I always love connecting with members of the PYC community- students, alumni, educators, and everyone in between. Today’s guest shares a deeply personal and moving birth story filled with struggle, resilience, and heartfelt reflection. Joining me today on Yoga | Birth | Babies is Renata Freitas. Renata is origninally from Brazil and moved to the […]
Today on Yoga | Birth | Babies, I have Jennifer Schaffer-Goddard to share her birth story. Jennifer is a critic and essayist living in Manhattan. Her first book, Make Me Feel Something: In Pursuit of Sensuous Life in the Virtual Age, will be published by Ecco and Hamish Hamilton in 2027. Jennifer began taking classes
To share her birth story today on Yoga | Birth | Babies, I have Emily Silver. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Emily is 34 year old PYC alumni and Kindergarten teacher on the Upper West Side. She went to school at SUNY Brockport with majors in Dance and Interdisciplinary Arts for Children, and earned
Today on Yoga | Birth | Babies we have one of my favorites: a community birth story. My guest today is Allie Dunbar. Allie is an Actor, writer, producer and entrepreneur from Toronto, Canada. She lives in New York City with her husband Hamish and their amazing baby boy Monty. Allie’s story is full of
Birth Story: An Early Surprise; Life in the NICU with Allie Dunbar Read More »
Today on Yoga| Birth| Babies, we have a special community birth story from Paige Host. Paige had been coming to PYC a lot during her pregnancy (and still is postpartum!) and served as a major support and friendly face to other students. Her story is inspiring as it revolves around the ideas of letting go of
Birth Story: Trusting Your Gut with Paige Host Read More »
Joining me today to share her birth story on Yoga| Birth| Babies, I have Agathe. Originally from Paris, Agathe moved to New York City nine years ago, where she met her husband and, in November 2024, welcomed their baby girl. In this episode, Agathe opens up about the mindfulness practices she created throughout pregnancy in order to
Community Birth Story: A Mindful and Magical Birth with Agathe Read More »
Today’s episode features one of my favorite kinds of conversations- a community birth story. It’s always such a joy to hear and share the birth stories of students I’ve had the honor of working with in class, throughout their pregnancies, and today’s story is no exception. To have this conversation today with me on Yoga| Birth|
Community Birth Story: From Anxiety to Joy! with Mia DiBiase Read More »
Today, we’re diving into one of my favorite types of conversations- a community birth story. What makes this episode extra special is that it actually includes two birth stories. My guest reflects on both her first and second births, sharing how the challenges she faced during her initial pregnancy and postpartum experience shaped the decisions
Birth Story: Two Cesareans But Very Different Experiences with Laura Moore Read More »
Today, we have a very special community birth story. I love when I get to hear the birth stories of not only our student community, but also of our teaching community. Today, we have a story of the latter! Today on Yoga|Birth|Babies I haveMeredith Witte. Meredith Witte is a functional strength coach and a yoga instructor with
Birth Story: A Sexy and Instinctual Birth with Meredith Witte Read More »
Today, we’re diving into the topic of VBACs—Vaginal Birth After Cesareans. We’ll explore the most common reasons for cesarean births, as well as the risks and benefits of choosing a VBAC. Additionally, we’ll discuss factors that might make someone risk out of a VBAC, and compare those risks to those of a repeat cesarean. To
Everything You Want to Know About VBACs with Meagan Heaton Read More »
Today we have a remarkable and empowering community birth story. Today on Yoga|Birth|Babies I haveAmber Hogue. Amber is a proud mom of two boys, Finn and Wally, and lives in the Bay Area with her family. She works in clinical research with a focus on patient engagement, leveraging her expertise to create meaningful connections and
Birth Story: When You Know Your Body Best with Amber Hogue Read More »
Community birth stories are, for me, some of the most important episodes to share on this podcast. Oftentimes, we’re overwhelmed with negative birth narratives, which can impact one’s confidence in their ability to birth. I feel passionate about hearing, and sharing, stories where individuals acknowledge their birthing anxieties but ultimately overcome them. Today on Yoga
Birth Story: A Deep Belief in a Desired VBAC with Jessie Valentine Read More »
Today, we have a community birth story. I look at these stories as a wonderful chance to hear firsthand about the incredible experience of birth from someone in our very own community—an experience that deeply influences so much of what we do here at PYC! Today on Yoga | Birth | Babies, I have Fiamma.
