Birthing Instincts

This week, we're setting aside our usual topic-driven format to share something even more meaningful: real stories from our fellow travelers.
Join us in reading one of the most moving letters we've ever received.
A certified nurse-midwife shares the heartbreaking story of carrying a daughter diagnosed with anencephaly. Although her daughter, Olivia, was stillborn, she describes her birth as the most beautiful experience of her life, not because of the outcome, but because she was respected, supported, and allowed to birth in a way that brought peace instead of trauma.
This episode is full of inspiring listener stories about twin births, breech births, home birth, and the power of education to preserve options for families around the world.
This conversation is ultimately about more than birth.
It's about autonomy.
It's about courage.
And it's about remembering that even in the hardest moments, peace is still possible. 

References:
Mentorship with Blyss, schedule your clarity call to join at woven-moon.com
What They Don’t Tell Us Podcast: He Was One of the Best OBs in the Country. Midwives Taught Him What He Was Missing.
Book: Between a Shot and a Hard Place, by Joel Warsh
@PerfectUnion on Instagram: "Watch Jacob Rockwell, a man fined for running a red light in Florida while being in Alabama, pop off against the use of the A.I. red light cameras that were used to "identify" him."
Twin home birth: Outcomes of 100 sets of twins in the care of a single practitioner

Discussed in This Episode
The growing loss of human connection in healthcare why less intervention often creates more confidence
Stillbirth becomes an experience of profound peace.
Why respectful maternity care matters
Twin birth stories that challenge common assumptions about "high-risk" pregnancy
The importance of breech birth skills and preserving birth options
How preparation, mindset, and autonomy shape lifelong birth memories
Why confidence, not fear, changes birth experiences.

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by
LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use  code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

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

In this episode of Birthing Instincts, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in pregnancy.
Together they explore what lupus is, how it affects pregnancy, and what current evidence says about risks such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, stillbirth, and congenital heart block. 
Along the way, Stu revisits the decades-old Hadlock fetal growth curve and questions whether a single growth standard can accurately reflect diverse populations around the world. The conversation highlights the importance of individualized care, informed decision-making, and understanding risk without defaulting to fear-based management.

References:
Instagram Live with @Kristen_Nagle
Reclaiming Birth Gathering: reclaimingbirthconference.com
Made For Birth Podcast: Questioning The Standard of Maternity Care 

Discussed in This Episode
• What systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is and how it affects pregnancy
• Lupus flares, remission, and preconception planning
• Preeclampsia risk in women with lupus
• Hydroxychloroquine safety and use during pregnancy
• Antiphospholipid antibodies and pregnancy outcomes
• How lupus and preeclampsia can look similar
• The limitations of the Hadlock fetal growth curve
• Population differences in fetal growth and birth weight
• Why individualized care matters more than blanket recommendations

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by
LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

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

This week, Blyss and Stu welcome birth pioneer, author, filmmaker, and educator Suzanne Arms, one of the most influential voices in the natural birth movement of the last half-century.
Long before conversations about physiological birth, informed consent, and the over-medicalization of maternity care became mainstream, Suzanne was asking difficult questions. Her groundbreaking 1975 book *Immaculate Deception* challenged routine obstetrical practices and helped spark a movement that continues to influence birth professionals and families around the world.
In this fascinating and deeply personal conversation, Suzanne shares how her own traumatic birth experience and the birth of her daughter led her to investigate maternity care practices, interview women across the country, and ultimately write one of the most important birth books ever published.
This episode is part birth history lesson, part cultural critique, and part love letter to the women who have spent decades protecting physiological birth.

About Suzanne Arms:
Today on Birthing Instincts we're honored to welcome Suzanne Arms, one of the most influential voices in the natural birth movement of the last half century.
Suzanne is an author, filmmaker, educator, and advocate whose work has helped generations of parents and birth professionals rethink pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, and early bonding. She is perhaps best known for her groundbreaking book Immaculate Deception. Came out in 1975, which challenged many of the routine practices of modern maternity care, and became a catalyst for change in how birth is understood and supported. Over the decades, Suzanne has co-founded an early free-standing birth center, produced award-winning films about childbirth, and dedicated her life to exploring what she calls the primal period, the critical time from conception through a baby's first year.
Through her organization, Birthing the Future, she continues to champion the idea that how we care for mothers and babies shapes not only individual lives, but the future of our communities and culture. Suzanne's work has inspired countless midwives, doulas, physicians, educators, and families around the world.
Book: Immaculate deception: A new look at women and childbirth in America
Website: birthingthefuture.org

References:
Jennifer Margulis, Substack - The Valorous Vagina: Babies benefit from being born vaginally (moms do too)
The Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology & Health (APPPAH) https://birthpsychology.com/
Pathways to Health pathwaystofamilywellness.org
ACOG Instagram: @acog_org

Discussed in This Episode
The origins of Suzanne Arms' groundbreaking book “Immaculate Deception”
The decline of midwifery and what was lost along the way
How birth practices influence bonding, breastfeeding, and early development
The role of fathers and partners in birth, then and now
Why home birth rates have declined despite growing awareness
The importance of understanding your own birth story
How fear shapes maternity care decisions
The connection between early life experiences, attachment, and culture
What Suzanne believes every pregnant woman should know today
The continuing fight to preserve physiological birth

