomes the target?

What happens when unverified screenshots, incomplete records, and social media comments are used to justify suspending a license, without a trial?

And more importantly, what does this mean for the future of midwifery?

This conversation goes beyond the case of one midwife, and beyond what is happening in Texas. This is about the direction birth care is heading in the U.S and why we all need to pay attention.

About Salli:

My love of birth started with my own births, the first on in a typical hospital system, birthing in lithotomy in the OR in 1984. The second baby I chose a birth center and decided to take more control of my choices in birth. I gave birth in a birth center under my own terms, which included eating and drinking in labor, moving with the contractions instead of being tied to the bed with monitors, no IV and limited vaginal exams. This birth propelled me to want to share with the world that birth doesn’t have to be traumatic nor painful. I set out to educate the world, as I had four more babies at home, one of which included a breech birth under qualified hands.  

It’s been my life’s work to uphold birth as a normal and natural process of the female body. I’ve taken the steps to attend as many emergency skills preparedness workshops as I can as well as many breech and twin conferences as possible. I’ve also mentored and offered my assistance to newer midwives who are also interested in learning. We are always learning and renewing our skills in midwifery. Midwifery is the future of our country. Without midwifery the true nature of women’s autonomy will be lost. 

Instagram: @for_the_love_of_birth

GoFundMe: gofund.me/a54e40705

About Octavia:

Professional Background

A graduate of The University of Virginia and The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Octavia began her career in Phoenix. As a felony prosecutor and civil litigator, she handled high-stakes matters ranging from commercial trucking defense to complex medical malpractice.

Her time on the defense side — working alongside institutional defendants and their counsel — gave her an understanding of how those cases are built, where the vulnerabilities lie, and what separates the attorneys who win from the ones who simply file. She brought that knowledge with her when she crossed to the plaintiff's side.

The Move to Texas

Bringing this diverse experience to the Rio Grande Valley, Octavia expanded her practice to meet the border region's unique needs. Her scope grew to cover defamation, and specialized defense for medical providers, including physicians and midwives.

South Texas presented a client population that had historically been underserved by high-quality legal representation — complex multigenerational estates, a healthcare industry with its own licensing ecosystem, and individuals whose situations required an attorney willing to engage the full weight of the law on their behalf.

Launch of the Firm

Octavia later paused her legal career to focus on stewardship: homeschooling her children and managing her family's homestead farm. However, she reactivated her license to assist a client whose legal matters had stagnated under conventional representation. That crisis highlighted the urgent need for uncompromised advocacy, leading to the launch of Octavia LaVon Martinez PLLC.

Today, she has become a resource for clients who seek an alternative to the status quo — clients who have been failed by passive representation, whose matters are too complex for a generalist, or who simply need an attorney who will fight with the same conviction they feel about their own case.

Website: octaviamartinezlaw.com

X: @OctaviaLaVon

References:

Sham Peer Review: The Leave-of-Absence Trap

Expedited Motion for Hearing (PDF)

Facebook Post and Comments

Facebook Comment #2

Media Release: TDLR Suspends Midwife’s License Following Maternal and Infant Deaths

KLTV Texas midwife requests state to reinstate license amid death investigations

Support Salli: Defend Her Midwifery License gofund.me/a54e40705

Discussed in This Episode

Midwives under fire, and why this isn’t just a Texas problem

What actually happened in the case of Salli Gonzalez

When outcomes don’t have clear causes, who gets blamed?

The Legal Reality of what is happening

Social Media as “Evidence”?

Anonymous posts, cropped screenshots, and missing context

Why this case could affect doctors, lawyers, and beyond

Licensing doesn’t mean protection

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to lmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

This week’s podcast Blyss and Stu come to you with no guest and no single topic, just a “hodgepodge” of what’s been piling up in Dr. Stu’s mind attic.

From collapsing birth options and disappearing breech skills…to food, fear, and the quiet coercion baked into modern maternity care.

It may seem random, but there is a common thread here: Systems replacing skills, policy replacing autonomy, and women left navigating the fallout

References:

Fringe Red Light Therapy: Code BirthingInstincts10 for 10% off

ICAN 

Coalition for Breech Birth Coalition Facebook Group

CPT Maternity Care Services Codes and Guidelines | AMA

Leaked Kaiser email on Facebook

Reclaiming Birth Conference - https://www.reclaimingbirthconference.com/

Discussed in This Episode

Oregon moms left without hospital breech providers 

The dying art of vaginal breech delivery

The System That Forces You to Lie

Coercion Disguised as Care

Ultra-Processed Food & Pregnancy Outcomes

EMFs, Fertility & What No One’s Talking About

New AMA Obstetric Codes

Risks of VBAC with a T-Inscision

Risk of repeat uterine rupture

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• LMNT | Got to lmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

The 20-week anatomy scan has become a routine part of modern pregnancy, but is it truly essential, or just another layer of over-monitoring?

