

Milk and Motherhood
with Therese Dansby
A podcast companion for moms searching for contentment, wholeness, confidence, & strength in a season that can feel lonely, overwhelming, exhausting, & depleting.
I interview guest experts on physical, mental, & emotional health needs of mothers and children. We will also dig into the theology of motherhood, contentment, and loving boundaries through the lens of birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and matrescence.
I interview guest experts on physical, mental, & emotional health needs of mothers and children. We will also dig into the theology of motherhood, contentment, and loving boundaries through the lens of birth, postpartum, breastfeeding, and matrescence.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 9, 2025 • 1h 23min
45. Holistic Immunity: What Works and What Doesn't with Dr. Nina-Marie Rueda, ND
In this episode, I interview Nina-Marie (@doctorninamarie) about 🧁 schedules, herd immunity, vax alternatives, homeoprophylaxis... we talk about all of it and share some of our own stories and growth in this area!Nina-Marie's website is doctorninamarie.com and her Vaccine Alternative course can be purchased HERE.Resources we Mention:Dr. Sears' The Vaccine BookHomeopathic Medicine for ChildrenHomeopathy for Breastfeeding and PostpartumDr. Suzanne Humpries' interview--🤱🏼Pregnant and preparing to breastfeed? Check out my Nourished Beginnings course! Already postpartum and needing some help? Check out Earbud IBCLC!--🍒This episode is sponsored by SubLuna's No More Monkeys Sleep and Calm gummies. They're made with real bovine gelatin and contain tart cherry juice, magnesium, calcium, passionflower, chamomille, and linden. I love that these gummies create a sense of calm without being sedating. Visit shopsubluna.com and use the code HAPPYMAMA for 10% off your order!

May 27, 2025 • 23min
44. Breastmilk: The Original Raw Milk
This is a short, nerdy solo episode about how cool breastmilk is! A living food perfectly designed to grow human babies.If you're pregnant and want to prepare more for breastfeeding, check out my Nourished Beginnings breastfeeding and postpartum course. If you're postpartum, my newest breastfeeding resource is in progress! Check out Earbud IBCLC here and use code SOFTLAUNCH for 50% off your first month.Resources MentionedEp. 01: This is my Body, Broken for YouEp. 11: Wise Traditions in Early Motherhood with Sally FallonEp. 27: Let's Talk About Breastfeeding ToddlersThe Truth About Raw Milk with Mark McAfeeIf you liked this episode, leave a rating and review and subscribe so you're notified when the next episode comes out!-This episode is sponsored by SubLuna's No More Monkeys Sleep and Calm gummies. I bought them for my kids but ended up loving them for myself! These gummies are made with real bovine gelatin and contain tart cherry juice, magnesium, calcium, passionflower, chamomile, and linden. I love that these gummies create a sense of calm without being sedating, and the ingredients help regulate mood, restlessness, and irritability. Get 10% of your order at shopsubluna.com with the code HAPPYMAMA.

May 19, 2025 • 1h 18min
43. Getting Through (not “getting over”) Pregnancy and Infant Loss
This is the second part of the conversation about pregnancy and infant loss we started last week. We discuss how to talk with your other kids about loss, how different family members may cope differently, and how grief is a process, not a one-time thing. The conversation is with, for, and about mothers, but birthworkers and loved ones will learn so much by tuning in as well!You can find Katie on Instagram @griefgardenne and on the internet at griefgardenne.comKatie's most-loved kids books on grief and loss:There Was a BabyIda, AlwaysWhistler's Last SongThe Invisible StringThe Rabbit ListenedOther resources mentioned in the interview:Centering Corporation's perinatal loss collectionCenter for LossCollective for Hope in OmahaMourning Hope Grief Center in LincolnThe Sunny Side FoundationStar Legacy FoundationPregnancy After Loss appHot Young Widow's Club podcast--This episode is sponsored by SubLuna's Peace Nectar. Linden, oat straw, chamomile, cardamom, and ginger in an apple cide vinegar base helps with digestion and provides some calming calcium and magnesium. You can find it at shopsubluna.com and the code HAPPYMAMA gets you 10% off your order.

