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Pregnant people get bombarded with all sorts of advice: a lot of it unsolicited, outdated, or just plain wrong.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.
Can You Let Your Baby Sleep Whenever They Want?
Infant care researcher and clinical director Dr. Pamela Douglas explains an emerging evidence-based paradigm in infant sleep that does away with sleep training. She shares with Adriana the importance of providing babies with rich sensory nourishment, and what long...
Why We Are Carrier Mammals
Adriana explains why the type of mammal humans are impacts how much and what kind of care your baby needs from you. Which style of baby carrier is your perfect fit? Let's discuss options on Instagram @birthfulpodcast. Powered by RedCircle Listen...
![[Birth Stories] Giving Birth to Twins as a Disabled Person](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Dani-and-her-girls-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] Giving Birth to Twins as a Disabled Person
Dani Izzie, a disability advocate who is quadriplegic, tells Adriana how her years of navigating the medical system, connecting with a community who understands her, building a supportive team, and her deep understanding of her body helped her through the birth of her...
![[Best of Birthful] Understanding Your Birth Hormones](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Sarah-Buckley-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] Understanding Your Birth Hormones
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] What is the Purpose of Childbirth Pain?](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Rhea-Dempsey-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] What is the Purpose of Childbirth Pain?
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+...
How to Tell the Difference Between Types of Contractions
Adriana explains how different contractions feel in your body, and when you’ll know that you’re really going into labor. How did contractions feel in your body? Describe your experience on Instagram @birthfulpodcast. Listen directly through our...
Supporting Healthy Families in the U.S.: Has Anything Changed?
Adriana has a candid conversation with Professor Monica McLemore about the lack of policies and practices that support new parents in the U.S. They discuss how paid family leave and the Black Maternal Health Caucus’ “Momnibus” legislative package fit into the need to...
What You Need to Know about Birth Positions
Adriana goes through positions for your body before, during, and after birth, and what makes each of them work for different stages of the birthing process. Which birth position (or positions!) were the most productive for you during labor? Tell us which ones and how...
![[Best of Birthful] Restoring Your Vitality After Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Kimberly-Ann-Johnson-Headshot-3-scaled-e1637719592692-400x250.jpeg)
[Best of Birthful] Restoring Your Vitality After 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+...
Why You Want to Do Lots of Skin-to-Skin With Your Baby
Adriana explains all the remarkable benefits of doing skin-to-skin with your baby—immediately after they’re born and through the first months of life—and how such a simple practice can bring your whole family closer together. Did you have a partner who did...
![[Birth Stories] How a Surprise Pregnancy After Infertility Led Her to A Successful VBAC](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Desirae-Whittle-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] How a Surprise Pregnancy After Infertility Led Her to A Successful VBAC
After an initial cesarean birth due to preeclampsia, IVF warrior Desirae Whittle knew it was paramount to gather a birth team that would truly encourage a vaginal birth. She shares with Adriana Lozada the many joyful moments during the long vaginal labor of her second...
Real Talk About Vaginal Tears and Episiotomies
Adriana Lozada explains why and how tearing can occur during birth, and why episiotomies are increasingly rare. Plus, what you can do to avoid tearing. Are you or were you worried about tearing during labor? Tell us how you processed this aspect of birth on Instagram...
Letting Go of “Mom Guilt”
Motherhood transition coach Stepha LaFond explains how parents can be weighed down by society’s expectations, and shares many ways for parents and parents-to-be to dismantle that “mom guilt.”* How are you dismantling what it means to be a "good mom"? We'll unpack them...
![[Birth Stories] How Her Preparation and Intuition Got Her Through the Homebirth of Her Twins](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] How Her Preparation and Intuition Got Her Through the Homebirth of Her Twins
Yoga instructor Chelsea Morriss Croy shares how her belief in the strength of her own body allowed her to give birth to unexpected twins—at nearly 41 weeks! She tells Adriana Lozada how even through this unforeseen surprise, she leaned on her birth team and trusted...
Is Homebirth for You?
Robina Khalid of Small Things Grow Midwifery explains what it takes to truly consider a homebirth, and shares with Adriana how to prepare for a successful experience. What myths or misconceptions do you have about homebirth? We'll unpack them at @birthfulpodcast on...
![[Birth Stories] What a Hospital Community Birth Can Look Like](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Laurel-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] What a Hospital Community Birth Can Look Like
Laurel Gourrier, co-host of the podcast “Birth Stories in Color,” reflects on how her birth experience–even though it was long and hard–often felt like a big party. She tells Adriana Lozada that her family’s support, and her constant communicating her wishes, created...
Understanding Parental Leave and Figuring Out How Much Time You Can Take
Maternal health consultant Arianna Taboada goes through the ins and outs of paid and unpaid family leave in the United States. She shares with Adriana Lozada how to be realistic about your options for the best possible return to work for you and your family. How much...
![[Best of Birthful] How Your Body Changes with Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Molly-Deutschbein-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] How Your Body Changes with 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] Why Using Their Mouths Correctly Is Vital for Babies](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Michelle-Emanuel-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] Why Using Their Mouths Correctly Is Vital for Babies
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] Tips to Advocate for Yourself During Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/CristenP-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] Tips to Advocate for Yourself During 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+...
![[Birth Stories] How This “Freckled Foodie” Prioritized Mental Health During Her Pregnancy](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Cameron-Rogers-400x250.jpeg)
[Birth Stories] How This “Freckled Foodie” Prioritized Mental Health During Her Pregnancy
For wellness content creator Cameron Rogers, being in a pregnant body felt more challenging than she had imagined. She tells Adriana Lozada about the coping strategies that got her through the physical and emotional toll of the experience. What were the biggest...
How Your Birth Plan Impacts Your Birth Experience
Certified nurse midwife Dr. Stephanie Mitchell shares tools from her step-by-step guide to building a birth plan, and discusses why getting your plan together—and onboarding everyone on your birth team—can help ensure you are respected and heard during your birth...
![[Birth Stories] How This Doula Exercised Informed Consent Throughout a Long Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/3X9A0919-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] How This Doula Exercised Informed Consent Throughout a Long Birth
Despite the many course-corrections during the birth of her third child, Amy Silva did not lose sight of her right to choose during each step of her birthing process. She tells Adriana how her decision to refuse a pointless COVID swab during labor changed protocol in...
How Your Baby Helps During the Birthing Process
Babies use a set of coordinated movements and specific reflexes that allow them to participate in the birthing process. Adriana Lozada explains how this fascinating process works, and how it helps. How do you feel you and your baby work(ed) as a team during pregnancy...