Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy

Pregnant mama, Jessica, and I uncover some of the stigmas of pregnancies over age 35 such as being considered high-risk, immediate plans for induction, and more! I talk with Jessica Estrada, a first time mama at the age of 43, about her pregnancy experience. She shares her story, struggles, and what she wants other mamas who are pregnant over age 35 to know. Jessica discusses things like how famil...

I want today’s episode to be something you can save, download, refer back to, and listen to consistently! 🎧 What we talk about today is something you can use NOW that will make your labor and birth experience so much easier! A huge bonus is that your birth partner can help you with this too! (I’ll wait while you pause this episode to go get them to listen with you.) 😉 It can be frustrating at fi...

This week we're breaking down everything you need to know to prepare yourself physically and mentally for an induction without an epidural. I cannot stress the importance of going into labor with the mindset of possibly having an induction and preparing yourself for that outcome. I'll also discuss all things Pitocin: what it is, what it does, and how it can affect you, your baby, and lab...

Madison shares how her birth goals changed over time and a red flag that caused her to change service providers. Madison also discusses the moment she found the birth center for her and what led her to that decision. Madison shares the preparation she did regularly for an empowered birth. She shares her spiritual birth story and how she surrendered her body after a long and exhausting labor. Altho...

There are two things that stand out when it comes to how to take care of ourselves prenatally; nutrition & exercise. Mind-blowing right?! Nope...but doing some simple things while you are pregnant will help you feel better and stay in control of your pregnancy and birth decisions. Today I'm speaking with Holly Roser who is a personal trainer who specifically deals with pregnant women. She...

Kayla and her husband, Grant, share about what mattered most when preparing for their first birth and how they are getting ready to meet this baby! Kayla openly shares about her struggle with and ultimate decision to become a mother. Her and Grant discuss the open communication that was so crucial for them prior to and during pregnancy. Kayla also discusses her concern with the changes having a ch...

Birth trauma is real and it can happen to women even when they've have done everything in their power to NOT have it happen, and it's NOT their fault! If you are wondering what you can do to avoid it OR you have experienced birth trauma and want to know how to heal from it, tune in this week!  Karina Robinson, childbirth educator, doula, and almost midwife 😏 joins me as we walk through...

If there is one thing I have learned as a life lesson that is also 100% applicable to all things birth, it's that every single challenge can be an incredible learning lesson and this holds true for what happened while women were pregnant and birthing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges like pulling birth partners out of the birth rooms (unacceptable btw), moving healthy, low-risk moms to...

If you haven't heard of "Occupational Therapy," join the club! I literally never heard of this until Kayln reached out to me and it's something I think every mom should be aware of. In case you have NO idea what OT's do - it's holistic care from professionals that are trained to help people get back to all of their normal things they do in life. It can be as "sma...

I have had so many questions recently about testing positive for Group B Strep or GBS and the number one concern is, "Will this ruin the birth that I want?" I'm here to break down what GBS is, how it affects pregnancy and labor, ways that you can decrease your chances of testing positive, what happens if you choose to use antibiotics, and also options other than antibiotics should y...

Placenta encapsulation was a foreign concept just a few years ago, but now as it becomes more mainstream there are tons of questions around who should have it done, what the benefits actually are, if there are risks involved and when to avoid encapsulation, how Covid-19 has affected placentas, and how to find someone who really knows what they're doing. Today I get to answer all of those ques...

Use code: MYESSENTIALBIRTH20 for 20% off The Fresh Test ! You come up to your glucose test between week 24-28 during pregnancy and often there's only one option given - "The Glucose Drink." This drink is filled with artificial coloring, flavors, dextrose, brominated soybean oil (banned in Europe, Japan, and India....and also patented as a flame retardant in the United States). So, y...

There's a lot of information out there when in comes to pregnancy, birth and parenthood so what do you actually need to know when you're preparing for the journey ahead? If you're here, you're probably a mama who wants ALL the information and wants to be as prepared as possible! If so, this episode is for you! I'm joined this week by Jessica Lorion, the host and producer o...

One of the first things on our minds as soon as we have our babies is feeding them. Those first few days can feel like a blur and if you're choosing to breastfeed you may be feeling overwhelmed by ALL of the things you need to learn seemingly overnight. If you're worried about if you're producing enough or whether your baby is eating enough, or what the heck is happening to your nip...

Childbirth is a rite of passage and an essential part of the human experience… but it can often be confusing, scary, and sometimes, a little stressful. We all want to induce labor naturally, but most of us don't know how to go about it! Sit back and relax because today's episode is a guide to inducing childbirth without medical intervention. With a bit of consideration, you can increase...

We're all learning together. There isn't one way to create or raise a child and there's not even a 'right' way for every person, couple, or family to navigate childbirth and parenting.  It helps tremendously to find your voice as a mother or mother-to-be. In today's episode of My Essential Birth, we'll look into the importance of advocating for yourself during ch...

In this week's episode, I am joined by Nicole Scheitlin to bust the top 5 myths you've probably heard surrounding prenatal and postpartum exercise and wellness. Nicole is a Pre/Postnatal Performance Training Specialist and the founder of Strong Mama Wellness where she helps people train for a healthier pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood. She has over 10 years experience in the industr...

As a mother of 3 and someone who has experienced postpartum depression and anxiety, I wish I had known about postpartum doulas sooner in my journey. Postpartum care, especially in the US, is absolutely vital. Despite the popular narrative, postpartum care is not just about holding your baby and delivering frozen dinner. While those things are amazing and can be so helpful, postpartum doulas come e...

Do you know how to tell if your provider is going to be a supportive part of your birth team? I see moms run into this issues a lot. You know how much I talk about the importance of a supportive provider BUT how do you know if you're provider is the right one?! One of the things I hope this episode does for you, is make some of your own assumptions about your provider's supportiveness, o...

This week I'm so excited to welcome Carly and her husband, Robbie who are sharing the story of the birth of their firstborn! Dive in to hear about how they navigated switching providers in the middle of their pregnancy from an OB, preparing for a  hospital birth, to a Midwife at a birth center and how they made it through the most challenging part of their labor, the final hour. Don't fo...

This week we are joined by Annie Roskelley, a mother to 3 kids, certified babywearing educator, and volunteer at Babywearing Weber/Davis County Utah. She's sharing all her tips for making babywearing easy and enjoyable no matter how old your baby is or how much experience you have with carriers. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @myessentialbirth and for even more great info head ov...

When it comes to giving birth, most people picture it going down in a hospital room. This is absolutely an option and there are more! That’s what we’re setting out to discuss on this week's podcast. Join us as we go over the different locations where you can have your baby, the pros and the cons, and share evidence-based information as well as real-life experiences in order to help you decide...

In this podcast episode we are interviewing David Arrell who is a dad, consultant and men's coach. He turned author with his book,  "Welcome to Fatherhood", in which he consolidates the lessons learned from his experience being a dad for the first time. Through the book, David encourages men to more actively step into their supportive roles during pregnancy, childbirth, and the four...

When I say, “Home birth,” what comes to mind? Is it comfortable and happy and warm? Is it uncertain and messy and unorganized? This week on the Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy podcast, we’re going to show you just what having a home birth entails, using the real-life story of my friend Kirsten. Kirsten is awesome! She experienced prodromal labor in the comfort of her home and together with her husba...

It's true that we love telling you all of the ways to have an easier, more comfortable, confident and empowered birth experience, but we decided to switch things up and get a little sarcastic so you can join us in some laughs while we give you all the top tips on what will cause more pain during labor.  Maybe you already know that being flat on your back and not having great support will leav...