May 12, 2025 • 1h 34min
42. Life and Lactation After Pregnancy Loss
Trigger Warning: This conversation was facilitated with the pregnancy and infant loss mother in mind. Katie (@griefgardenne), Abby (@omahachildbirtheducation), and I briefly share our loss stories spanning first, second, and third trimester losses. But there are no vivid descriptions or scary details shared. The unifying factor is loss itself, and this is a safe place to listen, cry, and feel seen and understood.However, I think anyone who loves a person who has lost a baby should also listen to this, as should birth workers and pediatric care providers. How we navigate loss with families needs to improve, and what Katie and Abby share from a personal and professional standpoint is so so helpful.Find Abby’s bereavement doula services HEREFind Katie’s child life services HEREAdditional ResourcesMiscarriage kits for mothers before or after lossMiscarriage kits for providers to have on handCompanioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss (a book for caregivers)Dear Mushka’s miscarriage remembrance collectionJewelry with breastmilk, ashes, cord stumps, or pregnancy test caps (they gave me the code THERESE for a discount for you)Stillbirthday provider registry and resources for parentsBreastmilk expectations and guidance after loss*If you need further lactation advice after loss, please don't hesitate to test me at (402) 740-2646 to schedule a free phone consult*—This episode was sponsored by SubLuna’s Peace Nectar. Linden, oat straw, chamomile, cardamom, and ginger in an apple cider vinegar base helps with digestion and provides some calming calcium and magnesium. You can find it at shopsubluna.com and the code HAPPYMAMA gets you 10% off your order.

May 5, 2025 • 1h 22min
41. Let’s Talk About Postpartum Weight Loss
“Can I lose weight without losing my milk supply?”Megan Brister (@postpartum.weightloss.rd) and I talk about this delicate and nuanced subject in today's episode.Does everyone need to intentionally lose weight postpartum? No.Do we need to learn to have grace and patience with our softer bodies as we soften into our new roles? Yes.Do we sometimes mistakenly conflate being at our old weight with feeling like "ourselves" again? Yes.But also, sometimes, after the initial postpartum recovery phase, weight loss is desired. And you deserve a real answer to the real questions about how to do it wisely, safely, and realistically. --Find Megan's programs and cookbooks here:https://www.postpartumweightlossrd.comFind my postpartum cookbook here:https://happymamahealthybaby.freshlearn.comand use code TWENTYFIVE to get 25% offOr if you're not ready to cook yet, check out Mama Meals and use code HAPPYMAMA20 for a discount.Other podcast episodes that we mention in this interview:Ep. 06: Minerals and Mother's Milk with Amanda Montalvo, RDEp. 10: Baby Tummy Time and Retained Reflexes with Steph Novacek, PTEp. 12: Normal Infant Sleep with Taylor KulikEp. 26: Postpartum Exercise with Adina RubinInfant Reflux on the Are You Menstrual? podcast--This episode is sponsored by SubLuna! Their Surf and Sand Wave Spritz has made my hair so shiny and bouncy. Visit shopsubluna.com and use code HAPPYMAMA to get 10% off your order!

Apr 28, 2025 • 1h 14min
40. Why is My Lactation Consultant Recommending Bodywork?
Jill Stetson (@compassionatetouchcranial) is a massage therapist with additional training in craniosacral and fascial work. In this episode, she and I explain bodywork, talk about why it can help with breastfeeding, how to find a good bodyworker, and red and green flags for care you're already under.*This episode is sponsored by SubLuna! Their Surf and Sand Wave Spritz has made my hair so shiny and bouncy this spring. Visit shopsubluna.com and use code HAPPYMAMA to get 10% off your order!*Places to start looking for a bodyworker near you:Upledger ProvidersTummy Time Method ProvidersNervous-System Focused ChiropractorsAt-home resources for movement and connection:Infant Feeding Specialist Oral Play GuideLittle Movers PT Bellies, Babies, and Bubbles CourseThe Ultimate Breastfeeding Course (we discuss tongue ties, bodywork, good latch, and more)Milk and Motherhood Ep. 10: Tummy Time, Co-Regulation, and Retained ReflexesPlease leave a rating or review if you loved this episode, and follow me on Instagram @happy.mama.healthy.baby

