#262 | April Q&A: Prenatal Vitamins, Premature Rupture of Membranes, Painless Breech Birth, Precipitous Labor, HypnoBirthing, Prenatal Hypertension

Hey, Cynthia interest. I love y'all. So I'm actually pregnant with my second planning a home birth, and I'm so excited everything he shares so helpful. I have a question about breaking your tailbone during delivery.

Those are the tools we have within us. There's no other secret there. There's there's nothing else that can overcome the white coat syndrome, then your physiology, your breath and your thoughts.

And this is so common. And so many mothers are given a diagnosis of hypertension told to take aspirin based on elevated blood pressure taken in the office, which is almost always taken incorrectly. By

the way. I just said, Cynthia, I had a quick question about prenatal vitamins. Do you have a specific app that you recommend to track ovulation?

I'm not into apps for anything that happens naturally within the body at all.

This is exactly why I selected this question for the quickies. Because I totally agree with you. The best app is you know, getting to know your own cervical mucus.

Right? Which isn't an app. That's right.

I'm Cynthia Overgard, owner of HypnoBirthing of Connecticut, childbirth advocate and postpartum support specialist. And I'm Trisha Ludwig, certified nurse midwife and international board certified lactation consultant. And this is the Down To Birth Podcast. Childbirth is something we're made to do. But how do we have our safest and most satisfying experience in today's medical culture? Let's dispel the myths and get down to birth.

So you said you just posted about an hour ago, in anticipation of this recording a question on Instagram for our followers. And what was that question? Well, so it was inspired by the fact that I went into my children's bathroom and yet again saw about 10 things with no caps on them. This is this is de uses more. Who uses that many personal care products? Toothpaste, you know me I hear stuff make up. Anything you could think of?

That's funny.

I don't understand how hard it is just, you know, use something, put the cap back on. It's a habit, right. Yeah, I mean, it's like are hard to imagine not capping things.

It's hard to imagine. So anyway, I took a photo of it, threw it up on Instagram and asked our community, what kind of bad habits hang around in their homes, especially if it's their partner, because, you know, we can be most annoyed with our partners. So we got a view. It hasn't been up for long, but we got quite a few responses in a very good amount of time. I can't wait to hear something people like to talk about. Yeah. So we'll run through them. And you know, I'm sure you'll have something funny to say because you always do me.

No pressure. My mom said that a friend of hers once introduced her to another friend and said, Ah, you have to meet Rachel. She's so funny. And my mother stood there. She never froze more than you can. You can't say I'm going to have something. But listen, everyone, I'm going to have nothing funny to say. I'll merely acknowledge Trisha, so let's lower the expectations right off the bat. Alright, that helps what they say.

I had to have a talk with my husband a few months ago, because he got this habit from his own lovely mom. Where in which he walks into the kitchen. And he says things like, where did all these glasses come from? Because like, I'll have my glass of water in the morning and someone else will and then midday, I'm not sure which is mine. And I grab another one. And if they're not in the dishwasher yet, he's like, where? And I said to him, you don't have to keep commenting and opening glasses or just pick them up and put them in the dishwasher. It's, it's just really not a huge deal. Like we don't have to keep hearing Oh, no. Like, there's gonna be a comment about how many glasses are added for people. If four people have in the house there. Yes, there may be more than four glasses at the end of the day. But okay, every time that sounds literal, it's OCD. Okay, what's next? My husband throws a wet towel up high on a random door of the house and it's never near the bathroom. What random door question is. Where's he going in his towel? And how does he get back to the bathroom without it? Yeah, he just walks naked. I guess so. So he comes out of the shower. I'm going to tell you how this goes. I got it all. I got it all mapped out in my mind. They have a big house. He comes out of the shower. He drives off, she starts roaming around the big house. He ends up on some coffee ends up on another floor and he goes yeah, I'll leave it here. He walks over the top of coffee, dark, naked and slowly takes his time walking back to the house. And the whole time. He's thinking now if she sees me, she's gonna want to have me right now. All right. That's how men think good luck. She's gonna not be able to resist. What's really happening is she's got other stuff on her mind. She doesn't really notice him walking through the house naked. But then she encounters the towel and she's furious. That's right. And then later at night, she's still resentful and doesn't want to have sex with him because of the towel. So the irony is just incredible.

We got it all figured out. Okay. I take people's drinking glasses before they're done to load in the dishwasher. Oh, that's my mother. You can't set anything down. It's just swiped gone. You set it down gone.

If it's half full, will she take it? It doesn't matter. Oh, come on. No, no,it's true. Not in my house but in her home. Well, she's she's clean. She's tidy. Nice to cover call her the Hoover home on it. Or it was like, like a vacuum. She saw something that was sucked up gone. Disappeared. Don't my dad used to say if I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night Rachel will make the bed

that's funny. Yeah, making your bed is a great habit though. It's one of the best habits you can implement in your life and we're religious about it. Whoever gets up later makes the bed.

That's always me my house. All right, what else? I'm not putting items back where they belong. I think that's super common, but I don't like that at all. The slogan in my house is everything has a place. We got a few more but that's probably enough.

I don't know any good ones.

Try to break that habit. I don't close cabinets.

Oh my gosh. My friend and I both do that. You leave. Yeah, I've left cabinets. Oh, that's so weird. It's so strange. Yeah. But she does it like crazy. Like she has sent me photos of like seven or eight cabinets in her kitchen. Just open doors and cabinets open. Yeah, but I've caught myself every now and then I've caught myself with my spice cabinet. If I'm cooking, and I'll look over and I'll say oh my god. I didn't close it. It's open. It's still open. I'll go I have my spices and I'll walk away. Yeah. You really don't like this about me Do you? Well, I've never seen your capital open in your house i i just kind of I don't like that I noticed that I left them open and I qualified. I don't go to bed with a Publix open in my kitchen. It's like the refrigerator and like you open it you take something out you close it now it's all automated.

I do with certain cabinets of course glasses dishes. Always closed spice cabinet. I've that's the most common one. I'll leave open. Yeah, I tell it okay, because the doors. Now I what? I do it with my closet doors. Oh, I don't do it with closet doors.

I do it with my closet doors. So now I get it. That's the only thing I do it with though. Puts dirty laundry literally everywhere. bias in the basket. Lovely, charming, easy to put it in the basket. I keep falling in love with you more every day kind of stuff. My husband leaves water bottles, empty water bottles everywhere.

That sounds like plastic. No plastic water bottles, get rid of the plastic water bottles. They're not good for you anyway, get in are not good for any water bottle that he has to reuse. Alright, let's go.

Like what do we have? Oh, wait, I'm gonna have something. All right. Okay, we got some comment or question about a birth. And I wanted to play this first because it wasn't an official, traditional type of question. So let's play this. Alright, hang on.

My name is Jessie. I'm calling for a couple of reasons. So I just wanted to say that I had what I would call a pain free birth, but it was also only six hours. So it's pretty quick. And maybe I would have handled it differently if it were very long. But I didn't have that moment that you talked about where you wonder if you can get through. It didn't have that moment. Everything. Just went went went. It was great. It was amazing. Sorry. I also want to say thank you for what you guys do because it's pretty incredible. And I don't think I would have had the birth that I had had I not found your podcast. And I just really changed my life. I had a breech baby vaginally and with no interventions and no medication. At Yale. Actually, I was able to do that because I heard Dr. Stewart on the podcast. And that sent me down this rabbit hole of breach and then my baby did not turn. And then I listened to I think it was simply a story and maybe I'm getting that wrong. I have just this incredible vaginal breech birth. I went through so many things just in that process in the last trimester. So I just wanted to call in and let you guys know that. Okay, that's it. Thanks so much.

Thank you, every one listening, forever sharing any one of our episodes with anyone because she learned about our podcast from a friend, which changed her entire birth experience. She had a breech birth at Yale New Haven Hospital vaginally of all places. Amazing. Like, if she hadn't learned what she learned and heard the podcast with Dr. Sue, she would have had a C section. And look how much it transformed her life.

A Trisha what episode number was that?

You know, I don't keep track of that. Okay, that was episode 128. And I remember it because we did our what do we call those like the trilogy? Episodes 118 124 and 129. And he was right before the the third trimester red flags episode. It was episode 128. And yes, it was Cynthia's birth story Episode Episode 236. And I have a fun fact. I'm going to squeeze in here just because I feel like it. Not only did that episode come out on my birthday, October 11, of 2023. But um, fun fact, my husband and I grew up in different states, and we both grew up in house number 236. I'm glad to hear this two episodes, encourage her to do her research and have her breech birth at Yale of all places. surprises you, right? Totally, totally surprises me. I would love to know who attended that birth. We'll have to find out.

And yes, it's a common phenomenon that women experience some feelings around, escaping, running away, giving up changing their birth plan and the very last moments before the baby is born or during transition. But by no means is that every woman's experience. It's just very common. And we just want to remind women when they experience it, they are very close to having their babies. But there are many, many women who never experienced anything like that their babies just slip out the birth is completely comfortable, uneventful. In many cases pleasurable. Truly everything exists in birth, every possibility exists. There are no generalizations we can make at all. But it is common for many.

Hey y'all, I just found out I'm pregnant with my third kid and I I was wondering, so my first kid I had in the hospital. It was nice. I had a five hour induced labor. My second kid, I had a home birth, it was two hours and 45 minutes for labor. Do you think that I should plan for a really quick labor this time around? Thanks, guys.

Well, you know what everybody says?

They say you never know what you're gonna get with the third baby.

They say they're the wild card.

I don't like that. I don't that I don't like, I don't like to put any preconceived notions in anyone's minds for one. But also, you could always say that, you could say that about a second birth. They're invariably different from the first birth, if the first birth is super long. The second one can be like an hour. I mean, well, it's more, it's more the idea that the second baby usually almost always comes faster than the first baby that's given.

So it wasn't for me, it wasn't for me. Yeah, go ahead. But vast majority of the time it is yes, the third baby would then be presumed to come faster than right second. And that's not always the case. That's what that's what the wild card means. So yes, she had a very fast, technically precipitous second birth at home. And so yes, she should call her midwife. The moment she thinks she's in labor, because the midwife would much prefer to know and show up a little early than miss the third birth. And it may or may not be faster, it may or may not. But it can't hurt to be err on the side of assuming that it will be and let the midwife know sooner. But it does sound like she you know, it does sound like she could potentially have a very quick third birth, and you should be prepared for that.

Hi, Cynthia. And Trisha, I was wondering, I wanted to ask a question about, kind of about pain and labor. And as it relates to tools like HypnoBirthing, I understand how theoretically, you could use those tools. And when a woman is able to have a completely physiologic birth experience, how that can be transformative, and you could describe that experience has been completely pain free. I'm curious, I totally grew up around that culture of birth, really believing in my body's ability completely unafraid. And as it turned out, I did have to give birth in a high risk setting, and was subjected to a lot of interventions, some of which were absolutely necessary. What really caught me by surprise when they ended up with an induction, which we all know, if we listen to your show, at least that is what is best avoided when possible. But in my case, when I did end up being infused, what really took me by surprise, was how incredibly painful it was. I was not quite prepared. And I guess my question I know, I keep talking about HypnoBirthing. Because I know, Cynthia, you're somewhat of an expert in it. But I'm just wondering if you have seen in your experience, or heard talking to women, whether using techniques like HypnoBirthing, or other coping mechanisms has been beneficial and helped to reduce pain and create a more, for lack of a better word, peaceful birth experience, even in the case of having to have medical intervention, actually, in your experience, having worked with so many. I'm really curious if you have any thoughts about this, I would love to hear what you have to say. Thank you so much. Love your show, and bye bye.

All right, I have two things to say about this, first of all there. Yes, I know HypnoBirthing? Well, I've been teaching it for 18 years now. And I've taught 1000s of couples. And there's no question that when you learn the techniques through HypnoBirthing, or yoga, or however else to truly harness your focus, it's not just the breathing and the physiology, those are very big. But focus is the key. That is really the key. When you truly learn to control and focus and practice these three things together. You can overcome anything, there have been women who had C sections under under this state of mind, you can call it hypnosis or any deep relaxation, root canals. Truly, I know. I know, someone who has. So do you mean without anesthesia?

Yes, yes. And that is not something I would be willing to do because I have a belief that we're not meant to endure dental work. So for me, that's truly the one area that I can think of the one common area where I would say Okay, now this is not something i i personally, I don't have a belief that I can overcome dental work like a root canal without anesthesia. But people have it's not that anyone takes a childbirth class planning on those things. But back to just the norm of childbirth, even those with Pitocin and really difficult things to overcome the techniques fully apply and fully work. I just want to emphasize I always emphasize to my own clients in my classes. Focus is the one everyone wants to see Then the least amount of attention on because it's the hardest one, it's as hard as meditation itself. Breathing is easy to control physiology is fairly easy to control, making, making sure you're not making fists not connecting your upper row of teeth to your lower row of teeth, these little things we learn, but focus is the one where if you're really going to practice focus, you can move mountains, I mean, people have been able to slow their breathing to the point where they're underwater for minutes, something that's unthinkable to most of us. But that's how they do it with these techniques. In our normal world of normal couples taking a normal class like mine, yes, they absolutely can have Pitocin and feel comfortable, even though it's notoriously uncomfortable. The other thing I want to comment on is this rhetoric we hear around HypnoBirthing, this conversation around HypnoBirthing of pain, free birth, that's something I would never say, and no clients of mine have ever heard me say painfree for two reasons. One, if you say the word pain, you think the word pain, when you go get a lovely massage, you don't walk away and go, Oh my gosh, I didn't have any pain at all in that massage. So I don't condition my clients to think of their birth as pain free because then it's around the concept of pain. We that's an injustice to anyone who wants to have a comfortable birth. So it doesn't make sense. Once you understand how the subconscious mind works, you would never use the word pain, any more than if you help your child study for an intense exam. You don't assure them, they're not going to fail, they're not going to fail, they're not going to fail. You focus on what you want, not what you don't want. That's how the subconscious works, whether we like it or not our conscious minds like both of those approaches, but the subconscious only wants to hear what we seek. If you you know you don't say to a couple on their wedding day, I really don't think you guys are gonna get divorced. I just don't see divorce for you to the couple would be like why they would still hear it as an offense because you're gonna have a divorce free marriage. Exactly. That is how the unconscious works. It's better to say to your partner, please remember we have plans tomorrow night, then don't forget, we have plans. If you're directing someone on a road trip, you say make a right you don't say okay, don't make a left up here. They will hear left before they understand anything else. And the final point I want to make is if I were to tell my clients that HypnoBirthing will bring them a pain free birth as so many HypnoBirthing instructors do they say your birth will be quicker, it'll be pain free. What is that woman supposed to think later when she has a long labor or a very difficult labor? Who am I to define how her birth should feel? And I don't want her to conclude postpartum she failed the method? Because she interpreted her experience as painful. Well said, Well, I mean, I had a lot to say, because this is my work. And this is what I teach. I can't I can't give a short answer for that. Trish. I know what you're thinking. Okay. I think that was long, but it wasn't it wasn't lucky. I don't have a quickie to everything is good. It was it was well thought out. It was well explained. Thank you.

