The Be Well Baby Podcast

Baby registry must haves are everywhere, but most lists are written by influencers, not clinicians. In this solo episode, Dr. Emily, a NICU physical therapist and board certified lactation consultant, walks through what she actually recommends for your baby registry: the feeding supplies worth buying before birth, the baby gear that supports development (and the popular items that work against it)...

What if the surgeon you finally found actually saw you as a whole, complex human and not just a line item on a sleep study? In this episode, Dr. Emily welcomes oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Prashant Charugundla for a conversation that bridges Western surgical precision with a genuinely holistic, systems-level lens on care. Prashant opens up about his own long journey before a myofunctional th...

Nobody prepares you for how much intimacy and connection can shift after you have a baby — and yet it's one of the most common struggles new parents face. In this episode, Emily sits down with Krystle Gard, postpartum doula and Intimacy & Connection Coach, for an honest, shame-free conversation about what actually happens to your sex life after birth and what you can do about it. Krystle's jou...

What if your baby has been communicating with you all along — and you just needed the tools to hear them? In this episode, Dr. Emily sits down with Belinda on the Perfect Child Podcast to talk about one of her favorite (and most misunderstood) topics: consent with babies. From the NICU to the changing table, Dr. Emily breaks down what infant communication actually looks like, why slowing down tran...

Colic isn't real! I will die on that hill. This week Dr. Emily Spaeth brings you Dr. Kirin Palmer, a pediatrician, functional medicine practitioner, and founder of Pure Joy Pediatrics in the Portland metro area in Oregon. Through her work in clinic and through her digital class, she helps expectant parents understand how maternal health during pregnancy can influence their baby’s digestion, immune...

One in three births in the US starts with an induction. Another one in three is a cesarean. And yet most people walk into those experiences confused, scared, or feeling like the decision just happened to them. This episode is here to change that. Dr. Jennifer Lincoln is a board-certified OBGYN, OB hospitalist in Portland, Oregon, and one of the most trusted voices in evidence-based birth education...

This week, we're flipping the script. My doula, Alison Akan of the BirthLinked YouTube channel, sits down with me to talk through all three of my birth experiences, and nothing is off limits. I went into each birth with more knowledge than the last, and somehow that made things both easier and harder. We talk about what it's like to plan for a home birth and end up in the hospital, what it means t...

Have you ever fallen into bed completely exhausted — only to lie there wide awake, running through everything you forgot to do, respond to, or organize? That bone-tired exhaustion that doesn't let you rest? There's actually a name for what's happening, and this week's guest coined it. Stassi Chaillé, LPC is a therapist, educator, and founder of System-Keeping™ — the first framework to name the roo...

Bringing a new baby home is one of the biggest transitions your family will ever navigate — and that includes every member of your household, including your four-legged ones. In this episode, Emily sits down with McKenna Neale, certified veterinary technician, behavioral specialist, and fellow new mom, to talk about everything you need to know about preparing your pets for a new baby. Mckenna shar...

What if the most powerful thing you could do for your new baby had nothing to do with a product, a schedule, or anything you saw on TikTok,  and everything to do with a room full of other moms who just get it ? Today I'm sitting down with Liberty Planck, owner of New Mom School® in Lake Oswego, Oregon and mom of three, who channeled her background in experience design and her own deeply isolating...

Movement during pregnancy isn't just safe — it's one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself, your baby, and yes, even your grandchildren. In this episode, Dr. Emily dives deep into the science of exercise during pregnancy, habit formation, and the fascinating brain changes that make pregnancy one of the most important windows for building the identity you want to carry into parenthood...

What does it feel like to give birth while still figuring out who you are? Malakai Benson (they/them) is a non-binary parent (“Baba”), Head Baker and Bread Manager at Moxie Bread Company, and a fierce advocate for queer visibility and representation, especially in birthing and parenting spaces. Through their lived experience navigating pregnancy, birth, and parenting outside of binary assumptions,...

Grief isn't just about death — and it doesn't have an endpoint. In this episode, Emily sits down with Portland-based Grief Guide and Ritualist Alyssa Rose to explore what grief actually is, why it shows up in parenthood in such surprising ways, and what becomes possible when we stop trying to get to the other side of it. Alyssa brings together somatic bodywork, ritual practice, and deep grief lite...

