Yoga | Birth | Babies

Today we have a very special birth and postpartum story to share. Many of you know, birth stories are one of my favorite kinds of episodes! In the words of my guest, “It was magical and so exciting.” Their postpartum story is so raw and vulnerable. The most exciting and challenging adventure she’s experienced is beginning motherhood. I am so appreciative of our guest for sharing honestly what they went through.  Today’s guest on Yoga| Birth| Babies is Maria Emilia, one of our PYC students. She is a Brazilian Model, craft artist and a mom to her wonderful daughter.  I really loved talking with Maria. I’ve had the honor to watch her move through her pregnancy and postpartum journey. Not only is she part of our PYC community, but a ball of energy who is always smiling and supportive. She not only shows up for herself, but for others in the community as well. Maria showed the hospital residents birth in a way that they may not often see. She also shows up for the community by sharing the bumps she experienced dur

It’s been estimated that 15%-20% of parents experience postpartum depression, anxiety and stress. Note that these are only the numbers of folks who have reported. The reality is these numbers can be rather larger than estimated. In understanding these statistics, we are going to discuss the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression, anxiety and stress and how we can seek help. Often experiencing this can feel isolating, overwhelming and anxiety inducing. We will talk about these common scenarios. It’s essential to know which thoughts are common scary thoughts and which thoughts are recommended to be supported with a medical professional.  Today on Yoga | Birth | Babies, we have Karen Kleiman to discuss this topic. She is a well known international mental health expert with over 35 years of experience. She is also an author of a number of groundbreaking books. Karen is also the founder of The Postpartum Stress Center and The Karen Kleiman Training Center. Karen offers wonderful insight about postpartum depre

Have you thought about approaching birth from a physiological standpoint? Today we are going to talk about how to best prepare for a physiological birth. Let’s discuss why it’s important to physically and mentally prepare for birth and not just “wing it” and see what happens. We’ll explore how you get your partner involved, if you’re partnered. Getting your doula and care provider all on the same page is crucial for your birthing experience. Let’s not forget about the pelvis! We’ll discuss how to prepare the pelvis and the pelvic floor. We can’t have a conversation about birth and not include how essential the pelvis and pelvic floor is, am I right?!  To have this conversation, I have Krisha Crosley joining us today on Yoga| Birth| Babies. She is Serenity Life Doula, natural birth coach and natural birth trainer.  This is a fantastic conversation! Krisha has such great advice to offer you. Krisha is hardcore, but I appreciate the way she trains. It’s really a full body experience offering. While she is an eli

Does your baby struggle with acid reflux, gas or constipation? Today we have a super fun topic diving deep into reflux, gas and constipation for your newborn. We’ll talk about the signs and ways to alleviate this. Did you know the breastfeeding parent’s diet may also influence babies being gassy? You know me, I love practical information and today we have helpful tips to offer support to you and your baby.  Hilary Sadler joins us to have this discussion today on, Yoga| Birth| Babies. She is a nurse, lactation consultant, author and mom of four children. Hilary offers us a lot of valuable information and I’m excited for you to learn from her.  When you’re able to help your baby with gas, reflux and constipation, it may help you have an easier time through parenthood. I am honored to offer you this special episode.  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 Soluti

We’re back with another favorite type of podcast episode, a birth story! I absolutely love the birth stories from our community. It truly is special and a joy to watch the students move through pregnancy, hear their birth stories and then come back postpartum. We have students who come in often for class and I really get to know and witness them as they go through their journey.  Sharing their birth story today is, Ivana Đurović, who brings a big smile to my face and all who meet her. Ivana was born and raised in Serbia. She came to New York for grad school to receive her PhD in Linguistics. Along the way she met her husband, got married and now they have their first baby together.  Ivana shares how magical her birth was and I adore how she describes her experience. There are many real traumatic births we hear about happening in the world. Ones we hope to learn from to help other parents avoid having a similar experience. It’s also important to hear about the wonderful birth experiences folks do have, because

Have taken a childbirth education course or read books about the stages of labor? We are going to break away from the medical idea of dilation equally in the stages of labor and talk about it organically and flexibly to what the body is showing you during the stages. We’ll touch upon the behavior of the birthing person, sounds they may make, how they’re moving in their body, communication and if the labor projects have been stopped to a halt. It’s a great topic to think about who is in front of you laboring or maybe you’re the laboring person and this is happening to your body, as opposed to what we’ll see in a medical labor book.  To have this conversation today, I’ve invited Ashley Brichter. Her first birth did not go as planned which she will share with us. She is founder of Birth Smarter, doula, childbirth educator and parent. Born and raised in NYC, she currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has a lot of knowledge and information to share with us.  Ashley provides us valuable information about what