Apr 22, 2025 • 48min
39. A Philosophy of Education and the First Five Years of Homeschooling
No, this isn’t turning into a homeschool podcast. But I got enough questions about our homeschool journey that I decided to put our experience thus far into a podcast episode-- fitting as we wrap up our fifth year of formal homeschooling.**This episode is sponsored by SubLuna! Their Cool Girl Matcha makes the perfect iced matcha latte for spring. Visit shopsubluna.com and use code HAPPYMAMA to get 10% off your order!**||Books to Consider||Balanced and BarefootMere MotherhoodThe Brave LearnerThe Call of the Wild and FreeFor the Children's SakeA Charlotte Mason CompanionTeaching from RestMama, Why Am I Homeschooled?This is my Home, This is my School||Favorite podcast episodes about educational choices in the early years||-Kids are Play-Deprived and Paying the Price-Freedom in Education on Risen Motherhood: Public, Private, and Homeschool-Homeschooling with Babies and Toddlers-It's Time to Put Some Pinecones Back-How to Teach from Rest-What Worked? What Didn't? Looking Back on Homeschooling-Am I Doing Enough?-Homeschooling with Confidence-Homeschooling Boys||Homeschooling Podcasts I Love||1000 Hours OutsideRead Aloud RevivalThe Brave WriterDurenda WilsonThe Greta Eskridge PodcastThe New Mason JarThe CommonplaceWild + FreeA Delectable EducationThe Homeschool Made Simple Podcast||Curriculum I love||Beautiful Feet Books (living books-based history and nature study)Noeo ScienceThe Good and the Beautiful (math and handwriting)Latin Song SchoolBrave Writer (writing and grammar)Reading Simplified or Rooted in Language (reading and phonics)

Apr 4, 2025 • 1h 15min
38. Homeschoolers, Brave Learners, and Reluctant Writers with Julie Bogart
Julie Bogart (@juliebravewriter) is a veteran homeschool mom and author. She's the creator of the Brave Writer programs, host of the Brave Writer podcast, and the author of several parenting and homeschooling books.This episode is for any parent who's invested in their child's education. We talk about why some people choose to homeschool, the different stages of homeschooling, and the different stages of learning.Then we discuss how kids learn to write, what to do if they (or you) are struggling, and how technology can help or hurt young writers.Julie's websiteBrave Writer writing programs**This episode is sponsored by SubLuna! Their Cool Girl Matcha makes the perfect iced matcha latte for spring. Visit shopsubluna.com and use code HAPPYMAMA to get 10% off your order!**--Julie's books:-The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life-Raising Critical Thinkers-Help! My Kid Hates Writing! pre-order bonuses for Help! My Kid Hates Writing! (if you order before April 15)--Reading/phonics programs we discussed:Reading SimplifiedRooted in Language--Please leave a podcast rating or review if you loved this episode! Sign up for my monthly email and get a free freezer meal PDF here. Don't forget to follow along on Instagram @happy.mama.healthy.baby.

Mar 24, 2025 • 1h 4min
37. Does Tallow Balm Cause Acne and Why is my Postpartum Skin so Dry?
In this fun episode, aesthetician and Weston A. Price chapter leader Marissa (@grittybeauty) and I talk about why womens' skin is different, how hormones affect our skin, and what we can do for specific skin concerns in pregnancy and postpartum when we are wanting to be extra conscious of product safety. Is there a middle ground between edible skincare that's safe but doesn't work well for all skin types and greenwashed skincare brands? Links we discuss:4-Step Skin Reset Routine (what I use on my skin now)Pregnancy/Breastfeeding-Safe Acne SerumHydrating Sheet Masks Stunning Skin CourseGritty Beauty Approved Membership (acne-safe product recommendations)Gritty Beauty Community (free)Right now, Marissa has a pay-what-you-can sale running! Use the code you need:SAVE10 - Get 10% off your entire order with a minimum purchase of $100SAVE15 - Enjoy 15% off your entire order with a minimum purchase of $100 SAVE20 - Take 20% off your entire order with a minimum purchase of $100 SAVE25 - Receive 25% off your entire order with a minimum purchase of $100

Mar 10, 2025 • 1h 38min
36. Don't Get Burned by the Iron Controversy in Your Childbearing Years
In this episode, nurse practitioner Karin Ashley (@karinashleynp) and I discuss why iron needs nuance and why you don't have to guess if you're low in iron or low in iron-supporting co-factors. In a social media world that proclaims iron is all good or all bad, we tread the fine line in the middle to equip you to make the best health decisions for yourselves in a life stage that requires a lot of nutritional resources.Karin also has an amazing ebook that she wrote for anyone listening who wants more details and a supplement and food guide... you can find that HERE.You can learn more about working with Karin at karinashleynp.com//This episode is sponsored by my affiliation with Perfect Supplements. Use code HAPPYMAMA10 to get 10-30% off your order!//For further listening:How I got to the "root cause" of my iron deficiency: Ep. 29: New Stages of Matrescence and Informed Healthcare DecisionsThe Iron Recycling System explained by Amanda Montalvo, RDAnemia, Iron Deficiency, and IV iron//Please leave a podcast review or rating if you enjoyed this episode! You can also follow me on Instagram @happy.mama.healthy.baby and find my breastfeeding course and cookbooks HERE