This episode is for anyone who has ever been dismissed by a provider, told their pain was "just pregnancy," or suspected something was going on with their connective tissue and couldn't get anyone to take it seriously. Hypermobile EDS may affect as many as 1 in 500 people — but most have never been diagnosed, and provider knowledge is lagging far behind. Today we're changing that. Whether you have...

If your baby has a head turn preference, a flat spot, or trouble latching, this episode might explain why — and what you can do about it. Carol Gray has been a therapeutic bodyworker for 36 years, specializing in craniosacral therapy for pregnant, birthing, and postpartum parents and infants. A doula for 35 years and home birth midwife for 12, Carol has spent decades developing hands-on, movement,...

Faith Samaan is a lactation consultant with over 17 years of experience, both in the hospital system, where she sees virtually every feeding situation imaginable, and now doing home visits with Be Well Baby families. In this episode, Faith shares the story of how her own painful, unsupported postpartum experience led her to become the straight answer she could never find. We talk about what to act...

Dr. Emily sits down with her friend and colleague Dr. Daniella Sinay, a physical therapist who works both in the hospital setting and for Be Well Baby, for one of the most honest conversations this podcast has ever had. Daniella shares her journey through multiple miscarriages, a twin pregnancy, and how surviving it completely transformed the way she shows up for her patients and their families. B...

If you've ever been told to "just do your kegels," or walked out of your six-week visit feeling “cleared for everything” but still not quite right you’re in the right place. Get your Postpartum Essentials Guide ! In this episode, we cover: What your pelvic floor is actually doing trimester by trimester Why symptoms you're told will resolve after birth often don't Kegels: when they help and when th...

Did you feel completely blindsided by who you became after having a baby — even though you planned for it, prepared for it, and wanted it more than anything? There's a word for that. In this episode, I sit down with acupuncturist and herbalist Emily Sferra of Perennial Health Acupuncture to talk about matrescence — the profound physical, psychological, and identity transformation that happens when...

If you've ever felt confused, dismissed, or completely overwhelmed trying to navigate a tongue tie diagnosis — this episode is for you. I sat down with Melissa Cole, MS, IBCLC, PMH-C, and founder of Luna Lactation and Wellness, to have one of the most honest and nuanced conversations I've heard on this topic. Melissa brings over two decades of clinical experience, published research, and a deeply...

What if your baby isn’t “fussy” or “colicky”—what if they’re trying to tell you something? In this episode, I reframe how we think about consent with babies, showing you that even newborns can participate in what happens to their bodies. From diaper changes to baths to touch, slowing down and reading your baby’s cues can transform daily routines into moments of trust, safety, and connection. I sha...

What if your baby's sleep isn't a problem to fix—but a process to support? Camilla Rae is the founder of Full Circle Baby—a full spectrum doula, newborn care specialist, and sleep consultant with 20+ years supporting more than 1,800 families. She's not here to "fix" your baby's sleep. She sees sleep as a developmental process rooted in nervous system regulation, attachment, and helping babies beco...

Does your baby hate tummy time? Wondering if that bouncer or walker is actually helping or hurting? In this episode, I sit down with Keri Kamryn Skjei, infant physical therapist on the Be Well Baby team, to break down everything parents need to know about baby positioning, containers, and motor development. We cover the truth about all that baby gear you registered for—car seats, bouncers, walkers...

Ever heard "regulate your nervous system" but wondered what that actually means? This episode breaks down the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system—and why it matters so much during pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and for your baby's development. Resources: Huberman Lab - on How to Breathe! Oura Ring (10% off sleep and recovery tracking) Ninni Co. Pacifier (code: BEWELLBABY for 10% off) Be We...

Episode Summary: Today I'm so excited to be talking with Annie Adamson, the founder of Primal Child™. Annie has spent over two decades blending movement science, nervous system literacy, ancestral parenting wisdom, and a deep understanding of holistic pelvic and postpartum care. She helps parents reclaim trust in their child's innate intelligence, supports body awareness from birth, and even has a...