Podcast · Kids & Family

Down to Birth

by Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig · English · Kids & Family

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

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 51 min
Latest: 7 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026 · 28 min

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

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 ...

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S7 · E387 · 1 Oct 2026 · 56 min
#387 | September Q&A: Home Birth Reactions, Miscarriage Prevention, Short Umbilical Cords, Stalled Pushing, Postpartum Anxiety, Tandem Breastfeeding
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...
S7 · E386 · 23 Sep 2026 · 42 min
#386 | Why Home Birth: A Father's Perspective on Choosing Birth Outside the System
When Marine Corps officer Jacob Dubois's wife, Madison, told him she wanted a home birth, he was skeptical. He assumed the hospital was the safest place to have a baby until he began asking questions, researching, and meeting midwives. That journey inspired Jacob to write Why Home Birth?, a book written for fathers who want to better understand birth and confidently support the women they love in chooseing birth outside of the medical system. In this conversation, we discuss why birth e...
S7 · E385 · 16 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 22 min
#385 | The Lindsay Clancy Case: Postpartum Psychosis or Psychiatric Drug Reaction? with Dr. Roger McFillin
The tragic case of Lindsay Clancy has ignited a national conversation about postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health, and criminal responsibility. Clinical psychologist Dr. Roger McFillin of The Radically Genuine Podcast believes a critical part of the story has been largely overlooked: the psychiatric care Lindsay received in the months leading up to what happened. Roger returns to Down to Birth to examine Lindsay’s medical history, severe sleep deprivation, reported reactions to psychia...
S7 · E384 · 9 Sep 2026 · 42 min
#384 | Military Maternity Care in Sicily: Tara’s Birth Story
Tara was pregnant and stationed with her husband in Sicily, where military rules required her to give birth at the naval hospital on base. What followed was a birth marked by pressure, fear-based counseling, an induction she did not want, repeated talk of a C-section, and a series of interventions that often seemed to create more questions than answers. In this episode, Tara shares how late fetal heart rate decelerations led her care team to tell her that refusing induction could result...
S7 · E383 · 2 Sep 2026 · 37 min
#383 | A Second Home Birth: Vocalizing, Instinct & Skilled Support
Birth doula and mother of two Carson Meyer joins us to share the story of her second home birth and the very different emotions that came with approaching birth after such a positive first experience. Carson talks about the anxiety she carried in the final weeks of pregnancy, the problem with predicting when labor will begin, and her persistent worry that her midwife might not make it to the birth. We also discuss what it means to feel safe enough to be completely uninhibited in labor, why so...
S7 · E382 · 26 Aug 2026 · 52 min
#382 | August Q&A: Prodromal Labor, Breastfeeding vs. Formula Guilt, Two-Vessel Cords, When Epidurals Help, Kids at Home Births, Intrusive Thoughts
Welcome to the August Q&A! Today we kick things off with your answers to the question, “What’s one thing that happened during your birth that no one prepared you for?” From 53-hour labors and projectile vomiting to postpartum shakes, swollen labia, running out of hot water during a home birth, and yes, pooping in labor, you had a lot to say. Then we get into your questions. One mother experienced nearly identical prodromal labors with both of her babies, never dilating beyond five centime...
S7 · E381 · 19 Aug 2026 · 49 min
#381 | The Chemicals You're Wearing Every Day with The Clean Clothing Chick, Hannah Dunning
Clothing is one of the most overlooked sources of chemical exposure in modern life, and it sits on our skin all day, every day, literally from birth until death. In this episode, we’re talking with Hannah Dunning, The Clean Clothing Chick, about what no one is regulating, no one is disclosing, and very few are questioning: the chemicals in our clothes and textiles. Many of these chemicals are believed to act like estrogen in the body, binding to receptors and interfering with normal signaling...
S7 · E380 · 12 Aug 2026 · 54 min
#380 | Henci Goer on Taking Charge of Your Birth
