Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy

Episodes

• Birth Story: A Birth Center Water Birth & Letting Her Body Lead w/Kyla & Gabe 10.06.2026 52m

  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 different. Contractions started mid-morning and she basically ignored them for most of ...
• Can You Say No to Your Doctor During Pregnancy? 03.06.2026 18m

  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 your provider. Whether it is an induction conversation that caught you completely off guard, ...
• Before You Say Yes In Labor, Ask These Three Questions 27.05.2026 17m

  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 help you make decisions from a place of confidence instead of fear. With my first baby, I was told w...
• Eating for Your Cycle, Gut Health & Fertility with Nora DeBora 20.05.2026 52m

  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 health, hormone testing, and the fertility information most conventional providers are simply not...
• Birth Story: Pitocin Induction, 24 Hours of Unmedicated Labor & a 9lb 12oz Baby — Mary Richardson's Story 13.05.2026 48m

  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 prep she did throughout pregnancy, to the moment everything shifted at 41 weeks and three days, to del...
• Tylenol, Vaccines & Autism: What Every Pregnant Mom Needs to Know with Dr. Ari Calhoun 06.05.2026 1h 6m

  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 of Wholesome Brain Medicine. We're diving into the hot topics moms are actively Googling but rarely get...
• Birth Story: When Birth Brings Both Loss and Healing | Sarah’s Story 29.04.2026 59m

  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 providers, chose midwifery care, hired a doula, and intentionally prepared both mentally and physically f...
• Birth Story: Early Labor, Life Flight Refusal & a 32-Week Baby Who Stunned His Nurses with Christa & Morgan 22.04.2026 1h 32m

  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 in the NICU completely speechless) this story will stay with you long after you finish liste...
• 3 Birth Plan Mistakes That Lead to Regret (And What to Do Instead) 15.04.2026 20m

  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, or the mistakes that quietly sabotage even the most prepared moms in the birth room. In this episode, I'm ta...
• Before You Say Yes to an Induction, Ask These 3 Questions 08.04.2026 17m

  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 change the conversation with your provider. Whether you're 37 weeks and caught off guard or just want to feel pre...
• Placenta Encapsulation: Should You Eat Your Placenta? Benefits, Risks & Postpartum Recovery w/Dr. Sophia Johnson 01.04.2026 44m

  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." 🎂 After this episode, you'll understand why. ) We're diving into the actual science of consuming it: which preparation me...
• Birth Story: Her Husband Caught the Baby Before His Coffee Was Ready - Veronica's Home Birth 25.03.2026 1h 5m

  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 placenta to be so rare that a midwife with YEARS of experience had never seen anything like it... ... Or for that sam...
• Reclaim Your Birth: Sovereignty, Intuition & the Dad's Surprising Role with Midwife, Catalina Clark 17.03.2026 1h 3m

  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 role in the birth room to why Pitocin may be affecting us on a cultural level, we talk about it all — and I think you're goin...
• Hospital Birth: The System is Broken, Not You 11.03.2026 36m

  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 birth feeling confident, informed, and supported. Because the truth is… your body isn’t broken. When y...
• Birth Story: "Any Woman Who Wants an Unmedicated Birth Absolutely Can" w/Haley Sampson 04.03.2026 44m

  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 partner who truly showed up. Whether you're curious about pelvic floor prep, what unmedicated contrac...
• What No One Told You About Fertility & Gestational Diabetes w/ Dr. Kiltz 25.02.2026 1h 8m

  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 questioning conventional nutrition advice, and what he started noticing in his fertility practice w...
• VBAC Success Story w/ Sarah Agus-Bina 18.02.2026 1h

  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 arrival. This episode is full of encouragement for any mama preparing for birth...and especially fo...
• Early Brain Development in Pregnancy with Neuroscientist, Dr. Greer Kirshenbaum 11.02.2026 44m

  "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 about what modern neuroscience says about pregnancy, birth, infant sleep, and the first three years of life. We ta...
• Top 16 Birth Myths from 1940's to Today 04.02.2026 36m

  “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 the 1940s all the way to today. Some are funny. Some are outdated. And some are still quietly shapi...
• From Fight Camp to Birth: How a Pro Fighter Prepared for Labor w/Madie Meacham 28.01.2026 55m

  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 navigate pregnancy when you can’t workout, how she chose the right midwife, and how she learned to make ...