#276 | July Q&A: Twins & Induction, Faith-Based Midwives, Weight Gain, Low Progesterone, TDAP, Botox, Hemorrhoids, Weight Gain

Welcome back to the July Q&A with Cynthia & Trisha. Today we kick off the episode with one mother's story of her transition from OB to midwife to an unintentional free birth her 9 pound, 4 oz baby born at home in her bathroom and then the premium medical bill she received from her OB for "extra counseling time." Next, we jump into our questions starting with:

• Do twin moms need extra medical help to get their labor going because the mother's uterus is more stretched out?
• What is your opinion on faith-based midwives and how their beliefs may influence how they care for you?
• Do you have any tips for managing the postpartum period with a toddler?
• What do you recommend regarding the TDAP vaccine in pregnancy?
• Does having a hemorrhoid that bleeds pose any risk to giving birth at home?

And in the extended version of today's episode available on Patreon and Apple subscriptions, you'll hear the following:

• Should I be worried about gaining 55 pounds "already" in my pregnancy?
• What is your opinion on low progesterone and what do you recommend for supplementing? (You'll hear which product is no longer FDA-approved, after years of use.)
• Is it normal to leak colostrum in pregnancy and does it indicate anything about my milk supply?

As always, we close with a round of quickies touching on Botox in pregnancy, breastfeeding acne, NSTs, breastfeeding and tooth decay, breast pumps, compressions stockings, toddler immune systems, fashion trends, and foods we won't touch.

Thank you for your wonderful questions as always, and please keep them coming at 802-438-3696 or 802-GET-DOWN.

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Transcript

Hello, ladies, thank you so much for the opportunity to call in and ask this question. I actually just had a quick question about progesterone. The

evidence is very mixed on this, and the medication that was most commonly used, which is called McKenna, was actually pulled from the market in 2022 because of the side effects.

Hi, I'm from Arizona. I have gained 55 pounds, and I'm 35 weeks pregnant.

I don't think most people appreciate how young most new parents are. We're talking about very, very young adults who might still be under the influence very heavily of their own parents, as far as the adult child relationship. So sometimes we can just slip right into that feeling with other authority figures. And I think some authority figures exploit it.

Definitely in medicine, I think that the minute, even a mature adult, but certainly a young adult, is in the presence of a white coat in somebody in medicine, you just take what they say as gospel.

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.

Are you ready?

I am ready. Hello and happy July.

Happy end of July. So what have we got on the agenda?

So I want to kick it off by sharing a lovely message that one of our podcast listeners sent into us through Instagram. So thank you all for sharing with us when you have your birth experience and how the podcast has influenced or helped you, helped you. We love to hear so this woman wrote in Trisha and Cynthia overgard of your podcast after a traumatic first birth, I listened to your episodes constantly through my second pregnancy and at the end of pregnancy, especially focusing on surprise home birth and Carver stories, because I found them the most encouraging. We live an hour away from the hospital, and our midwives and I were really hoping that this birth would go smoothly and quickly, and we would get there right before the baby came out, instead of spending hours in the hospital like I did last time, even in the car on the way to the hospital, I was listening to your birth story episodes, and I didn't make it. We got in the car. 10 minutes later, my body started pushing unassisted, and 15 minutes later, my baby girl was born eight minutes after my water broke with three contractions on the side of the interstate in the back of our van, my husband caught our second daughter as our one year old watched we do. We detoured to a nearby hospital, er, since I had a history of hemorrhage, but my husband and I felt calm and prepared and didn't need to call an ambulance. Instead, we just drove ourselves. Everything went smoothly, and I even delivered my placenta in the van on our 20 minute drive to the hospital. One of the nurses asked me how I went from pushing my first baby for two and a half hours to pushing my second for maybe 20 minutes. And I had told her it was listening to your show and learning to trust my body. My surprise. Van free birth. Baby was born a week ago, and I can't imagine a better birth. Thank you so much.

Did she just give us credit for her short pushing stage? Yes, she did. I don't think I can accept that.

