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Pregnant people get bombarded with all sorts of advice: a lot of it unsolicited, outdated, or just plain wrong.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.
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+...
![[Best of Birthful] How to Truly Understand (And Calm!) Your Baby](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Carrie-Contey-headshot-e1660697334766-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] How to Truly Understand (And Calm!) Your Baby
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 Your Baby Experiences During Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Karen-Strange-headshot-400x250.jpg)
[Best of Birthful] What Your Baby Experiences 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 Nutrition Was Key for Her “Mission: Make a Small Baby”](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Jessica-Bower-laboring-e1659890770224-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] How Nutrition Was Key for Her “Mission: Make a Small Baby”
After birthing quite a large baby and experiencing shoulder dystocia, Jessica Bower went on a quest to figure out why she had grown a baby that size. She shares with Adriana how gaining control of her sugar levels really helped with her “Mission: Make a Small Baby”...
Ways to Deal With Morning Sickness— Whether It’s Mild or Debilitating
Adriana Lozada offers practical advice on how to deal with whatever level of nausea you are experiencing. She also lays out how hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is not just a bad case of morning sickness, but a severe and debilitating condition. Where did you find...
![[Pregnancy Story] How This “Freckled Foodie” Prioritized Mental Health During Her Pregnancy](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Cameron-Rogers-scaled-e1658925553203-400x250.jpeg)
[Pregnancy Story] 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...
Reducing Anxiety Around Pregnancy Weight Gain and Nutrition
Genevieve Howland (a.k.a. Mama Natural) talks with Adriana about ways you can navigate the emotions that come with gaining weight during pregnancy, identify possible triggers, and explore seeing it as an opportunity to connect with and appreciate your body in a new...
![[Birth Story] How She Advocated for Her Vaginal Births Despite Having Diabetes](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Yana-and-her-daughter-Birthful-Podcast.jpeg)
[Birth Story] How She Advocated for Her Vaginal Births Despite Having Diabetes
Yana Katzap-Nackman shares with Adriana how taking control of her sugar levels and bringing together a supportive team of care providers led her to have the births she desired, despite living with Type 1 diabetes. She tells Adriana how she matter-of-factly took...
What Does Your Poop Have to Do With Your Baby’s Microbiome?
Professor of microbiology and researcher Dr. Anne Estes talks with Adriana about how your gut microbiome (not just your vaginal microbiome) plays a critical role in seeding your baby’s microbiome during birth, and what you can do about it. They discuss whether...
![[Birth Story] How She Proactively Avoided Having Another Traumatic Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Toni-headshot-200x250.jpg)
[Birth Story] How She Proactively Avoided Having Another Traumatic Birth
After an eye-opening, traumatic, and abusive first birth, Toni DeAztlan-Smith was determined not to repeat the experience. Toni tells Adriana how she proactively took matters into her own hands and ended up having a powerfully healing birth. She also shares how she...
How to Tap Into the Nourishing Power of Herbs During Pregnancy and Postpartum
Herbs are micronutrient powerhouses for your immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, but some of them may not be recommended during this time of your life. Kathleen Mugnolo talks with Adriana about how you can figure out which ones are right for YOU, as well as...
![[Birth Story] A Nourished Pregnancy, Flowing Birth, and Jarring Postpartum](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Chelsy-thumbnail-379x250.jpg)
[Birth Story] A Nourished Pregnancy, Flowing Birth, and Jarring Postpartum
Chelsy Arnett shares with Adriana how her husband nourished her during pregnancy. She also talks about the wonders of the double-hip-squeeze during labor, why she’d push in a completely different way the next time, as well as what’s helped her get through the...
Do You Really Need to Stop Eating Sushi?
Registered dietitian and researcher Lily Nichols and Adriana take a closer look at the common nutrition recommendations during pregnancy, and whether avoiding raw fish and runny eggs may be keeping you from getting the nutrition you and your baby really need. Lily...
Why an OB/GYN Chose to Have a Homebirth
OB/GYN and medical educator Dr. Amali Lokugamage talks with Adriana about how being pregnant propelled a paradigm shift in her ideas about birth, leading her to give birth at home. A champion of human rights in childbirth, she shares why birth recommendations have...
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 Story] How She Embraced Physiology to Avoid Pushing for Three Hours Again](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/April-Teel-snuggling-after-her-second-birth-Birthful-Podcast.jpg)
[Birth Story] How She Embraced Physiology to Avoid Pushing for Three Hours Again
April Teel shares with Adriana how her thoughtful preparation set the stage for her to have wonderful birth experiences at both a freestanding birth center (with a midwife) and a hospital (with a family practice doctor). She reflects on how what surprised her the most...
Cesarean Risk: What’s Your Place of Birth Got to Do With It?
Cesarean rates have increased 500% in one generation, and about half of them may be unnecessary. Harvard Medical School professor and ACOG Fellow Dr. Neel Shah talks with Adriana about how the hospital you choose can be your #1 risk of having a surgical birth, how we...
![[Birth Story] How Focusing On Her Birth Vision Led To Her Dream Hospital Birth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Jenny-Murphy-Birthful-Podcast.jpeg)
[Birth Story] How Focusing On Her Birth Vision Led To Her Dream Hospital Birth
Jenny Murphy’s birth preparations were impacted by uncertainty, fear, and ever-changing circumstances. She shares with Adriana how focusing on her “birth vision”– and waiting to go to the hospital for as long as possible– allowed her to be the leader of her labor and...