Hi, I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant with my first baby due in June. I recently wanted to transfer my care to a birthing center located in a hospital. They said they would not accept me as a patient because I had two elevated blood pressure readings in the office with my previous care provider. Both were anxiety induced. I monitor my blood pressure at home throughout the day, and all the readings are normal. I told the midwife this and she recommended that I take a baby aspirin daily, even though the high readings were situational. She will have the head midwife review my chart and see if I qualify for the birthing center. Any tips on how to overcome white coat syndrome? And what are your thoughts and taking a baby aspirin?

Thank you.

Okay, let's let's address the question about the baby aspirin first because first of all, baby aspirin is only recommended if you have chronic hypertension. In the prevention of preeclampsia, she does not have chronic hypertension she has possibly gestational hypertension, but more likely white coat hypertension because she has already stated that when she takes her blood pressure at home is normal. And this is so common in Kosovo, many mothers are given a diagnosis of hypertension told to take aspirin, even a diagnosis of preeclampsia based on elevated blood pressure taken in the office which is almost always taken incorrectly by the way. They're really very specific way to take blood pressure, which involves letting women sit still quietly for 10 minutes in a certain position where their feet firmly planted on the floor and taking three measurements of blood pressure. You have to be kidding first and averaging the second two, I've never experienced that in my whole life has ever had their blood pressure taken away in an office never know. So nobody's taking blood pressure correctly. Wow.

That's interesting. Right? That It's incredible. Yeah. And then they're making major diagnoses based, right is reading or changing change for some of your care based on an elevated blood pressure, because you're uncomfortable, nervous, whatever I mean, blood pressure is going to elevate in those situations. So she does not likely need to take aspirin, she doesn't need to take aspirin, because she doesn't have a little bit elevated blood pressure. And she should not risk out of the birth center.

Well, as far as the white coat syndrome, I want women to understand that, while that is real, they can always control their thoughts and physiology. And again, it's not that this is easy. It's very simple. There's nothing sophisticated to it. But you have to go through the practice and the effort of learning the tools for to control your blood pressure, it can be done. And the way to do that is really, it's just like the three things I referenced a few minutes ago. It's controlling your breath. So in for for slowly, two full lungs out for eight. And for four out for eight that does calm the nervous system. That's a fact, we've known this for like, apparently a couple 1000 years, and relaxing your physiology. So making sure you're not clenching in any area of your body or relaxing your eyelids or relaxing your jaw. And then the focus, visualize something that makes you feel calm and peaceful. Whatever that is, if it's like visualize petting your dog, whatever it is, but when you sit there and tell yourself, I have white coat syndrome, oh my gosh, my blood pressure is going to go up because I'm in this office, that will contribute to your physiology. And it's the best we can do. There's no other magic secret to it. If you can't get past the results that way, then it's on to planning a different kind of birth. But those are the tools we have within us. There's no other secret there. There's there's nothing else that can overcome the white coat syndrome than your physiology, your breath and your thoughts or just not having someone else take your blood pressure and doing it yourself. Right. But the rapidly capable of that, right. But how many women do that? I mean, I wouldn't have I wouldn't have been taking my blood pressure at home, but a lot of women do now. And they see that it's low. And then they go to the provider and the provider doesn't care about the ones they take at home, they want to see the ones. That's the issue. It's the ones that are taking at the appointments. What do you do, then? What is your advice, my advice, I mean, everything that you said is great. And make sure you're allotted 10 minutes to do go through those relaxation exercises. And if that doesn't work, then I really believe that women can track their own blood pressure at home, take notes of it, bring those sheets to their provider, and that should be respected because we have. So we have we have the tool. Now, to do it. There's so many good home monitoring blood pressure, cuffs, just like women monitor their own blood sugar, we can do these things, we don't need somebody else doing it to us like that. That's something we can manage ourselves. And it doesn't need to be done by a doctor.

I guess the benefit of doing that is that the woman herself knows her blood pressure is actually low range. She didn't make any big, grand birth decisions or induction decisions around the reading when she knows the reading herself because she's done that herself. It's just it's ridiculous that we have to the fact that we're even saying to women take your blood pressure at home, can you imagine telling women in the 50s or 60s, if you just step outside of this culture we're in? That's crazy. Take this at home to prove that you're not so stressed at the appointments that that's not throwing off your reading?

