Down to Birth

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.”
Jessica describes the emotional strain of those early weeks, from feeling inadequate to questioning her own anatomy, and the constant fear she was letting her daughter down. This conversation brings needed attention to the realities behind many breastfeeding challenges and the gaps that leave mothers without the support they need. 
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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.
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Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
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Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off
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IG @downtobirthshow
Down to Birth Show
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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
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Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off
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Down to Birth Show
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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!
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Send us a text
Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off
Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @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, Ontario

Send us a text
Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off
Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @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.