Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark

Episode: Riley Gaines's Birth Story and Motherhood Update

Date: December 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This heartfelt episode of Culture Apothecary centers on Riley Gaines, renowned women’s rights advocate and new mom, as she recounts her honest, unfiltered birth story and reflects on the transformative journey into motherhood. Riley and Alex Clark discuss everything from inducing labor and birth plans to postpartum surprises, exercise during pregnancy, and how becoming a mother has reshaped Riley’s worldview and purpose. The conversation is candid, practical, and infused with humor, making it a must-listen for expectant and new moms, as well as anyone interested in contemporary motherhood.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Physicality in Pregnancy

• Riley challenges the idea that pregnancy equates to fragility, emphasizing the importance of fitness:
  • Quote: "My advice to women listening to this, when you are pregnant, it's not as if you are disabled." (00:00)
  • Swam from Alcatraz at 7 months pregnant, despite public criticism: "I'm pregnant, not disabled. I'm allowed to swim." (25:03)

2. Losing or Finding Yourself in Motherhood

• Alex addresses fears about personal identity post-baby:
  • Quote (Riley): “I have found myself by becoming a mom.” (00:27, elaborated at 51:12)
• Riley describes motherhood as a source of newfound purpose and fulfillment, not loss.

3. The Birth Story—Start to Finish

• Amnesia Around Birth: Riley jokes about not fully remembering the intensity—a survival mechanism for mothers (01:57).
• Traveling on Due Date: Flew to Phoenix for Charlie Kirk’s memorial at 40 weeks. Her OB equipped her for emergency labor far from home (02:35).
• Induction: Chose induction partly for personal reasons (competitive "athlete mindset")—wanted a September birth for the Sapphire birthstone (04:59).
• Labor & Delivery: After Cytotec induced labor, intense contractions led her to request an epidural. Riley describes the experience as “a breeze” afterward (07:00). Her doctor revealed she narrowly avoided a C-section due to hospital staffing at night.
• Birth Plan Details: Delayed cord clamping, keeping placenta, no newborn vaccines (10:11). Husband disagreed with the “save-baby-over-mom” clause; Riley prioritized the baby.

4. Postpartum Surprises

• Jaundice & Blood Type Issues: Baby had jaundice and required phototherapy; different blood types led to antibody issues (13:59).
• “Mini Period”: Riley discovered newborn girls can have a pseudo-period from maternal hormones (15:39).
• Pain Surprises: The IV hurt more than epidural/labor (16:10).

5. Medical Pressure Points

• Pediatrician Pressure: Surprised you must arrange a pediatrician before leaving hospital, and encountered vaccine-related refusals from some practices (18:27).
• Formula vs. Donor Milk: Felt pressured to allow donor milk, but opted to continue breastfeeding after questioning the provenance and health safety of donor milk (21:33).

6. Exercise & Recovery Advice

• Pelvic Floor Therapy: Riley wishes she began earlier (22:57).
• Rapid Recovery: Walking within two hours, back to fitness in first week postpartum—attributes it to staying active during pregnancy (23:45).
• Advice: "Getting in a routine of fitness...helped me tremendously throughout the pregnancy...and even postpartum." (24:02)

7. Attitude Toward Birth & Parenting

• Natural Experience: Felt “natural” and intuitively knew she was having a girl (25:45).
• Hospital Over-Medicalization: Believes modern birth sometimes over-medicalizes a natural process for women (25:40).
• Support System: Deeply grateful for extensive family support at home (30:18).
• Humorous Moment: Describes an “epic blowout” during a trip and baby's first belly-laugh bath in a hotel sink (30:18).

8. Sleep and “Easy” Baby

• Claims her baby "has slept fully through the night since day one"—no sleep deprivation (34:01).
• Acknowledges this is rare, and emphasizes positivity in sharing “good experiences” (34:20).

9. Motherhood's Transformative Impact

• Riley feels “portable, adaptable, and resilient” as a mom, and describes a major shift in priorities and perspective:
  • Quote: “It doesn’t matter about me anymore... Her safety, her health, her wellness, the future in the country she will inherit. That’s number one.” (45:02)
• Witnessing Charlie Kirk's assassination made her briefly reconsider activism, but holding her daughter “emboldened” her fight for cultural and political change (48:50).

10. Social Media & Privacy

• Riley and husband choose not to share baby Margo’s face online for security and privacy (52:19).
• Discusses threats and safety in the public eye following the attack on Charlie Kirk.

11. Diet, Food Rules, and Stress

• Ignored typical pregnancy food rules (ate raw fish, deli meats, drank caffeine)—finds the stress levels of the mother more consequential to the baby than strict diet (38:55; 40:23-41:59).
• Strongly believes the baby “feeds off” the mom’s calm or stress.

12. Returning to “Normal Life”

• Took the baby out “in about no time,” not overprotective about outings (44:32).
• Believes early exposure has helped Margo’s easygoing nature.

13. Reflections on Activism & Legacy

• Becoming a mother intensified her commitment to advocacy, especially concerning women's sports and child safety (48:50).
• Hopes daughter will one day recognize her mother’s courage, leadership, and dedication (54:14).

14. Healing a Sick Culture—Riley’s Remedy

• Quote: "One remedy to heal a sick culture is back squats. I think this is the best. ... The best full body exercise." (56:41)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the transformative power of motherhood:

  "The purpose that you feel, the value that there really is in caring for another human that is 50% of you, is the most magical thing." – Riley Gaines (51:12)

• On rapid postpartum recovery:

  "Even like the first two hours after delivering her, I'm up, walking. Let's go. What's the next thing? I'm ready. I feel great." (23:45)

• On mother’s intuition:

  "The minute I found out I was pregnant, I knew it was a girl... I didn’t need [a blood test]. I knew what it was." (25:45)

• On activism after tragedy:

  "There is no stopping. Because you realize in that moment when you get to see her and hold her for the first time, that it's her that you're fighting for.” (49:59)

• On sharing parenting highs:

  "I feel like it's important for people to hear because you can have good experiences." (34:20)

• On her remedy for a sick culture:

  "One remedy to heal a sick culture is back squats." (56:41)

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [00:00] Riley on exercising while pregnant – “I’m pregnant, not disabled.”
• [01:57] Riley on birth “amnesia” and flying at 40 weeks for a funeral.
• [04:59] Explaining induction & athlete’s perspective on due date.
• [07:00] The labor experience: Cytotec, contractions, epidural, and the near miss on a C-section.
• [10:11] Building a birth plan & advocating for baby-first decisions, delayed clamping, avoiding newborn vaccines.
• [13:59] Managing baby’s jaundice and learning about blood type incompatibility.
• [15:39] Discovering the newborn “mini period.”
• [16:10] “Worst pain” in labor wasn’t birth, but the hospital IV.
• [18:27] Navigating pediatrician restrictions over vaccine choices.
• [21:33] Pushback on pressure to supplement with donor milk.
• [22:57] Regrets about not starting pelvic floor therapy sooner.
• [25:03] “I swam Alcatraz at seven months pregnant.”
• [25:40] Modern birth as over-medicalized.
• [30:18] First “mom hack”—baby blowout and bath in a hotel sink; family support.
• [34:01] “My baby has slept fully through the night since day one.”
• [38:55] Defying pregnancy food rules; confronting dietary stress myths.
• [44:32] Bringing baby out and about almost immediately.
• [45:02] How motherhood shifts political and personal perspective.
• [48:50] Charlie Kirk’s death’s impact on Riley’s advocacy as a mother.
• [51:12] Riley on finding herself through motherhood.
• [52:19] Social media privacy decisions for her daughter.
• [56:41] Remedy for a sick culture: “Back squats.”

Conclusion

This episode offers a uniquely candid, empowering look at the realities of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood in today’s world. Riley’s story is marked by self-assurance, a commitment to questioning medical and social norms, and a deep faith-driven focus on family. The overall tone is honest, slightly irreverent, and highly encouraging—dispelling myths and fears about motherhood while reaffirming the importance of personal agency, resilience, and sharing authentic stories.

This summary was created to reflect the original tone, depth, and insights of Alex Clark’s “Culture Apothecary” episode with Riley Gaines, capturing key moments for listeners and non-listeners alike.