Yoga Birth Babies

For many years, before formalized childbirth education class, knowledge of birth was transferred to expectant parents through birth stories from members of their community and families.  Birth stories can continue to contribute to the preparation and confidence for one’s upcoming birth and offer personal stories and real human interactions rather than a medical account of the experience.   In this...

More than half of adults experience at least one traumatic event in their lives. Up to 45% of new parents report their birth was traumatic. Given the prevalence of trauma in our population and specifically the perinatal community, it's important that one’s yoga practice supports healing not further trigger trauma.  For yoga teachers it's necessary to understand how to support students with knowled...

There’s a lot of fear surrounding age and pregnancy. It’s as if awakening on your 35th birthday renders you conceptionally challenged. But why has that pressure been put on people? What does it really mean to have a baby after 35? And, what can we do to increase fertility at 35 and beyond? In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with Shannon M. Clark, MD, MMS, FACOG, double board certified O...

Pregnancy and new parenthood are often isolating and people are feeling it now more than ever. This is one of the reasons why we put such a heavy emphasis on community building at PYC and share birth stories.  In this episode of Yoga |Birth |Babies, I have the honor of listening to the birth story and pregnancy journey of one of our community members, Kate Meredith.  Kate joined the PYC community...

Can you have a child and a life?  That question is answered by this week’s guest, Ericka Sóuter, journalist and author of the book, How to Have a Kid and Life: A Survival Guide. In this week’s episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, Ericka lays out what it means to continue to escalate in one’s career while still being present as a parent. She also gives solid advice on the importance of boundaries and how...

Newborn babies have some peculiar quirks, habits, and bodily functions. If you’re entering parenthood unfamiliar with what’s normal and what isn’t you might be scared or deeply concerned by things that are pretty routine for new babies.  In this episode of Yoga |Birth|Babies, board-certified Pediatrician and IBCLC, Dr. Tracey Agnese demystifies the behavior of newborn babies. She goes over many th...

VBAC’s are a birth option that one comes to with a great deal of preparation and planning. If this is your envisioned birth option, likely you desire the chance to experience a vaginal birth.  To help see that vision come true, it’s important to stack the cards in your favor and one of the best ways to do that is by aligning yourself with a supportive team.  In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I...

Have you ever thought about how lack of sleep affects you? Brain fog? Irritability? Now think about how that lack of solid sleep is affecting your child.  In this episode of Yoga|Birth |Babies, I speak with founder and creator of Little Z’s® Sleep Consulting, Becca Campbell. We discuss how poor sleep can impact your child’s health and how to set up a realistic bedtime routine (and actually stick t...

1 in 3 new parents report their birth as traumatic. This leaves a tremendous amount of new parents adjusting to new parenthood while also overcoming an emotionally traumatizing event. Sometimes the healing is never resolved and subsequent pregnancies and births can bring up past traumatic feelings.  This week’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies was inspired by conversations within our community. Studen...

At PYC we discuss the pelvic floor in every prenatal yoga. We talk about the importance of balance, the need for both support and release in the pelvic floor muscles. But the idea of knowing where exactly one’s own pelvic floor lies in that spectrum of not too engaged and not too relaxed is often a mystery.   In this episode of Yoga|Birth |Babies, doctor of physical therapy, Rachel Parrotta, DPT,...

There is power in sharing and hearing birth stories from people in your community. It can bring confidence to those soon arriving at their own birth and connection for those who have recently given birth. In this week’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, we have the delight of hearing the recent birth story from community member and prenatal yoga teacher, Julia Motyka. Julia’s raw honesty about embraci...

If you’re confused or overwhelmed not knowing what you should or shouldn’t eat while pregnant, how to work around nausea or cravings, and making peace with weight gain during pregnancy this conversation will bring you clarity!  In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies I speak with registered dietician, podcaster, and founder of the online education center Nourishing Minds Nutrition, Victoria Myers. V...

