Birthing Instincts

Latest Episodes:

#280 The Truth About Non-Experts Who Criticize Home Birth Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

Fellow travelers ask Dr. Stu to comment on a popular Social Media influencer's video. Dumb Doctor Dogma is everywhere, and Blyss and Dr. Stu are here to break down the fallacies in arguments made by non-experts on home birth. They also talk about the lack of acknowledgment of midwives’ credentials, how birth is not inherently a dangerous experience for low-risk moms, and why we should not equate the level of training with quality of care.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

Pervasive bias for doctors over midwives
Prevalence of personal bias in papers & poorly controlled research
Fallacious arguments on home birth by non-experts
Why level of training does not equal quality of care
Dr. Stu’s travels in Yellowstone & the Tetons

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Resources:

The Highwire with Del Bigtree: SEPTIC SCIENCE
ZDoggMD: The Truth About Home Birth w/Dr. Blair Duddy | Incident Report 225
Against the Wind with Dr. Paul: EPISODE 067
Article: Maternal Healthcare Panel

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#279 Nourishing The Feminine with John Wineland Oct 05, 2022

Show notes

Modern men face a crisis of masculinity. This week, we are joined by Blyss’ brother and author John Wineland to discuss a new masculine paradigm and ways to nurture intimacy and connection. So often couples have challenges in their relationships after having a baby, and through John’s healthy intimacy framework, he helps them baby-proof their relationships. He teaches embodiment practices that individuals, couples, and birth workers can use to know what will impact the moment — what will nourish someone’s heart and body.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

How to baby-proof your marriage
Using embodiment work to connect with others
Tuning into what your partner needs & cultivating sexual polarity
How the masculine vs. feminine refill their cups
Ways men have been misled about what masculinity is
Breaking down ‘the masculine’ as consciousness
The loss of both John and Blyss’ daughters

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Connect with John:

Website: johnwineland.com
Instagram: @john_wineland
Book: From the Core: A New Masculine Paradigm for Leading with Love, Living Your Truth, and Healing the World

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#278 Red Flags When Choosing a Practitioner with Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

The Down to Birth Podcast team, Cynthia Overgard & Trisha Ludwig, join Blyss and Dr. Stu to talk about red flags when seeking a practitioner so you can feel empowered to make the best choice for your pregnancy and birthing experience. They also discuss a high-profile mom’s birthing story, unpacking the hospital tyranny she experienced and her call for change.

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Cynthia’s Bio:

Cynthia Overgard is the founder of HypnoBirthing of Connecticut. In addition to producing the podcast, Down to Birth, Cynthia teaches live, interactive online classes and workshops on a regular monthly basis and runs a weekly postpartum support group. After experiencing her own beautiful and empowered water-birth to her 8 lb 14 oz son in 2005 and later to her 9 lb 7 oz daughter in 2009, Cynthia resigned from a fulfilling corporate career at MasterCard and as an adjunct Professor of Finance of ten years at University of Connecticut to transition into the field of prenatal education and advocacy. She is an expert in HypnoBirthing and is trained in Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders through Postpartum Support International.

Trisha’s Bio:

Trisha Ludwig is a Certified Nurse-Midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant with a Master’s degree from Yale School of Nursing. After practicing as a homebirth midwife, she started a holistic gynecology and women’s health practice, which she ran for 10 years. She is passionate about supporting and optimizing women’s transitions through major shifts such as pregnancy, postpartum, peri-menopause, and menopause. She believes in treating health issues on the physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

Hospital tyranny: Candace Owens’ birth story
A practitioner’s protocol for due dates
Being mindful of the language a practitioner uses
Routine use of vaginal examines in labor
Why appointment wait times matter
Inaccuracies about placentas aging, failing, or thinning
How women benefit from eating & drinking in labor
Freedom of movement & different positions for giving birth

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Resources:

Candance Owen’s Podcast: My Birth Story - Why The Hospital Threatened to Send CPS and Charge Me with a Misdemeanor

Connect with Cynthia & Trisha:

Instagram: @downtobirthshow / @trishaoludwig / @cynthiaovergard
Podcast: Down to Birth
Cynthia’s website: HypnoBirthingCT.com

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#277 The Light & Dark of Birth Work Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

In today's podcast, Blyss & Dr. Stu share wisdom through stories of loss and wonder. Blyss vulnerably and openly shares about the death of her daughter and the ways her unimaginable loss has deepened her ability to hold space for others. This episode is filled with the joy, beauty, trauma, and pain that comes with birth work, and ultimately, life.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

Blyss’s birth story of the week
When healthcare providers threaten you with CPS
What to know about violations of California law
Twin birthing stories
Blyss vulnerably shares about the loss of her daughter
Birth workers: holding space for the dark & light
Not letting fear run your life

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Resources:

Article: Creating More Questions Than Answers
Checkout ARRIVE Trial

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#276 RhoGAM + Rh Factor Explained Sep 14, 2022

Show notes

After sharing a couple of listener stories, Dr. Stu and Blyss unpack Dr. Sara Wickham’s book on Anti-D, RhoGAM, and Rh factor. They dive into the implications of routinely giving RhoGAM to all Rh-negative pregnant women, and how there is a lack of research trials and data on RhoGAM. You may get aggravated, you may get p*ssed, but as always, Dr. Stu and Blyss are here to provide informed consent and empower you to choose what’s best for your family.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

