Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy

What if your baby has been trying to tell you they need to go to the bathroom this whole time, and you just did not know how to listen?
Before disposable diapers existed, 92% of American babies were out of diapers by 18 months. 
Today our average is three years old. And according to my guest today — that shift had nothing to do with biology and everything to do with marketing.
Andrea Olson is the author of Go Diaper Free, the world's leading educator on elimination communication, and a mama of six who has never had more than one baby in diapers at a time. 
She has helped over a million families start this practice across the world. And in this episode she breaks down everything you need to know from what elimination communication actually is, to the cues your baby is already giving you, to how to start from the very first day of your baby's life.
I sat with this conversation for a long time after we finished recording.
Babies are not any different biologically than they were before disposable diapers existed. They still have the same instincts. They are still trying to tell us what they need. We just stopped listening. 
And this episode is going to change the way you think about diapers, potty training, and tuning into your baby from day one. ❤️
Here are some highlights from the episode:
What elimination communication actually is — and the instincts babies are born with that we have completely lost touch with in the Western world
The Pampers story that will make your jaw drop — what Andrea learned from a conversation with an actual Pampers executive and how it changed the way pediatricians talk about potty training forever
When to start and what it actually looks like — from brand new newborns to mobile babies to young toddlers
The two simple things Andrea recommends starting with that take almost no extra time or effort
The cues your baby is already giving you — from bearing down and staring off into space to popping off the breast and trying to escape the carrier
The difference between elimination communication and potty training — and why understanding that difference changes everything
What this looks like in real life for mamas going back to work, families with multiple kids, and babies in daycare
The bonding piece — why every single person who has done elimination communication says it is one of the most connecting experiences of early parenthood
The three biggest things that surprised Andrea across six babies and over a million families
How much money you actually save — Andrea has saved $12,000 in diapers across six kids
Two free resources Andrea put together specifically for our listeners today
🎁 Free resources for listeners:
Head to www.myessentialbirth.com/EC to grab the Easy Start Guide and the Potty Training Primer.
Connect with Andrea:
🌐 Website: godiaperfree.com
🛍️ Store: tinyundies.com
📱 Instagram: @godiaperfree
▶️ YouTube: Go Diaper Free
Don't forget to RATE & FOLLOW the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast!
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Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
Join the Course! https://www.myessentialbirth.com/getstarted
Email: hello@myessentialbirth.com. 
Follow @myessentialbirth on INSTAGRAM!

Signing the general consent form when you walk into the hospital does not mean you have agreed to everything that follows. 

Not the Pitocin. 
Not the vaginal exam. 
Not the electronic fetal monitor. 
Not the cesarean. 
Not the hospital policy. 

Every single one of those still requires your informed consent.
I had the privlege of sitting down with Hermine Hayes-Klein, an attorney who has spent 25 years specializing in women's rights in pregnancy and childbirth. 
She moved to the Netherlands while pregnant with her first baby, watched a completely different birth system up close for five years, came home, and became a lawyer who takes the birth cases nobody else will touch. 
The ones where the baby is okay but the mama is not. She represents the women nobody is fighting for. And she wins.
What Hermine shares about your actual rights in the birth room is the kind of information that changes how you walk into every single prenatal appointment and ultimately into your birth.  
Here are some highlights from the episode:
What informed consent actually means — and why signing a general consent when you walk into the hospital does not cover everything that follows
The real cases behind Hermine's work — and why she started taking them when nobody else would
What hospital policies can and cannot do — and why they do not get to override your legal and constitutional rights
The specific ACOG documents Hermine recommends having printed and highlighted in your hospital bag before labor starts
The five sets of risks every pregnant mama deserves to weigh when making birth decisions — and why providers are only ever talking about one of them
Induction, breech birth, electronic fetal monitoring, AMA — what you actually need to know about each of these
The exact language you can use to hold your ground in the birth room without being rude
Connect with Hermine:
🌐 Website: Hayes Klein Law: https://www.hayeskleinlaw.com/ 
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herminehayesklein/
Documents to print and put in your hospital bag:
📄 ACOG Ethics Committee Opinion — Maternal Refusal of Medically Recommended Treatment (June 2016)
📄 ACOG Committee Opinion on VBAC — if you are a VBAC mama
📄 ACOG Committee Opinion on Breech — most recent version
📄 Your state's informed consent statute — Oregon's is ORS 677.097
Research mentioned:
🔬 Search Neel Shah and Ank de Jonge together with the word induction or gestational age to find the three country study mentioned in this episode
Don't forget to RATE & FOLLOW the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast!
Leave a Review! ⭐️ Here's how >> 
On Apple Podcasts
Find “Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy” podcast
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Click the stars!
Select “Write a Review” and tell us what was the most amazing, comforting, eye-opening thing that you loved! 
On Spotify
Find "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" podcast
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Select "Rate podcast"
Click the stars and write a quick review!
FOLLOW "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" so you never miss an episode that makes pregnancy & birth feel easier!
Here’s how to do it in just 2 seconds:
On Apple Podcasts → Tap the “+” Follow button in the top right corner of the show page.
On Spotify → Tap the “Follow” button right under the show titles
Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
Join the Course! https://www.myessentialbirth.com/getstarted
Email: hello@myessentialbirth.com. 
Follow @myessentialbirth on INSTAGRAM!

Gestational diabetes is one of those topics that every pregnant mama needs to understand way before she ever gets to that 28 week test, whether she thinks it applies to her or not. 

And I could not be more excited about who I brought in to talk about it today.
Bonnie and Karina are midwives in Davis County Utah and two of my favorite people in the birth world. 

I met them early in my birth work journey and I have never stopped being grateful for it. Bonnie has a background in nutrition and has been in birth work since 2014. 

Karina has had type one diabetes for over 35 years and lives this every single day. Between the two of them, they know more about gestational diabetes than most providers you will ever sit across from. I have actually told Bonnie that if I ever get pregnant again, I am either flying her out to me or heading to Utah, because these are the women I want in my corner. 💛
This conversation is practical, surprising, and one of the most helpful episodes I have recorded on pregnancy nutrition and testing. 

I learned things I was not expecting to learn. And I think you will too.
Here are some highlights from the episode:
What gestational diabetes actually is, and the perfect way to describe what happens between the placenta and pancreas during pregnancy
The difference between type one, type two, and gestational diabetes, and the PCOS connection, most providers are not making
The testing methods Bonnie and Karina actually trust and why eating jelly beans, pancakes, or a banana before your test is giving you a wildly inaccurate picture
What the nutrition protocol actually looks like when someone tests positive, and why every single mama who has been compliant with their plan has had a wonderful outcome
The real truth about carbs and gestational diabetes that most people are getting completely wrong
Something about the health of dads and the placenta that genuinely stopped me mid-conversation 👀
The signs and symptoms most mamas do not know to look for and why gestational diabetes unfortunately does not always announce itself
The risk factors list that is longer than most people realize and why very few women can actually say none of these apply to me
What managed versus unmanaged gestational diabetes means for your birth options
The postpartum screening that is in all the literature and almost nobody is doing
The simplest thing you can do after every meal that has a real measurable effect on your blood sugar
Connect with Bonnie & Karina:
 📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daviscountymidwives/ 
 📍 Birth Center: Bountiful, Utah https://daviscountymidwives.com/
Don't forget to RATE & FOLLOW the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast!
Leave a Review! ⭐️ Here's how >> 
On Apple Podcasts
Find “Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy” podcast
Select “Ratings and Reviews”
Click the stars!
Select “Write a Review” and tell us what was the most amazing, comforting, eye-opening thing that you loved! 
On Spotify
Find "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" podcast
Click the 3 dots "..."
Select "Rate podcast"
Click the stars and write a quick review!
FOLLOW "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" so you never miss an episode that makes pregnancy & birth feel easier!
Here’s how to do it in just 2 seconds:
On Apple Podcasts → Tap the “+” Follow button in the top right corner of the show page.
On Spotify → Tap the “Follow” button right under the show titles
Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
Join the Course! https://www.myessentialbirth.com/getstarted
Email: hello@myessentialbirth.com. 
Follow @myessentialbirth on INSTAGRAM!

Is your baby fussy, clicking while nursing, struggling with tummy time, or just not quite seeming like themselves, and nobody can give you a straight answer about why?
In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Emanuel, pediatric occupational therapist, board-certified lactation consultant, and one of the leading experts in tongue tie and oral function, and we take a deep dive into all things tongue-tie.

Because tongue tie is not just about nursing pain or a string under the tongue. 

It is connected to how your baby breathes, how they move their body, why they are gassy and fussy, why they hate tummy time, and if it goes undetected, to speech challenges, crowded teeth, sleep issues, and emotional dysregulation years down the road....like, what?! But it's true!
I have been in the birth world for 14 years and I walked away from this conversation looking at things completely differently. 

In fact I went and looked inside all of my teenagers' mouths when we finished recording and I am not even a little bit embarrassed about it. 😂 

I know you are going to love Michelle as much as I do. ❤️ 
Here are some highlights from the episode:
What a tongue tie actually is and why it is so much more than a string under the tongue
Signs before your baby is even born that could indicate a tongue tie
The breastfeeding signs most mamas miss that are actually connected to tongue tie
Why a baby who is gaining well and nursing okay is not always in the clear
Who should actually be checking for tongue tie and why going straight to a release provider is not always the right first step
What a release actually is and what is really happening during the procedure
The difference between a mildly, moderately, and significantly impacted tongue tie
How the tongue functions as a breathing organ and what that means for your baby's airway development
What those little squeaking snorting congested sounds might actually be telling you
What happens when tongue tie does not get caught early and the signs that show up in older kids
The one thing Michelle wants every parent to take away and start doing with their baby today
Connect with Michelle: 
📱 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonguetiebabies/
▶️ YouTube: Michelle Emanuel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MichelleE110/videos
🌐 Website: tummytimemethod.com
Don't forget to RATE & FOLLOW the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast!
Leave a Review! ⭐️ Here's how >> 
On Apple Podcasts
Find “Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy” podcast
Select “Ratings and Reviews”
Click the stars!
Select “Write a Review” and tell us what was the most amazing, comforting, eye-opening thing that you loved! 
On Spotify
Find "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" podcast
Click the 3 dots "..."
Select "Rate podcast"
Click the stars and write a quick review!
FOLLOW "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" so you never miss an episode that makes pregnancy & birth feel easier!
Here’s how to do it in just 2 seconds:
On Apple Podcasts → Tap the “+” Follow button in the top right corner of the show page.
On Spotify → Tap the “Follow” button right under the show titles
Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
Join the Course! https://www.myessentialbirth.com/getstarted
Email: hello@myessentialbirth.com. 
Follow @myessentialbirth on INSTAGRAM!

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 the day. By 9pm she and Gabe were loading up the car for a two hour drive to their birth center in the middle of the night. 

She arrived six centimeters dilated and completely effaced. And just before 3am their baby girl was born in a birth tub with so much hair. 🥹
I absolutely loved this conversation. Kyla and Gabe are one of those couples who just make you feel good the moment they start talking — he kept her laughing through most of labor, she described every contraction as a blessing, and then there were the gorilla noises during pushing that she is still not fully at peace with. 😂 I just know you are going to love them as much as I do. 
Here are some highlights from the episode:
What a cerclage is, why Kyla needed one, and what is was like to have it removed — which didn't go as planned
The specific jobs she gave Gabe before labor started, including the one thing she made him promise never to do in the birth room 😆 
The best description of the difference between Braxton Hicks and real contractions you will ever hear
What her contractions felt like during active labor and the affirmations that carried her through...and why they were so different from her first birth
The two hour drive to the birth center in the middle of the night and the hot water bottle tip every mama with a far away birth center needs to hear
Gabe's honest account of being the birth partner and the moment he realized his presence was doing more than he thought
Kyla and Gabe's best advice for moms and dads, including the one thing Gabe says to every dad he knows who is about to become a father
Don't forget to RATE & FOLLOW the Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy Podcast!
Leave a Review! ⭐️ Here's how >> 
On Apple Podcasts
Find “Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy” podcast
Select “Ratings and Reviews”
Click the stars!
Select “Write a Review” and tell us what was the most amazing, comforting, eye-opening thing that you loved! 
On Spotify
Find "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" podcast
Click the 3 dots "..."
Select "Rate podcast"
Click the stars and write a quick review!
FOLLOW "Pregnancy & Birth Made Easy" so you never miss an episode that makes pregnancy & birth feel easier!
Here’s how to do it in just 2 seconds:
On Apple Podcasts → Tap the “+” Follow button in the top right corner of the show page.
On Spotify → Tap the “Follow” button right under the show titles
Let's Connect!

Three exercises to help prepare you for your BEST birth: https://www.myessentialbirth.com/3-exercises
Join the Course! https://www.myessentialbirth.com/getstarted
Email: hello@myessentialbirth.com. 
Follow @myessentialbirth on INSTAGRAM!