Hi, I had a question about waters rupturing. I wondered if you have any studies or research that tells us what percentage of women's waters break and they go into labor within like an hour or two. And then what percentage of you know it doesn't happen right away? Labor doesn't start right away. You know, the cascade of intervention happens because labor hasn't really started. And then they're kind of confused and wondering what happened. But I just wanted to know, I'm very curious. Anyway, thank you for all of your wonderful work and for helping so many moms. And I love listening to you guys have a great day.

There's quite a bit of research out there about membranes releasing and when they release. We know the most common time is transition or the time when a woman is about 10 centimeters. It's common sense because the baby starts to come through. I've never personally seen any research about when a woman goes into labor within an hour or two of membranes releasing but there's plenty of research around both the 24 hour mark and the 28 hour mark. When you look at all that research together. It shakes out at being around a four in Five chance, even a little higher, that a woman will go into labor spontaneously within 24 or 28 hours. So maybe almost one in five women will go past that. It almost sounds like she's wondering, why doesn't labor begin or what's going on or what's going wrong? Nothing. It's just the it's the progress of labor. But only 10 to 15% of women have membranes released at the beginning labor. In the first place, the majority of women experience that much later in the process.

You mean 10 to 15% of women experience the breaking of the water before Labor has actually started? Yes. And then when it does release, about half of women will go into labor within 12 hours, and then 95% by that 24 To 40 to 24 to 28 hour mark.

That's what ACOG says, yeah. And then there's another one that says like, 86% Chance within within 24 hours. But yeah, ACOG did the 12 hour measure, and it was really, really high. And then they did the 28 hour, but I've never seen one to two hours after No.

And that's not likely. It's not likely because it takes the body some time to realize, well, what's happened, there's a lot of shifts that have to happen for the body to kick in to labor. So it's not going to be that instantaneous, and we shouldn't expect it to be. Nor should we feel that we have to rush off to the hospital, when our water breaks, the important thing to take note of is is your baby's still moving. You do want to make sure that your baby's moving after your water breaks doesn't have to be the second your water breaks. But you know, shortly after, make sure there's good movement and make sure that you you know the the fluid color is worth looking at. Right? You want it to be clear. And you should notify your provider but you do not need to go because labor will begin in those timeframes most likely that we just discussed. The exception would be GBS positive, but that there's a whole podcast episode we have dedicated to that anyway, is that episode 183?

That is correct. I do know that one, episode 183.

Hi, Trisha. And Cynthia, I had a quick question about prenatal vitamins and whether or not you really think they are truly necessary. I am pregnant with my second and just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to nourish myself this time around, especially with having a little one that's running around. But yeah, I'm just curious if prenatals are honestly necessary. Or if I should be getting less my nutrition through my food and my diet. I just don't wanna be spending a bunch of money on things that really aren't that vital. But if they are vital, happy to take them. I'm curious what brand do you would recommend? I do work out six times a week I walk my dogs twice a day. I'm a very, very active person. I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to set my body up for success and just keep this baby happy. Thank you for inspiring.

Yeah, great. I mean always food always food first, like food is always going to be the best source of nutrition, we're never going to replicate good, healthy wholesome food in supplement form. However, I do recommend that that mothers take a prenatal vitamin, prior to getting pregnant throughout pregnancy and even into postpartum because it is really hard to eat enough nutritious food considering that our environment and the way we manufacture food and a lot of the places we get food from is depleted in many of the vitamins and minerals that we need. So most people can benefit pretty much everyone can benefit from some supplementation.

And a lot of this pharmaceutical ones if you have a fancy corporate job and good insurance and your doctor prescribes one, that's probably the worst stuff out there. You can probably get a very good quality one from a natural food store that's a lot cheaper and way better for your body.