More than twenty years ago, Henci Goer's renowned book, The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, profoundly shaped Cynthia's understanding of pregnancy and birth, setting her on the path that eventually led to her own natural births and a career in birth education and client advocacy. In this special conversation, we sit down with the author herself, now one of the most influential voices in evidence-based maternity care. Today, we discuss Henci's newest book, Taking Charge of Your Birth...
S7 · E379 · 5 Aug 2026 · 40 min
#379 | When Birth Gets Complicated: The Midwifery Difference for a Mom of Four
When complications arise during pregnancy or birth, many women assume their birth plans are over. But does it have to be that way? In this episode, we're joined by Catey, a mother of four whose pregnancies and births included severe preeclampsia, inductions, postpartum hemorrhages, postpartum depression, thyroid disease, infertility, and a hospital transfer. Despite these serious complications, every one of her births was planned under the care of certified nurse-midwives. Catey shares how he...
S7 · E378 · 29 Jul 2026 · 59 min
#378 | July Q&A: Parenting Styles, Mom Hobbies, What's "High Risk" Anyway, Third Labors, Manifesting Your Best Birth, Cytotec in Home Birth
Heads up, all! If you'd like to learn more about our parenting conversation, join our Patreon event: Parenting without Reward & Punishment ********** This week’s Q&A begins with a conversation that struck a chord with our community: why mothers need creativity, hobbies, and joy, and sharing inspiring stories from postpartum women who rediscovered parts of themselves through music, art, and new passions. We also dive into an impassioned discussion about parenting values, including the ...
S7 · E377 · 22 Jul 2026 · 1 hr
#377 | Protecting Your Baby From EMFs: Practical Ways to Reduce Exposure
In today's episode, we invited back Thaddeus Owen and Heidi Syme of DreamWalkerz, this time focusing on electromagnetic fields (EMFs), wireless technology, and the growing questions many families have about how modern environments can affect health. We discuss the difference between naturally occurring and man-made electromagnetic fields, the research that has fueled concern about wireless technologies, and why this topic has become increasingly relevant as our homes fill with Wi-Fi networks,...
S7 · E376 · 15 Jul 2026 · 47 min
#376 | July Breastfeeding Q&A: Sore Nipples, Breastfeeding Instincts, DMER, Low Blood Sugar in Infants and Tandem Feeding
Welcome to our July Breastfeeding Q&A episode! We open with a conversation about what surprised women most about breastfeeding (for better or worse) after all the things they'd heard from others, from pain and emotional shifts to supply, pumping, and expectations that didn’t match reality. Additionally, we answer the following questions: I’m pregnant and still breastfeeding my toddler. What should I know about tandem nursing, and how do I prioritize a newborn without creating oversupply? ...
S7 · E375 · 8 Jul 2026 · 53 min
#375 | Making Sense of Everyday Toxin Exposure with Kale Blossom
In today’s episode, we talk with Carly and Rachel of Kale Blossom about environmental toxins, what matters when it comes to everyday exposure, and how mothers can make thoughtful changes without getting pulled into fear-based messaging. The conversation around “low-tox living” can quickly become overwhelming, especially during pregnancy and early motherhood, when concern for your baby is understandably high. We wanted to cut through the noise and ask a more useful question: where does reducin...
S7 · E374 · 1 Jul 2026 · 47 min
#374 | Fibroids in Pregnancy: IUGR, Induction, Hemorrhage, and a Life-Saving Birth
In today’s episode, Cassidy Peck shares a birth story shaped by large fibroids, a late IUGR diagnosis, low amniotic fluid, and a postpartum emergency that nearly cost her life. After years of debilitating periods and a delayed fibroid diagnosis, Cassidy conceived naturally and planned a home birth with an experienced midwife. Her pregnancy was largely uncomplicated until late third trimester, when concerns about fetal growth and fluid levels led to induction at 37 weeks. What followed was an ...
S7 · E373 · 24 Jun 2026 · 54 min
#373 | June Q&A: VBAC Labeling, Big Baby Ultrasounds, In-Law Matters & Labor Questions
In today's episode we reference the following resources: Should I be induced? Evidence on the ARRIVE Trial Planning Your Successful VBAC ********** Welcome to the June Q&A! In today's episode, we begin with a listener who has some things to say about the term VBAC. Our questions begin with one from a new mother whose enthusiastic in-laws are eager to babysit her exclusively breastfed baby. The conversation is less about breastfeeding and more about expectations, trust and boundaries...
