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 »
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
From Stage to Stroller and Back Again with Megan Fairchild Read More »
Sharing community birth stories offers an intimate connection between one parent and another. Sharing birth stories can be a form of childbirth education, as it helps to remove fear of the unknown and bring confidence, power and courage to those awaiting the transition from pregnancy to parenthood. In this episode of Yoga| Birth |Babies, we
Community Birth Story: Accepting A Change of Plans with Caroline Williams Read More »
Community has always been a central part of the PYC methodology. We come together as a community to support one another through pregnancy and parenthood. Hearing the stories from friends, family, and community members can help dispel fears, normalize the variation of birth experiences, and create confidence in the process of childbirth. In this episode of
Community Birth Story: Having a Hospital Birth Using Hypnobabies with Cat Acquaviva Read More »
When Catalina reached out to share her birth story, I was struck by the powerful words she used to describe her birth, “I was able to make empowered decisions without shame.” Immediately, I knew there was a story to explore and wanted her as a guest on the podcast. With no time wasted, Catalina responded
Community Birth Story: Pregnancy As A Queer Person and Woman of Color Read More »
Studies have shown that hearing positive birth stories can increase one’s confidence in their own upcoming birth. In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with new mother, Jenn Gross. Jenn shares her fast, primal and confident birth story. She talks about how she prepared for her birth and how she was able to find such
Community Birth Story: A Fast, Primal and Confident Birth with Jenn Gross Read More »
Sharing birth stories matters. It’s an opportunity to support and inspire one another during a transformative time. Each new parent carries their own powerful narrative of their birth that shapes the beginning of a new stage of life. In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with Prenatal Yoga Center community member and proud new mother,
Community Birth Story: Power, Surrender and Opening with Lina Lum Read More »
This week on Yoga|Birth|Babies we’re taking a break from our expert lead interviews and focusing on a birth story from the community. Eliana Balk reached out to me to share her story and ideas about how to talk about birth trauma from the birthing person’s perspective. Most conversations around birth trauma are from leaders and
Community Birth Story: How to Talk About Birth Trauma Read More »
Can you imagine giving birth and entering postpartum in the middle of a pandemic? Candice Baehr faced this exact scenario. In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with co-founder of Parenthood Together and Feeding Heroes and mother of two, Candice Baehr about her recent birth experience and the challenges she faced
Community Birth Story: Birthing During a Pandemic Read More »
Everyone who gives birth shall forever carry their story imprinted deep within. For some, the memories brings joy, others unresolved feelings and for many, they are somewhere in between. Time will take someone further from the experience but what happens when your birth goes unprocessed? In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with co-director of
Processing Your Birth Story with Nikki Shaheed Read More »
What if your birth fell well beyond any preconceived vision of possibility? What if it took so many twists and turns that even a prolific author would struggle to paint such a surprising story? In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with prenatal yoga teacher, childbirth educator, and labor support doula, Hess Kim. Hess humorously
Community Birth Story: Strength, Endurance, and Surrender with Hess Kim Read More »
Can you imagine the need to be the main advocate for yourself in the middle of labor and directly postpartum? Or being pushed into the situation to go head to head with the hospital staff just to see your baby? That is exactly what happened to Jessie Katz. In the middle of her labor and
Community Birth Story: The Importance of Self Advocacy with Jessie Katz Read More »
Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood can bring up painful triggers and emotions from one’s past. But, for some, can also serve as a gateway to healing In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with Prenatal Yoga Center community member, Christina Profita. Christina opens up about how needing a cesarean birth due to her breech baby unexpectedly
Community Birth Story: Healing Through Birth Read More »
What is it like for a birth doula, childbirth educator, and prenatal yoga teacher to experience birth with so much knowledge and experience coloring her lens of labor? Many may think it, with all the preparation and knowledge, it would be smooth sailing. Well, life and birth unfolds in it’s own wild ride no matter
A Brutal, Amazing, and Magical Birth Read More »
I reached out to Hannah Sarah Faich Dini to be a guest on Yoga | Birth | Babies because chatting with her and simply knowing her is a true delight. I also, in my many years of working with the pregnant population, have not encountered three pregnancies quite like hers. For all three pregnancies, Hannah
Community Birth Stories: Overcoming Disappointment & Embracing the Uncontrollable Read More »
In my Prenatal Yoga and Childbirth Education classes, I stress the importance of having plan A, B, C and D. You never know how the wild nature of birth will flow. Teachers and educators encourage expectant parents to not skip the “scary sections” they may wish to avoid. But many people are unprepared for the
What do you do when your birth goes in a completely different direction than expected? How do you recover, find peace, and prepare for the birth of another baby? What happens if your second birth also has a dramatic turn of events? This is the experience of this week’s guest. In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies,
How to Find Ease In Complicated Births Read More »
Have you ever found yourself facing a completely different scenario in life then you were expecting? At 7 months pregnant, writer and yoga teacher Anna Gannon, found herself unexpectantly unemployed and depressed. To her complete surprise, she stumbled into meditation which became passion and career. In the episode of Yoga |Birth |Babies, Anna and I
Meditation & Facing Birth Fear Read More »
How might your pregnancy and birth change if you immerse yourself into studying the birth culture in the US? That is exactly how Hedy Iankelevich started her pregnancy journey. On the day she found out she was pregnant, she enrolled in an 85 hour Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training and examined the paradigm of birth in
Community Birth Story: Embracing Your Birth Choices Read More »
One of the three pillars of Prenatal Yoga Center methodology is community, also knows as sangha. Feeling part of community, especially in such a transitional time like pregnancy and parenthood, can help assuage fears, feel supported and find a general camaraderie. In an effort to deepen our community connection, Yoga |Birth |Babies continues to share
Pregnancy, Parenthood, and Eating Disorders Read More »
An article from Midwifery Today sited a study concluding “Participants who read positive, empowering birth stories reported an average of 33% less fear about their upcoming birth.” That great increase in personal confidence was the reason I decided to continue to share positive community birth stories on Yoga | Birth | Babies. In this episode I
Community Birth Stories with Lauren Seidman Read More »
Not every entrance into parenthood is easy and joyful with a soundtrack of birds singing blissfully as you walk carefree through the park. You may even mutter under your breath, “This is really f**king hard, what have I done?” In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak openly with co-founder of Soul Camp and Soul
Community Birth Stories: Getting Past A Bumpy Start with Soul Camp’s Michelle Goldblum Read More »
Within the hustle and bustle of NYC, it is essential to find community and support, especially for a new parent. In this week’s episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with devoted yogini and mother, Kristina Podsiadly. Kristina’s natural optimism and easy going nature was what helped her adjust when her original birth
Community Birth Stories with Kristina Podsiadly Read More »
Community and support are a vital part of Prenatal Yoga Center. To help encourage relationships and get to know one another a little better, we like to introduce a new mom and her baby each month. This month, we are pleased to introduce you to Jada Strabbing. Jada is a mom of 3, she’s pictured
May’s Mom of the Month: Meet Jada Strabbing! Read More »
Today on Yoga| Birth|Babies I speak with PYC community member, Emeline Foster. Emeline is a second time mother who openly shares her struggles with deciding if she should have a second cesarean or explore a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). Emeline is open and honest about her experience and the challenges she faced along with
Community Birth Stories with Emeline Foster Read More »
In this episode of “Yoga | Birth | Babies” we’re sharing an inspirational birth story from our community. Today’s guest Bridget Tichar had a great birth and we want to share her experience to provide some inspiration and comfort for our expectant Mamas! Bridget was an active member of the Prenatal Yoga Center community throughout
Community Birth Stories with Bridget Tichar Read More »
In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with new mother and yoga teacher, Chantal Eder. We discus the the challenges and joys of pregnancy and new motherhood. Chantal also opens up about her surprisingly unique birth and processing the experience. New and expectant mothers will enjoy Chantal’s candor and relate to
Community Birth Story: Chantal Eder Read More »
In this episode of “Yoga | Birth | Babies,” I speak with author of the book, “Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?” and executive director of the National Eating Disorder Association, Claire Mysko. Claire and I talk openly about the struggles many women face with body image issues before, during and after pregnancy. If
“Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat?” Author Claire Mysko Read More »
In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies I speak with acclaimed yoga educator, founder of Sequencology, and mother of 2 Lori McAlister. We talk about how Lori’s practice has evolved over time, how she was able to use yoga to deal with unexpected pregnancy complications, and how she uses the tools of her
Lori McAlister founder of Sequencology & Mother of 2 Read More »
If you’re curious about how your Great Grandmother’s birth may have differed from yours, this is the episode for you. In today’s episode Deb interviews Tina Cassidy author of Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born. Ms. Cassidy became curious about birth when she realized how different her expectations of birth were from
History of Birth with Tina Cassidy Read More »
In today’s podcast I had the privilege of interviewing Kelley Potter, ballerina for American Ballet Theater. Kelley openly talks about balancing life and career as a professional ballerina and the struggles she has faced. Kelley’s honesty and candor is sure to inspire you! For more about Kelley visit ABT.org
My first labor with my son, Shay, was an epic 42 hrs. That is 42 hrs from first recognizing there was a pattern to the contractions to my baby being born. I was completely taken back and slightly traumatized both physically and mentally by the experience. Upon finding out I was pregnant again with our