Definitely do not take the prescription one that you get from your OB you should take a prenatal vitamin that like Cynthia said is been vetted for good. The right levels have specific vitamins and one that is easily and well absorbed. We really love the company needed they make a great prenatal vitamin with all the right values and they make a powder Anna capsule taking a prenatal vitamin is going to improve your health and the health of your baby in pregnancy and it is associated with decreased risk of certain conditions like preeclampsia, which we know is really common, but we know we need sufficient levels of vitamin D which almost everybody is deficient in. We know we need sufficient levels of magnesium which almost everybody is deficient in and we know B vitamins hard to get enough of your food alone And of course fully, and you will get discounts for using our promo code down to birth I do take their supplement every night, their restful sleep formula I love it has the nine in it, which I which impresses me so much, because a very expensive and very effective supplement I learned about on the Huberman lab podcast. So I'm a I'm a big fan, even though I'm not taking prenatals.

I just got their cognitive formula. Oh, interesting. Really, really excited to try it? Yes, I saw. It's new. And I got to try it. I haven't read it yet. But it has. Its its focus and memory, which maybe they'll remember episode numbers. Now. Maybe, maybe that will just start happening.

I'll definitely try that.

Now, just for the record, don't take your prenatals on an empty stomach when you're pregnant.

Okay, that's it for our regular episode. Already. On to our extended for those of us who are Apple subscribers, it's so easy to subscribe on Apple, just click the button support us, you will never hear an ad again. That's kind of fun. That's kind of interesting. I do that with a couple of podcasts. It's very nice. Or on Patreon.

Great bonus, and you get great bonus questions. That's right, a longer q&a. If you just press that button, it will automatically come into your apple feed. And if you're not using Apple, and you join us on Patreon, you get those episodes uploaded a couple days early usually every month, so please consider enjoying longer Q and A's and supporting our podcast personal opinion, if you're trying to decide between the two, head on over to Patreon. There's so much you can get there in addition to the extended versions, ad free, and our book club, and our very in depth detailed live streams which touch on topics that we don't always go into as much depth in these Q and As.

So with that said on two quickies for those in the regular episode and onto extended for our subscribers.

Quickly, number one, do you have a specific app that you recommend to track ovulation?

I'm not into apps for anything that happens naturally within the body at all.

This is exactly why I selected this question for the quickies. Because I totally agree with you. The best app is you know getting to know your own cervical mucus. Right, which isn't an app. That's right. That'd be a weird app.

Yeah, just track your cycle on a calendar. Get to know the signs and symptoms of ovulation and you don't need an app.

Try to get away from you know, turning conception into math. No tracking, it just takes a little of the spontaneous romance out of it. It is I mean, it sounds unhelpful, potentially. But honestly, this is rooted in oxytocin connection, fun, play, try to remember that and have fun with it.

And listen to the searches of your body. Like when you're ovulating, you're gonna have a higher sex drive, you're gonna feel that unless your partner leaves a wet towel over a random door in a house. That's true. In which case like turnout is not happening no matter what the app says.

Okay. Is it true that male sperm swim faster but female sperm live longer?

Yes. Yeah, I

think this is true. It is true. Right? So what does that mean? What does that mean for conception? Well, if you're going to ovulate in a few days, you're more likely to have a girl if you want to boy if you Yeah, if you want to girl have sex prior to ovulation if you want to boy have sex at ovulation are just have fun and trust the right baby is coming through you. True. Always a good point.

Is there time, is there still time to switch and exclusively bottle fed baby back to the breast to three months? Yes, it does get harder after three months, but it can definitely still be done. This is actually one scenario when sometimes a nipple shield is helpful because that babies used to having silicone in their mouth. So if you put them on the bear nipple, the skin texture feels unusual to them. And if you put a nipple shield on there, they might go for it. And then you kind of get him used to feeding of the breast with the nipple shield, then you take it away, and then they trust the breast and they'll feed at the breast or kick counts necessary or is it undermining the trust in our body? I think the question lining the trust. Other times it might make sense. If your intuition is questioning whether things are okay, then it's reliable, and it's good.

