All Episodes - Birthful

All Birthful Episodes

Pregnant people get bombarded with all sorts of advice: a lot of it unsolicited, outdated, or just plain wrong. In Birthful, working doula and former journalist Adriana Lozada talks pregnancy, birth, and postpartum with top experts and new parents.

Every episode distills the overload of pregnancy information down to the most relevant and useful stuff.

[Birth Story] So Was It a Waterbirth?

Hailey McHone’s first birth was what her OB called "a textbook hospital delivery," which came with an epidural-Pitocin combo, and, frankly, little consent. She talks with Adriana about getting more intentional with her wishes and choices for her second birth and...

Transformation Through the Holistic Stages of Birth (Part Two)

We try to make birth practical by measuring, overseeing, and monitoring it… when really, it’s an experience that flows seamlessly from one stage to another, taking the birthing person deep into their physiology and intuitive altered states. Whapio Diane Bartlett...

Transformation Through the Holistic Stages of Birth (Part One)

[Birth Stories] How She Got Through a Week of Prodromal Labor by Embracing It

Adriana Aleman Crane’s first birth involved several days of prodromal labor— and if you don’t know what that is, you really want to listen to this episode! But her second birth? Her husband almost missed it! She shares with Adriana Lozada that sleep is glorious,...

Understanding Acupuncture From a Physiological Lens (and Why You Shouldn’t Fear the Needles!)

Acupuncture can help alleviate nausea, constipation, and back pain. It can encourage breech babies to flip and labor to start. But how does it work, and what does it feel like? Acupuncturist, massage therapist, and birth doula Dr. Patrick Boswell talks with Adriana...

[Postpartum Story] Coming to Terms With the Baby She Got

After giving birth twice before, Victoria Wilson thought she had “life with a newborn” pretty much figured out. But when her third daughter was born fussy, frustrated, and just wouldn’t settle, Victoria was thrown for a loop. Was this just who her baby was? Or was...

How to Sleep Better While Pregnant

It’s estimated that about 80% of pregnant people experience insomnia by their third trimester, and newer research is showing how melatonin and circadian rhythms may impact fertility, implantation, miscarriage, risk of preeclampsia and postpartum depression. Mar De...

[Birth Stories] Can You Wait to Push Until the Doctor Arrives?

After a difficult first labor with interventions she was unsure about, Alyssa Jennings was determined that her next birth would be on her terms. Little did she know that she’d be having to contain the fetal ejection reflex until her doctor arrived! Alyssa shares with...

How Prenatal Yoga Can Help Protect Your Energy (And Why This Is Important!)

You’ve probably been told to do prenatal yoga, but is it really for you? Trauma-informed yoga teacher Abigail Lauren Geller says not if it’s another overwhelming thing on your to-do list! But if you are curious about the benefits of prenatal yoga for your body, your...

[Birth Story] Discovering that Breech Vaginal Birth was a Possibility for Her

Anya Cutler had originally planned to give birth at a birth center with midwives, then at nearly 37 weeks (and after trying practically everything possible to encourage her baby to flip) she ended up transferring care to an OB/GYN experienced in vaginal breech...

Have an Easier Pregnancy (and Birth!) with Chiropractic Care

You know how as pregnancy progresses, your whole body becomes more uncomfortable? It turns out that chiropractic care can help you feel much better and even help you have an easier birth. Dr. Elliot Berlin shares with Adriana why chiropractic care is a superb...

[Best of Birthful] Why Uncontrollable Shaking Is an Important Part of Birth

Welcome to the Best of Birthful. Creator and host Adriana Lozada curated and edited each selection in this playlist of the show’s most popular episodes. It's a tailored introduction to the expansive catalog she amassed over the first five years of Birthful's 300+...

[Best of Birthful] How an Anxious Mind Impacts You During Pregnancy

[Birth Story] How She Navigated a Long Birth While Waiting for Her Support Team to Arrive

For weeks, Julia Cooper had been nervous that her baby would arrive while her husband and mom were away, and sure enough contractions started merely hours after she dropped her husband off at the airport. What follows is a testament to how hard it can be to shut off...

Can Exercise During Pregnancy Make Labor Harder?

It’s common knowledge that walking, swimming, and doing prenatal yoga can all be super helpful during pregnancy, but what about running, barre, CrossFit, or weightlifting? Deb Flashenberg shares with Adriana how strength-focused exercising can lead to a too-tight core...

[Birth Story] No Matter How You Birth, You’re a Badass

Lauren Horton has always been physically active, and during pregnancy, she continued to do a mix of CrossFit, swimming, yoga, and tons of dog walking. She shares with Adriana her surprise when she found herself hunkering down on the bed during labor instead of moving,...

Addressing Pregnancy Discomforts Through Movement and Alignment

Being pregnant means having relaxin loosening up all your tissues, while your core stretches and your center of gravity shifts, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with the associated discomforts. Restorative body educator extraordinaire Molly Deutschbein shares...

Eight Questions to Ask Your Care Provider (Especially in Your Second Trimester!)

Adriana Lozada shares eight great questions for sussing out your provider’s protocols and practices as your pregnancy advances, in order to help you figure out how much shared decision-making and agency you will truly have in your birth experience. ...

If Pregnancy Becomes Medically Complicated: Working With a Maternal-Fetal Medicine Physician

Chances are your pregnancy and birth will flow, and you’ll never need to see any of the care providers that deal with more complicated situations. But what if you do? Dr. Loralei Thornburg helps demystify what it can be like working with a Maternal-Fetal Medicine...

[Birth Stories] Unlocking Her Dream Birth by Valuing Her Intuition (And Switching Care Providers!)

Margot Strauhull brought her self-described “rule-following” attitude to her first hospital induction with an OB and had what she considered was a fine birth… until she was overcome by sadness in postpartum. This started her on a journey of peeling back the layers, to...

Why Your Team Isn’t Complete Without a Doula

The mounting evidence is clear: having a doula can help decrease the risk of having a cesarean birth and significantly improve birth experiences. In fact, doulas have even been called a form of pain relief themselves, as people tend to want fewer pain medications and...

[Birth Stories] Why It Was Still a Party Despite the 30 Hours of Persistent Back Pain

Laurel Gourrier, co-host of the podcast Birth Stories in Color, reflects on how her hospital birth experience— even though it was long and hard— often felt like a big party, thanks to the support of her partner, parents, and in-laws. She tells Adriana Lozada how their...

Why a Midwife Might Be Just What You Need

There is ample evidence of the benefits of midwifery care for uncomplicated pregnancies, including lower rates of inductions, episiotomies, and cesareans. So why aren’t midwives more widely used in the U.S. (like they are in the rest of the world!)? Dr. Melissa...

[Birth Story] Why Having an Audience Stalled Her Birth

Heather Lauf was so clear on the importance of choosing the right care provider for her birth that she switched practices, twice! Even with her ample preparation, labor still threw her for a loop when she found out her water hadn’t broken (it really seemed it had!),...

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