As a homebirth midwife, I recommend the Birthing Instincts podcast to all my clients. Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss dive deep into important topics and remind us to use common sense. I appreciate them keeping me up to date on the happenings in the midwifery community as well. Thank you Dr. Stu and Blyss for being such wonderful, loving humans and having the courage to share yourselves on this podcast!! Amanda Sheffler CPM

As a person who is intentional about growing my family, I find Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss to be informative, passionate, and deeply rooted leaders in the birth world. There is truly nothing more vital to a society than women being free to birth in their power. This podcast will help you awaken your inner strength and tap into generations of common sense.

Just listened to the podcast about miscarriage. I have had three and I’m holding my breath while I’m on my fourth pregnancy. Bliss and Stu are respectful and resourceful. So thankful for this podcast.

I love how Dr. Stu and Blyss are not afraid to challenge the norms of conventional medicine. I appreciate the information being delivered in a way that allows the listener to think for themselves and make a judgment call based on their own circumstances. It would be difficult to find this information through a typical internet search, so I really appreciate all the insight delivered right here.

Oh my goodness!! So good!! I’ve been listening to this podcast over the last year. I have loved the discussions about so many topics that gives not only their opinions but different studies so I can come to my own conclusion. Ep. #364 is my new favorite! I love so many points they talked about with free birth and especially the idea of having a free birth with a wise woman still in the room (or outside haha) that is probably what I will try and have when I become pregnant. How Bliss says the hospital setting misses the whole spiritual side of birth and stepping into motherhood! My only hope is that both Stu and Bliss find Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.

I love challenges to think hard. Thanks for that, Blyss and Stu. No one should be afraid to be challenged. Thanks also for being honest. Seriously, Leslie

As a first time momma planning a home birth, this podcast has reassured me in so many ways. Thank you for advocating for women, and for being a voice of reason in our loud, greedy, over medicalized society. 🤍

I love your content so much! I like to save episodes to listen to on my way to and from client meetings and births. Keep fighting the good fight!

The best podcast for information on all things birth and women’s health. Together they bring a unique perspective from Dr. Stu’s brilliant mind and experience in Obstetrics, combined with a healthy balance between Blyss’s work in Midwifery. It’s my go to place to get balanced information while working around all the obstacles in the birth world.

100% absolutely THE BEST!! Love Stu & Blyss!

Wow, we truly need more people like Dr. Stu & Bliss! You will love this podcast if you’re looking to be informed about all things pregnancy/birth. They actually look at REAL research and provide their listeners with information necessary to be informed through pregnancy and birth. Wish I would have found them earlier - would have saved me so much stress & anxiety in my first pregnancy!

Ugh! Dr. Stu defaulted to using inclusive language on episode #330 but then took back people to say “women.” Here’s a radical notion you can say “birthing women AND birthing people.” Also their insistence on “health freedom” is so eerily close to the Birch Society (super racist and problematic group) I cannot endorse this podcast despite the good information about things like breech birth and home birth!

Thankful to have found this podcast! As I prepped for my third birth (1st homebirth) I felt more informed & empowered after listening to each episode. I went into labor with zero fears - having a perfect 6 hour labor and birthed my biggest baby. ♥️ The first sentence I said after birth was “I want to do this again!” Thank you Dr. Stu & Goddess Blyiss!

I’ve tried to listen to several different episodes now and I love the down to earth information in them, but I don’t want to be listening to such fowl language. It would be fabulous if we could just get what we need to hear from this podcast without the fowl language we don’t need.

Dream team ….. that’s Dr. Stu and midwife Blyss. They balance each other out so well in this podcast and have so much information to share. I am a previous postpartum nurse and have learned so much listening to them. I knew nothing about the natural birth world when I first came across them and now a year later I feel well educated and ready to experience my own natural homebirth. Thank you for the education. A trusted source for all my birth related questions !

Absolutely enlightening. I really appreciate you both for being so honest and informative. We need this information and you’ve taught me so much and I feel so much more empowered to make better decisions for my births. You’re doing something that is truly needed.

