Down to Birth

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 the baby. We also take a call from a mother with a three-week-old who experiences gas and discomfort at the breast, and we discuss the differences between oversupply, fast flow, and the possibility of oral restrictions.Today's conversation highlights how individual feeding dynamics are and why a tailored approach is always necessary.Thank you for your thoughtful questions and for your continued support of the show. To submit your questions for a future episode, call our hotline at 802-438-3696, that's (802) GET-DOWN.**********Send us a text Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off Join Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshow Down to Birth Show Call 802-GET-DOWN Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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 connection between personality type and postpartum mood disorders, and why relying on intuition matters more than parenting scripts, tracking apps, or “doing it right.” We also talk about the myth of the woman who can do it all, the importance of presence over perfection, and how stability—not constant stimulation—is what children remember and rely on most.Together, we examine how modern mothers can reclaim postpartum and motherhood as a sacred and restorative experience, and how that same understanding can shape calmer, more confident parents -- and children -- in the years that follow.Dr. Morgan MacDermott on Instagram**********Send us a text Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off Join Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshow Down to Birth Show Call 802-GET-DOWN Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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 share a personal client story about placenta previa, late-pregnancy ultrasounds, and an unnecessary cesarean narrowly avoided.Prompted by one woman's considerate voice message, you'll also hear Cynthia reflect candidly on grief, resilience, and what this past year has taught her.All bets are off for this episode, where we have spontaneous conversations from one topic to the next. Thank you so very much for being a part of our community, and for listening, calling our phone line, supporting our work, and sharing our commitment to evidence-based conversations about pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and motherhood. Season Seven begins next week with a very exciting year ahead!Enjoy today's episode ad-free, and consider joining us for ad-free episodes all the time, for just $29.99 on Apple Podcasts. Finally, as a special end-of-year invitation, we’d love to welcome you into our Patreon community. For a limited time, you can get 40% off an annual membership of any tier using the code WELCOME2027. Patreon supporters receive ad-free episodes, extended content, access to our book club, and our growing library of past workshops and live events. Joining Patreon is the most direct way to support the work we do, deepen your engagement with us and be part of the conversations that shape everything we create.Thank you again for supporting Down to Birth and we'll see you next week for our first episode of Season Seven!**********Send us a textNeeded <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off Join Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshow Down to Birth Show Call 802-GET-DOWN Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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 childbirth education never mentions.We talk about a stillbirth at 38 weeks, a shoulder dystocia at 42 weeks, an ambulance transfer during a home birth, and what happens to the doula’s mind and body afterward. We explore the ethical tension between educating clients toward physiological birth and supporting every decision they make, even when those decisions give the doula pause.We also look at the limits of “evidence-based” care, why risk can never be reduced to zero, how to think about induction at 42 weeks, big babies, shoulder dystocia, and continuous fetal monitoring without slipping into fear or blind trust in the system. For pregnant women and birth workers alike, this conversation examines responsibility, intuition, and the space between over-medicalized birth and simplistic reassurance.Sarah and Lara share how these losses changed their practice, how they now talk to clients about risk and responsibility, and what it truly means to “hold space” when the worst outcome occurs. We also talk about nervous system strain, how doulas know when they need a break from their work, and why no doula should have to process these experiences alone.For women who are pregnant, this episode offers perspective on how rare events are understood by the people supporting you, and how to stay rooted in your own values, intuition, and sense of responsibility. For birth professionals, we discuss burnout, secondary trauma, why partnership matters so much in this work, and how a strong professional doula partnership can make the difference between quitting and continuing onward with new clients after witnessing a client's loss.#196 | The Toughest Part of Being a Doula with the Dynamic Doulas of London, OntarioSend us a text Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off Join Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshow Down to Birth Show Call 802-GET-DOWN Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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, support, and confidence—not just luck. If you are worried whether your body will make enough milk, how to know if your baby’s latch is correct, or whether your milk will “come in” at all, this conversation will leave you informed, grounded, and far more at ease about what’s to come. You, along with your baby, can absolutely know breastfeeding success. Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.**********Send us a text Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription orderDrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supplyPrimally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTHPostpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTHENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off Join Patreon for our exclusive contentIG @downtobirthshow Down to Birth Show Call 802-GET-DOWN Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.