

Healthy As A Mother
Dr. Morgan MacDermott & Dr. Leah Gordon
Healthy as a Mother, the podcast for becoming and being a mother, with your cohosts Dr. Leah Gordon and Dr. Morgan MacDermott, two naturopathic doctors who get it. Each week we teach you how to be the healthiest mother you can be - from fertility and preconception, to pregnancy and birth prep, through postpartum and throughout motherhood - empowering you with the natural health guidance and education you’re not getting elsewhere, so you can confidently navigate the broken system at large. The real, the raw, the un-talked about.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 22min
#125: Season 9 Life Updates
It's time for our life update episode again! It's almost the end of summer and Dr. Morgan shares about an unexpected diagnosis and her new extensive health journey, her decision on having another baby, and her philosophy around choice. Dr. Leah talks extensively about her son's sleep journey and breaks down why we decided to gently sleep train and why co-sleeping wasn't working for us, as well as her choice around working less and momming more. This is a great episode with a lot of juicy controversial opinions we can't wait to share with you!This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Dr Leah's Free Lab List GuideHealthy As A Mother Episode #120: The Lowdown on LaryngomalaciaHealthy As A Mother Episode #110: Season 8 Life UpdatesThe Still Face Experiment Stay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Aug 6, 2025 • 1h 3min
#124: Don't Make This Hormone Mistake Before Pregnancy!
In today's episode, we discuss the hormone mistake you want to avoid before pregnancy. We explain what hormones are, what imbalances may look like, how to test them, what some ideal ranges of key hormones are, and what you can do to balance them. Whether you are years away from trying, currently trying to conceive, or even heading into perimenopause, this episode applies to you.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Active Skin Repair >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER for 20% off your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Download Dr. Leah's FREE Female Labs ListGrab your spot on the Womanhood Wellness Membership Waitlist! Healthy As A Mother #31: The Power of Progesterone: An Essential Fertility HormoneHealthy As A Mother Episode #37: First 6 Steps to Take Along Your Fertility JourneyHealthy As A Mother Episode # 78: Lifestyle Hacks for Hormone BalancingStay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jul 30, 2025 • 1h 12min
#123: Twin Mom Life: Real Talk + Practical Tips from Allegra Gast of Aloha Nutrition
If you find yourself pregnant with twins, you've landed in the right spot. Today on the podcast, Dr. Morgan interviews Allegra Gast of Aloha Nutrition, all about her tips and tricks as a mother of four, the youngest two being 1-year-old twin boys. Allegra starts us out by discussing how she had her healthiest pregnancy, easiest birth, and postpartum recovery with the twins - largely due to proper nutrition. She then takes us into the survival mode of newborn days and manages it all with the older children. We then discuss feeding, sleeping, getting out of the house, the systems she has in place, and many other topics. She shares great resources and some heartfelt stories.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Allegra's Instagram and WebsiteOther Twin Instagram account to follow: @twinmomguideGreat book for twin moms: The Holistic Guide to Twin Pregnancy by BreAnn BlehmStay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jul 23, 2025 • 55min
#122: Is Your Prenatal Enough? The Truth About Women's Nutrient Needs with Julie Sawaya & Ryan Woodbury
In this episode, Dr Leah talks with Ryan and Julie, the co-founders of Needed. They dive into something often seen in practice: nutrient depletion. Why so many women are starting motherhood already depleted—and how that affects everything from fertility to postpartum recovery and long-term health. Ryan and Julie aren’t your average supplement founders. They built Needed alongside a community of practitioners like Dr. Leah, who were asking for better solutions—not just what looks good on a label, but what actually supports women’s bodies. They discuss how they met Dr. Leah, why Dr. Leah chose to partner with them, and how they've created products and education that reflect what women truly need. If you’ve ever wondered whether your prenatal is enough, or felt dismissed by one-size-fits-all advice—this one’s for you. We start at the beginning, with how Ryan and Julie got into this work and why they knew something major was missing in women’s health, and end with the amazing nutritional study they have done and what it has been like having babies and raising families while also growing this amazing company.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:More About Needed, Julie and RyanNeeded AcademyOrder Needed supplements here with code HEALTHYMOTHERStay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
#121: Pregnancy + Homebirth with Type 1 Diabetes with Dr. Gina Cummins
Being pregnant and giving birth with Type 1 Diabetes takes specific intention, energy, and management of health. In this episode, Dr. Morgan has Dr. Gina Cummins on to tell us how she managed her blood sugar throughout her two pregnancies and homebirths. They discuss how the conventional route of prenatal care and birth for women with Type 1 is different for those that don't have it - including the risk factors and reasoning for why it is this way, and then Dr. Gina goes on to explain how she advocated for herself to walk an alternative path outside the system. She found a supportive midwife and had both babies at home, and as she shares her birth stories, you'll see that she weaves in how she was actively managing her insulin in between contractions. Blood sugar management is a full-time job, and we hope you find this episode as educational as it is impressive.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Dr. Gina Cummin's WebsiteDr. Gina's Cummin's InstagramOther Healthy as a Mother Podcast episodes to further your learning:#87: Gestational Diabetes Part 1 with Lily Nichols#88: Gestational Diabetes Part 2 with Lily NicholsNatural Birth for Type 1 Diabetics Facebook GroupDr. Gina's midwife, Lindsey Meehleis Instagram and WebsiteDr. Drina's OB, Dr. Stuart Fischbein Instagram and Website and PodcastBirthing From Within birth classStay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jul 9, 2025 • 54min
#120: The Lowdown on Laryngomalacia
When Dr. Morgan's fourth baby was just a few weeks old and started making a sometimes grunty sometimes squeaky noise with each inhale - She didn't know what to think, and she certainly didn't expect the diagnosis her baby would ultimately get. Laryngomalacia is a term that we all became intimately familiar with, and it basically translates to soft or floppy vocal cords. In this episode, Dr. Morgan takes you through all of the information you need to know about laryngomalacia, from the physiology to the symptoms to the levels of severity, and then treatment. She details everything that she can remember from that time and how it affected her daughter's sleeping, feeding, and thus weight gain - significantly. If you're listening to this episode, it might be because you're going through it - and for that, Dr. Morgan gives a big hug.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Ninni pacifier for breastfed babies, use code MORGM10 to save 10%Free to Feed website for food reactivity in babiesHealthy as a Mother podcast: #43: Dr. Morgan's Postpartum: On Sleeping and RestingHealthy as a Mother podcast: #46: Dr. Morgan's Postpartum: On Breastfeeding and Nutrition Healthy as a Mother Podcast: #57: Pregnancy Nausea + Postpartum Fog: An Update From the DoctorsHealthy as a Mother Podcast: #34: The First 10 Days Postpartum: Top 5 Tips to ThriveHealthy as a Mother Podcast: #07: Postpartum Healing: No More Mothers Left in the Dust Stay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jul 2, 2025 • 1h 14min
#119: Raising Kids So They Don't Need Therapy with Sadie Ackerman
How do we raise kids so they don't need therapy? Today, Dr. Leah interviews Sadie Ackerman of Finding Home Healing, all about how we heal our own trauma by working with the various parts of ourselves. This is the amazing work that we need, whether we want to conceive, become better parents, or feel better in our lives no matter what season we are in. This is the kind of work that has made all the difference for Dr. Leah along her own healing, fertility, and motherhood journey. Toward the end, Sadie walks us through a specific example about Dr. Leah's daughter, where she taught her how to show up differently so her daughter could potentially have a different experience leading to less dysregulation, and she's so grateful.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Check out Sadie's website!Follow Sadie on Instagram!Check out Sadie's podcast: Finding Home HealingJoin the waitlist for Dr. Leah's new Womanhood Wellness membership launching soon!Stay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jun 25, 2025 • 1h 17min
#118: All About Preeclampsia, with Tiffany from Beautiful One Midwifery
Have you ever wondered how preeclampsia is handled by midwives? Or how you can prevent it from occurring in the first place? Today on the podcast, Dr. Morgan interviews Tiffany Alblinger, a homebirth midwife with Beautiful One Midwifery in San Diego, and we talk all about preeclampsia through a midwifery model of care lens. We discuss the basic things, like what it is, what the symptoms are, and how you might come to be diagnosed - but then we also talk about prevention from a holistic point of view - and what can be done if you'd had preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy and don't want to get it again. Tiffany explains how she uses a functional medicine approach to looking at a woman's whole diet and lifestyle to work at optimizing birth outcomes from before they even become pregnant, and then what she does to support them if the body is showing signs of tracking toward preeclampsia. It's a fascinating conversation, so let's jump in!This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From The Episode:Check out Tiffany's website!Follow Beautiful One Midwifery on Instagram!Check out the Beautiful One Midwifery Community MembershipStay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jun 18, 2025 • 58min
#117: Fueled and Feminine: How to Get Your Period Back with Dr. Elly Michelle
In this episode, Dr. Leah interviews her dear friend and colleague, Dr. Elly Michelle, about hypothalamic amenorrhea, the medical term for not getting your period, the delicate balance between exercise, movement, and nourishment, how to connect with your feminine side, and many other juicy topics. She shared her own story of her journey through disordered eating and how it's possible to truly heal, whether you want balanced hormones or a baby soon or someday.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Follow Dr. Elly on Instagram!Sign up for Dr. Elly's mentorship here.Join the waitlist for Dr. Leah's Womanhood Wellness Membership!Stay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott

Jun 11, 2025 • 1h 11min
#116: 8 Root Causes of Pregnancy Loss
No woman or couple should ever experience a pregnancy loss, yet sadly it happens in 1 in 4 pregnancies. Today we break down 8 overarching root-cause reasons that can lead to one or multiple losses. We are highlighting many different situations that can occur within those 8 root causes so this episode feels almost like a masterclass on pregnancy loss. If you are looking for answers beyond what you are getting, or you want to know what to do to prevent a loss along your fertility journey potentially, this episode is for you.This episode is sponsored by:Redmond Salt >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 15% on your order.Needed >> Click here and use code HEALTHYMOTHER to save 20% off your first order.Lumebox >> Click here and use code HEALTHYASAMOTHER for $260 off.Resources From This Episode:Episode #31: The Power of Progesterone: An Essential Fertility HormoneEpisode #70: PCOS, Mold and Avoiding IVFEpisode #113: Breastfeeding and Trying To ConceiveDr Leah's Free Lab Ranges guideDr. Leah's Pregnancy Loss GuideWomanhood Wellness LabsWomanhood Wellness Membership WaitlistBook: Is Your Body Baby-Friendly?Sperm test: LegacyGolden Genetics - Natalie for Genetic Counseling Stay Connected With Us:Healthy As A Mother: www.healthyasamother.comInstagram: @healthyasamotherpodcastDr. Leah: www.womanhoodwellness.comInstagram: @drleahgordonDr. Morgan: www.milkmedicine.comInstagram: @morganmacdermott