A very easy podcast to listen to! I have learned many new things about birth because of this podcast. They are both very intelligent and give amazing information that can be relevant to everyone. I highly recommend and look forward to every new episode weekly. Thank you both for what you do! Listening to your podcast and further empowered me as a mother and as a friend.

This podcast has provided me with so much great and helpful information about pregnancy, natural birth and breastfeeding! Dr. Stu and Blyss have such a funny dynamic together. It’s really interesting to get the prospectives of an OBGYN and a CPM together on the same topics. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

I found birthing instincts while pregnant with my 3rd child and planning for our first home birth. I am also working to become a doula and in a few years move towards midwifery. This pod cast gives such a good baseline of information and helped me to think through our family decisions and questions to ask our providers. Thank you!!!

I’m not a midwife or doctor, but I’m a mom! And I love this podcast. My midwife recommended it to me several months ago. I am learning so much! Thank you!

Dr. Stuart Fischbein had sex with one of his patients 12 days after he preformed endometriosis surgery on her. He was then on probation for years. This is easily searchable via the California Medical Board records. Seems an odd person to listen to.

This podcast is nothing short of eye opening! I strongly believe every single expecting mother should listen to this podcast. Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss are amazing at breaking down every bit of information you may not completely understand from doctors in your normal prenatal appointments, all while empowering women to make informed decisions about their pregnancies. Not only is the show addictive, but it is an important tool that every pregnant woman should have on hand. They have taught me so much and have truly changed the way I view birth! Absolutely 10/10!

I’m hooked! This woman brings the receipts and asks all the questions. Alex covers the gamut of topics!I’m over 50 and learning so much that I share with my friends and daughters. Truly informative and entertaining!

This podcast is not only one of my favorites to listen to, but one that my clients absolutely love as well. As a seasoned midwife, I love the content and information Dr. Stu and Blyss share with their listeners. I cannot recommend this podcast enough!

I love this podcast for many reasons. I do know both the hosts but I feel that even if I didn’t, I’d feel close and trusting because they are so authentic. I also really love the weaving in of National, international and other updates along the way.

This podcast is so based ugh! I love it! I listen on my walks and get so so much good information. Thank you for being based in reality and not bending to inclusive terminology. Birth is not inclusive. It’s for women. Topics and interests about birth are for everyone but the beauty of being pregnant and having a baby and breastfeeding are ONLY for women.

I love the way Blyss and Dr. Stu’s personalities balance one another so nicely, while giving incredible information about birth and overall health. Their podcast is always informative and entertaining. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion with the world. Mamas and babies are having beautiful birth experiences because of the work you do…my baby and I are one of the many duos who had a magically perfect birth… in part due to the information I learned from your podcast. 💜 I highly recommend any expecting parent listen along.

This is my favorite birth podcast. I love hearing two perspectives that can differ a lot but always agree that common sense and intuition rule. This podcast has improved my practice as a maternal child health nurse and childbirth educator as well as increased my confidence in having my babies at home. Keep it up (forever if possible)!

Dr Stu and Blyss are two of the best people to listen to and learn from when it comes to all things birth. Not only are they incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, but they are also a joy to listen to as they discuss all of the issues involved in whatever is their topic for the day. I cannot recommend this podcast enough to any woman who is interested in pregnancy or birth for herself or as a study to become a birth worker.

Excellent podcast. I wish I had found you two sooner! I recently had my first baby. And she was a surprise breech. Midwives, chiropractor and myself thought she was head down. We planned a homebirth and we’re extremely excited about. When her foot popped out in my bathroom, my midwife said we had to call 911 and be transported as it is illegal for her to assist in delivering in the home setting. Needless to say, I had a horrible hospital experience but I did fight for a vaginal birth. They said she was footling but after listening to this podcast I know she was not! Anywho, I appreciate you two and your eagerness to learn and educate yourselves further in order to provide your pregnant mamas with all their options. Thank you! I’ll be a lifetime listener and I hope to go into birth work myself in the future!

This is one of the only podcasts that matters if you’re looking to change maternity care in the United States! ❤️❤️ keep up the good work Dr. stu and Goddess blyss!

