Yoga | Birth | Babies

We’re back with one of my favorite kinds of podcast episodes, a community birth story. What is your initial point of view when it comes to birth stories? We often think about birth from movies, tv, family or friends, but it may not give the perspective of all the ways there are too birth. Because I appreciate different perspectives, I love getting to know our community members more and sharing their individual stories. This community member also practiced yoga at PYC, which helped her feel prepared for her birth. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, I talk with Caitilin Foley to learn about her extraordinary experience bringing her son earth side. You definitely want to hear this story. It takes a few crazy twists and turns, with a surprise ending! It’s an amazing story. Caitilin felt so joyous when her son arrived and I hope you’re able to feel the joy of her story too. You may even hear the sweet coo’s of her son sitting on her lap throughout the episode. He’s precious.  Hearing different birth stories can help em

What does experiencing a positive birth mean to you? Birth can be really transformative to people and can also be traumatizing. On today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies, Moran Liviani shares how to prepare for a positive birth. Moran is a birth doula, hypnobirthing practitioner, and a placenta encapsulation specialist.  A positive birth doesn’t mean it will look exactly how you envisioned and there’s no idealized way one should birth. A positive birth is about how you feel after the birth and how you’re made to feel by the folks there. We will talk about the importance of education, understanding expectations, making sure if you’re partnered- how your partner is on board, how your full birth team is there to support you and how you need to be embraced during your birth experience. When you’re fully embraced through your journey, you can emerge feeling positive about your birth experience.  I really enjoyed this conversation with Moran. I think you’re going to get a lot of very practical and inspiring informa

*TW: Stillbirth Feeling your baby kick for the first time can be an incredibly special moment for you and your family. Baby's kicks can feel different for every pregnant person from butterflies to the literal feeling of being kicked, but did you know that counting the kicks during your third trimester is a proven way to track both you and your baby's health?  On today's episode of Yoga| Birth | Babies I speak with Count the Kicks ambassador Shawn Soumilas. We discuss the evidence based prevention campaign, resources and support for parents to be and parents who've experienced loss, as well as Shawn's personal experience with stillbirth.  I so appreciate Shawn sharing her story. She also does an incredible job talking about the research on counting kicks as a preventative measure. Shawn also highlights the racial disparities for birthing parents in the United States. Our country ranks among one of the most expensive places in the world to have a baby, however our outcomes for babies and parents don't match t

Yoga can have a profound impact in a practitioner’s life on and off the mat. In today’s episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies I had the honor of chatting with internationally celebrated Dr. Chelsea Jackson Roberts (who you likely know from her yoga classes and meditations on Peloton) about her journey into motherhood and how the tools she explores on the mat have practical application in her life.  In a conversation which truly covers everything this podcast is about (yoga, birth, and babies), Chelsea opens up and shares her birth story, talks about her experience with loss, and her journey as a yoga teacher, and new mother. I am honored that she felt this is a safe space to dive into everything and as a listener I’m really confident that you are going to feel the love in her heart as she shares her birth story, experiences, as well as her passion for how yoga has impacted her life been her lifeline through joy and challenges, somethingI think we can all relate to. I’m really excited for you to hear this conversat

If you're having a vaginal birth and it's time for that baby to make itself completely earthside, you have to get that baby out of your body through some form of pushing. The pushing phase of labor is often the portion of birth we see in movies and tv. Frequently we see a birthing person laying in a hospital bed crushing their partner's hand, screaming things like "Get this baby out of me." It doesn't seem particularly pleasant and might leave you wondering, is that what the pushing phase of labor really looks like?  To talk about talk about the top tips for the pushing stage of labor on this episode of Yoga | Birth Babies I have Liz Wade and Shaina Bricker. They're the hosts of The Birth Nurses Podcast and labor and delivery nurses with over 40 years combined experience. We cover the most advantageous positions to birth a baby (even if your care provider's not keen on having you in a variety of positions), getting around being told you have to birth on your back, and navigating a conversation with your birth