After receiving a listener question, Dr. Stu and Blyss dissect the purpose, limitations, and unintended consequences of the anatomy scan. From what providers are actually looking for, to why so many women walk away with more anxiety than answers, this episode challenges the assumption that more information always equals better outcomes.

At the end of the day, the real question isn’t can we look, it’s should we?

Additional References:

Birthing Instincts Podcasts:

Episode 446: Baby Aspirin For All??

Episode 459: Over-Monitoring & Outcomes, How Are We Doing & Who Benefits.

Episode 313: Comforting Truths About Low Lying Placentas

Episode 274: I Remember Every Detail

Pub Med Study: Therapeutic ultrasound as a potential male contraceptive: power, frequency and temperature required to deplete rat testes of meiotic cells and epididymides of sperm determined using a commercially available system

Cleveland Clinic: What to Expect at Your 20-Week Ultrasound (Anatomy Scan)

Discussed in This Episode

The many names of the anatomy scan (and what it’s supposed to do)

Ultrasound, anomaly scan, fetal survey—same test, very different interpretations

The 11 major conditions they look for vs. everything else that gets added on

How tiny measurements turn into weeks of stress and follow-ups

The rise of false positives and soft markers

Ultrasound-free pregnancy: radical or reasonable?

Why more testing keeps becoming the standard, regardless of outcomes

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order, or wenatal.com/birthinginstinctswnp for the new Protein + offer.
• LMNT | Got to lmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

What if the system you trust never did the science you assume it did?

In this explosive episode, Dr. Stu and Blyss sit down with Del Bigtree to pull back the curtain on vaccines, medical authority, and the institutions shaping maternal and pediatric care. From ACOG recommendations to the hidden realities behind “safe and effective,” this conversation challenges everything we’re told—and asks the question no one in mainstream medicine seems willing to ask.

This isn’t just about vaccines. It’s about power, profit, fear… and what happens when parents start saying no..

About Del:

Del Bigtree is one of the preeminent voices of the MAHA Movement. He was the Director of Communications for Robert Kennedy Jr’s 2024 presidential campaign, the founder and CEO of the non-profit, Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), and host of the internet talk show TheHighWire.com, boasting over 400 million views world-wide. A former Emmy winning producer of the CBS talk show The Doctors, and most recently Executive Producer of the film, An Inconvenient Study. Del’s multi-pronged approach incorporates media, legislative, and legal actions to expose the fraud, lies, and conflicts of interest that have allowed US regulatory agencies to collude with industry power brokers to evade standardized safety testing on products including vaccines, drugs, food, drinking water, and 5G. On behalf of American citizens, Del’s non-profit, ICAN, has submitted over one thousand Freedom Of Information Requests (FOIA) and has won multiple lawsuits against government agencies including HHS, NIH, FDA and the CDC. Most notable are the FDA case that forced the release of Pfizer’s Covid Vaccine trial data which the FDA had attempted to hide for 75 years, the CDC case that forced the release of the CDC’s V-Safe Covid Vaccine Injury data, and the State of Mississippi Case which reinstated the Religious Exemption from Vaccination which had been denied for over 30 years.

Instagram: @delbigtree

X: @delbigtree

Websites: https://thehighwire.com / https://icandecide.org

Documentary: An Inconvenient Study

Additional References:

Jennifer Margulis Substack: Breaking News in Delivery Rooms: More Parents Saying “No, Thank You” to Vaccines and Other Unnecessary Interventions

Documentary: Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe

The Inconvenient Study

Henry Ford Health Denounces Claim That System Suppressed Research, Cautions Against Dangerous Viral Disinformation and Misinformation

Book: Vax-Unvax: Let the Science Speak (Children’s Health Defense)

Discussed in This Episode

Inside ICAN, legal strategy, and the fight for transparency against federal agencies.

Who Controls the Vaccine Narrative? Follow the Money

Dr. Zervos Vaccinated v. Unvaccinated Study 

An Inconvenient Study—what happens when even insiders admit the science was never done.

Vaccinated v. Unvaccinated Study Results

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by

• WeNatal | Go to WeNatal.com/Birthinginstincts for a free magnesium with any subscription order, or wenatal.com/birthinginstinctswnp for the new Protein + offer.
• LMNT | Got to lmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
• Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
• Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
• Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss

• Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
• Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@birthingblyss
• Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com