Yikes, under the guise of educating patients, this podcast is completely fear mongering. It sets up a dynamic of us vs “them” instead of giving recommendations of how to have helpful conversations with your healthcare team. The podcasters tell you that “they” have a hidden agenda, like pushing formula, not true (all while they push supplements with no regulation/studies). Another thing I didn’t appreciate is that they say birthing people aren’t given true informed consent (I agree in many instances) but then in the same segment criticized providers for trying to get informed consent when a women is having contractions 3 minutes apart. You can’t have it both ways. The provider can’t pause labor to have an informed consent session when things aren’t happening physiologically. I listened to this podcast with the intent of learning more (I am an LD nurse) to support the people I get the privilege of working with during their birth experience, but am completely turned off. They listed tons of scary things that can happen, not denying this, but then don’t share the actual data of the frequency. All listeners will automatically assume all these terrible things will happen to them. No wonder they come to a hospital or birthing center terrified.

This podcast is amazing! I am a Webster certified chiropractor in Greenville, SC and I often find myself referencing your podcast (and the references you provide) for women who are being feared into intervention by their hospital-based birth providers. While I think a doula is the #1 resource a woman can have when birthing in the hospital, I think your podcast is a close second. And hopefully through my work as a provider, and encouragement from people like you, more women in my area will learn to trust the innate wisdom of their body’s and birth at home!

This podcast is my favorite to listen to. It has been huge in helping me challenge the knowledge I received working as an OB RN to shift from a fearful/what if/distrusting the body perspective to a natural, low intervention approach for normal, healthy pregnancy and birth. My mindset has changed so much and I never would have thought that I’d be an advocate for home birth, but I am now. My first baby was a planned c/s for breech (I was young and not presented with other options). My second was a hospital Vbac with a 10lb 3oz baby. I’m currently pregnant and am planning a home birth for our last baby. I’m feeling so peaceful and trusting of my body and instincts, as well as my amazing midwife this time around (who actually attended a breech training by Dr Stu!) Thank you so much for your honest and unbiased opinion and time you dedicate to this podcast. I don’t know that I would’ve been able to find this information so easily without it.

Stu and Bliss know how to garden friendship! A strong clear point of view is refreshing to listen to. Deep and contributing conversations.

I found this podcast at about 25 weeks pregnant. Dr. Stu and Whimsical Blyss are so fun and easy to listen to. Their conversational style podcast makes you feel like you know them. They are both so incredibly wise, their discussions are super informative and educational, and they don’t stray away from “controversial” topics (most of them shouldn’t be considered controversial but unfortunately they are). I feel so empowered and confident after listening to them, I feel I know what is best for my baby and my body. People truly are brainwashed by the medical model and what hospitals say is best for moms and their births, simply because “they’re the Doctor they MUST know best”. I am so grateful that I am now NOT one of those people, and I am always looking for the opportunity to share this podcast with others, especially moms. Thank you Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss for sharing your knowledge, empowering women everywhere, and just being yourselves. This podcast has truly changed my pregnancy for the better!! Ps- I personally love when you don’t have a topic 😉

I found this podcast towards the end of my pregnancy when my baby was found to be in a frank breech position. I really started to stress out with the possibility of having to do a cesarean section at the hospital, but my husband and I ultimately decided to do a home birth with a team of midwives. We are so ecstatic with our sweet boy and our choice to birth at home. I couldn’t have done it without the inspiration and education I gained from listening to you. Thank you for empowering women to trust their instincts. (If you remember, we were the pilot couple in Provo, UT) Thanks again for all you do in this field.

I found this podcast during my 2nd pregnancy as I was looking for evidenced based practitioners to listen to that supported and discussed in detail physiological natural child birth. I was determined to have a VBAC despite some doubts from my OBs. Listening to this podcast was informative & entertaining. I believe knowledge is power & listening to truth, testimonies and critical evaluation of evidence on a regular basis empowered me to advocate for myself and really internalize the reality that I could do what God created my body for. I did have a successful unmedicated VBAC on 7/10 after a precipitous labor. We welcomed our little girl in a fierce, fast whirlwind, and have never felt anything so intense and wild. Midwife Blyss & Dr. Stu: thank you for what you do! I’m so thankful for you! 💗

I hope everyone can find the time to listen to every episode. The information is invaluable. All other birthing podcasts “bow down” to this one in my humble opinion. I’ve tried probably 30-40 other shows over my pregnancy… this one is the best. I plan on having another child, and will continue to use this podcast for my education and empowerment.

