Yoga | Birth | Babies

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a while you know that anytime I can talk about the pelvic floor, it puts a smile on my face. Today’s conversation does exactly that. We’re talking about pelvic organ prolapse and the role the pelvic floor plays in supporting those organs or maybe not supporting those organs so well.  To have this conversation, I welcomed Jeanice Mitchell to Yoga| Birth| Babies. She’s a physical therapist with advanced training and certifications in women’s health, biofeedback, and pelvic health and founder of the popular instagram @mypelvicfloormuscles and nonprofit myPFM.  Jeanice has the best enthusiasm for this topic! She goes over so much information about what pelvic organ prolapse is and makes it so understandable. You’re going to be shocked to find out how prevalent pelvic organ prolapse is. We talk about the symptoms, go over how to check for it, how to talk to your care provider about it, what rehab and the healing process are like, as well as things that might worsen prola

Today we’re talking about Spinning Babies® and Birthing from Within®, two of my favorite birth methodologies. I’m currently doing my parent educator certification with Spinning Babies® and several years ago I embarked on the Birthing from Within® mentor program so they’re both near and dear to my heart. I truly believe in these two methodologies. To discuss how we can use these two seemingly different methodologies that actually have a lot of underlying similarities as we approach childbirth education and how parents can use a lot of this thinking a lot of these principles and apply it to their birth I invited doula, bodyworker, and educator Jamie Mossay onto Yoga| Birth| Babies. It’s really exciting how process focused instead of outcome focused these two methodologies are so Jamie has a lot to say about this and I’m really excited for you to hear it.  Jamie is a delight to talk to, she has such in depth knowledge about both these methodologies and how they can serve and support you as a pregnant person but

Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies we have a birth story. I love our community birth stories but there are two things I particularly love about this birth story. One being that I got to know Ali quite well in PYC’s prenatal yoga teacher training. She also came to classes online through her second pregnancy. It means so much to me when I get to know people and watch their journey through pregnancy and into parenthood, it’s particularly special when I can hear their birth story.  Ali’s birth story is absolutely beautiful. As I was listening my mouth was agape, I just couldn’t get enough of hearing it. It was a peaceful, confident birth where she used mantras that we often talk about in class like “I trust my body, I trust my baby.” It is so important to find that inner trust during birth. She also used one of the other mantras we often say in classes and that’s “Squeeze knees, birth with ease.” The relationship Ali had with her midwife and how her midwife held space for her was just stunning. I’m really excited for y

Where will you be giving birth? Did you know there are options? Today we’re going to be talking about where to give birth, because if you don’t know your options, you don’t have them. From hospital births, to birth centers, and home births these different locations all have pros and cons and honestly, not everyone is a good candidate for all of these places. What’s important is that you find the place you’re drawn to and a place that will support you and your vision of where to give birth.  To have this conversation on today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies, I have my friend, labor support doula, and childbirth educator Catherine Stewart Lindley. She has attended thousands of births in the last 20 years and is very passionate about supporting unique and personalized care for each family. I love speaking with Catherine, she has her facts, years of experience in a truly wide variety of births and birth locations, and she’s really wonderful. I think our conversation will be helpful for people who aren’t quite su

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.  Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies I have midwife Gail Tully of Spinning Babies back on the podcast. This is her 3rd episode with us and I have to say I absolutely adore speaking with Gail. Today, we talk about how to use Spinning Babies for a smoother, more balanced, more efficient birth. Gail offers us techniques and methodologies to help babies navigate more seamlessly through the pelvis. She talks a lot about the different parts of the pelvis and different techniques to utilize to help the baby through, depending on where the baby is in the pelvis.  You’re going to get so much out of this conversation, Gail’s a delight

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 I heard included: concerns about sex during pregnancy and will it hurt the baby? If the vagina changes forever after birth? How postpartum hormones change sex? And what can you do if sex hurts? So, to have this conversation I invited Dr. Sabrina Baxter, a doctor of physical therapy specializing in Pelvic Floor dysfunction onto this week’s episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies. I love that she talks about individualized treatment because while we’re answering these questions in somewhat broad strokes it is such an individualized experience what is going on with your body. I hope this just gives you some insight into your

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 support doula, prenatal yoga teacher, and a lamaze teacher. Sometimes people would say to me “but you’re not going to understand what I’m going through.” And it was true. I might not have had their experience or know exactly what they were going through. However, even after I had two kids, I could only relate to what my experience was which may not be what they will experience.  For today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I have Jessica Lorion the host of Mamas In Training Podcast. Jessica has not had her own kids yet and she’s very much a mama in training. She’s learning about all the options that she’s excited to perhaps

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 defensive, have your walls up, and be ready to fight for your choices. But today’s guest Arlynn shares that for her, that was not the case.  In today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I speak with new mother and prenatal yoga teacher Arlynn Villanueva. I had the pleasure of getting to know Arlynn in my prenatal yoga teacher training and then again a few years later in prenatal yoga classes. Between prenatal yoga teacher training, prenatal yoga classes, and Arlynn’s preparations for birth, it’s safe to say went into her birth with a lot of education. This led to her opening discussion with her care provider early on in pregn

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 called Taking Charge of Your Fertility which is very similar to the FAM method. I found it really really helpful so that I could better understand my body. As a yoga teacher, I appreciate learning to listen and really explore what’s happening in my body. This methodology gives you insight into your body in a very deep way. I think you’re going to enjoy that.  To talk about FAM, I invited Chloe Skerlak, Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner and Full Spectrum Fertility Awareness Educator to join me on today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies. She has some really great information. We talk all about cervical fluid and th

