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Pregnant people get bombarded with all sorts of advice: a lot of it unsolicited, outdated, or just plain wrong.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.
Pro Tips for Photographing Your Unique Birth Experience
Doula and birth photographer Karissa Raya balances supporting people in childbirth, and documenting the magic of a family’s history. She offers insights and tricks of the trade for documenting your birth experience with photos, including framing those special...
What’s HypnoBirthing Anyway?
Hypnosis in childbirth, often known as HypnoBirthing, is one tool you can use to lessen pain perception and let your oxytocin flow. Adriana Lozada breaks down the origin of this tool, and how you can practice it ahead of giving birth. Are you planning on using...
![[Birth Stories] How This Fitness Coach Trained to Use Hypnosis During Childbirth](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TaylorWalkerSinning_Birthful-scaled-e1603124408804-400x250.jpg)
[Birth Stories] How This Fitness Coach Trained to Use Hypnosis During Childbirth
Taylor Walker Sinning breaks down exactly how she trained herself for months to use hypnosis to relieve her pain during labor. And makes clear to Adriana Lozada just why it became her most powerful tool during childbirth. Listen through to the end of the episode for...
Let’s Talk Openly about Pregnancy and Infant Loss
October is Pregnancy, Infant, and Child loss awareness month. The topic has been in our social media feeds for the last week after Chrissy Teigen and John Legend shared their painful experience losing a pregnancy. They broke open a taboo topic that we at Birthful have...
Know What You’re Up Against When Giving Birth at a Hospital
Mimi Niles, a full-scope midwife and midwifery care researcher, talks to Adriana Lozada about the U.S. hospital system, how your goals as a birthing person are at odds with the system’s goals, and how to tap into your power as a consumer within the system. Dr. Mimi...
Pleasure-Filled Homebirth During COVID, with Maya Ehnat
Maya’s second homebirth was in strong contrast with her first. Instead of almost three days, labor flowed so fast that her midwife nearly missed it. During her first, the pushing stage was also quite difficult, and so much of the preparation she did during her second...
Dream Hospital Birth During COVID, with Jenny Murphy
Jenny spent much of her pregnancy learning about every worst-case birth scenario, not knowing all the new possible things to worry about that a pandemic would provide. Then life surprised her even more by giving her the dream birth experience she didn't think she...
The Transition into Fatherhood, with JaMone Alexander
Since they aren't growing a baby inside their bodies, it usually takes a bit longer for partners and dads-to-be to realize the magnitude of changes coming their way. What are some ways to prepare for becoming a dad, connecting with your kids, and showing up in a way...
Raising Anti-Racist Children, with Dr. Qadira Huff
Kids aren't born racist, so how do these biases get absorbed? What can you do to intentionally bring up anti-racist kids? Is it ever too early to start talking about race, and what are some ways to do so with your babies, toddlers, kindergarteners, and older children?...
Amplifying Melanated Podcast Voices
Instead of posting a new episode, this week we are amplifying the voices of Black podcasters. We encourage you to take the time you would have used to listen to this week's Birthful episode to expand your listening options. To listen here,...
Preeclampsia during COVID, with Melonie Fitch
For her third birth, Melonie Fitch was planning a birth center birth, but when the quarantine began, she and her husband decided to have a home birth instead. All that changed when at 39 weeks and five days, her blood pressure unexpectedly skyrocketed, instantly...
Infant Sleep, with Dr. James McKenna
There are so many opinions and judgments around how and where infants should sleep, that it can be hard to figure out what would work best for your family. How did we get here? What are an infant’s biological sleep needs? What risk factors should you consider when...
Last Minute Switch to a Home Birth, with Kara Fransted
Kara Fransted and her husband had never considered having a home birth, but as the pandemic hit and there was a real possibility of her husband having to miss the birth of their third child, they looked into it. Never mind that she was already 38 weeks pregnant. Check...
All About Midwives, with Melissa Cheyney
Today is all about midwives! What is midwifery care? What are the different types of midwives? Are they all certified? Where do they provide care? Are they only for when you are having a baby? Do they do the same things as OB’s? What are the advantages of OBs,...
Postpartum during COVID, with Elly Taylor
Postpartum can be a difficult and very isolating time of life. That's why building your village of support ahead of time is so incredibly important. But what do you do when your village is also in isolation? How can you and your partner support yourselves and each...
VBAC during the Pandemic, with Mandy Morine
After having a cesarean birth for a failed induction, Mandy Morine was determined to have a VBAC. She did all the things to prepare and set up an extensive team to support her. Then COVID hit, and Mandy found herself having to adjust to virtual doula support, a closed...
This that you are feeling? That’s grief (with a side of anxiety), with Parijat Deshpande
Canceled fertility cycles, face-to-face appointments, bodywork sessions, baby showers, having as many people as you want at your birth, a postpartum period surrounded by a loving village… These are just a few of the anticipated experiences you may have lost during...
Virtual Doula Support, with Jakki Devereaux
How do you prepare for virtual doula support? What about the technology? What can you practice ahead of time? Does this shift your partner's responsibilities? Do you keep your laptop open the whole time? How does it differ from regular doula support? Jakki Devereaux,...
Essentials of Partner Labor Support during a Pandemic, with Adriana Lozada
In today’s episode, Adriana Lozada focuses on the essentials of partner labor support during this time of the pandemic. Many hospitals are limiting birth support to one healthy person, so we wanted to do a special episode on how to prepare for providing labor support...
![[Birth Stories] Different Births, Different Wishes, with Krissy Whitehead](https://birthful.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Krissy-Whitehead-family-Birthful-Podcast.jpg)
[Birth Stories] Different Births, Different Wishes, with Krissy Whitehead
For her first birth, Krissy Whitehead didn’t have much of a plan, other than getting an epidural. That birth was a lovely experience, so what made her alter her birth wishes with each consecutive birth, and choose a home waterbirth for her fourth one? Go listen....
Starting Solid Foods, with Lily Nichols
Is there a best time to introduce solid foods? What foods should you start with? Is it best to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? What about nutritional requirements, allergies, water, texture windows, and flavor windows? Is food before one just for fun? Does your...
Bariatric-Geriatric Pregnancy, Induced Labor, and Unmedicated Birth, with Mandy Alexander
Mandy Alexander got pregnant at 40, having had bariatric surgery 7 years before that. During pregnancy, she worked through her fear of childbirth and ended up with the unmedicated and collaborative birth experience she was looking for. However, breastfeeding was a...
The Power of Comforting Touch During Labor, with Yiska Obadia
How should you touch a laboring person during contractions? How should you touch them in between contractions? Should you use both hands? Should you lean in? How fast should you go? Why is touch helpful at all? Yiska Obadia has answers. Check it out! [box...
Scheduled Induction Without an Epidural, with Molly Chesterson
Both of Molly Chesterson’s labors have started with inductions but under different circumstances. After having an epidural for her first birth, Molly was hoping for an epidural free experience the second time around. It was an intense close call at the end, when she...