No, we cannot. But what she's giving us credit for is her trust in her body. She was she had a short pushing stage because she was uninhibited, unafraid, relaxed and calm in her van.

That'll do it so indirectly, nope.

She didn't call an ambulance. They just kept on trucking to the hospital. She delivered her own placenta in the van. Her one year old was there. They had a family car birth on the side of the highway. I just want to know where the placenta was all that time driving, probably in her lap with the baby. Probably, maybe the

one year old was holding the placenta. The one year old's too little. Can I play with that? Wow, that's a cool story. Yeah, it's incredible. How many women don't give birth in their intended places. There's so many stories, right? Oh, yeah. The number on the podcast, I always

finish by telling these women, next one, just plan at home. There's no reason to go anywhere. Let's plan it, because you're probably not going to make it. Yeah, but great story anyway, you had something to share?

Yeah, I have to share something. A woman called in, and it's quite it's one of those remarkable billing situations, like American hospital billing stories, and I wanted to share it. A client of mine has been through something similar. So this is not the very first time I've heard something like this, but I really liked this woman's message. And want to give everyone the heads up that we have an episode coming out in just a couple of weeks, and I'll. Podcast with a hospital billing specialist who's been in the industry for a long time, and she answers all those crazy and infuriating questions like, Why am I being billed for skin to skin, and what does this mean? And what does that mean? So we're really looking forward to releasing that episode, so in anticipation of it, I wanted to share this woman's this woman's story. So here it is, Hi,

I have a question

for you. My name is Nicole. I'm just trying to figure out what rights I have on March 14, I went to my last prenatal appointment I was due March 18, my doctor insisted that I had to be induced exactly on my due date. No questions asked. I had brought the insert from the SBA website for Pitocin and cytotech to help me understand the difference in risk between stillbirth risk past 40 weeks in the case of advanced maternal aid, since I was 41 years old when I delivered, versus the risk of all the other side effects of the two drugs that she wanted to use to induce Me, my pregnancy was 100% uncomplicated, despite me being 41 years old, my OB literally did every single test imaginable, high risk ultrasound. I even monitored my blood sugar using a blood sugar monitor because my doctor refused to take the accept the fresh test as an alternative to the regular glucose drinks that everyone has to drink at any rate. I told my doctor at that appointment that I felt like I was progressing, I really did, and that I felt like due dates are just a guess, and that really they could be off by like a week or so, and I just wanted a few extra days before we immediately rushed into inducing me, and she didn't like that. She basically completely lost it on me. And my kids were even with me at the appointment, which was awful. They were like in tears by hand of it, she started yelling that she never would have treated me if she had known I would be asking questions like this late in the game. She said, I'm the reason that OBS are quitting because people like me are asking too many questions all the time. She said, I didn't have to worry about maternal death, which is one of the side effects of scope, and, by the way, along with fetal death and so many other side effects, because I am a privileged white woman, and only women of color are dying during childbirth. Basically, it was horrible. I left the appointment, I cried, I called up a friend, I called up my husband, and ended up the next day, switching to a midwife, which, by the way, the next day was three days before my due date. I ended up going to labor one day after my due date, and free birthing unintentionally in our bathroom with my husband while the midwife was on the phone, thankfully and en route, because she came so quickly, she was nine pounds and four ounces, and I didn't even tear at all. It was an amazing experience, and I was happy for my healthy baby, and was happy to just walk away from the OB that I had seen and was never going to go back to her office again. I didn't review her poorly. I didn't speak poorly about her on any mother's Facebook pages, even though I was tempted to numerous, numerous occasions, I left it alone. I was happy to move on, however. Fast forward to last week, and I received a bill from my OB for over $2,000 when I called the billing department to confirm it was what she was charging me, was because I had, she had spent so much time with me, answering my excessive questions, so I had to pay a premium for her services. And for reference, she spent maybe 15 minutes with me. Do I have any recourse? I feel like I should be allowed to have informed consent. She didn't even provide me with that. She never even bothered to answer my questions. So what can I do? What should I do? I hope I don't have to pay the bill because, of course, insurance isn't accepting it. So thank you so much for all your information, it was because of you guys that I really wasn't scared to have a home birth with a midwife at an advanced maternal age, and for whatever reason, I wasn't scared while I was very quickly birthing my baby in my bathroom. And it was an amazing story and an amazing birth that really can't be tough. Thank you.