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, stigmas, and fears about this, so I wanted to get to the bottom of breastfeeding your child while taking any sort of mood stabilizing medication.  In today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I invited Heather ONeal and Maureen Farrel both midwives, lactation professionals, and hosts of an amazing podcast called The Milk Minute (which I am so excited that I got to be on, so make sure you listen to that)! These ladies have so much amazing information and we get into the nitty gritty. They talk about different types of medication, more popular brands for perinatal folks, how these medicines come into breastmilk, and all

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 all time favorite people Andrea Syms-Brown IBCLC. You will hear me literally glowing and giggling as we have this conversation. I’ve known Andrea for almost 20 years not only did she help support me with breastfeeding two children, she was with PYC for around 17 years, she’s an amazing person, newborn care specialist, and IBCLC. You’re going to learn so much from this amazing conversation. 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

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| Babies. Francesca is a fellow yoga instructor, I actually took prenatal yoga classes with her when I was pregnant with my son 11 years ago! In today’s episode Francesca honestly shares how uncomfortable her first trimester was and how she got through to the other side. From excruciating nausea to exhaustion, Francesca tells us what she did to get through her days.  If you have or had a similar experience with your first trimester (or pregnancy) I hope you feel seen and supported by today’s episode. Francesca is completely honest about how she coped. I hope her story resonates with you and her ideas help. You may feel lo

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 having attended many births, I held my son and thought what do we do with this new baby? Our doula arrived and provided much needed support, confidence, education and the chance for me to rest.  In today’s episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies I speak with Kristin Revere, doula, podcast host, and cofounder of Gold Coast Doulas. I was particularly curious about an aspect of postpartum doulas I was unfamiliar with, overnight work. I learned so much, it’s a really fantastic conversation. As Kristin so beautifully put “Our goal is to optimize rest for the entire family.”  For our parents-to-be who are worried about sleepless

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 different experiences shared will land with people differently and different people will relate with them. In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies I welcome Sydney Mulligan to share about her “accidental VBAC.” Sydney is a 2nd time parent and she’s been part of our community for a while. The other day in class I said “You’re the mayor of PYC.” It’s a fitting title as she’s just so embracing of new community members. She always introduces herself and she’s just a wonderful person. I think you’re going to enjoy Sydney’s story. Support Our Sponsor:  Ritual: Turn healthy habits into a ritual. For 10% off your first 3 months go

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 traits, know how to support people experiencing them, know how and where to seek help, and most importantly, take the stigma away from them.  To have this conversation I welcomed Nancy Layish LCSW to Yoga| Birth| Babies. Nancy is certified in the field of perinatal mental health and the co-founder of the non profit Central Florida Postpartum Alliance and member of Postpartum Support International. She’s got a ton of great information and she’s just so excited and willing to share it. I hope this episode encourages anyone suffering from a PMAD to know they’re not alone and to seek help. For those that are supporting pregna

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 lead to injury, especially in a yoga class.  Today on Yoga | Birth| Babies we’re combining two of my favorite topics into one conversation. We’re going to talk about yoga and anatomy , specifically hypermobility and how it relates to the pregnant and postpartum body. Of course we’re also going to dive into diastasic recti, the S.I. joint, overstretching and the pelvic floor. To have this conversation I welcomed back Libby Hinsley, Physical Therapist, Yoga Therapist and author of the book Yoga for Bendy People. Libby was on the podcast back in 2020 to talk about one of my favorite muscles, the Psoas. Today’s conversa

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 in a great place to negotiate.  In today’s episode of Yoga|Birth| Babies I speak with midwife and birthing center owner Melissa Chappell all about “Policy”. In this fantastic conversation Melissa gives you the tools to have nonconfrontational conversations with your care providers. If you want to receive personalized and evidence based care instead of being held to antiquated “policies” this episode is for you. Support Our Sponsor:  Ritual: Turn healthy habits into a ritual. For 10% off your first 3 months go to ritual.com/ybb Get the most out of each episode by checking out the show notes with links, resources a

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 aerial dancer, long time yoga practitioner, health coach, and personal trainer. I was drawn right into her story, she tells it so beautifully. As someone who had a really long birth, I found it interesting to hear Maya talk about her short birth and acceptance of that. Our ideas of how things should be or how we wish they were can carry so much weight. I was struck to hear someone who had the birth I had wished for or expected say that they had hoped for and expected an experience more like the long birth I had. It’s a lovely reminder that we all hold different ideals for our birth experience and that all births req

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, birth, and infancy like cuddling. In this episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I speak with Greer Kirshenbaum PhD. She’s a neuroscientist, doula, infant and family sleep specialist, and founder of Nurture Neuroscience. I first stumbled upon Greer’s work on instagram and was taken by the way she combines neuroscience and the baby brain. It’s fascinating to me and I am so excited to share our rich conversation with you. New and Expectant parents, have a pen and paper ready because you are absolutely going to want to take notes!  Support Our Sponsors:  Ritual: Turn healthy habits into a ritual. For 10% off your first 3 mont

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 of you may know her from social media as @MidwifeMarley.) We dive deep into the topic of inductions including how to have a conversation with your care provider and advocate for yourself as well as how to set yourself up for an induction.  Marley is truly lovely to speak with. She is thorough and easy to listen to. I think you’re going to walk away from this conversation feeling that you have a voice in how your birth unfolds and a deeper understanding of how to be your best advocate.  Support Our Sponsors:  Ritual: Turn healthy habits into a ritual. For 10% off your first 3 months go to ritual.com/ybb Boober: