Yoga Birth Babies

If you could choose between a functional efficient labor or a dysfunctional and inefficient labor I’m guessing you would choose functional and efficient labor. I have been to many births as a doula and I’ve had 2 kids of my own. While the body may need time to open to let the baby descend and rotate, it can be a lot on the parents and support team to go through the experience of a long labor.  Tod...

For many sex is a very different experience while pregnant and newly postpartum. From wondering if you might hurt your baby to the physical discomfort one may experience, a lot of questions come to mind. Today we’re going to talk about sex during pregnancy and after baby. I gathered some of the students together from the prenatal and postnatal classes and asked what their questions were. Questions...

Today I have a unique podcast episode for you. I’m calling it birth not required. Many times people make the assumption that unless you’ve had a baby you should not be supporting pregnant folks. They wonder how someone could possibly relate to what a person feels when they’re going through birth. Personally, I had Prenatal Yoga Center for many years before I had my first child. I was a labor suppo...

Today we have one of my favorite kinds of podcast episodes, we have a community birth story. I love hearing from the community and hearing your birth stories. Today’s story is special for a few reasons. A big reason I wanted to share this story is that it’s about an amazing and empowering hospital birth. Many times when we think about hospital births, we think that you have to come in super defens...

What is Fertility Awareness Method also known as FAM? Well, it’s a method you can use to help you know the window in which you can conceive or the window in which if you don’t want to conceive you can abstain. There’s so much more to it. I’m just giving you the tip of the iceberg. And I have to say in full disclosure, that years ago when I was getting pregnant with my first child I used a book cal...

Taking medication while breastfeeding, even taking something as common as Tylenol can be controversial. So what about parents on or who need to start taking medicine like Zoloft, Prozac or other psychotropic medications? Is it safe for both parent and new baby? Today we’re going to talk all about postpartum anxiety and postpartum depression medication and breastfeeding. There are lots of thoughts,...

What does breastfeeding look like in the first week of a baby's life? Sometimes as new parents we keep thinking feed the baby, feed the baby, but babies have tiny tummies! While we may think they should be gulping down full breasts of milk, I learned years ago from today’s guest, that all a baby needs in the first day or so is a teaspoon! In today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies we have one of my...

The first trimester, wow. It can be a bear for some of us. I know my first trimesters were rough, and many of us go through those difficulties on our own. It can be incredibly uncomfortable, exhausting, isolating, and full of emotional ups and downs.  I knew my friend Francesca was having a difficult time with her first trimester, so I invited her to join me for today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Bab...

When I was pregnant with my first, instead of asking for clothes, onesies, and all of the stuff babies come with I asked for hours with a postpartum doula. My friends pooled their money and got me a day of postpartum doula support and it was the best gift I received. My husband and I were literally waiting on pins and needles for our doula to arrive after my son was born. Despite being a doula and...

This episode is one of my favorite things we do on the podcast, sharing community birth stories. We have different members of our online or in-person community share their experiences. I love it. Not only do I love getting to know our community members a little bit better but I think it’s so important to put out a variety of birth experiences. There’s not one right way to birth. All of the differe...

Did you know that one in five new parents and pregnant folks have a PMAD (Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder)? About ten percent of the cases come from having a traumatic birth. These are huge numbers and these are just the reported cases. It’s more likely that one in three pregnant people and new parents have a PMAD. Given how incredibly prevalent PMADs are, we need to learn to recognize the trait...

Did you know that mobility and flexibility increase in the pregnant body? And that this “borrowed flexibility” lingers in the postpartum body? Thanks to the hormones of pregnancy, primarily relaxin our ligaments relax to allow space in our pelvis to deliver a baby. Unfortunately relaxin doesn’t just go straight to our hips, it loosens the ligaments in our entire body. This hypermobility can easily...

Do you know how long you’ll be allowed to push at your upcoming birth experience? Or what position(s) you can birth in? How about how long you’ll be allowed to be pregnant without having an induction? There are many things you might butt up against during pregnancy and birth that you didn’t plan on, and hearing that care you expect is “… against our policy” in the middle of labor doesn’t put you i...

Today we have a community birth story. I love getting to know our community members better. Oftentimes they’re people I’ve had in class, so it’s nice to dive a little bit deeper. I also really appreciate that while the stories are unique there’s still a relatable foundation that we hear birth after birth after birth.  In this episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies, I speak with Maya Kaough, a professional...

Did you know that early caregiving experiences can boost mental wellness and diminish depression, anxiety, and addiction in adulthood? From 0-3 our little ones have extremely pliable brains. Not only are their sensory and motor systems developing but their emotional brain and stress systems are developing too! The best part, we can help shape baby’s brain through simple experiences in pregnancy, b...

Inductions occur for a variety of reasons, sometimes they’re wanted and medically necessary but sometimes expectant parents feel like they’re being pressured into one. So why would or should someone be induced? And if your care provider is suggesting one, how do you navigate that conversation?  In this episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I speak with midwife, author, and mother of 5 Marley Hall. (Many...

Close your eyes and think about what you hope the first moments after your baby is born will be. You might be imagining cuddles, skin to skin contact, or little one crawling up you for their first feed. However in addition to the cuddles, there are a number of routine procedures your little one will need to go through to ensure their health. From eye drops and a PKU screening to your little one’s...

I love community birth stories. I think it’s fantastic to hear about a variety of different birth experiences, maybe something different than you’ve imagined or you had. It’s also a wonderful way for me to reconnect with our students and the community at PYC. In this week’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies I speak with new Mom, Hannah Weaver. There are a few things I love about Hannah’s story. First o...

Having a baby is expensive, but how much does it really cost? Even with insurance supporting you, there can be a number of surprising costs. So how can parents to be plan for the bill?  In today’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies I speak to naturopathic doctor Dr. Ashley Burkman whose personal experiences navigating health care costs have led her to speak on the topic of health care costs. Dr. Burkman...

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 gu...

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...

I’m so happy that the pelvic floor is finally getting its moment to shine. This incredibly important set of muscles impacts our breath, continence, helps keep our organs in place, and affects our day to day comfort. It certainly deserves our attention! However not all of the information people are sharing about it is factual and some of these myths can lead to real physical issues over time.  Toda...

April is Cesarean Awareness month, and since roughly one third of American Babies are born this way I thought this episode was incredibly important to re-release!  Cesarean sections rank among the top surgical procedures given in the US. Since it’s such a common procedure, it can be easy to forget that it’s major abdominal surgery. New parents are sent home with the daunting task of caring for a n...

As expectant parents we spend so much time preparing for birth and life with a baby, often we forget about the recovery our bodies and minds need after labor. Between our culture and our medical system healing from birth is greatly overlooked and under discussed.  In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies we turn the attention back to the birth parent. I speak with Morgan Michalowski, a certified nurse...

If you could choose between a short, fast labor or a long, slow labor, I’m guessing you would choose short and fast. But a precipitous labor can come with some unexpected complications for both the new parents and baby.  In today’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies I speak with Alisone Bonafos who joined our community during her pregnancy as a part of our yoga classes and teacher training.  In addition...