How about that? Yeah, wow, wow.

Well, that was a another example of a woman who trusted the process because she became educated and had a easy, fast birth because she listens to the podcast. Yeah? Well, yeah, she absolutely needs to refute this bill 1,000% I mean, yes, she has a right to inform consent. There's nothing wrong with the question she asked. It's also not totally unreasonable for the doctor to have billed extra time. You can do that. You mean you're going to, we talk about that actually, in the billing episode. Then if Sure, if insurance is going to pay for it, then fine. They do have additional time spent. A lot of visits are billed based on either the complexity of the visit or the time. Spent counseling. So there is a code for counseling. It doesn't sound like this. OB actually counseled her, but she billed for it, so she should not be responsible for paying for it. Who gives a crap if insurance pays for it or not? But they're not going to, so she needs to refute it. That's my position.

I think she has very strong grounds for refuting it. I don't think the doctor has a strong argument for giving extra time when the total time was under 15 minutes. That's That's just unbelievable, that that's considered extra time when women are already getting almost

Well, technically, that's not. She may have just spilled extra time even though she didn't get it, which then is insurance fraud.

She took a woman who was 40 weeks pregnant and totally distressed her use things against her that are out of her control, let her did this in front of her child. I feel so sorry that she had to carry that in the days leading up to her birth. Thank God it went so well. I would never I would tell the insurance, and I would tell the hospital exactly what happened. This doesn't qualify as extra time. It can't magically qualify as counseling during a regular prenatal that's under 15 minutes. It's just so unethical, so unethical. Anyway, I hope she's fighting that. I really do that the doctor shouldn't be getting away with that. She should absolutely refuse to pay that, though, and we'll get into more of these frustrating situations and strategies for approaching them in our episode coming up in a couple of weeks, and congrats to her for having a beautiful birth outside of the system. Yes, what matters most did, thank goodness come to fruition for her. The doctor is in the wrong line of work that we know. Okay, I think that was it for the prelude. Yes, I didn't get into our questions. All right, let's go

Hi, ladies. My name is Alex. I had a quick question for you. So a friend of mine and I both had twins the same summer slash fall. We had them a few months apart, and she is expecting her next baby, as I am also and she told me she's currently overdue by, like, a week. She told me that her doctor said that sometimes twin moms need some extra chemical help to get their uterus to contract and start labor, because after having twins, her uterus is stretched out, quote, unquote, and doesn't necessarily start labor on its own, naturally as well. I'd never heard that before, and as a mom who also just had twins and is now expecting another baby in the next month, I thought that was kind of curious, and wondered if you guys had thoughts on that, and if that's an actual thing, or if it's just doctors pulling things out of the air. Thanks so much for everything you do. And I really enjoy this podcast. Bye. Okay,

who's gonna say it? Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, the doctor's pulling things out of thin air.

I mean, it did her uterus not go back down to pre pregnancy size in between pregnancies. I mean, what the heck is he talking about? It's stretched out. It like shrunk back down and was a normal uterus until she got pregnant again, and then it grew normal with the next child.

Obviously. What the heck? It's just a new thing, you know what? Let me check your let me just, yeah, your uterus is all stretched out. Yep, I thought so. I suspected this. Oh, did you have a big baby last time? Yeah, your uterus is all you got to stretch. Oh, you've had five babies. Oh, yeah, you know your uterus isn't going to work. We're going to have to kick you into labor.

Even if that were a thing, it doesn't make sense. What's the argument? So it's stretched out, then what's what's he saying? So therefore, what I mean, that's, we all know how if your uterus has been stretched, it does not get the message correctly to go into labor.

