The POPPED Podcast with Dr. Emily Muery

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily explores a question that most pregnant women have never been asked:How did we know where babies were before ultrasound? From traditional birth cultures to Leopold's Maneuvers, this episode dives into the lost art of assessing pregnancy through touch, observation, and clinical skill. Dr. Emily unpacks how ultrasound transformed modern prenatal ca...

In this episode of The Popped Podcast, Dr. Emily breaks down one of the most common questions in pregnancy: Is my baby moving enough? She explains why fetal movement can look and feel dramatically different from one pregnancy to another and why those differences are often completely normal. From placenta placement and baby position to nervous system development and maternal awareness, this episode...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily challenges one of the most common narratives in pregnancy: the “big baby.” Instead of focusing on fear or worst-case scenarios, this episode breaks down how the label “big baby” is often based on estimates—not certainty—and how it can shift the entire trajectory of a birth before labor even begins. Dr. Emily walks through what actually matters in bi...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily breaks down one of the most common — and most frustrating — labels given to babies: colic. Instead of accepting colic as a diagnosis, this episode reframes it as a clue. Dr. Emily walks through what’s actually happening in a baby’s body and nervous system, why crying isn’t random, and how different underlying patterns like tension, digestion, feedin...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily breaks down one of the most misunderstood parts of pregnancy: “morning sickness” — that for many women feels more like all-day, lingering nausea. She explains the real physiology behind why nausea happens, including the role of hormones, the brain, and the gut, and why some women experience it far more intensely or for much longer than others. This...

In this episode of The Popped Podcast , Dr. Emily explores feeding beyond methods—shifting the focus away from breast vs. bottle and into what feeding actually creates between a parent and baby. Dr. Emily explains how feeding is one of the most repeated relational experiences in early life, shaping the nervous system through touch, presence, and response. She breaks down how repetition turns feedi...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily continues the Feeding Series and breaks down one of the most talked-about topics in infant feeding: tongue ties, lip ties, and cheek ties. Instead of focusing on fear, this episode focuses on understanding feeding function. Dr. Emily explains how the tongue develops during pregnancy, how the tongue actually works during feeding, and why oral ties so...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily continues the Feeding Series by exploring why posture may be the most overlooked piece of infant feeding. Whether you’re breastfeeding or bottle feeding, the way both mom and baby are positioned can influence latch mechanics, nervous system regulation, milk transfer, and the overall feeding experience. Dr. Emily walks through how posture affects fee...

In this one-year anniversary episode of The Popped Podcast , Dr. Emily continues the Feeding Series talking practical feeding tools — for breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and the struggles that show up no matter how you feed your baby. Because most feeding stress isn’t about failure. It’s about regulation, positioning, and knowing what to adjust. In this episode: Breastfeeding tools for latch pain,...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily continues the Feeding Series with a deep dive into the physiology, mechanics, and emotional landscape of bottle feeding. This conversation explores how feeding is first and foremost a nervous system exchange — not a moral decision. Dr. Emily breaks down the biological differences between breastfeeding and bottle feeding, including flow control, suck...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast , Dr. Emily begins the Feeding Series by unpacking the biology, neurobiology, and modern pressure surrounding breastfeeding. From hormonal feedback loops and milk production to latch mechanics and the nervous system’s role in letdown, this episode separates mammalian design from cultural expectation. Inside this episode: • The stages of lactation and what “mil...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily explores the science of labor induction , focusing on what induction methods are actually shifting inside the body to initiate labor. This episode covers: The natural labor cascade and how spontaneous labor is initiated Baby’s role in starting labor, including fetal lung maturity and surfactant signaling How cervical ripening works and what prostagl...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily Muery dives into labor induction from a perspective that’s rarely centered — the emotional and lived experience of being induced. This conversation explores: What labor induction can feel like when birth shifts from waiting to planned Why induction can bring up grief, pressure, and feelings of failure — even when it’s medically appropriate The diffe...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily Muery explores what parenting data actually shows — not to rank choices or define a “right” way, but to relieve the pressure so many moms carry. This conversation looks at documented child and relational outcomes across different parenting paths, including working moms, stay-at-home moms, breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, and single or non-tradition...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast , Dr. Emily Muery explores why comparison feels so loud during pregnancy and early motherhood — and why it’s not a personal flaw or lack of confidence. Rather than offering tips to “stop comparing,” this conversation looks at the psychology and nervous system patterns behind comparison. Dr. Muery explains how identity shifts, loss of internal benchmarks, and h...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily Muery breaks down one of the most common — and misunderstood — physical changes of pregnancy and postpartum: Diastasis Recti . This conversation is designed to calm fear, clear confusion, and reframe what’s actually happening in the body. In this episode, you’ll learn: What diastasis recti actually is (and what it isn’t) Why abdominal separation is...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast Dr. Emily Muery explores relaxin — a powerful hormone that quietly shapes the pregnant and postpartum body. This conversation breaks down what relaxin actually does, when it rises throughout pregnancy, and why it plays such a critical role in pelvic adaptation, birth preparation, and recovery. Dr. Emily explains why relaxin doesn’t end at delivery, how it rema...

Transition into 2026 with  this episode of the POPPED Podcast, as Dr. Emily Muery pulls back the curtain and shares more of herself — not just as a prenatal and postpartum chiropractor or birth doula, but as the human behind the mic. Emily reflects on the evolution of the podcast throughout 2025, the lessons learned from showing up consistently, and the vulnerability that comes with creating long-...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily Muery takes you inside the womb to explore the rhythmic, vibrant sound world your baby experiences long before birth. From your heartbeat to your breath to the tone of your voice, your baby grows inside a soundtrack that shapes their brain, their nervous system, and their earliest sense of connection. We cover: What sound is actually like inside the...

In this fifth and final episode of the Sleep Series, Dr. Emily Muery unpacks the complexities and controversies surrounding sleep training in early parenthood. As the final part of the five-part Sleep Series , this conversation dives into the cultural, emotional, and scientific sides of one of parenting’s most debated topics. Dr. Muery explores what “sleep training” actually means, breaking down t...

This episode of The POPPED Podcast, is Part 3 of our 5-part Sleep Series — a deep dive into the realities of infant sleep. Each week, we’re breaking down a different stage or challenge so you can understand the biology, the emotions, and the practical tools that make this season easier to navigate. In this fourth episode, Dr. Emily Muery explores one of the most personal — and often polarizing — t...

This episode of The POPPED Podcast, is Part 3 of our 5-part Sleep Series — a deep dive into the realities of infant sleep. Each week, we’re breaking down a different stage or challenge so you can understand the biology, the emotions, and the practical tools that make this season easier to navigate. In this third episode, Dr. Emily Muery explores the reality of maternal sleep deprivation and its pr...

This episode of The POPPED Podcast, is Part 2 of our 5-part Sleep Series — a deep dive into the realities of infant sleep. Each week, we’re breaking down a different stage or challenge so you can understand the biology, the emotions, and the practical tools that make this season easier to navigate. In this second episode, Dr. Emily Muery unpacks what’s really happening during the so-called 3–4 mon...

This episode of The POPPED Podcast, kicks off a five-part deep dive into baby sleep. Dr. Emily Muery reframes the way parents think about newborn rest, showing why short stretches, frequent waking, and contact naps aren’t problems to fix — they’re exactly how babies are designed to sleep. Instead of chasing impossible expectations, this episode helps parents understand what’s normal, what’s not, a...

In this episode of The POPPED Podcast, Dr. Emily Muery explores a critical — and often overlooked — moment in birth: when to cut the cord. She unpacks the physiology behind delayed cord clamping, why those extra minutes matter, and what happens when we rush a process the body isn’t done with. From oxygenation to iron levels, stem cell transfer to emotional bonding, the umbilical cord is still hard...