I would venture to bet you've been pretty mindful about what you eat and drink through out your pregnancy and postpartum, but have you thought much about your skincare regimen and how it may need to be adjusted? Certain products are simply not safe to use while pregnant or breastfeeding.  In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with board-certified dermatologist, Marisa Garshick, MD, FAAD. M...

There’s a reason this podcast caught your eye, likely because you're feeling a bit stressed and want to know how this could affect your pregnancy and baby. While stress is a normal part of life, especially at times of great change, like pregnancy and new parenthood, it could create imbalances in the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system.  In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, I spea...

Approximately 1 in 4 pregnant people will be induced. With rates this high, understanding induction and all it entails can help demystify the induction process and reduce fear, which can make your whole birth more satisfying.  In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with Labor and Delivery nurse, childbirth educator and mother of 7, Trish Ware. Trish shares everything you need to know ab...

Do you remember the Saturday Night Live skit about “Mom Jeans”? It pokes fun at “moms” and emphasizes that once someone becomes a mother they trade in the sexy body, cute clothes, and sense of self for a frumpy bodied person with poor fashion sense who is fully family focused. Why does society accept the deeply embedded belief that mothers can’t be sexy?  This is one of my favorite episodes of Yog...

J came back to postnatal yoga and shared that she faced two monumentous moments of struggle and surrender during her birth. Having had the chance to get to know J through out her pregnancy, I was deeply curious about her birth story. J, was a regular in prenatal yoga and the topic of fear and control was often something she often expressed. How do you enter a situation that is out of your control...

You may have seen the February 2021 Congressional Report stating there are toxic metals in commercial baby. It definitely made me stop in my tracks when I first learned about this. Interestingly enough, toxic heavy metals in baby food in not new news. (Yes, even the organic baby foods!) So what does all this even mean? Are you now making all your own baby food? Before you toss all your jarred baby...

When working to heal diastasis recti, most people think of physical exercises to repair the damage. However, nutrition can also play a role in this recovery.  In this episode of Yoga|Birth |Babies, I speak with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and founder of Thrive and Bloom Nutrition, Alexandra Paetow. Alexandra explains how food and nutrition can support the healing of weak connective tissue. S...

What do you do when your birth is going well then very suddenly isn’t? That's the path Cindy's birth took.  To give you some peace of mind, Cindy and her son are healthy and well, but they had a very unusual turn of events in their birth journey. In my 20 years working with pregnant folks, this one made my jaw drop. In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies I speak with new mother, Cindy Walters. C...

Failure to progress in labor. Can we all agree this is a horrible name and can impact someone’s view of their ability to give birth! For years, birthing people have been expected to follow “Freidman’s Curve” a standard set by a trial of only 500 participants conducted nearly 50 years ago. Recently, ACOG has set new standards. Unfortunately many hospitals and practices have been slow to put these n...

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the first 40 days after birth is honored by “sitting the month.” It’s a time of confinement and healing believed to be crucial to the future health of the new parent and newborn. I first heard about this tradition from one of my students and was immediately intrigued. As a person who barely waited 10 days to resume life, the idea of hunkering down, resting, being c...

We all have certain character traits that define our nature and help us predict how we will respond in different situations. When it comes to birth, understanding these characteristics can allow us to foresee how we may respond to the flow and turns of labor. These insights can help in preparing the kind of support you desire in labor.  In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with certif...

For the majority of people, pregnancy won't cause your career to come to a screeching halt. Now imagine that your body is the instrument your career centers around. That's exactly what happened for Megan Fairchild, principal dancer with New York City Ballet. For her pregnancy meant a quick pivot and stepping back from her career for at least a year.  In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, Megan...

During pregnancy and birth a certain level of anxiety is to be expected as much is unknown and many things change. However it's important to note ways depression and anxiety can manifest. A common way for it to appear during this time of life is a lack of trust in one’s self, one's body, ability to birth and parent, and a desire to take control of all aspects of the experiences. For many this gets...