LOVE LOVE LOVE- SO EDUCATIONAL!

I’ve listened to Dr. Stu and Blyss for about 1.5 years and have gathered SO much valuable information from this podcast. Their respect and trust for the mother/ couple in the pregnancy/ birth and beyond process is off the charts. Thank you Dr Stu and Blyss for all the work you do. However, be warned that there is a tendency for profanity to come out in the episodes. If you are teaching your children to have respectful, God honoring language, you might want to listen to this podcast when they are not around.

Fellow CPM here and I LOVE this podcast!!! I’m a second generation midwife and I lean strongly hands off. This podcast always encourages me that I’m not crazy and to follow my birthing instincts.

Midwife Blyss and Dr. Stu have a wealth of combined experience and knowledge about birth. They are practical, honest, and don’t hold back giving their true expert opinion on different birth topics, in an entertaining way. Learning from Dr. Stu and Blyss has helped me process my own hospital birth/postpartum trauma and given me the confidence to know that I will stay home for our third, and has armed me to know how to approach a hospital birth in the unlikely event that it is necessary.

I feel so blessed to have found this podcast prior to having children. I have always felt off and scared of the American medical system, especially regarding birth. I am 27 years old and every woman I know who is having kids are having c sections. It seemed so wrong to me. Alarming. I am marrying the love of my life soon and I am now SO excited to start our family. THANK YOU ❤️

Anyone who is TTC/thinking about becoming a parents, expecting, pregnant, a parent, a partner going through the journey, or is interested in learning about the medical culture of birth and other paths should listen to this podcast. It is truly the best birth podcast out there. I have learned so much and feel so much more empowered as an expecting first time mom. The OB, midwives, and doulas I have spoken with have been very impressed with the types of questions I am asking during our appointments / interviews, and I can certainly say that the bulk of my information has come from listening to this podcast. Thank you Stu and Bliss - you are truly gems!

Thank you to Dr. Stu & Midwife Blyss for this podcast! Very grateful to have likeminded individuals give their take on home births especially because they are well experienced! Not a mom (yet 🤞🏼) so I’m here learning from them ahead of time! Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Easy to listen to podcast and VERY informative!! Thank you Dr. Stu & Midwife Blyss!!!!!❤️

Dr Stu and Blyss, Thank you so much for sharing TRUTH! I’m a full time hair stylist but also a certified Doula. I get to touch many women’s and men’s lives and talk about pregnancy and birth while I do their hair. Your podcast has been so educational. Thank you so much! I’m constantly sharing episodes. My husband and I am currently open to conceive. We have lost 5 babies in 4 pregnancies over the last 4 years. We hope 1 gets to come earth side with us, and when that happens I will be calling to navigate how to birth with your care. Thank you again for creating a space to come for truth and sanity on so many things beyond birth. Fellow traveler, Niki H.

I’m pregnant with baby number seven and for the first time, I feel comfortable with going to the hospital with the knowledge I’ve acquired listening to this wonderful podcast. I’m not dreading it (insurance does not cover a home birth, and unfortunately affording a midwife out of pocket isn’t possible financially). I’ve sent this podcast to SO many women already! Thanks Dr. Stu and Midwife Blyss!!

One of my favorite podcasts to listen to. I love how honest and funny Dr. Stu and Blyss are. These two truly understand how to think outside of the box and give sound advice. Thank you for all that you do.

I absolutely LOVE this podcast. It’s one of the podcasts that have completely changed my view on the birth industrial complex and I’ve learned so much about home birth that I’m doing one! One request if you could talk about rib pain during pregnancy, I’m 27 weeks and everyone just tells me to see a chiropractor but it would help to know how to handle the pain.