Looking for all the best freebies and downloads?!

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 questions with doula and almost midwife , Bonnie Baker. For as long as I have known Bonnie in the birth world, she has been involved in finding ways to improve birthing outcomes and take care of mothers during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. This includes the wonderful work of encapsulating placentas. Enjoy!

Show Notes:

 1:15 - Our reviewer of the week talks about the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy being her very favorite after listening to thousands of hours of birthing podcasts! Thanks mama!

3:20 - Bonnie discusses the details of the placenta encapsulation process and the history behind...

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, yes there are a few reasons moms want to look for another option.

If you're one of those moms, you're not alone! In fact, my guest for this week's episode, Jacquie Berg is a mom and was so taken back by what was being offered to her for this test during her own pregnancy, that she took matters into her own hands to create a solution.

This week we're talking about everything that goes into the testing, why it's done, how glucose is measured, and healthy alternatives for moms everywhere! PLUS we have a really neat GIVEAWAY for not just one mama - but FIVE.

Here's a little bit about Jacquie:

With 15 years of work in Endocrinology, Obstetrics and Medical Device...

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 of the podcast, Mamas in Training. She's here to share her best tips for getting prepared for pregnancy and birth based off of the three pillars of advocacy, community, and informed consent. 

JESSICA LORION is an American TV, film, and theatre artist based in NYC. She’s also the Host and Producer of the Podcast: Mamas in Training.

Screen credits include Metro Park (Eros Now/Amazon Prime), Homicide City: Charlotte (Investigation Discovery) and a national commercial for King Clean. Her theatrical credits include the North American tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Babette) and two...

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 nipple, don't worry.

Today, I'm here with our special guest, Sally Wright, an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and mother of five, to help clear up the confusion and pump out the facts you actually need to know!

Sally grew up in Hawai'i and now lives in Utah. She is the mother of five children, including a set of twins. She has been an IBCLC since 2016 and has served as a volunteer Leader with La Leche League since 2006, providing community breastfeeding support. Sally especially loves helping parents of multiples meet the joys and challenges of a life with abundance. When...

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 the chance of natural childbirth and experience a healthy, happy pregnancy!

Today, I share the different herbs, oils, techniques, exercises, and procedures that you can practice to start your labor naturally, now. These include some more known medicinal oils and herbs like evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, midwife's brew tea, and the lesser known black cohosh. We'll also learn about some techniques like the Webster's chiropractic technique and the miles circuit method. We'll dig into both the positives and negatives of each, so you can rest assured that you choose the...

Show Notes:

1:12 - Our reviewer of the week shares how easy this podcast is to listen to and gain valuable knowledge. They recommend this podcast to anyone who is pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant

3:33...

Show Notes:

1:13 - Our reviewer of the week shares how the My Essential Birth podcast has provided her with a realistic perspective of birth and has given her a wealth of knowledge as she prepares for her first birth. (Thank you for the amazing review and congratulations on your new baby, all the...

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 U.S., 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 equipped with extra knowledge, tools, and support measures to care for the whole you because you deserve to be taken care of too. 

I'm so honored to be joined by Sariah Wight, a postpartum doula here in Utah, who is here to share all her postpartum magic in this week's episode.

Show Notes:

1:11 - Our reviewer of the week shares that she loves sharing this podcast with her clients as a birth and postpartum doula

3:32 - Introducing Sariah Wight, a postpartum doula and mother of 3. She shares how she made the decision to become a postpartum doula after experiencing...

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, or lack thereof, clear and give you ideas about what questions you should ask to figure out if you're on the same page. I'm covering things like how you choose to birth (medicated or unmedicated - yes providers may have unsupportive opinions about this), cesarean birth rates, inductions, vaccines, birth plans, doulas and more. 

Trigger warning! Some of the topics we cover in this episode are sensitive to some mamas. Everything here is meant to inform, give you excellent examples, and be a starting point to having those tough conversations with your provider. If you have questions about...

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.

Show Notes:

 1:12 - Reviewer of the week

3:05 - Introducing Carly, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and her husband, Robbie, a 5th grade teacher who are here to share the birth story of their first baby. 

4:32 - Carly shares how she found her provider and why she decided to switch midway through her pregnancy from an OB at a hospital to Midwives at a birth center.

8:06 - Robbie shares how Carly's switch felt to him as a dad with limited knowledge about birth .

11:54 - Carly completed the 3 MEB exercises to help prepare for birth (way to go!) along with other great prep tools.

17:40...