Down to Birth

Welcome to our July Breastfeeding Q&A episode! We open with a conversation about what surprised women most about breastfeeding (for better or worse) after all the things they'd heard from others, from pain and emotional shifts to supply, pumping, and expectations that didn’t match reality.
Additionally, we answer the following questions:
I’m pregnant and still breastfeeding my toddler. What should I know about tandem nursing, and how do I prioritize a newborn without creating oversupply?
My newborn had low blood sugar readings in the hospital and we were encouraged to use donor milk. Was that necessary, and would things have resolved differently outside that setting?
I experience waves of anxiety, nausea, and sadness right before letdown. What is this and is it normal?
As usual, we lead into a round of quickies including: can latch change during teething, how to manage nipple sensitivity during your cycle, does milk supply drop when baby starts sleeping longer stretches, should you always nurse from both sides, is one breast doing all the work okay, do breastfed babies need vitamin D, and when is it okay for baby to sleep through the night. We wrap with a personal question which is: What advice would you give to someone entering the industry?
#364 | When Co-Sleeping Gets Complicated: Weaning, Toddlers, and Sleep Transitions with Tiffany Belanger

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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 talk with Carly and Rachel of Kale Blossom about environmental toxins, what matters when it comes to everyday exposure, and how mothers can make thoughtful changes without getting pulled into fear-based messaging.
The conversation around “low-tox living” can quickly become overwhelming, especially during pregnancy and early motherhood, when concern for your baby is understandably high. We wanted to cut through the noise and ask a more useful question: where does reducing exposure meaningfully matter, and where are women being sold anxiety?
We talk about some of the highest-impact places to focus, including fragrance, household cleaning products, skincare, indoor air quality, plastics, and common materials in the home. We also discuss realistic, budget-conscious swaps, the role of overall health in supporting the body’s natural detoxification processes, and why perfection is neither possible nor necessary.
This is a practical conversation about relative risk, informed decision-making, and reducing toxic burden in a way that feels sustainable rather than stressful.
#221 | Understanding Fetal-Maternal Microchimerism with Rachel Marynowski of @Kale.Blossom
Kale Blossom
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Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
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, 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
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
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 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.