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Welcome to another Breastfeeding Q&A episode. Today, we start with a conversation on how to night wean and your personal experiences with what worked best.

For today's questions, Trisha responds to:

• How child-led weaning works at 14 months, 18 months, and 2 years old
• Nursing strikes at 6 months — why they happen and how to respond
• Night weaning tips: gentle strategies without losing daytime breastfeeding
• Why milk supply sometimes doesn’t come in (and hospital factors that affect it)
• How to stop biting while breastfeeding (without turning it into a game)
• Coping with strong or painful letdowns and oversupply
• Breastfeeding myths: Does breastfeeding cause cavities?
• Nutrition for moms: hops, beer, and spirulina for milk supply
• How to manage sleep deprivation, co-sleeping, and even feeding twins

For quickies, we tackle rapid milk ejection, breastmilk and cavities, reducing oversupply, biting, all-night latching, beer & milk supply, nipple damage, feeding twins.

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

Thank you to everyone for these great questions and remember you can call us any time at 802-GET-DOWN (that's 802-438-3696). See you next week!

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Bringing a new baby home is exciting—but it can feel overwhelming when you’re worried about how your toddler will adjust. You may be wondering: Will my toddler feel jealous? How do I handle tantrums? How do I keep my child feeling loved while caring for a newborn?

In this episode, toddler expert Devon Kuntzman, author of the book Transforming Toddlerhood: How to Handle Tantrums and Power Struggles and Raise Resilient Kids Without Losing Your Mind, joins us to share practical wisdom for parents navigating this transition. In this discussion, we explore how to decode toddler behavior without harmful labels, set loving boundaries that build security, and handle big emotions—whether in the safety of your home or the middle of a grocery store. We discuss sibling jealously, strategies for parental preference, how to handle tantrums, time-outs, spanking and boundaries. Then we ask Devon your questions at the end, quickie style!

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

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In this episode, occupational therapist and IBCLC Michelle Emanuel joins us to explore the hidden ways tongue-tie affects babies long before birth. She explains how oral restrictions begin in the embryo, influence fetal positioning, and impact birth outcomes including torticollis and C-sections. We dive into the anatomy of the tongue, how it connects to breathing, posture, and feeding, and why many tongue-ties remain hidden or misdiagnosed.

We discuss feeding positions, tummy time, swaddling, and infant sleep, and, of course, SIDS, including airway safety, sleep surfaces, toxins, and the importance of ventral (tummy) time for development and sleep.

Michelle shares insights on when a frenotomy is truly needed, the risks of unnecessary or too-early releases, and why myofunctional therapy and whole-body approaches are critical for optimal long-term outcomes. This episode is a must-listen for parents, birth professionals, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of how tongue-tie influences health even before your baby is born.

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

Michelle's Website

Instagram

Our Patreon Event with Michelle

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Our sponsors, Patreon, and contact info below:

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
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Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
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Down to Birth Show

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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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In this month’s Q&A, we start with a big one: What are your biggest fears in life? (Besides snakes and spiders, of course!) Then we dive into your thoughtful community questions, including:

• Homebirth vs. family pushback: My sister is a labor & delivery nurse, my family isn’t supportive, and my MIL has no boundaries. What should I do?
• Breastfeeding oversupply: I had a major oversupply with my first baby—will it be worse or the same with my next?
• Birth interventions: In my first birth, my midwife used hands-on pushing techniques and I was given continuous antibiotics. Were these necessary?

In the extended version of today's episode available on Patreon or Apple subscriptions, we answer additional questions on:

• preparing for a long home birth after a cesarean (HBAC) and how to avoid hospital transfer,
• "failure to progress" in a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC),
• whether we consider water birth to be a birth intervention, and
• if it is ok to sleep on your back in pregnancy.

Finally, in quickies, we discuss: the best HypnoBirthing class (ha), preventing perineal tearing, cycle length & gestation, our current favorite podcasts, breast reductions and breastfeeding, posterior babies, pushing length and positions, and a favorite item in our homes.

Thanks, everyone, and call us any time at 802-GET-DOWN! That's 802-438-3696.

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

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Our sponsors, Patreon, and contact info below:

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshow

Down to Birth Show

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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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Motherhood, pregnancy, and postpartum life are filled with moments that test our patience — from bedtime battles and clutter overload to partner misunderstandings and in-law tensions. But these moments aren’t just “part of the job” — they’re emotional triggers, and they hold powerful clues for personal growth, stress relief, and a healthier, happier motherhood journey.

In this episode, we dive deep into emotional triggers for moms, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. We share relatable stories from our community of mothers about whining toddlers, relationship stress, junk food battles, and the mental load of parenting. You’ll learn how to recognize your triggers, uncover the roots behind them, and respond in ways that protect your mental health, improve your relationships, and bring more peace into your home.

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

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Our sponsors, Patreon, and contact info below:

Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
Needed -- Our favorite nutritional products for before, during, and after pregnancy. Use this link to save 20%
DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT with this unique link and get a FREE sample pack

Use promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for all sponsors.

