Down to 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 unmedicated induction, the vaginal birth of her 4 lb 6 oz daughter, and then a catastrophic postpartum hemorrhage caused by a fibroid that had descended into the birth canal. Cassidy required emergency surgery, two blood transfusions, and an unexpected intraoperative myomectomy that ultimately saved both her life and her uterus.
#125 | Uterine Fibroids in Pregnancy: Their Impact on Birth, Uterine Scars, and How Black Women are Affected the Most
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In today's episode we reference the following resources:
Should I be induced? Evidence on the ARRIVE Trial
Planning Your Successful VBAC
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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.
Next, we answer one we've never been asked: "What do contractions actually feel like?" How's it possible this hasn't come up before?!
Then, we discuss a common late-pregnancy scenario: a routine ultrasound that leads to concerns about a "big baby." When a healthy 38-week pregnant woman is told her baby's abdomen is measuring large, how much weight should she give to that information? 
As always, we finish with Quickies, covering cervical lips, high-lipase milk, pacifiers, coffee during pregnancy, milk blebs, antidepressants, swaddling, wake windows, dates, sex, retained placenta, induction, creatine, and a few personal questions about coffee preferences and family size.
Have a question for a future Q&A? We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail and join the conversation! Call us 24/7 at 802-GET-DOWN! That's 802-438-3696.
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Choosing Induction: When it Might be Needed
Send us Fan Mail
Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric
Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow
Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

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 supplementation, and the larger systems influencing infant feeding decisions.
We talk about what happens when babies receive formula in the hospital before breastfeeding is established, why nutrition education is still surprisingly limited in conventional medical training, and how formula marketing continues to shape the messaging parents receive.
We also get into donor milk, birth mode, bacterial transfer, and why the newborn microbiome is about far more than digestion.
We discuss:
• What colostrum actually does in the newborn gut
 • Why the first feeding matters differently from feeding decisions made later
 • How skin-to-skin contact helps establish a healthy microbiome
 • Why formula is so often introduced before breastfeeding is fully supported
 • The connection between gut health, immune development, and chronic illness
 • Why many pediatricians receive limited breastfeeding and nutrition education
 • The role of donor milk when breastfeeding isn’t immediately possible
 • How modern infant feeding culture became so disconnected from biology
If you’ve ever been told “a little formula won’t hurt,” or wondered why the first few days matter so much, this episode provides much food for thought.
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Send us Fan Mail
Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric
Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow
Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

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, supportive relationships.
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Send us Fan Mail
Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric
Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow
Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.

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 midwifery team that respected informed consent.
This episode examines how risk is framed in pregnancy, how provider–patient dynamics influence decision-making, and what it looks like to stay grounded in your choices through the final weeks of a post-term pregnancy.
Access our workshop: How to Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital
Access our workshop: Ultrasound: The Research and the Rhetoric
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Send us Fan Mail
Access our workshops: Have a Physiologic Birth in the Hospital and Ultrasound: The Research vs Rhetoric
Needed <-- for 20% off
DrinkLMNT <--  for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure Skincare: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Use code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits Superfood<--for 20% off
Join Patreon here
IG @downtobirthshow
Call 802-GET-DOWN.
Watch us on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice.