Birth

VBAC’s are a birth option that one comes to with a great deal of preparation and planning. If this is your envisioned birth option, likely you desire the chance to experience a vaginal birth.  To help see that vision come true, it’s important to stack the cards in your favor and one of the best ways

Failure to progress in labor. Can we all agree this is a horrible name and can impact someone’s view of their ability to give birth! For years, birthing people have been expected to follow “Freidman’s Curve” a standard set by a trial of only 500 participants conducted nearly 50 years ago. Recently, ACOG has set

There are so many resources to gather information about pregnancy, labor and birth. How do you know what’s accurate and what’s misleading? In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, I speak with double board certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist and Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist, Shannon M. Clark, MD, MMS, FACOG about the myths and realities of many pregnancy

In a world that often categorizes people and events in a binary manner, those who fall beyond the binary often face unseen challenges. Family planning, reproductive care, and birth are no exceptions. In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with doula, childbirth educator and board-certified music therapist, Beth Hardy about supporting

How much time have you put into learning about a cesarean birth? What are factors that play a role in having a cesarean birth or way to decrease the chances of a cesarean birth?  With the national average for cesarean rates hovers around 30%, time spent on understanding cesareans births may serve to be very

An epidural is a very familiar term for most, but how much knowledge do people have about it?   With an average of 60% of birthing people choosing epidural anesthesia, it is important to make informed decisions about what serves you best. In this episode of Yoga| Birth|Babies, I speak with anesthesiologist and yoga teacher,

Currently in the US, approximately one-third of all babies are born by cesarean. However, it’s interesting to note that when I asked my prenatal yoga class of 21 pregnant people how many have considered the possibility of cesarean birth, only 3 people raised their hands.  For many, the idea of a surgical birth is something

Birth plans have gotten a bad name. How can you possibly plan a birth since they rarely go as planned? However, investing time, thought, and energy into what areas of the birth are important to the birthing person can be invaluable.  By making their wishes known, it can help the birthing person feel supported, heard,

What do you do when you’ve prepared for your birth to unfold in a certain direction only to find out you are one of the 1 in approximately 25 people carrying a breech baby? In this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with Spinning Babies Trainer and home birth midwife, Nicole Morales. Nicole offers insight to

Welcome to part two of the Birthing From Within focused podcasts. Recently, I embarked on the path to becoming a Birthing From Within Mentor. The process to becoming a mentor is multilayered but starts with a weekend intensive course called Crossing the Threshold. Right after attended the weekend course, I recorded last week’s podcast with

If only there was a way to script out your “ideal” birth and be guaranteed the experience unfolds in that exact manner. Unfortunately, that’s impossible. However, many of us try to overly plan and seldom allow ourselves to relinquish the illusion of control over the wild nature of birth. In this episode of Yoga|Birth |Babies,

The pushing stage of labor rarely looks as it does in the movies! Did you know there are so many other options to birth a baby then flat on your back with you legs thrown up to the ceiling and pushing like your face is going to burst? In this episode of Yoga | Birth

In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with author and  Lamaze Program Co-Director, Dr. Judith Lothian. We explore the idea of pain for a purpose in childbirth. Dr Lothian offers her insight as to how women can use the pain of labor to inform their body how to move, moan and

On this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, I speak with Lamaze Teacher, labor support doula, and international speaker Sharon Muza.  No labor is exactly alike, but sometimes there are variations beyond what one would consider “typical.”  Sharon and I discus prodromal labor, back labor, as well as a quick and wild precipitous birth. 

As a doula, I’ve heard this lament time and time again: “I received the name of my doctor from a friend, and if I had known what to ask, I probably would have switched doctors a long time ago. Now I feel it is too late to change!” Ideally, it’s best to have a very

In today’s episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, I speak with internationally recognized expert on water birth and gentle birth and author of Gentle Birth Choices, Barbara Harper. Barbara explains what drew her to embracing and advocating for water birth and demystifies some of the misconceptions of water birth and explains the values and benefits to both mother

With one third of babies being born via cesarean, it is important to understand the process of a cesarean birth.  However, there are ways to make a surgical birth less “surgical” feeling and shift the focus to a softer, gentler birth, a family centered cesarean, also called a “gentle cesarean.” This week on Yoga|Birth|Babies we