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by
LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

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

What happens when a birth photographer picks up a camera and decides she can no longer stay silent?
This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss welcome Jacinta Lagos, an award-winning birth photographer, doula, filmmaker, and creator of the powerful new documentary, Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife.
Born and raised in Argentina, Jacinta grew up believing cesarean birth was simply "how babies were born." After immigrating to the United States and discovering the world of birth photography, she witnessed both the beauty of physiological birth and the realities of obstetric violence. Armed with a single camera, relentless determination, and a passion for storytelling, she set out to create a documentary that challenges the stories we've been told about birth.
Centered around the extraordinary work of global midwife Kristine Lauria, Allowed to Birth weaves together voices from around the world to explore the tension between physiology and policy, autonomy and authority, fear and trust.
Birth belongs to women. Stories preserve wisdom. And sometimes all it takes to change hearts and minds is one person willing to press record.

About Jacinta Lagos:
Jacinta is an Argentinian 40 year old, a mom of 3. She's married to the guy who got a job offer in the USA and decided to move in 2017. She has had a camera in hand since ever. Video and film has always been a passion of her, since she was a little girl. Back in Argentina, she had a successful business in the wedding videography industry, and when she moved to the states with 2 little kids, she decided to stop giving away all of her weekends to attend weddings. 
That was when she found out that birth documenting was a thing: in Argentina, that would be completely unheard of.
She started doing birth videography and photography in 2019, got her doula training in 2020 and has attended 200 births since. She has won many awards, she's been published and is considered one of the best birth documentarians in the world. She finds birth work to be her true calling in this life.
In 2024 started working on her first documentary feature film ""Allowed to birth: the journey of a global midwife"", which will come out at the end of the summer.

Website: allowedtobirth.com / jacintalagos.com
Instagram: @allowedtobirth / @jacintalagosbirthservices

Discussed in This Episode
Argentina's Cesarean Culture
The surprising origin story behind the documentary Allowed to Birth
The significance of the word "allowed" in maternity care
Birth Around the World: Perspectives beyond American maternity care.
The difference between hospital policy and patient rights
Kristine Lauria's impact as a teacher and global midwife
An award-winning documentary with one camera and determination
The Hidden Message About Female Obstetricians
Why documenting birth can become a powerful form of advocacy

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by
LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use code INSTINCTS for 15% off
Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

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

This week, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into the increasingly popular recommendation of inducing labor at 38 weeks for suspected “big babies”.
Prompted by a recent social media post from a prominent obstetric influencer, they examine two studies being used to justify earlier inductions for "big babies" and ask an important question: do the data actually support the conclusions being promoted?
Along the way, Blyss and Stu challenge listeners to look beyond headlines and social media summaries, examine how studies are designed, and consider whether interventions are being recommended based on meaningful risk reduction, or simply because they can be.
The episode emphasizes the importance of respecting nature's design, individualizing care, and helping families understand the difference between relative risk, absolute risk, and true informed choice.

References:
AJOG MFM Article: Induction at 38 weeks for large-for-gestational-age or macrosomic fetuses decreases the incidence of cesarean delivery: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
https://www.ajogmfm.org/article/S2589-9333(26)00008-X/fulltext

The Lancet Article: Induction of labour versus standard care to prevent shoulder
dystocia in fetuses suspected to be large for gestational age in the UK (the Big Baby trial): a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2825%2900162-X

Birthing Instincts Podcast #431: "Hold Your Beer" It's Fetal Macrosomia Guidelines
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1MJg92Du4WLUn7P8ypPBVc?si=SJ6YtH6CRMKClgCDGdXXqw

Discussed in This Episode
Analysis of the BIG BABY Trial
Why statistical significance does not always equal clinical significance
What shoulder dystocia rates actually mean
Large-for-gestational-age (LGA) v true macrosomia
Accuracy limitations of estimated fetal weight
How labels like "big baby" often trigger cascades of intervention
Differences between physiologic birth and hospital management
What informed consent should actually look like when discussing risks
The often-overlooked downstream consequences of routine induction

Podcast Produced by: Raquel Hernandez, Pride and Joy Doula Care 

This show is supported by
LMNT | Got to drinklmnt.com/birthinginstincts to get a free sample pack with any order
Christian Hypnobirthing | Go to christianhypnobirthing.com and use the code BI50 for 50% off the first three months of your monthly subscription.
Restorative Roots | Go to restorativeroots.com and use code BIRTHINGINSTINCTS to get $20 off
Girls Who Know | Go to girlswhoknow.com and use  code INSTINCTS for 15% off
Caraway Home | Go to Carawayhome.com/instincts for an additional 10% off, or use code INSTINCTS at checkout!

Connect with Dr. Stu and Blyss
Join our Patreon! patreon.com/birthinginstinctspodcast
Instagram: @birthinginstincts/@wovenmoon_
Website: birthinginstincts.com/birthingblyss.com
Email: birthinginstinctspodcast@gmail.com
Podcast webpage: birthinginstinctspodcast.com

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