Episode: 213
0
In this episode, Alec sits down with Dr. Stu Fischbein, an obstetrician who spent more than two decades attending hospital births before stepping outside the system to examine it more closely. After years working in highly structured medical environments, he began asking a difficult question: why hasn’t more intervention led to better outcomes?
Modern approaches to birth and healthcare have drifted from basic human biology, and how fear, liability, and protocol often replace judgment and trust. This isn’t a debate about extremes—it’s a grounded look at how medical intervention, when applied by default, can create cycles that are hard to escape.
They also touch on trusting your body, the loss of autonomy in healthcare, and why outcomes haven’t meaningfully improved despite more technology, more testing, and more control. The patterns they unpack here don’t stop with medicine—they show up anywhere systems replace thinking.
You’ll Learn:
[00:00] Introduction
[01:43] How birth was medicalized through vilifying midwives and destroying natural practices
[12:25] The takeover of obstetrics training and the relegation of OB-GYNs to gatekeepers, while outcomes worsened
[18:29] Dr. Stu’s shift from classical training to questioning everything
[33:33] Why we need to educate 13-15 year old women about their bodies
[45:42] How and why the NICU admission rates have doubled
[01:03:37] Why for-profit hospitals can’t financially survive if women who don’t need medical intervention go elsewhere
[01:30:38] How doctors manipulate women using relative risk instead of actual risk
[01:52:25] How to retrain the obstetrical system starting with medical schools
[02:26:09] Why treating 99.9% of GBS-positive women with antibiotics destroys babies’ microbiomes
[02:36:12] Why routine pap smears and mammograms are mostly unnecessary
[02:45:25] Why nature designed women to give birth alone in safe spaces
Resources Mentioned:
Midwife books by Sara Wickham | Website
Breech Without Borders | Website
Click here to get an exclusive discount to our Birthing Instincts Podcast Patreon membership. Use promo code ALECZECK50 for half off your first month, excluding our Medical Professionals Level. This Patreon is a great way to get additional content and support from Dr. Stu and the entire Birthing Instincts family.
Find more from Dr. Stu:
Birthing Instincts | Website
Birthing Instincts | Instagram
Birthing Instincts | Podcast
Find more from Alec:
Alec Zeck | Instagram
Alec Zeck | X
The Way Forward | Instagram
The Way Forward is Sponsored By:
RMDY Academy & Collective: Homeopathy Made Accessible
High-quality remedies and training to support natural healing.
Enroll here
Explore here
Paleovalley is 100% Grass-Fed Bone Broth Protein is a nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest source of collagen and essential amino acids. Sourced from grass-fed cows, this protein powder provides the building blocks for healthy joints, skin, and gut function—without fillers or artificial ingredients. Support the show and claim 15% off your PaleoValley order!
New Biology Clinic: Redefine Health from the Ground Up
Experience tailored terrain-based health services with consults, livestreams, movement classes, and more. Visit www.NewBiologyClinic.com and use code THEWAYFORWARD (case sensitive) for $50 off activation. Members get the $150 fee waived
Keywords:
medicalized birth, natural birth, obstetrics critique, maternity care system, hospital birth interventions, home birth discussion, cesarean section rates, induction of labor, epidural use, maternal fetal medicine, medical intervention, intervention cascade, physiologic birth, birth outcomes, maternal care, healthcare systems, healthcare systems critique, patient autonomy, informed consent, trusting the body, medical authority, questioning medical authority, questioning medical norms, liability in healthcare, fear in healthcare