Birth story: How to Adjust When Birth Plans Change with Fiamma Read More »
There are countless reasons why I believe sharing and listening to birth stories is so valuable. One standout aspect is the many universal themes that emerge- whether between different births, throughout the journey from pregnancy to parenthood, or even within the individual birth stories themselves. While the societal conversation around birth can often evoke fear,
Birth Story: Never Be Afraid to Ask for Help with Shing Yiing Ong Read More »
Today, we’re diving into the birth story of a student who completed her teacher training with us last year- while pregnant! It was truly special to witness her journey as a student at PYC, both in our training and our classes. When she shared details of her wonderful and positive birth experience with me, I
Birth Story: Very Quick and Very Peaceful with Jessica Roback Read More »
Today, we’re diving into a community birth story that’s far more than just a tale of delivery. Ready for some intriguing details? My guest recently welcomed her third baby. She’s been a dedicated student at PYC for nine years, and she’s been featured on the YBB podcast three times, sharing insights from all three of
Birth Story: Induction and Trust with Yali Szulanski Read More »
Today, we have a community birth story that will literally take you on a wild ride. In just one short but juicy hour, you’ll find an illustration of pregnancy over 40, preparation for birth from a yoga teacher perspective, and multiple twists and turns in a birth story. Today’s Yoga| Birth| Babies, I have with
Birth Story: Premature and Quite the Wild Ride with Renata DiBiase Read More »
One of the best things about founding and developing Prenatal Yoga Center has been getting the chance to foster and grow our perinatal community. Throughout the months during (and after) their pregnancy, our students and staff get to know each other through rich dialogue where we work through things that come up, connect on shared
Pregnancy, Preeclampsia, and A Beautiful Ending with Alicia Krakauer Read More »
Today we have a beautiful community birth story from Prenatal Yoga Center graduate, Courtney Vasserman! I personally loved this story and think it will be inspiring, relatable, and encouraging for our community to listen to. Courtney takes us through how she prepared for birth, including the methodology and tools she found incredibly impactful from classes
Birth Story: A Beautiful Birth and a Challenging Postpartum with Courtney Vasserman Read More »
We’re back with my favorite type of podcast episode, a birth story! We’ve been able to create an amazing community of students here at PYC. I see many of these students twice, sometimes three time a week. I get to know them, hear their stories, listen to their concerns and I am able to share with them what I’ve
Birth Story: Preparing and Training for Birth! with Katie Lohiya Read More »
Today we have a birth story from one of our community members Sydney Pollock. I had the privilege of watching Sydney go through her whole pregnancy at PYC. She started taking class very early in her pregnancy and the last class that she took was the day her water broke, two days before she was supposed to
Birth Story: The Power of a Supportive Birth Team with Sydney Pollock LCSW, PMH-C Read More »
We have a beautiful birth story today, that I am excited to share with you! Perhaps you are moving through your own pregnancy or birth experience right now and wondering what it will be like. Something to think about as this story unfolds, is the importance of a flexible mind. A student in class shared with me that
Today we have a community birth story. I love sharing birth stories because they are inspiring and confidence building. Listening to different scenarios and various journeys, releases the idea that birth has to happen in one way. Today’s guest, Aly Grobeck, offers a wonderful story filled with humor and candidness. I really appreciate Aly sharing how important it was
Birth Story: A Surprise In So Many Ways! with Aly Grobeck Read More »
Today we have one of my favorite type of episodes, we have a birth story. We actually have three birth stories because my guest has been at PYC for all three of her pregnancies. She recounts each birth, their similarities and differences, as well as the lessons she learned from each of them. I am excited for you
Birth Story: Three Remarkable and Quick Births! with Hannah Brenman Read More »
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
Maria’s Birth Story: The Magic and Messiness of Motherhood Read More »
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
Ivana’s Birth Story: A Magical Birth Read More »
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
Caitilin’s Birth Story: Expecting the Unexpected Read More »
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
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
Steph’s Birth Story: Taking Ownership Through Education & Preparation Read More »
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,