Listener stories: “held hostage at the hospital” & breech maneuvers
California’s recent bill: punishing doctors for spreading “false information”
How Anti-D is a medicine made from blood
Tests to consider before receiving RhoGAM
4 key side effects of RhoGAM
The lack of current research & safety data on RhoGAM

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Resources:

Book: Anti-D Explained by Dr. Sara Wickham 2021
Electric bike: lectricebikes.com

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#275 What's the Evidence on Herpes in Pregnancy? Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

Given that modern medicine is more akin to a hamster wheel void of intuition than an industry that’s committed to learning and designed to help people, the thought of battling it can quickly become overwhelming. Today, Dr. Stu & Blyss continue to critique policy-makers, as well as pop-culture’s latest depiction of breech birth. The balance is restored by some incredibly uplifting birth stories from listeners that remind us that it is indeed possible to make a difference in this world, one birth at a time. Dr. Stu also shares some recent studies about herpes during pregnancy and makes his latest recommendations for mothers with the virus.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

An incredible parking lot breech delivery story guided by an avid “Birthing Instincts” listener
Pondering the latest CDC recommendations
Responding to Dr. Alrahmani’s IG post condemning home birth
Tips for women who are Herpes positive and pregnant

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Resources:

ACOG Practice Bulletin #220 (May, 2020): Lakewood doctor gives moms happier birth options at Trū Birth Center
Bridge Midwives Website: bridgemidwives.com

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#274 I Remember Every Detail Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

Today on the show, Dr. Stu and Blyss are joined by their former patient and good friend, Desiree Doan. Desiree shares the details of all three of her birth stories: A hospital transfer, a successful VBAC, and how she navigated placenta accreta spectrum or, as Desi says, “That time my placenta went wild!”. Her story of self-advocacy is both awe-inspiring and informative…It’s amazing what a determined baby and mother are capable of accomplishing.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

The Physicians for Informed Consent lawsuit against the Medical Board of California
The contrast between Desiree’s first two birth stories
What happened with Desiree’s placenta during her third pregnancy?
Some alarming statistics on the historical prevalence of Placenta accreta spectrum

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Doctors Mentioned:

Connect with Desiree:

Instagram: @foxandthetravelinggypsy
Email: barnesdesiree@yahoo.com

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#273 What We Say and The Way We Say It Aug 24, 2022

Show notes

Blyss and Stu host Julie Hewett, a Clinical Psychologist and mother of two based in Santa Monica. Julie is passionate about helping people who have felt silenced to empower their voices to be heard. This took on very personal meaning to her this past year when she struggled with a fear-based medical system to deliver her breech baby on her own terms. Blyss, Stu, and Julie share their sympathies for those subjected to the broken medical system and strive to empower patients to demand the care they deserve.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

Unpacking the birth culture in Santa Barbara
Questions to ask your birth care provider (early on)
The placenta birthing process
Julie’s experience with the medical system
Critiquing medical professionals’ note-taking process
Dealing with your own trauma as a trauma-informed professional
The psychosocial problems at the root of many of our cultural systems

This show is supported by:

LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Connect with Julie:

Instagram: @psykodrjulie
Website: drjuliehewett.com

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#272 Medical Gaslighting and More Lies Aug 17, 2022

Show notes

In today’s episode, Dr. Stu and Blyss get fed up after more listener letters continue to demonstrate the pervasiveness of medical professionals gaslighting their clients. On the contrary, one woman’s successful VBAC ripples through her community and empowers its women. The two also comment on the ethics of censorship and the importance of speaking your truth.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

The ripple effect of one successful VBAC
Apple’s censorship of SADS news
Why is there a 40% death increase amongst 18-64 yr olds?
Predictions for the future of licensed vs unlicensed birth workers

This show is supported by:

Bamboobies | Go to INSTINCTS to get 25% off your first order!
LMNT | Go to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack!

Connect with Dr. Stu:

Instagram: @birthinginstincts
Website: birthinginstincts.com

Connect with Blyss:

Instagram: @birthingblyss
Website: birthingblyss.com

This show is produced by Soulfire Productions

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

#271 It’s Everyone’s Business! A Conversation with Abby & Ricki Aug 10, 2022

Show notes

Today on the show, Dr. Stu and Blyss chat with documentary filmmakers, Ricki Lake & Abby Epstein. The two share their wisdom and passion in a timeless discussion about two of their most prominent documentaries, The Business of Being Born & Business of Birth Control. Although the former was released in 2008, many of the themes within the film still ring true today. Recognizing that younger generations are more conscious about what they put into their bodies, and that they often question the motives of the medical establishment, Ricki and Abby feel poised that the impact of their work will sustain for years to come.

In this episode of Birthing Instincts:

The genesis of “The Business of Being Born”
The inspiration behind “Business of Birth Control”
How Stu’s practices have developed over time
A bit about their documentary “Weed the People”
Why it’s important that women be informed about all hormonal side effects of birth control

This show is supported by: