Birthing Instincts

One embryo. Two babies. And a birth story that challenges just about everything we've been taught about twins.

What happens when a woman trusts her body, questions the system, and refuses to let fear write her birth story?

This week, Blyss and I welcome Ashley, whose journey to motherhood took more than a few unexpected turns. After eight years of trying to conceive, an IVF transfer led to a surprise no one quite knew how to explain. But that was only the beginning.

What followed was a roller coaster of medical warnings, conflicting...

Can we prepare for the birth we want while still surrendering to the birth we get?

Our guest, Jenée Carlson, experienced two births that couldn't have been more different. Her first was a home birth filled with suffering. Her second? A free birth she describes as completely painless, peaceful, and blissful.

Same woman. Same body. So what changed?

Jenée joins us to explore the power of our beliefs, the conditioning that teaches women to distrust their instincts, and what happens when we stop outsourcing our authority to everyone else.

We...

What if the answer to our mental health crisis isn't another prescription?

We're living in a world where depression, anxiety, and loneliness are seemingly everywhere. And somehow, despite more diagnoses, more medications, and more money being poured into mental health treatment, we're still struggling. So what exactly are we missing?

This week, investigative journalist Jeffrey Jaxon of The HighWire joins Blyss and Dr. Stu for a conversation that might make you rethink everything you thought you knew about mental health.

From the chemical imbalance theory and the uncomfortable questions surrounding SSRIs to the...

Listen to women.

Seems simple enough. And yet, here we are.

This week, the stories in our inbox keep bringing us back to the same uncomfortable truth: women know when something feels wrong. They know their bodies. They know their babies. They know their histories. And far too often, instead of being listened to, they're dismissed, frightened, managed, or told that someone else knows better.

One mother screamed that she could feel her cesarean, and was told, “There’s no way she feels that.”

Another was sent down the familiar rabbit hole o...

There are some experiences in life that we simply cannot prepare our hearts for.

Pregnancy loss is one of them.

This week, we sit down with Kenzie Covarrubias, co-founder of Held in Hope, for a tender conversation about miscarriage, grief, and what it truly means to care for a woman through loss. Because a miscarriage is so much more than a medical event. There was a mother who was full of hopes and dreams, and a baby who was already deeply loved.

How do we give women the information they need while still...

Blood transfusions can save lives, but when are they actually necessary, and what should you know before you're ever faced with that decision?

This week, Blyss and Dr. Stu unpack blood transfusions in birth: postpartum hemorrhage, hemoglobin levels, blood types and compatibility, potential reactions, and why the number on a lab report doesn't always tell the whole story.

They also dive into some of the harder questions: Can you choose where your blood comes from? What about directed donation? And what options exist for families who have concerns about receiving blood from vaccinated donors?

Cesarean sections can be lifesaving. But are women actually being told about the potential long-term consequences before they consent to one?

This week, Blyss and Stu dig into some of the lesser-discussed risks of cesarean birth, particularly the risks that may not show up until months or even years later.

Stu walks through research examining isthmocoeles and the broader long-term outcomes associated with cesarean delivery, including future fertility, placenta previa and accreta, uterine rupture, miscarriage, stillbirth, and potential childhood outcomes.

But this isn't an episode about frightening women away from cesareans. It's about...

What can nearly 24 years of birth injury litigation teach us about preventing birth injuries before they happen?

This week, Blyss and Stu are joined by nationally recognized trial attorney, bestselling author, and host of The Childbirth Attorney Podcast, Gina Mundy. After spending her career reviewing the births that went wrong—studying medical records, questioning doctors and nurses, and identifying the decisions that changed families’ lives forever, Gina decided those lessons belonged in the hands of parents before they ever entered the delivery room.

Take a look behind the curtain of both the hospital and legal syst...

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny joins Blyss and Dr. Stu for a wide-ranging conversation about vaccines, pregnancy, medical freedom, informed consent, institutional trust, and what it means to question the systems we’ve been taught to rely on.

Blyss asks an important question for parents and birth workers: when major medical organizations say there are enormous amounts of data supporting recommendations during pregnancy, how is the average person supposed to evaluate those claims? 

Stu and Sherri also challenge the influence professional medical organizations have on hospital policy and discuss what happens when recommendations become protocols, sometimes without the...

What if the way we enter the world has consequences that reach far beyond the day we're born?

This week, Blyss and Stu dive into “Microbirth”, the 2014 documentary exploring the human microbiome and what happens during the extraordinary biological transition of birth. From exposure to maternal bacteria during vaginal birth to skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, antibiotics, cesarean delivery, and the hormonal physiology of labor.

At the heart of the conversation is a much bigger question: When we intervene in birth, are we considering only the immediate outcome, or the ripple effects that may follow a baby for...

Thyroid health may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about pregnancy, but thyroid hormones play an important role in both maternal health and fetal development, especially during those early weeks when baby is relying on mom's thyroid hormones.

This week, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into thyroid disease in pregnancy. Stu breaks down the basics of how the thyroid works, the difference between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's versus Graves' disease, and what TSH, T3, T4, and thyroid antibodies can actually tell us. They look at the potential pregnancy risks...

This week, Blyss and Stu run the gamut, from joy and grief to frustration, research, and a whole lot of questions about who really gets to decide what “safe” birth looks like.

After sharing personal updates and a moving remembrance of Dr. Rob Biter, Blyss and Stu turn their attention to autonomy in birth. They discuss a mother struggling to find a midwife willing to truly meet her where she is, the ongoing fight over traditional midwifery in Pennsylvania, and what happens when regulation and institutional standards begin limiting the choices available to birthing families.

Then...

What happens when the medical record doesn't match the birth experience?

This week, Blyss and Stu dive into one of the most uncomfortable, but critically important topics in maternity care: documentation, informed consent, and the ways language can shape a family's entire birth experience.

Using real-world examples, published legal cases, hospital consent forms, and an anonymous patient story, they examine how documentation can influence clinical decisions, legal outcomes, and patient autonomy. They discuss the difference between genuine informed consent and liability-driven documentation, why wording matters, and how routine practices can become normalized before parents even...

This week, Blyss and Stu welcome Doula Dude, Travis Stroud, whose perspective has captivated millions of viewers in just a few short months. Travis never imagined he'd become one of the loudest voices encouraging fathers to educate themselves about pregnancy and birth. But after preparing for nearly two years, he and his wife chose a wild pregnancy and freebirth at home that forever changed the course of his life.

Together they discuss why men have become disconnected from birth, what fathers lose when they're pushed to the sidelines, and why Travis believes childbirth is the "biggest rabbit...

This week, Dr. Stu welcomes Florida midwife Fadwah Halaby for an inspiring conversation about evidence, autonomy, and trusting physiological birth. Before diving into an unforgettable breech twin home birth, Stu takes a deep dive into another one of obstetrics' commonly accepted practices, the "2-centimeter rule" for low-lying placenta, and uncovers the surprisingly weak evidence behind it. 

Together, Stu and Fadwah explore how outdated conventions become hospital policy, why individualized care matters, and what happens when skilled providers support families instead of protocols. From twin growth charts to cord prolapse, patient autonomy, and the realities of home birth, t...

What happens when a traumatic first birth becomes the catalyst for a completely different second experience?

This week, Blyss and Stu welcome holistic esthetician Michelle Vaughn to share the story of two births that couldn't have been more different, and how those experiences transformed not only the way she views birth, but the way she approaches health, skincare, motherhood, and everyday living.

Michelle opens up about her husband's stage IV cancer diagnosis, the lifestyle changes that followed, and why she began questioning everything she was putting on and into her family's bodies. Together, they explore...

Postpartum preeclampsia is one of the least talked about, but potentially most serious, complications after birth. This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss explore what we know, what we don't, and why every new mother should understand the warning signs, even after a healthy pregnancy and birth.

Together they review the latest evidence surrounding postpartum hypertension and postpartum preeclampsia, discuss risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, and why postpartum care deserves far more attention than it often receives.

Whether you're currently pregnant, postpartum, or supporting growing families, this episode offers practical information, thoughtful discussion, and...

This week, we're setting aside our usual topic-driven format to share something even more meaningful: real stories from our fellow travelers.

Join us in reading one of the most moving letters we've ever received.

A certified nurse-midwife shares the heartbreaking story of carrying a daughter diagnosed with anencephaly. Although her daughter, Olivia, was stillborn, she describes her birth as the most beautiful experience of her life, not because of the outcome, but because she was respected, supported, and allowed to birth in a way that brought peace instead of trauma.

This episode is...

In this episode of Birthing Instincts, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in pregnancy.

Together they explore what lupus is, how it affects pregnancy, and what current evidence says about risks such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, stillbirth, and congenital heart block. 

Along the way, Stu revisits the decades-old Hadlock fetal growth curve and questions whether a single growth standard can accurately reflect diverse populations around the world. The conversation highlights the importance of individualized care, informed decision-making, and understanding risk without defaulting to fear-based management.

This week, Blyss and Stu welcome birth pioneer, author, filmmaker, and educator Suzanne Arms, one of the most influential voices in the natural birth movement of the last half-century.

Long before conversations about physiological birth, informed consent, and the over-medicalization of maternity care became mainstream, Suzanne was asking difficult questions. Her groundbreaking 1975 book *Immaculate Deception* challenged routine obstetrical practices and helped spark a movement that continues to influence birth professionals and families around the world.

In this fascinating and deeply personal conversation, Suzanne shares how her own traumatic birth experience and the birth of her...

What happens when a birth photographer picks up a camera and decides she can no longer stay silent?

This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss welcome Jacinta Lagos, an award-winning birth photographer, doula, filmmaker, and creator of the powerful new documentary, Allowed to Birth: The Journey of a Global Midwife.

Born and raised in Argentina, Jacinta grew up believing cesarean birth was simply "how babies were born." After immigrating to the United States and discovering the world of birth photography, she witnessed both the beauty of physiological birth and the realities of obstetric violence. Armed...

This week, Blyss and Stu take a deep dive into the increasingly popular recommendation of inducing labor at 38 weeks for suspected “big babies”.

Prompted by a recent social media post from a prominent obstetric influencer, they examine two studies being used to justify earlier inductions for "big babies" and ask an important question: do the data actually support the conclusions being promoted?

Along the way, Blyss and Stu challenge listeners to look beyond headlines and social media summaries, examine how studies are designed, and consider whether interventions are being recommended based on meaningful risk reduction, or s...

What happens when hospitals decide informed consent no longer applies to breech birth?

In this powerful and deeply important episode, Blyss and Stu welcome back attorney and birth rights advocate Hermine Hayes-Klein to unpack a landmark Oregon malpractice trial centered on coercion, informed consent, and the growing normalization of mandatory cesarean sections for breech babies.

This is not just a conversation about breech birth. It’s a conversation about power, coercion, medical culture, and whether women still have the right to make informed decisions about their own bodies during childbirth.

If you care ab...

This week, Dr. Stu and Blyss break down a recent Substack article reviewing large studies comparing planned home birth and hospital birth for low-risk women. The data? Fewer interventions, lower C-section rates, fewer infections, less hemorrhage, and fewer severe tears with planned home birth. But as always, the conversation goes deeper, into absolute vs. relative risk, the infamous cascade of interventions, postpartum trauma, and why hospitals continue doubling down on systems that many families no longer trust.

Later in the episode, pelvic health physiotherapist and Fringe medical director Liz Frey joins the podcast for a fascinating discussion...

What happens when a medication designed to stop hemorrhage quietly starts creeping into routine birth care?

This week, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss take on TXA (tranexamic acid), what it is, when it actually makes sense, and why they’re increasingly concerned about how it’s being used in modern maternity care.

From postpartum hemorrhage protocols to the growing push for prophylactic use during cesareans and even BEFORE birth, this conversation digs into the science, the politics, and the unintended consequences nobody seems willing to talk about.

Along the way, they tackle the bigg...

In this week’s episode, Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss sit down with Texas midwife Salli Gonzalez and attorney Octavia Martinez to unpack a case that should concern not only licensed midwives, but anyone with a license.

Together they discuss what happens when a midwife follows protocol, transfers appropriately, and still becomes the target?

What happens when unverified screenshots, incomplete records, and social media comments are used to justify suspending a license, without a trial?

And more importantly, what does this mean for the future of midwifery?

This conversation goes beyond th...

This week’s podcast Blyss and Stu come to you with no guest and no single topic, just a “hodgepodge” of what’s been piling up in Dr. Stu’s mind attic.

From collapsing birth options and disappearing breech skills…to food, fear, and the quiet coercion baked into modern maternity care.

It may seem random, but there is a common thread here: Systems replacing skills, policy replacing autonomy, and women left navigating the fallout

References:

Fringe Red Light Therapy: Code BirthingInstincts10 for 10% off

ICAN 

Coalition for Breech Birth...

The 20-week anatomy scan has become a routine part of modern pregnancy, but is it truly essential, or just another layer of over-monitoring?

After receiving a listener question, Dr. Stu and Blyss dissect the purpose, limitations, and unintended consequences of the anatomy scan. From what providers are actually looking for, to why so many women walk away with more anxiety than answers, this episode challenges the assumption that more information always equals better outcomes.

At the end of the day, the real question isn’t can we look, it’s should we?

What if the system you trust never did the science you assume it did?

In this explosive episode, Dr. Stu and Blyss sit down with Del Bigtree to pull back the curtain on vaccines, medical authority, and the institutions shaping maternal and pediatric care. From ACOG recommendations to the hidden realities behind “safe and effective,” this conversation challenges everything we’re told—and asks the question no one in mainstream medicine seems willing to ask.

This isn’t just about vaccines. It’s about power, profit, fear… and what happens when parents start saying no..

About Del...

What if infertility isn’t a broken body… but a disconnected one?

In this episode, Blyss and Stu sit down with integrative fertility expert Emily Marson to challenge everything you’ve been told about conception, IVF, and what it actually means to “optimize” the body for pregnancy.

From the forgotten intelligence of the body to the overreach of modern fertility medicine, this conversation pulls back the curtain on why more intervention isn’t always the answer, and what happens when you start working with physiology instead of overriding it.

About Emily:

Emily Marson...

A home birth.

A tragic outcome.

And a midwife the state tried to make an example of.

In this episode, Blyss and Stu talk with Angee Hock to unpack what it’s really like to be prosecuted for birth work. From a traumatic breech birth to jail time, national headlines, and a courtroom battle that could have changed everything, this conversation goes where most won’t.

But what came out of her trial may change everything: a judge declaring home birth is a constitutional right. This isn’t just her story. It’s a...

What happens when we monitor birth too much?

In this episode, Blyss and Stu pull back the curtain on one of the most normalized, and least questioned, practices in modern obstetrics: continuous monitoring. What starts as “safety” can quietly become interference, and the consequences aren’t small.

Together, they break down how over-monitoring can derail physiologic birth, increase unnecessary interventions, and shift trust away from a woman’s body and into machines. From hospital protocols to real-world birth room dynamics, this conversation challenges the narrative that more data always equals better outcomes.

If you’ve e...

What happens when a skeptical dad starts asking real questions about birth? Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss sit down with Dad Jacob Dubois, author of Why Home Birth, to talk about how he went from doubter to outspoken home birth advocate, and why fathers may be one of the missing voices in the fight to reclaim birth from the medical system.

About Jacob

Jacob Dubois is a devoted husband to Madison and a proud father to two young sons (ages 2 and 4 months). He is the author of Why Home Birth? How hospitals turned birth into...

Is every positive urine culture in pregnancy a problem that needs antibiotics? Dr. Stu and midwife Blyss explore ACOG’s UTI guidelines, the evidence behind screening, and the growing concern about microbiome disruption and antibiotic resistance.

References:

Motherhood Equipped Podcast: 62. Birth Freedom, Breech Truth, and Why Physiologic Birth Matters with Dr. Stuart Fischbein

Patreon.com/BirthingInstinctsPodcast 

Support the Podcast 

Velvet and Bone Somatic & Trauma-Informed Doula Training (velvet-and-bone.com)

ACOG Clinical: Urinary Tract Infections in Pregnant Individuals

PubMed: Asymptomatic GBS bacteriuria during antenatal visi...

On this week’s episode Blyss and Stu introduce guest Abigail Iovine, a Pennsylvania traditional midwife, and her mission to create legislation to protect traditional midwifery through her organization The National Alliance for Traditional Birth Rights. Iovine discusses how legislation and institutional credentialing can criminalize basic midwifery care and shrink options. This episode outlines harms from siloed maternity care and discusses NARM’s influence.

About Abby Iovine:

Abby is a traditional midwife, mother of ten, and a passionate advocate for medical freedom who was raised with a deep love for God and family. Yes, all ten...

With Blyss away, Stu sits down with Phoenix OB-GYN Michael Hervey II to explore what true physician–midwife partnership looks like in real time. Together, an OB and midwife team delivered a remarkable set of hospital triplets born in rapid succession within minutes, totaling just over fifteen pounds. It’s a conversation about collaboration over hierarchy, shared skill, and how complex physiologic birth can unfold safely when trust and teamwork lead the way.

About Dr. Michael Hervey:

Dr. Michael J. Hervey II, MD, is a board-certified obstetrician–gynecologist with extensive experience spanning private practice, academic medici...

Blyss and Stu are joined by guest Barbara Harper, founder of Waterbirth International, an internationally recognized expert on water birth and gentle birth. Join us for a roller coaster of an episode where we dig into the history of water birth, tell stories about how society lost its way in the world of birth, and dive into the physiology of birthing in water. Truly an episode you won’t forget.

About Barbara:

Barbara Harper is an internationally recognized expert on waterbirth and gentle birth who has dedicated her life to revolutionizing the way we welcome ba...

In this week’s episode of the Birthing Instincts podcast, Blyss Stu challenge one of the most ignored questions in modern obstetrics: what does birth actually do to a human being? Joined by midwife and pre- and perinatal psychology educator Mary Jackson, they explore how experiences from conception through early childhood leave lasting imprints on the nervous system, emotional development, and lifelong behavior.

Mary unpacks how routine medical interventions, often dismissed as benign or “necessary”, can carry psychological and physiological consequences for both babies and mothers, consequences that are rarely acknowledged or integrated. The conversation pushes back agains...

In this episode, Blyss and Stu are joined by Nathan Riley and Carol Gautschi to discuss the profound importance of in-person gatherings within the birth work community. The conversation covers the unique value of face-to-face interactions, the differences between organic and inorganic communication, and the challenges and rewards of organizing birth-related events. They reflect on the impact of being physically present with others, the human connection in birth work, and ways to support and sustain these vital gatherings for a more connected and informed community.

About Carol:

Carol Gautschi CPM LM has actively attended homebirths...

This week on the podcast, Blyss and Stu take a hard look at what’s happening to the world of doula support as insurance and institutions move in. They’re joined by two seasoned doulas, Ivy Joeva and Shellie Poulter, who bring decades of experience advocating for women in birth. Together, they unpack how policy, regulation, and insurance reimbursement can quietly shift doula care away from individualized, relationship-based support and toward institutional control. They talk honestly about what’s gained, what’s lost, and why protecting the integrity of doula work matters if we truly want better birth outcomes.

Abo...