Today we're going to talk about riding the wave of grief. This episode is for those of you who are going through or supporting someone going through pregnancy and infant loss. To have this conversation I invited Devora Entin licensed clinical social worker specializing in perinatal and reproductive health onto today's episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies. We talk about riding the waves of grief, working through one's pain when suffering through this loss, and the importance of having conversations about infant loss. We also talk about finding confidence and working through anxiety and nervousness of that pregnancy after loss. For those supporting someone who is grieving we talk about the best ways to offer support and things you might want to avoid saying. Dvora offers so much in this conversation and she offers it with such hope. I'm honored to share this episode with you.  Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other related podcasts at: prenatalyogacenter.c

What does “Family” mean to you? Today’s guest Julia Karol began to ask herself this question at the start of the pandemic. To get answers she turned to friends, family, neighbors, and experts. Along the way she found many answers and stumbled upon many variations of family. From alternative families, the family positivity movement, to solo parenting Julia was able to choose the path to a family that best suited her.  In today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I speak with Stork’d host Julia Karol about the many different types of families and specifically her journey as a solo parent. What I really enjoyed about this conversation is how stretched me beyond what I see on an everyday basis. It’s a really great conversation and I think you’re going to get a lot out of this. Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other related podcasts at: prenatalyogacenter.com Don’t forget to grab your FREE guide, 5 Simple Solutions to the Most Common Pregnancy Pains HERE 

You’ve likely heard about birth playlists (you might even be creating one) or maybe you take your baby to a music class. While music can be inspiring and playful for your family, did you know there’s also science to show it can help your family bond and even help those dealing with depression. Today on Yoga| Birth | Babies we’re going to talk about something near and dear to my heart, Music. It has so many applications for pregnancy, birth, and beyond!  To have this conversation I invited music therapist and singer-songwriter Jamie Bendell onto today’s episode. Jamie has some amazing ideas and input and is so passionate about this topic. She also shares the scientific benefits of how music can help you and your family during this phase of life. As a former performer and singer it is so near and dear and just something that resonates with me so deeply. I’m incredibly excited for you to hear this conversation. Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources and other rela

I feel like there are so many times people hear negative pregnancy and birth stories. Maybe someone goes past their due date or they’re a smaller body that has a bigger belly and they constantly hear “That’s a big baby!” or “oh you’re past your due date, or giving their opinions and it can absolutely influence how someone feels about themselves and their ability to give birth To counter all of that, today on Yoga| Birth |Babies we have a community birth story. This one is full of amazing gems and takeaways talking about big babies, confidence, epidurals, pushing, and choosing your birth team. There’s so much that our guest Stephanie Gonzalez shares. I had the pleasure of having Steph as part of our PYC community quite early on in her pregnancy and well throughout the end of her pregnancy. She shared her birth story with me over an email and as soon as I read it I reached out and asked for her to share your story here on the podcast. What I love about this episode is that Steph shares her confidence. I’m hopin

Did you know that the number of babies born to first time parents in the US who are over 35 has been steadily increasing? I see countless parents in the PYC community (including myself) have their first child over 35. So why have we heard that it’s difficult and more dangerous to conceive after 35? What happens (or doesn’t happen) at 35 to the body and how might this affect your pregnancy and birth?  To answer this question I invited Dr. Nicole Rankins back to Yoga|Birth |Babies. This is my third episode with Dr. Rankins. She’s an incredible guest. As an OB/GYN she’s helped over 1,500 babies into the world. She also has an amazing podcast All About Pregnancy & Birth that I turn to for grounded scientific information that feels like it’s coming from a dear friend.  In today’s episode Dr. Nicole and I talk about the risks and benefits of having babies over 35. We talk about fertility, how care may or may not be different for those over 35, and how managed or not managed your birth may need to be. Dr. Nicole dis

Twenty years ago I found a study that stated 1 out of 3 birthing parents experience birth trauma. It’s a pretty shocking statistic. As time has gone by, I wondered if the numbers had improved and perhaps we were seeing fewer parents experience traumatic birth? To answer this and take a deep dive into birth trauma, I invited Kate McReynolds LMHC owner of Root to Rise Counseling onto the podcast. Kate specializes in perinatal mental health and is a mother of two. She is down to earth and gives fantastic support around this topic.  Kate defines what birth trauma is, signs and symptoms someone is suffering from it, how it differs from PMADs, how to recover from birth trauma, and how to prepare for subsequent children after a traumatic birth. Unfortunately the numbers of parents experiencing trauma have not improved. I think this is a really important conversation for you to hear if you are preparing for birth or if you’ve given birth. Kate shares from her personal experiences as a Mom and provides us with an unde

When I heard about the new book The Yoga of Parenting, I knew I had to have author Sarah Ezrin as a guest here on Yoga| Birth| Babies! Now I promise this isn’t a book report, it’s a very lively conversation. I must say that I marked up my copy of this book with stars, highlights, circles, underlines, I resonated with so much. You’ll hear me use that word a lot in our conversation and I mean it, as I read this book something in my body started vibrating in resonance with Sarah’s words.  Sarah is an author, yoga educator, content creator, and Mama of two. In this podcast we cover energy management, boundaries, finding pause and stillness before reacting to our children and our nervous system. There’s a lot yoga can teach us about pausing before we react, how we can really learn from our children, and of course our nervous system moving fight and flight to rest and digest. We cover a lot of material in this conversation. Sarah is an overall fantastic and fun person and I think you’re really going to enjoy this

You’ve probably heard about labor support doulas, the people who help you during your birth, but did you know there are also doulas to help you after your baby is born? They’re called postpartum doulas and they’ll assist you, your family, and your baby. On today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I’m speaking with Postpartum Doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and mother of three Valerie Trumbower all about postpartum doulas. Valerie guides us through the basics of what a postpartum doula is, what kind of services they provide, and how this differs from the support of friends and family. Valerie works primarily as an overnight doula so we also cover what that looks like for different families.  I had a postpartum doula with both of my children, they’re very practical. From showing a new parent or grandparent the basics of giving baby a bath, to assisting with lactation issues, circumcision care, or helping you unpack your birth postpartum doulas are an incredible resource for you and your family. We even cove

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while you know that the birth stories are one of my favorite things to dive into. I think it’s so important to hear about different experiences. Many times we have an image of birth from movies, or our friends or sister, or even our own experience, and these stories can be limiting, scary, or even set unrealistic expectations about the possibilities of birth. This is why I feel it’s so important to hear many birth stories, following parents who’ve made a variety of choices and whose births have taken a variety of paths. Hearing how and why someone chose to have the support of a doula, change their doctor, birth at home, or have a surgical birth, may help bring you peace around the unpredictable journey of birth. It may strike a chord within you to say, that sounds amazing, or exactly like the experience I want, I didn’t even know that was a possibility. It also shows us how unique and personal the birth journey is, not only from parent to parent but baby to baby.

If you were to describe your ideal birth, I’m guessing that you would describe your care as centered and individualized for you and your family’s needs. Many of you would probably talk about trauma informed care, and more than anything I think everyone wants a safe birth. You probably wouldn’t describe being treated like a new car on an assembly line but did you know that the US hospital system follows procedures outlined by Toyota to streamline your experience?  On today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I speak with board certified labor nurse Mandy Irby about how to create a safe, patient centered, and trauma informed birth. Mandy offers incredible tactics that you can walk away from this episode with. She describes ways that you can advocate for yourself and she highlights the systemic issues of the current birth culture. She explains what individualized care is and how you can create that standard of care for yourself within a hospital. If you are pregnant or just had a baby and this is something that res

