Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy

What if your baby has been trying to tell you they need to go to the bathroom this whole time, and you just did not know how to listen? Before disposable diapers existed, 92% of American babies were out of diapers by 18 months.  Today our average is three years old. And according to my guest today — that shift had nothing to do with biology and everything to do with marketing. Andrea Olson is the...

Signing the general consent form when you walk into the hospital does not mean you have agreed to everything that follows.  Not the Pitocin.  Not the vaginal exam.  Not the electronic fetal monitor.  Not the cesarean.  Not the hospital policy.  Every single one of those still requires your informed consent. I had the privlege of sitting down with Hermine Hayes-Klein, an attorney who has spent 25 y...

Gestational diabetes is one of those topics that every pregnant mama needs to understand way before she ever gets to that 28 week test, whether she thinks it applies to her or not.  And I could not be more excited about who I brought in to talk about it today. Bonnie and Karina are midwives in Davis County Utah and two of my favorite people in the birth world.  I met them early in my birth work jo...

Is your baby fussy, clicking while nursing, struggling with tummy time, or just not quite seeming like themselves, and nobody can give you a straight answer about why? In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Emanuel, pediatric occupational therapist, board-certified lactation consultant, and one of the leading experts in tongue tie and oral function, and we take a deep dive into all things tongu...

After giving birth at 28 weeks with her first baby, Kyla knew that this pregnancy was going to look different.  She was intentional about every decision: her providers, her preparation, her birth space, and her mindset going in. And when the time came, all of that work showed up in the most beautiful and amazing way.  Kyla woke up one morning at 39 weeks with a belly that looked completely differe...

You leave your prenatal appointment and get in your car. And something just feels off. You are confused. Unsettled.  Maybe a little worried about your body or your baby. And you spend the whole drive home trying to figure out what just happened in there and what you are supposed to do about it. In this episode, I am walking you through exactly what to do when something does not feel right with you...

What would you do if you were deep in labor and someone walked in and said it was time to talk about Pitocin , breaking your water , or maybe even a cesarean? I am you through the exact moment that catches most mamas completely off guard in the birth room (myself included, and I share about it), and the three questions that can slow everything down , get you the information you actually need, and...

What if understanding your menstrual cycle could completely change the way you prepare for pregnancy and transform how you feel in your body every single month? I sat down with Nora DeBora, functional fertility coach, holistic nutritionist, fertility awareness practitioner, and host of the Ultimate Pregnancy Prep Podcast, to talk about everything from eating for your cycle and seed cycling to gut...

Birth doesn't always go the way you planned, but preparation never goes to waste . In this encouraging birth story, My Essential Birth Mama Mary Richardson shares her journey from planning a home birth to an unexpected hospital transfer, a Pitocin induction she never saw coming, and over 24 hours of unmedicated labor that pushed her further than she ever thought she could go. From the daily p...

Is Tylenol really safe during pregnancy? Does it cause Autism ? What about vaccines ? And are you getting the nutrients your baby's brain actually needs? What if the most important health decisions you make during pregnancy are the ones nobody told you to think about? In this incredible & informational episode, I sit down with Dr. Ari Calhoun, naturopathic doctor, mama of two, and founder...

What would you do if the pregnancy you carefully prepared for suddenly took an unexpected turn? In this powerful and deeply meaningful birth story, My Essential Birth Mama, Sarah, joins me to share the journey of her second pregnancy — one that began with a clear vision for a very different birth experience after a difficult first birth. Determined to do things differently, Sarah switched provider...

In this incredible birth story, My Essential Birth parents Christa and Morgan take us through one of the most incredible journeys I have ever had the honor of sharing on this podcast.  From a heartbreaking miscarriage to living on the road during pregnancy, to refusing a life flight and driving eight hours home, to an unmedicated delivery nobody saw coming (and a 32-week baby who left every nurse...

What if the birth plan you worked so hard on… actually set you up for disappointment? Most moms spend hours researching , Googling templates, and checking every box , and still walk away from birth feeling blindsided, unprepared , or like the whole experience just happened to them. And it's not their fault. It's because nobody ever showed them what a birth plan is actually supposed to do...