Okay, let's, let's not creatively support a ridiculous you're doing. You're doing a good job at at getting creative. So, okay, to answer your question, not a thing. Not a thing. And me, you need another doctor.

You need to just let your body. Just let your body go into labor. Okay, um, all right, nothing else. Just disregard, omit, reject, so, cancel, forget, forget, replace.

That's always a good tip when, when you know thoughts you don't want come into your head, just simply say, cancel.

My name is Sally, and I listen to your show, and I am planning my soon to be pregnancy with my husband. And we are interviewing midwives, and the very first midwife that we interviewed is probably the one that has the most experience, years wise, in our area, and it seems like in our area, all of the midwives are faith based, just looking on their website, very much a faith based midwifery approach to care and. And she was the interview that I had with the first midwife, which it went really, really well. But my husband and I are not faith based, and I'm wondering if I should just set this aside. The only reason I bring this up is because when I asked her about getting the blood test for genetic dispositions for the pregnancy between 10 and 20 weeks. She said that she does do that test, but she doesn't recommend it unless the mom is over 40, because, as she put it, God meant for that baby to happen. So determining that that baby isn't worth birthing is not God's plan. And so I'm not trying to have, like, a faith conversation. I'm just, you know, I'm kind of a little bit more of a sciency type, and so I'm just trying to figure out if I should, you know, what my gut is saying is to get this blood test. That's what my gut is saying. I'm sure it won't be judged. So this is wondering what your opinions are on, like, faith based midwives, not really the opinion, but just if I should go with it. That's all it's offered in my area. So anyway, thanks for your time, and I appreciate this so much. Your podcast is so great. Anyway, take care. My first question here is, so if she's over 40? God, doesn't care.

Oh, right, that's a good point. I mean, if I said if you're over 40, I recommend it. What a good point. Trisha like, what if you're under 40, God cares if you have this baby or not, so don't get tested if you're over 40, then maybe God is indifferent or has a different opinion. That doesn't make sense. It makes no sense. I mean, I think what she meant is that your risk of actually having a congenital issue is greater if you're over 40. That's true. We know that, but still, that has zero like, if God wants you to have this child, God wants you to have this child whether you're 25 or 45 right? So if you're going to believe that that was a very silly thing for the midwife to say --

Yeah, my feelings on this question. First of all, if we have anyone who didn't quite catch the term, because maybe some of our outside of USA listeners don't quite catch it, she said faith based, F, A, i, t h, faith based. And I think my first comment is, I have seen so many women over the years, give birth with midwives who had totally different faiths, Amish, Mormon, every like all sorts of Orthodox, all of it. And I don't think in and of itself, it matters at all. These midwives can be outstanding, and it's great that they will work with, you know, anyone outside of their own faith. I think the problem is the midwife is presuming too much. I think it was a boundary thing to impose her own belief. It doesn't matter if we agree or don't agree. It has nothing to do with it. She imposed her own belief system onto her client. And if I were speaking to that midwife, I would say, Listen, you can do this if you want, but you're out of rapport with her. You're not saying, like, I could see if she checks with her and wants to bring God into it, fine, check with her, but to presume it now you're just out of rapport. Like, what did that get you now, the woman and her husband are not feeling as comfortable with you, and she herself said she wants to get the test. It's her body. So I it's too bad that the midwife doesn't understand that. I think that's the only problem. I don't think it's a problem to birth with her. I just think that the midwife isn't doing a great job building the trust that needs to be built and the comfort level. What do you think?

I mean, I think that faith and medicine are separate, separate entities, and typically, your your belief in your faith should not be overlapping with your the type of care you provide. Maybe there are midwives, of course, I'm sure there are providers out there who, under no circumstances, would support a woman who, you know, had genetic testing and made alternative choices about her pregnancy. So fine, be very, very clear about that, then right up front from the beginning, so that the women that you're serving can make a choice whether you're the right fit or not. But to say something so unclear, very gray, the comment that she made is makes it difficult, and I guess they just really need to have a more open conversation about how much this midwife's Faith is going to influence the type of care she provides and how she supports her Yeah, it's interesting. I wonder where this is she says in the area are very faith based, and I don't typically come across that That, to me, isn't super common when I like look at midwifery practices to see that being specified on their website.

Well, you're in the Northeast. There are areas of the country where that's absolutely presumed, and it's and it's safe to assume it usually in some parts of the country for sure, yeah, there are parts of the country where people don't say, do you go to church? They say, What church do you go to? And they don't even consider that you that one might not be Christian. And we've got a lot of pockets in this country where. Religion is very homogenous, yes, oh yeah, yeah, for sure. So they're assuming, even if they're wrong, they're going to assume it. But yeah, she shouldn't. Yeah, she should probably bring it up. But I don't think it precludes her from having a very good experience birthing with her. I just needs to make sure she doesn't make her uncomfortable with her. That's right, own values judgments being imposed on the mom's decisions for her birth. And she said she's the most experienced midwife in the area, and there's a lot to be said for that. So I would want, if I were choosing a midwife in the area, that would probably be the one I would want to go with. So it's worth the conversation to make sure that the rest of it is going to go smoothly. Hi, Trisha and Cynthia. My name is Megan, and I just wanted to thank you first because I had a wonderful, beautiful, empowering, first time home birth with my son about a year and a half ago, and I'm now preparing for hopefully my second home birth with my daughter this coming September. I have two questions, and hopefully it's not too much. My first question is, I had such a good postpartum period with him, because I pretty much just co slept and CO napped and got a lot of sleep when he slept. But now I'm going to have a 20 month goal when this final moral comes along, and I'm a little bit more apprehensive about the postpartum period juggling naps and exhaustion and all of that with an active toddler. So what are your tips for that would be Question number one, and Question two is, I have, this is TMI, but I have a hemorrhoid Now that does burst or bleed from time to time. And I am wondering if that poses any type of threat this go around with a home birth for hemorrhage or excessive bulimia or anything. And I was just wondering, what are your tips for that that is all love you guys. You guys have changed how I view birth. So so much, and I'm very grateful. Thank you so much. Bye.

Well, should I take the first part? You take the second part? Sure? Yeah, hit it all right. As far as how to manage the baby and the toddler, that was the first part, right? I think you have, you kind of end up discovering you really have no choice but to let the toddler drive like you had your first baby, and you sat around holding your baby and staring at your baby and maybe nursing your baby for hours and hours and hours a day. And now you're wondering how you add a toddler to that mix, but I think what you're going to experience is you have your baby, and there's no breaking the dynamic with the toddler. And what we tend to do is strap on the baby, wear the baby, bring the baby, you know, off of baby's nap times, because the toddler has to go somewhere. Maybe, in my case, my son was already in preschool. And I think the benefit of it is that the younger child can be a little more resilient. Sometimes fall asleep more easily, because you're just carting them everywhere, because you have to. I just think it looks different. And I wouldn't worry about it, but I just think it looks different. And if you think too much about how to keep the toddler entertained, I think that's where it gets stressful. You're going to keep entertaining your toddler pretty much as always. That's what I think. Yeah, you just you gave the best tip, which is to wear your baby? Yeah, you gotta, you gotta get mobile. You have to. You're not, you're not going to be sitting on the couch with the baby the same way you were, maybe were with the first but, but quiet house playing Mozart in the background. No, it totally changes. And it's a big adjustment from one to two. I mean, the the transition from one to two is big, and it takes some time after most people say that the transition from two to three or three to four is way easier than the transition from one to two, but also it's very important that she does at least set herself up so that she can have that real one on one time with the baby in those first two weeks, you do need to get a lot of help with Your toddler, because in those first two weeks you don't weeks, you don't want to be wearing the baby and running around, keeping up with the toddler and following the toddler's lead. So make sure you have that support. And if your toddler isn't already on a good nap schedule, I think that's a really helpful thing, if you just know that you're going to have a few hours in the afternoon. Usually, toddlers are down to one nap a day. If they take a two to three hour nap, it's just a real respite in the middle of the day. And if you can nap with the baby at that time, that's fabulous, too. But I agree with you, you just you kind of learn on the fly with this, and don't overthink it, and don't over stress about it in advance, because you're just not going to have any idea how to prepare for it. You just got to kind of learn in the moment anyway, all right. And part two, part two, hemorrhoids. And many, many women have hemorrhoids in pregnancy. And many, many women give birth with hemorrhoids. And, yes, sometimes. Sometimes they bleed, and yes, sometimes they're a little uncomfortable, but it is generally not a problem unless it is a very, very large or very unusual type hemorrhoid. It's not likely to cause a problem with excessive bleeding in birth. You can use witch hazel on a little cotton ball or little gauze pad a few times a day, you just apply that to the hemorrhoid, and that can be really helpful in shrinking them and relieving some of the discomfort. So the more you can do in advance of going into labor, the better. So, but both issues that she's concerned about, she should just try not to worry too much about.

All right, hey, y'all my name is Skylar. I'm a first time mom, and this past week, at my 26 week appointment, my husband and I were walking out of the exam room after talking to my OB, and the nurse said, Oh, wait, let me give you your injection before you go. And I was startled and said, What injection? Because they didn't say anything. And she said, Oh, I thought I told you, you're getting teed out today. I said, Um, no. She was like, just don't look at it. Let me go ahead and give it to you. And I said, No, I'm not. Can I research this first? And they both looked a little offended, and I was taken back because they didn't tell me anything about it or give me the chance to say yes or no. But you know, my husband said, No, thank you. And I said, Can we circle back at my 30 week? And they were like, Oh yeah, I guess we'll do it next time. And I was like, well, maybe, haha. And they both just look puzzled, and said, Have a good day. So I've been trying to look into it. I haven't seen, you know, an actual pros and cons list from anywhere other than the CDC and stuff like that. I just want to know y'all opinion, or if that's something I should be concerned about, that part of the story, where, after they declined, the woman said, All right, have a good day. Feels so cold to me. It feels so bad. It's, it's like, so dismissive, so dismissive and so judgy. You didn't just feel it. You can hear it, yeah, but that was quite coercive, passive aggressive. There's so much coercion now, yeah, well, this question is, we're finally, finally coming up with this on the podcast, because we actually get this quite actually get this question all the time. This was never, it wasn't a thing ever.

No one ever brought this up. It's just a new push, and it's still a Class B drug, which means they don't know if it can hurt the baby. So how is that? Okay? How do you do that? And so, yeah, we're not sure, but, you know, just take it anyway. So if your gut feels like it's wrong, that's what you've got. You've got your gut. As far as resources, looking at the CDC website, you're just going to get into a loop that ties back to your doctors. The most outstanding resource that's been around since the 80s is the National Vaccine Information Center, nvic.org, and if you have any doubt about that, look at some of their articles, and then look at the list of references and where they're getting all the data from, and track the references back to the CDC and the National Institute for Health. They're an excellent, credible resource that will not tell you what to do, but will actually publish all of the information that they have so you can make an informed decision. And the providers aren't getting they the reason they get upset about this conversation and don't want to have it just like our earlier question at the start of this episode is because they have no idea what to say. It's just to them, like, like, they weren't even going to tell her that she was getting the shot. It's just like, oh, this is just what we do routine. They don't even know how to give informed consent about it. Yeah.

The key problem I have that I find so unethical is they act as though it is zero risk, and nothing that has even the slightest bit of risk should be pushed on to anyone. They act as though it's zero and it's a personal decision. Anyway, you don't tell me when it's time for something. I tell you when it's time for something. I mean, that's just how it goes. I don't think most people appreciate how young most new parents are. They're so young. We're talking about very, very young adults who might still be under the influence very heavily of their own parents, as far as the adult child relationship. So sometimes we can just slip right into that, that feeling with other authority figures. And I think some authority figures exploit it.

They definitely in medicine. I mean, I think that the minute even a mature adult, but certainly a young adult is in the presence of a white coat and somebody in medicine, you just take what they say as gospel. It's like you would first do no harm. You believe that that is what they're operating from, where they're operating from. Mm, hmm.

But this little process of saying no or not yet, that's how we become full adults. It's these little practices in practicing saying no to something that makes you uncomfortable, being willing to stand up to that perceived authority figure. I don't really consider it an authority figure, but it is certainly a perceived one that's what makes you an empowered adult. And when you're 1015, 20 years older, you're really going to look back and see how you've evolved, and you can be proud of yourself, because it's those little moments where you said, Hey, wait, hold up. I'm not sure, let's pause. That's a big deal that she did that. That's really great. It's uncomfortable.

Nothing happens to our body from another person without our consent. That's just plain and simple, like, respect that.

All right, is it time for quickies?

It's time for the quickie. All right. Can't wait to hear them. Okay, here we go. Quickies. How we had just had this one on Patreon, but we will answer it here. How risky is Botox in pregnancy? A lot of people asking this question lately, the quick answer to this is that it's the same risk as it is not pregnant. Basically comes with risk whether you're pregnant or not, and those risks really aren't any greater in pregnancy. They're the same and you're beautiful the way you are. Yeah. Next, I have breastfeeding acne. How can I get it to go away?

What's that? Oh, she has acne on her face because she's breastfeeding, because the hormones are breastfeeding. You know, breastfeeding, it makes your your armpits sweatier, your face will break out, your vagina a little more dry. Lot of beautiful things. Eliminate anything you're using on your face. You know, drink pure, clean water. I would there. You're not going to change. They're going to do anything regarding breastfeeding to shift it. But I your face may be more sensitive with breastfeeding, and you may have to eliminate what you're putting on your skin. Should I get NSTS? Because I am age 35 or over, starting at 37 weeks, this is what has been recommended, non stress tests. Non stress tests.

I'm not a big fan of those. I think they bring a lot of stress.

But what do you say the stressful, non stress test, the stress test, we recommend not doing anything routinely, right? If there isn't really a good indication, then you probably don't need it. You know, understanding your baby's movements is important, and if you have decreased fetal movement, then an NST is warranted. That's the quick answer next. Do compression socks really work for painful varicose veins? Don't they? Yes, they do. They're helpful. They look silly, but they work. What breast pump do you recommend? I um, a double electric pump is great. The baby Buddha is a fantastic portable pump that has really good, strong suction. And I highly recommend that mothers have a hand pump, the medulla hand pump. How can I help boost my toddlers immune system, multiple toddlers?

Okay, well, dairy and sugar really affect the immune system greatly. So if your child is exposed to germs, the first thing to do is cut off sugar, which makes white blood cell count plummet, and dairy, which is very mucus forming, and traps all those little viruses that we want to get out of the body quickly and easily. So that those are the first two things to do. What are you going to add?

Make sure they're sleeping well sleep. And then I would also just remind her that getting sick as a toddler or young child is boosting your immune system. That is good for your immune system, yeah. So don't stress over it. Yep.

Don't stress over it.

Does night nursing after 12 months rot baby's teeth. My pediatrician said, What does it rot their teeth? Yeah, rot rot their teeth. I mean, this is what dentists and pediatricians will tell breastfeeding mothers, after 12 months, you don't need to breastfeed anymore. You're going to rot your baby's teeth. We answered this in more detail, in a Q A a long time ago, but the answer is no, breast milk will not rot your baby's teeth. It's actually protective that sit sort of for the basic quickies.