Marisa’s Birth Story: Grounded, Uninhibited, and On Her Own Terms Read More »
Today on Yoga| Birth | Babies we have an absolutely gripping, fascinating, and very NYC birth story. As my guest Alexis Field puts it, “It was the wildest night of my life and the birth I had always hoped for.” I’ve listened to birth stories for years and I love each and every one. What
Community Birth Story: The Wildest Night of My Life with Alexis Field Read More »
Today we have a very special episode, as I write that I’m realizing that I say that about almost every episode because they’re all special to me! However, this is the kind of episode that I hold very dear, a community birth story. These episodes are truly special. I love hearing the stories from our
Community Birth Story: From Hospital Birth to Home Birth with Lauren Seidman Read More »
Today we have a community birth story. I absolutely love having members of our community come on and share about their experience. There are so many different ways to birth and so many times when someone has one idea for their birth and it turns into a different way and I think it is so
Community Birth Story: The Power of Peacefulness with Dia Dearstyne Read More »
Today we have one of my favorite type of episodes, a community birth story. Truly one of my favorite things is hearing the experience of someone going over the threshold into parenthood. I got to know my guest for today’s episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies Sophie Stalton, through 2 pregnancies. Her first as she crossed
Community Birth Story: An Empowering Cesarean Birth with Sophie Saltonstall Read More »
In this episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies I chat with Anna Greenberg. Anna is not only a member of our community but she also a PYC Teacher Training Grad!
Community Birth Story: Challenges & Triumphs with Anna Greenberg Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: A Calm Hospital Birth with Ali Richardson Read More »
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.
Community Birth Story: An Empowering Hospital Birth with Arlynn Villanueva Read More »
This episode is one of my favorite things we do on the podcast, share 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
Community Birth Story: An Accidental VBAC with Sydney Mulligan Read More »
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,
Community Birth Story: Surrendering to the Unexpected with Hannah Weaver Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: Processing a Fast Birth with Alisone Bonafos Read More »
Community birth stories are incredibly special. Not only is it an honor to be a part of your journey in pregnancy, but I love hearing what happened at the birth you were preparing for, as well as how you’re doing postpartum! In today’s episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies I speak to PYC regular and mother of
Community Birth Story: Home Birth with Erin Amato Read More »
Birth stories can be an incredibly powerful tool to prepare for your upcoming birth experience. As we learn in today’s episode, a twin parent may feel like just a foot note in birth books. Through our community birth stories we aim to help illuminate a multitude of experiences. In today’s episode of Yoga |Birth |Babies
Community Birth Story: Twin Birth with Jenny Campbell Read More »
In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, Meredith Raucher Sisson, shares her story of two very different births; neither one “better” than the other just different. Meredith takes us on a journey of what she learned from the birth of her first child and how she reexamined certain choices for her second. She was equally satisfied with
Imagine teaching prenatal yoga for years and envisioning how your birth will unfold. Then learning that your baby is breech and despite many attempts to turn baby head down, you will need a cesarean birth. This is what happened to Christa. In episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with founder of KITH & KIN, yoga teacher,
Community Birth Story: Breech Baby, Cesarean Birth with Christa Nader Read More »
Back in July, at 37 weeks pregnant, Elisa, attended my prenatal yoga class in which we spoke of the importance of keeping an open mind about one’s birth plan. Little did she know that the next day she would be in labor. Several weeks later, Elisa wrote to me saying “I can still hear your
Community Birth Story: Unexpected Cesarean with Elisa Galassi Read More »
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
The Importance of Sharing Your Birth Story with Bryn Huntpalmer Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: Exploring Your Choices In Childbirth with Kate Meredith Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: How to trust yourself and the power of birth with Julia Motyka Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: Don’t Ever Let Me Forget How Strong I Am with J Stewart Read More »
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
Community Birth Story: A Surprise Ending with Cindy Walters Read More »