What would you do if your doctor mentioned induction at what felt like a totally routine appointment, and suddenly you were nodding along to something you weren't even sure you agreed to? In this week's episode, I'm walking you through what's really happening when induction comes up, why it feels so hard to push back in the moment, and the three questions that can completely ch...

Some moms swear placenta pills changed their postpartum recovery…others say they did nothing. So what’s actually true? Today I'm sitting down with Dr. Sophia Johnson. She's a physician, researcher, and author who spent a decade studying the placenta inside a university lab in Germany. (Fun fact: in Germany, the placenta is literally called Mutterkuchen: "mother's cake." 🎂...

What would you do if your baby came so fast… your husband hadn't even had his morning coffee yet? Veronica planned a home birth... she just didn't plan for it to look like this: her husband catching their daughter in their bedroom, the midwife and doula still an hour away, and a baby who had absolutely no interest in waiting for anyone. And she definitely didn't plan for her placent...

What if the most powerful voice in your birth room isn't the doctor's — it's your husband's? In this episode, I sit down with Catalina Clark, a licensed home birth midwife in Sonoma, California, who has spent 11 years at the crossroads of spiritual midwifery, birth sovereignty, and the sacred side of birth that nobody in the hospital is talking about. From the father's rol...

Over the years, birth has slowly shifted from a natural, woman-centered experience to something much more medicalized — and most pregnant moms have no idea why. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on how modern maternity care evolved , why so many women are left feeling like their bodies are broken (or are told something along those lines), and what you can do right now to walk into birt...

What does it look like when a pelvic floor physical therapist uses everything she knows — plus the My Essential Birth course — to prepare for her own unmedicated birth? It looks like THIS episode. Haley Sampson is a labor of love kind of mama. She stayed active, did her prep work, went to 41 weeks and 3 days, had her water break, and pushed her baby out using tools, visualization, and a birth part...

Is everything we’ve been told about fat… wrong? In this episode, I sit down with Reproductive Endocrinologist & Fertility Specialist, Dr. Robert Kiltz, founder of CNY Fertility, to talk about infertility, gestational diabetes, insulin resistance, and the controversial idea that eating more fat — not less — may be the key to healing. Dr. Kiltz shares his personal health journey, how he began qu...

 If you're aiming for a VBAC this pregnancy, this one is for you mama! I had a wonderful conversation with My Essential Birth Mama, Sarah. She shares how she navigated pregnancy, labor, and birth with confidence — even when things didn’t go exactly as planned. We discuss everything from preparing her mindset during pregnancy to advocating during labor and embracing the beauty of her baby’s ar...

"It's our birthright to be deeply connected to our babies and to grow from it." - Dr. Kirshenbaum What if the most important thing you could do for your baby’s brain… isn’t something you buy, schedule, or optimize — but in the way you nurture & feel ? This week, I sit down with Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum — neuroscientist, author of The Nurture Revolution , and former doula — to talk...

“Don’t lift your arms over your head.” “First babies always come late.” “Hospital birth is the only safe option.” If you’re pregnant, you may have already heard at least one of these — maybe from a well-meaning family member… or maybe from your doctor. In this episode, we’re having a little fun (and a lot of truth-telling) as we walk through 16 of the most common pregnancy and birth myths , from t...

I never thought I would hear birth compared to fighting… but honestly, it might be one of my favorite analogies ever. In this episode, I’m joined by Madie — a professional fighter, dog trainer, and mom — who shares how she approached pregnancy and birth with the same mindset she brings to fight camp: strategy, mental strength, and trust in her mind and body. We talk about what it’s like to navigat...

If you’re pregnant right now, chances are your mornings—or really, your entire day —feel like a constant battle with nausea. 🤢 And that means this episode is 100% for you! In this episode, we uncover the real reasons pregnancy nausea hits so hard — especially early on — and why crackers, ginger, and “just push through it” just don't work. From hormones and blood sugar to minerals, hydration,...