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshow

Down to Birth Show

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Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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Emily Vondy hardly needs an introduction. She's a mother of six, songwriter, and online creator @emilyvondy whose humor, reflections, and music have brought laughter and validation to millions. In this episode, she invites us into the story of her fifth birth, which came after two heartbreaking miscarriages. What began as a pregnancy marked by fear and doubt became an experience of profound peace—and what she vividly experienced as clear-as-day divine intervention.

That’s right: Emily shares the story of how she had not one but three vivid spiritual encounters with Jesus during her hardest hour of labor—on the car ride to the birthing center. The experience brought her so much peace that she became completely silent in the throes of labor, and the drive—one she had made many times in previous labors—felt to her like just five minutes. As our conversation unfolded, we talked about why it may have happened then, and why it hasn’t happened since.

She recognizes her story will inevitably leave some incredulous, and she admits she sometimes has to remind herself how very real it was. In fact, her birth video shows her describing the encounter to her husband immediately after her baby was born. Emily also reflects on how the experience left her feeling humbled by God’s nearness—not “special” or “chosen”—but deeply comforted, grateful, and mystified.

At the end of the episode, Emily lets us into the world behind her on-screen presence, answering our listeners’ questions about past jobs, family size, support systems, and marriage—making our conversation both deeply inspiring and refreshingly honest. She speaks openly about balancing the chaos of a big family, the grounding practices that help her in moments of overwhelm, and the ways her faith, humor, and disposition keep her marriage strong. If you think you couldn't love Emily Vondy more than you already do, this episode just may prove you wrong.

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

**********
Our sponsors, Patreon, and contact info below:

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshow

Down to Birth Show

Call 802-GET-DOWN

Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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In this episode, filmmaker and microbiome advocate Toni Harman joins us to explore the groundbreaking science behind establishing the infant microbiome—and why the earliest moments of life matter so much for lifelong health. Toni shares her personal journey from an unexpected C-section to uncovering how birth methods, antibiotics, and feeding choices shape immunity, metabolism, and risk of chronic disease over our lifetime.

Key Points Discussed Include:

• Why vaginal birth, skin-to-skin contact, and early exclusive breastfeeding are the gold standard for seeding a healthy microbiome;
• How C-section birth changes microbial exposure—introducing hospital and staff microbes instead of the mother’s;
• Why even a single bottle of formula can shift the gut microbiome, and how exclusive breastfeeding and skin-to-skin can help restore balance;
• The fascinating recent research about vaginal seeding during C-sections...is it actually effective?
• The impact of newborn exposure to maternal gut microbes at birth;
• How the microbiome begins to “lock in” by age 2–3, and ways to keep building resilience through early childhood.

Buckle up for some mind-blowing ideas in this episode! As always, Mother Nature has the perfect, albeit a little dirty, plan!

Microbirth Film

Instagram: Toni Harman

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

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Our sponsors, Patreon, and contact info below:

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshow

Down to Birth Show

Call 802-GET-DOWN

Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.

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Welcome to the August Q&A episode! What is your secret quirk? We want to know! We share a few of yours along with our own.

Today's first question is from a mother who had a large first baby without a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. She's concerned in her second pregnancy that she might develop late-onset gestational diabetes.

Next, a pregnant mother's mother is a medical doctor and is having a hard time supporting her daughter's natural birth choices because of her experiences in the medical system.

Another mom is struggling with sugar cravings in pregnancy and is wondering what advice we have to reduce those cravings.

In the extended episode, available on Patreon and Apple subscriptions, we address the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding over exclusive bottle-feeding, whether or not you should have a planned cesarean after a shoulder dystocia, and if moxibustion works to turn a breech baby.

Quickies: Fundal height measurements, prenatal appointments at the end of pregnancy, hemorrhoids, spotting postpartum, short breastfeeds, LEEP procedure and cervical scar tissue, high lipase milk, laboring down, restless legs in pregnancy, and finally, would we tell anyone about our pregnancy before 12 weeks?

Call us with your questions, comments or stories at 802-GET-DOWN!

Watch this episode in full video format on YouTube.

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Our sponsors:
Postpartum Soothe -- Herbs and padsicles to heal and comfort.
Needed -- Our favorite nutritional products for before, during, and after pregnancy. Use this link to save 20%
DrinkLMNT -- Purchase LMNT with this unique link and get a FREE sample pack

Use promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH for all sponsors.

Needed <-- this link for 20% off your whole subscription order
DrinkLMNT <-- this link for FREE 8-day supply
Primally Pure: ingredients good for you and the earth. Promo code: DOWNTOBIRTH
Postpartum Soothe: Organic herbal padsicles for healing. Promo code DOWNTOBIRTH
ENERGYBits: <--this link for 20% off

Join Patreon for our exclusive content
IG @downtobirthshow

Down to Birth Show

Call 802-GET-DOWN

Watch full videos of all episodes on YouTube! Please note we don’t provide medical advice. Speak to your licensed provider for all healthcare matters.