Have you ever wondered why some babies naturally go head down around 34 weeks and others don’t? Or why some births progress quicker than others? A lot of it has to do with what’s happening inside your body! For a variety of reasons there might be constrictions or imbalances limiting baby’s movement. Today on Yoga | Birth | Babies we’re taking a dive into understanding how chiropractic care works, how it benefits baby, pregnancy, and your body. As well as the Webster technique, what it is and how it can encourage baby to go head down. We’re also going to talk about how chiropractic work can help those planning a VBAC, and we’ll be talking about the importance of informed choices and decision making.  For this lively and interesting conversation my guest today is Dr. Elliot Berlin prenatal chiropractor, childbirth educator, labor support bodyworker, and cofounder of Berlin Wellness Group. You may also have heard his podcast The Informed Pregnancy Podcast (which I had the honor of being a guest on). He is deligh

It’s 4:45pm on a beautiful spring day, as you walk past the playground you notice an exasperated mother force her wailing toddler into a stroller. Did you shudder as you walked past grateful this wasn’t you? Or maybe at times, it’s been you. To be perfectly honest with all of you, at times it’s been me.  On today’s episode of Yoga| Birth | Babies we’re going to talk about anxiety and the need to control your child (or children). When I came across this topic from our guest, psychotherapist and parent coach Olivia Bergeron I thought wow, I totally relate to that. Have I felt the need to control things? Yes. Have I let my anxiety run my desire to control things? Yes. Have I gone head to head or (will to will) with both of my children? Yes.  So when I was introduced to Olivia and this topic, I thought this is something I really relate to and I think many other parents do as well. Olivia provides fantastic information. In our conversation she answers questions like does controlling really help? Or does the strate

We have a hot topic on the podcast today, sex after baby. For many couples this aspect of the relationship can be strained or even nonexistent. From birth trauma, to fear, pain, feeling uncomfortable in your body, or completely disconnected from your partner, postpartum sex is a complicated issue. To take on this issue, I invited Ashley Mariani MSW RSW onto today’s episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies. Ashley is a clinical social worker specializing in couple’s perinatal mental, emotional, and sexual health and is a fierce advocate against obstetric violence.  We start our conversation discussing how newborns impact the relationship of parents. Then we talk about attunement between the parents aka reconnecting outside of sex. Then we jump into how new parents can navigate sex and sexuality. It’s a conversation that I feel is incredibly important for the relationship.  Ashley explains the hierarchy of needs in a relationship. This may or may not surprise you, but sex is at the top. She gives incredible advice and

Sunday is Mother’s Day and we have a very special 2 part episode this week in celebration! In honor and gratitude to all of the mothers and mother figures in our community we put together an episode filled with insight and advice from some of my favorite episodes about motherhood.  In this best of episode we talk about self care as a mother, finding community and friendship, avoiding burnout, and how to have a kid and a life. As a Mother’s Day bonus we have a 2nd episode dropping tomorrow! Tune back in for the second part when we’ll talk about feeling sexy, overcoming shame, guilt, and more! In this episode:  Ups & Downs In Motherhood with Dayna Kurtz: Author, speaker and licensed social worker Dayna Kurtz speaks about her new book, Mother Matters: A Holistic Guide to Being a Happy, Healthy Mom.  We have a very fun and lively conversation about “mother care”, the ever-changing role of a mother, and “fair fighting” with your partner as well as many of the ups and downs new parents face on the parenthood adv

Welcome back for part 2 of our Mother’s Day Special! Over the years I have had the honor of speaking to some truly incredible professionals in the perinatal field. Choosing my favorite episodes was a difficult task so we decided to release a second episode as our gift to you! In this best of episode we talk about feeling sexy as a mother, overcoming shame, the value of postpartum education, mom guilt, martyr mode and perfectionism, and going back to work as a mom.  These conversations were often sparked by my own challenges as a mother. I hope that the insights shared help you as much as they helped me. In this episode:  The Ultimate Guide To Sex After Baby with Debra Pascali Bonaro: Documentarian, author, speaker and doula, Debra Pascali-Bonaro and I have a fun and lively conversation about her new book, The Ultimate Guide to Sex After Baby: Secrets to Love and Intimacy. Debra explains why so many people put sexuality and motherhood into two very different realms and how motherhood figures can reclaim their