#91 | Oxytocin, Epidurals, and the Truth About Physiological Birth with Dr. Sarah Buckley

What if labor wasn’t random? What if bonding isn’t luck? What if your brain is biologically designed to change in birth?In this profound and science-rich conversation, Karen sits down with Dr. Sarah Buckley, family physician, researcher, and pioneer in physiological birth, to unpack the true hormonal science of labor and postpartum.Dr. Buckley has spent decades studying oxytocin, the primary hormone of labor, bonding, and breastfeeding. In this episode, she explains how birth activates the brain’s reward and pleasure centers, how oxytocin creates maternal bonding, and why feeling safe during labor is not emotional fluff. It’s biological necessity. This episode bridges the gap between science and spirituality, physiology and experience proving that ecstatic birth is not fantasy. It is mammalian biology.Tune in to hear:How oxytocin changes the maternal brain during laborWhat actually causes bonding between mother and babyThe neuroscience behind the “birth high”Why safety is essential for oxytocin releaseHow synthetic oxytocin works differently in the bodyThe surprising research findings on Pitocin and oxytocin levelsHow epidurals impact the oxytocin feedback loopWhy some women miss the hormonal peak at birthWhat happens hormonally during cesarean birthHow skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding can “fill hormonal gaps”Why birth is a relational experience, not an engineering eventThe mammalian design behind maternal transformationHow to protect your physiology in hospital birth settingsConnect with Dr. Buckley:Website: www.sarahbuckley.comFB: @DrSarahBuckley IG: @DrSarahJBuckley Twitter: @SarahjbuckleyCONNECT WITH KAREN:Use code PODCAST to get $50 off the Pain Free Birth E-course HERESubmit your birth story and apply to come on the podcastInstagramFacebookYouTube