S7 · E372 · 17 Jun 2026 · 48 min
#372 | The First Meal: Colostrum, Formula, and Newborn Gut Health with Dr. Rhonda Trust, PhD
Most parents have heard that breastfeeding is beneficial. What far fewer understand is why those first feedings matter so much, what colostrum does beyond nutrition, and how early feeding choices shape the gut microbiome, immune system, and long-term health. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Rhonda Trust, PhD, registered dietitian, professor of health communication, and longtime breastfeeding educator, for a conversation about newborn gut health, colostrum, skin-to-skin contact, formula supplementat...
S7 · E371 · 10 Jun 2026 · 54 min
#371 | Mothers in the Birth Space: Should You Have Her There? How Women Decide.
In today’s episode, we take on a question many women think about but don’t always say out loud: should your mother be at your birth? We share listener voicemails from women who made very different choices. Some had their mothers in the room, some kept them close by but not present for the birth, and others chose not to include them at all. It’s a candid, interesting conversation that gets into what shapes that decision and why it can feel more complicated than you might expect, even in close,...
S7 · E370 · 3 Jun 2026 · 39 min
#370 | 43-Week Pregnancy: Jessica and Aaron Researched, Prayed, and Waited
In today's episode, we sat with Ontario couple Jessica and Aaron, who share the birth story of their first child. Jessica's pregnancy included several key decision points, including whether to accept RhoGAM and how to approach care and manage the expectations of their loved ones as they moved well past their due date -- nearly 3 weeks past! They describe how they evaluated risk, navigated recommendations, and remained aligned as a couple under increasing pressure, while working with a midwife...
S7 · E369 · 27 May 2026 · 51 min
#369 | May Q&A: Postpartum Hemorrhage, RhoGAM, Family Boundaries, Induction, and Placenta Previa
Happy Spring! And welcome to the May Q&A! We start with a listener email we loved, followed by a discussion on creativity and why it matters, especially in the early years of motherhood when it can feel completely out of reach. Then we get into your questions. We talk about postpartum hemorrhage and how it’s defined, including whether 500 cc of blood loss is truly cause for concern, and the use of Pitocin and Cytotec in that context, particularly for VBAC mothers. We also revisit RhoGAM a...
S7 · E368 · 20 May 2026 · 43 min
#368 | Kristina's Vaginal Breech Birth at the Eleventh Hour
In today's episode, Kristina shares her breech birth story following a long journey marked by cycle irregularities, miscarriage, and difficulty conceiving. At 40 weeks, she learned that her baby was breech and was scheduled for a C-section, despite having been told throughout pregnancy that the baby was head down. Unwilling to move forward with surgery, Kristina sought out an alternative and ultimately found a physician in Connecticut willing to support a hospital-based vaginal breech birth. ...
S7 · E367 · 13 May 2026 · 52 min
#367 | Your VBAC Questions Answered by The First Woman to Have One, Nancy Wainer
In today’s episode, Cynthia and Trisha are joined once again by Nancy Wainer, award-winning author, longtime home birth midwife, and the woman who coined the term VBAC in her 1980s book Silent Knife. With decades of experience supporting women through vaginal birth after cesarean, Nancy brings clarity to a conversation that is shaped by fear, false information, and shifting medical standards. This episode is part free-flowing conversation and part Q&A, where we take listener questions and...
S7 · E366 · 6 May 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
#366 | Full-Term Stillbirth at 39 Weeks: Penelope's Story
In today's episode, we speak with Stephanie about her stillborn daughter, Penelope, who arrived at 39 weeks and 6 days. After two healthy births and a completely uneventful third pregnancy, Stephanie found herself facing the unthinkable: an awareness of no fetal movement, confirmed by a silent Doppler and finally a hospital ultrasound. What followed was labor induction, birth, and the impossibility of leaving the hospital without her baby, riding home with her innocently cheerful toddlers in ...
S7 · E365 · 29 Apr 2026 · 54 min
#365 | April Q&A: Best Age to Have Children, Precipitous Labor, Pushing and Tearing, Pregnancy Weight Gain, Water Birth Myths
Welcome to the April Q&A with Cynthia and Trisha! Today, we begin with a conversation about one of the most personal questions women face: is there a best age to have children? We talk about the pressures around timing, fertility, career, and spacing, and why this is one of those decisions that depends entirely on the individual woman, her life, and what feels right to her. Next, we get into your questions, starting with a mother who experienced a very fast labor and wants to know if prec...
S7 · E364 · 22 Apr 2026 · 46 min
#364 | When Co-Sleeping Gets Complicated: Weaning, Toddlers, and Sleep Transitions with Tiffany Belanger
Today, we talk with Tiffany Belanger of @cosleepy about some of the challenges that may arise for co-sleeping families, whether you're trying to reduce night feeds, prepare for another baby, or simply want your bed back. We discuss how these transitions often unfold, including moving a child into a crib or floor bed, and why the experience can look completely different from one family to the next, depending on lifestyle, a child’s temperament, and the parents' mental and emotional states, lik...
S7 · E363 · 15 Apr 2026 · 48 min
#363 | Breastfeeding Q&A: Chemical Pregnancy, Night Weaning, Oversupply, Mild Tongue Ties
We are back with another breastfeeding-only Q&A episode. In today's conversation, we respond to several listener questions related to nursing, sleep, and fertility after breastfeeding. One mother who is co-sleeping with her 15-month-old, who wakes three to five times per night to nurse, asks how she can help her toddler sleep longer stretches without abruptly stopping breastfeeding. Another listener with a 4.5-month-old who has never taken a bottle is planning to attend a bachelorette par...
S7 · E362 · 8 Apr 2026 · 48 min
#362 | Birth Trauma to Redemptive Birth: Holly's Birth and Breastfeeding Stories
In today's episode, one of Trisha's clients, Holly, shares the story of two very different births and two equally different breastfeeding experiences, and what shifted between them. Her first labor began spontaneously but ended with a vacuum delivery, and the demoralizing message that her “pushes weren’t productive.” Breastfeeding was just as difficult, leading to a year of mostly exclusive pumping and undiagnosed postpartum anxiety. Four years later, she approached birth with rea...
S7 · E361 · 1 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 8 min
#361 | Is Water Birth Dangerous? Barbara Harper Debunks Fallacies
Water birth has long been controversial, but more recently, a wave of claims has emerged from the natural birth community that water birth is dangerous for babies and disruptive to the physiologic process of birth. In this episode, we sit down with midwife Barbara Harper, the world's leading expert on water birth and founder of Waterbirth International, to explain the preponderance of evidence supporting the safety of water birth and to dispel circulating fallacies. We talk about the idea tha...
S7 · E360 · 25 Mar 2026 · 54 min
#360 | March Q&A: Wild Pregnancy Comments, Tipsy Family Member at Home Birth, Repeat Shoulder Dystocia, Pregnancy Irritability and More
Welcome to the March Q&A! We begin today’s episode with a conversation about the strange, intrusive, and sometimes downright insulting comments women receive in public while pregnant. We also share a listener story about a home birth that took an unexpected turn when a woman’s mother, meant to support her during labor, ended up creating some chaos after drinking too much wine. Next, we address feeling unusually irritable toward an older child during pregnancy, what to consider after exper...
S7 · E359 · 18 Mar 2026 · 48 min
#359 | When VBAC Comes with Medical Assault: Abby's Birth Story
In this episode, Abby shares her VBAC birth story following an emergency cesarean. Determined to experience a vaginal birth, she prepared carefully while navigating limited provider options in Alabama. What unfolded during labor and delivery underscores how provider behavior, rather than maternal physiology, often determines birth outcomes. Abby describes how a manual vaginal extraction caused a nearly catastrophic fourth-degree tear, requiring three subsequent surgeries in the months that fo...

About Down to Birth

Down to Birth is a English kids & family podcast from Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig
Language: English
Category: Kids & Family
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 51 min
Latest episode: 7 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1493130920

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