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PODCAST

Down to Birth

Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig

Join Cynthia Overgard and Trisha Ludwig once per week for evidence-based straight talk on pregnancy, birth and postpartum --- beyond the clichés and beyond the system. With 40 years" combined experience in midwifery, childbirth education and advocacy, publishing, research and postpartum care, we"ve guided thousands of families toward safer, more empowered choices. Down to Birth is all about safe childbirth, while recognizing a safe outcome isn"t all that matters. We challenge the status quo, explore

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All Episodes

73:43

#357 | Back to Basics: Birth Planning 2.0

Down to Birth ·

2026/03/04

Six seasons later, we are revisiting one of our first episodes of this podcast: Using evidence-based care to plan your birth. Much of what happens in labor is presented as standard, routine, or unavoidable—but that doesn’t mean it’s evidence-based. Birth care hasn’t become more complex because women need more intervention. It’s become more complex because intervention has become the default. If you’ve ever wondered whether what’s happening in labor is truly backed by research—or simply ...

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60:55

#356 | February Q&A: Tearing vs. Episiotomy, Decels,...

Down to Birth ·

2026/02/25

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 th...

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43:43

#355 | First Birth as a Teen, Next as a Woman:...

Down to Birth ·

2026/02/18

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 perce...

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57:00

#354 | From Trauma to Trust: Moran's (@2lifedoula)...

Down to Birth ·

2026/02/11

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, spontane...

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46:06

#353 | No Stitches Required: Preventing & Healing...

Down to Birth ·

2026/02/04

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, pelvi...

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65:29

#352 | January Q&A: Water Birth Myths, Breaking...

Down to Birth ·

2026/01/28

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 i...

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47:57

#351 | Inside A Difficult Breastfeeding Journey: Flat...

Down to Birth ·

2026/01/21

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.” Je...

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35:06

#350 | Breastfeeding Q&A: Nursing Boundaries with...

Down to Birth ·

2026/01/14

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 th...

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62:53

#349 | The Supermom Complex: Trying to Do it All with...

Down to Birth ·

2026/01/07

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 connec...

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74:37

#348 | A New Year's Q&A Where We Talk About...

Down to Birth ·

2025/12/31

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...

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48:08

#347 | When Doulas Face the Unthinkable: A Return...

Down to Birth ·

2025/12/17

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...

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44:45

#346 | Your Breastfeeding Fears, Alleviated

Down to Birth ·

2025/12/10

Send us a text 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, suppo...

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42:24

#345 | "There's Nothing More We Can Do": Two Birth...

Down to Birth ·

2025/12/03

Send us a text Midwife and mother of two, Sophia Henderson, host of the Born Wild podcast, joins us to tell the story of her children’s births – and how a chiropractor may have saved her newborn daughter’s life. In her first pregnancy, Sophia navigated weeks of unexplained bleeding, chose home birth as a student midwife, and after giving birth learned her son had no anal opening and would ultimately be diagnosed with VACTERL association. She describes what it means to care for a medically com...

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69:20

#344 | November Q&A: Birth Partners, Postpartum Rage,...

Down to Birth ·

2025/11/26

Send us a text Welcome to the November Q&A! Today, we start with a topic that always stirs strong feelings—birth partners. From the gestures that truly helped to the ones that fell short, we chat about your experiences of your partner's support, presence, connection or not. Next, we respond to an emotional call for help from a sleep-deprived and emotionally exhausted mother whose husband threatens to call the cops on her for how she handled an overwhelming moment with her toddler. T...

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47:23

#343 | Rest Assured: Your Instincts are Right About...

Down to Birth ·

2025/11/19

Send us a text When it comes to infant sleep, few topics are more misunderstood—or more burdened by cultural myths—than the expectation that babies should “sleep through the night.” Pediatric sleep and development specialist and author of Rest Assured: The Heart and Science of Nurturing Baby Sleep, Louise Herbert, joins us to explain what’s really happening in a baby’s body and brain during sleep. Louise breaks down the biology of circadian rhythms, sleep pressure, and night wakings—clarifyin...

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45:16

#342 | Inducing Labor Naturally: Proven Methods for...

Down to Birth ·

2025/11/12

Send us a text After six seasons, we’re finally doing it—we’re talking about how to get down to birth. As your "due date" approaches, many women find themselves up against policies, deadlines, and pressure to accept a medical induction. But what if other ways actually work? Today, we explore all the safe, risk-free, and surprisingly enjoyable ways to support your body as it prepares for labor and to help get things going when the pressure is on. Some are physical, some are emotional, and yes—...

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47:39

#341 | Genitourinary Syndrome of Lactation: How...

Down to Birth ·

2025/11/05

Send us a text After birth, many women are left blindsided by physical changes they never expected. Vaginal dryness, painful sex, recurring UTIs, and even emotional strain can all show up during breastfeeding — but most mothers are never told why. In this episode, we sit down with Sara Perelmuter, a third-year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Sara currently serves as president of the Sexual Medicine Research Team and has authored numerous peer-reviewed public...

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51:30

#340 | October Q&A: Pushing "Wrong," Laboring Down,...

Down to Birth ·

2025/10/29

Send us a text Welcome to the October Q&A episode! We kick things off with a few confessions from our community (and one from us!) before diving into your thoughtful questions on pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Today’s questions include: Is it safe if you pee in the birth tub? How can you afford a home birth when money is tight? What does it mean to “push wrong” in labor, and how does the Ferguson reflex really work? We also discuss the fear of postpartum rage returning in a subsequent ...

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50:09

#339 | Pitocin Without An Epidural Plus An...

Down to Birth ·

2025/10/22

Send us a text Emily shares two unforgettable and very different birth stories: an unmedicated hospital induction with Pitocin, and an unplanned free birth at home. In her first birth, she transferred late in pregnancy under New Hampshire’s “two high readings” rule for blood pressure. With a Foley balloon, Cervidil, and the lowest possible Pitocin drip, she labored quietly on all fours, declined unnecessary interventions, and delivered under the fetal ejection reflex—so calmly that all the nu...

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41:53

#338 | Breastfeeding Q&A: How to Night Wean, Delayed...

Down to Birth ·

2025/10/15

Send us a text Welcome to another Breastfeeding Q&A episode. Today, we start with a conversation on how to night wean and your personal experiences with what worked best. For today's questions, Trisha responds to: How child-led weaning works at 14 months, 18 months, and 2 years oldNursing strikes at 6 months — why they happen and how to respondNight weaning tips: gentle strategies without losing daytime breastfeedingWhy milk supply sometimes doesn’t come in (and hospital factors th...

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