All right, we have actually two, so you can choose here, okay? Two came in. One is what is the most unique or interesting fashion trend you have ever embraced, or, if you're not into fashion, what is one simple food you will never eat, and you can't say meat, because I won't say no, that, what's the food you'll never eat? This is hilarious. We're coming full circle. Remember, someone asked us our favorite food, and you answered with chocolate milk, and we had a whole debate about whether that's a whether that's a food. Well, here again, you asked me now about a food. Your Champagne. Champagne is a is a drink. I still argue it's not a food. That was my whole position in the argument when we had it years ago on the podcast. But I don't ever touch, I don't ever touch champagne or beer, anything fizzy. I don't touch. I don't touch. I dislike it. It feels wrong in my mouth and in my body. So anything, even, even champagne, even on our honeymoon, when we flew and we're given a bottle on the plane, it's like, well, I'm not going to be drinking this. I don't touch it. I had one sip of beer in my life in Munich during, you know, when I was when I had a German boyfriend, and I was there and with him, and I had one sip of the, they make it there where you get a leader, and it's half lemonade. They call it lemonade. It's like a lemon, it's like a lemon soda. So it's actually half beer, half lemon soda. And, um, I had one sip of that, just for kicks. And then I thought, Okay, that was, that was okay. But I never, before or after had beer any other time in my life. So I think that's, that's probably the best answer that I can think of.

No fashion trends that you had to hold on to like that. I had to hold on to like that. I didn't want to let go of what was the question that you embraced a unique fashion trend you embraced? So many like, what? Yeah, there's some

that I've had trouble letting go of.

Like, I may have started one.

You started a fashion trend? Do you think so? No, I know I did wear Uggs with my wedding dress. Does anybody have we ever seen anybody else do that? No, no. So I didn't start one. I just made my own, and it was just exclusive to me.

Yeah, I think if you're the only one who's ever done it, that means it's not a trend by definition.

Has anybody else ever seen anyone wear Ugg boots with their wedding dress? No, no. They were white. Of course, they were white. Of course, they were white.

They were fancy Uggs.

They were just white, beautiful white Uggs. And I made all my bridesmaids wear Uggs with their dresses too.

Wow. That was a good testament of their love for you. They all did it, I know. And some of them were like, uh, hell no, I will never put an ug on my foot. And lo and behold, they all did that is incredible. That was way before Uggs were popular too.

Is there any food you so? Okay, there you go. Trendsetter, is there any food you won't eat? I don't think so. Trisha shark, okay, fine.

Other than that, probably not a food. Tarred radishes. No, radishes are nice. I love radishes.

Somebody told me lima beans. Lima beans are actually bad. Yeah, they're actually really bad. I don't know like, they're just like, big and dry and horrible, bad texture, bad flavor.

And beans are great. All the other legumes are great. Lima beans are actually horrible, but I love Brussels sprouts. I love raw cabbage. It's my second ingredient in every salad. I don't know. I can't think of any other than that. Sorry, it'll probably come to me. Y'all send us a message with the one food you will never eat. We need we need to know. We need ideas for all the other foods that we won't eat.

All right, that wraps the July q and a thank you to everyone for continuing with your fabulous questions. Do you remember when I thought that we were going to run out of questions for this show?

The funniest memory I have, I said I want to do a Q A episode every month, and you're like, but what happens when, when we run out of questions, there's in, there's in, well, I, I've, I know from working with women over these so many women in classes, that questions never end. Are creative questions coming keep them coming at 802-GET-DOWN.

And don't be afraid to go outside the box a little bit. We can talk about other things than just, you know, pregnancy and birth. We love to talk about marriage, boundaries, whatever and whatever personal questions you want to submit. You can also do by voicemail. So feel free if you dare. All right, everyone. Have a good one. We'll see you next week. Bye.

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.

After a traumatic first birth, I listened to your episodes constantly through my second pregnancy, and at the end of pregnancy, especially, foking, especially

it's the word, especially that you're getting tripped up on right poking.

Word means, wait, what is the word poking? I said,

Wait, let me guess it's a combination of, wait, did you just mispronounce focusing? It was, I was trying to stay focusing, and you're combining it with the word like poking or something. What are you doing? In your mind? I have, okay, let's, let's Okay, to take two. Take two. Okay. Two.