Let's talk about the term "bouncing back" after birth. What does "bouncing back" truly mean? This term is often filled with so much shame, anxiety and depression. The postpartum period can be such an intense time for new parents. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, we'll talk about the 5 key principles for healing after birth and what "bouncing back" can look like for you. We'll shed light on postpartum depletion and ways to support our body and mind during this challenging time.  To have this conversion I've invited Maranda Bower. She is the CEO & Founder of Postpartum University®, supporting parents and professionals in health well being while eliminating postpartum depression and anxiety. Her education includes functional nutrition, maternal mental health psychology and more. Maranda shares her postpartum journey and wisdom with us. I'm really excited for you to listen to our conversation and receive valuable information for your postpartum journey.  Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show

Have you been tracking your baby's progress? If I'm being honest when I first had my child, I was obsessed with making sure they hit their milestones. Remember, there is quite a range when it comes to this, but it's important to know when to seek help. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, it's all about communication and speech milestones for your baby. We'll get into typical communication development, importance of gestures, everyday strategies to help facilitate communication, and what to do if your baby is not hitting these milestones. To have this conversation, we have Jackie Dolson-Shewchuk and Tricia Brown of Chatterbox, who is our PYC studio neighbor!  Tricia is a Licensed registered Speech Pathologist in NY, reaching her Bachelor of Science in Speech Pathology from SUNY Buffalo. She holds a Master of Science in Speech Pathology from SUNY Fredonia with 20 years of experience in the field. Jackie is also a PROMPT Certified practitioner in NYC since 2001. Her scope of practice is with children diagnosed with m

Parents, did you ever feel the pressure to "bounce back," fast after birth? Let's be real, the postpartum experience isn't always the one we imagine it to be. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, I've invited Sarah Merrill. Sarah recounts her own experience of postpartum and journey into parenthood. She is an advocate for birth trauma awareness and shares a bit of her own birth trauma in this episode. Parenthood can come with a mental load. Sarah offers tips on how she moved through the mental load of becoming a new parent.  You may know Sarah Merrill from her Instagram account called, Big Kid Problems, sharing humor and relatable content to everyday struggles. Her newest Podcast called, Bottle Service, is about her journey into parenthood and postpartum. Postpartum and parenthood can often be packaged as this happy, shiny thing we are all supposed to enjoy, but there can be a lot of struggle. I think you're going to receive a lot from our conversation and relate to her experiences she shares with us. My hope is h

Have you ever thought about how your nervous system relates to birth? You can’t birth if you don’t feel safe. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, we are going to talk about Polyvagal Theory and Birth. My guest approached me about this topic and I realized I didn’t know much about it. Excitedly, I did my own research and was amazed with what I discovered. Polyvagal Theory and Birth needs to be talked about more. It’s about our nervous systems being regulated. This makes so much sense about the importance of feeling safe, secure and connected to our body when we think about birth. Learning to connect to your nervous system is so important!  To have this conversation I have my dear friend and colleague, Chantal Traub. She’s a NYC birth facilitator, doula, CBE, and menopause coach. She has 20 years of practice and has been internationally acclaimed for her expertise on the pelvic floor and her Pushing Power technique, which is taught here at PYC.  Chantal shares her stories on birth and how the Polyvagal Theory relates

My guess is you may have heard of the term PMAD, perinatal mood and anxiety disorder? PMAD does cover the whole experience of prenatal, postnatal and beyond. But most of the time when you think of PMAD, you think of what happens in postpartum. Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, I want to focus on prenatal stress, anxiety and depression. It is really an enormous change in people’s lives. A lot of the time people do experience this and may not even recognize it. After all, we often hear that in pregnancy we should be glowing and excited about this change, but there can be enormous stress and anxiety as you understand who you are during this transition.  To have this important conversation, I’ve invited Kayce Hodos. She has spent the majority of her 20 years in mental health, focused on loss and transition. After having her son in 2012, her own coping skills were put to the test when she struggled through a very dark period of postpartum depression. After this experience, her goal is to support parents. Kayce offers

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