I think kick counts are good idea. I think it's really important to be familiar with the movements of your baby. And if there's a variation in that, then that's an alert. And so there's no specific number what it needs to be as what is normal for my baby over a specific period of time. This is one way that mothers can gauge the well being of their baby and late pregnancy.

I think your answer It makes more sense than mine. I said I would rely more on trust. But I am always thinking of the typical client I have, who is going to be bent toward anxiety. And if she thinks it's her responsibility to count kicks, she's going to be awake at three in the morning, counting them just one more time. Just one more time. No, you
don't do that. You don't do that. You just it's you get familiar with the way your baby moves. And then maybe there's one specific time of day where you lay down, you have something sweet to drink, and you just get in tune with your baby's movements. And if it feels really unusual and abnormal, then maybe you do something about it. But you don't need to do it around the clock by any means. Would you recommend the midwives brew instead of induction?

That's castor oil. Right? Right. I mean, yeah, instead of Pitocin.

Dosen? For sure. Yes. quickie? Yes. The answer's yes. How would you gauge an older siblings readiness to be present at a birth?

assume they're ready, assume they're ready. That if you approach them with worry, and fear, don't worry about mommy, all of that, that's going to build anxiety. I my example to my clients is, if your toddler were to watch, you push heavy furniture across the room, and you grunted really loud, and you sweat it and they would not be remotely concerned, they know when to be worried about you. And they know when not to and I'm this I'm a woman whose four year old was a female who was my second birth. He wasn't worried at all. He was an I got loud at the end pushing. They know when to worry the sounds don't make them worry, your behavior does and any prep camp, I didn't prep him in any particular way. I think I might have shown him a birth or two, there's no he was totally cool and calm. They have to be taught to fear it. So if you try to allay their fears beforehand, you can actually make them consider whether they should fear it. So just be careful about making too big a deal about it. I think it's a beautiful thing.

It is it is a beautiful thing. My favorite book about it is called Hello baby by Jenny Overland is beautiful.

I've heard animals and children are the best possible. People. Make sense? They haven't been conditioned to fear it.

Right? Here we go closing with a personal question. When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music app?

I think it's loud enough for me to sing. But to still primarily hear the singer louder than myself.

Totally depends on the song for me. I mean, it's at normal volume, if it's just a basic song, but if it's a song that really gets me going, I will crank it.

I remember being in the car with you and your daughter Ruby was in the backseat with her friend. We went shopping. And my daughter Vanessa was in the backseat. And Ruby was asking you about 45 times for an Uber expensive fancy pair of pajamas for Christmas. Oh yeah. Roller and she's she asked so many times you you cranked the music and you started singing really loud. It was wonderful. It's a good way to end the conversation. That was great. Yeah, I do that sometimes. All right. That's it. Good. That was great. So thank you, everyone. For all your fabulous questions. Don't forget to call us at 802-438-3696. And if you want more of us, you know where to find us over on Patreon. And lastly, please if you love the show, if you share it with a friend, just like you heard in the beginning of the episode that can make a transformation in another woman's life. And your reviews on Apple podcasts are so important and helpful. They mean a lot to us. They inspire us and they really do help the show gets seen by more people. So please if you're inclined to give us a five star review head on over there and tap the fifth star the five stars otherwise slowly back away from the phone otherwise you can make a mistake we will mention he did that a long time ago. Have a good one everyone see you next time. See you next time.

Thank you for joining us at the Down To Birth Show. You can reach us @downtobirthshow on Instagram or email us at Contact@DownToBirthShow.com. All of Cynthia’s classes and Trisha’s breastfeeding services are offered live online, serving women and couples everywhere. Please remember this information is made available to you for educational and informational purposes only. It is in no way a substitute for medical advice. For our full disclaimer visit downtobirthshow.com/disclaimer. Thanks for tuning in, and as always, hear everyone and listen to yourself.