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Pregnant people get bombarded with all sorts of advice: a lot of it unsolicited, outdated, or just plain wrong.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 Stories] Can You Wait to Push Until the Doctor Arrives?](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Alyssa-Jennings-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Anya-Cutler-Birthful-Podcast.jpg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Lesley-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Parijat-e1612318697901-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] How an Anxious Mind Impacts You During Pregnancy
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 Story] How She Navigated a Long Birth While Waiting for Her Support Team to Arrive](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Julia-Cooper-newborn-shoot-Birthful-Podcast.jpg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-happy-family-portrait-Lauren-Horton-Birthful-Podcast.jpg)
[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!)](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/image0-e1668569789816-400x250.jpeg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Laurel-headshot-scaled-e1668572202800-400x250.jpg)
[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](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Heather-Lauf-with-her-baby-Birthful-Podcast-e1553689333183.jpg)
[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!),...
What You Need to Know About Obstetricians (OBs)
Obstetricians are the go-to care providers when giving birth in the U.S., but not all OBs are created equal. How do your obstetrician's background and training impact the care you get, and is that aligned with the care you deserve? Dr. Stuart Fischbein shares his...
![[Birth Stories] Why It Mattered That Her Team Prioritized Her Emotional Safety](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Guest-Nana-e1644022623880-400x250.png)
[Birth Stories] Why It Mattered That Her Team Prioritized Her Emotional Safety
Nana Eyeson-Akiwowo, co-founder of the socially impactful Fourth Phase aftercare boxes, shares how her expectations of when and how she should bond with her baby tarnished her otherwise wonderfully supported and respected birth experience. She tells Adriana how this...
How to Know If You and Your Provider Are Truly a Good Fit
Dr. Brad Bootstaylor talks with Adriana Lozada about how vital it is to establish shared decision-making with your care provider and the problem with the prevailing fear-based approach in perinatal care. Plus: why no one should ever roll their eyes at your birth plan....
![[Birth Stories] Pivoting From Wanting an Immediate Epidural to an Unmedicated VBAC Over Four Births](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Mariah-headshot-2-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] Pivoting From Wanting an Immediate Epidural to an Unmedicated VBAC Over Four Births
After having three hospital births— that included inductions, vaginal births, and a cesarean— Mariah Robinson couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing from her experiences. She shares with Adriana how she searched far and wide for a collaborative care...
Why Choosing the Right Care Provider is Crucial for Your Pregnancy
Finding the care provider that’s right for you is a critical first step toward having a great birth experience. Dr. Robin Elise Weiss talks with Adriana about the different types of prenatal care providers and how their varying philosophies can impact the care you...
![[Best of Birthful] What to Expect When Bodyfeeding Your Newborn](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Jack-and-baby-e1425485858592.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] What to Expect When Bodyfeeding Your Newborn
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 Pushing Too Early Might Affect the Baby and You](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/whapio.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] Why Pushing Too Early Might Affect the Baby and You
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+...