Yoga | Birth | Babies

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 for her to listen to her body and stand up for herself throughout her experience.  This is something we talk about in yoga, learning how to listen to your body’s cues, so that when you are in labor, you have the awareness to do what is best for you and your baby.   On this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, we welcome Aly Grobeck, one of our PYC students.  She was born and raised in NYC on the upper west side.  She is now preparing to go back to her digital marketing job in the beauty industry after six months of maternity leave. Aly would like to encourage expecting parents to birth with courage and know that they are strong enough to navigate wh

What is a doula and why would you want one?  In today’s episode we will discuss what a doula is, how they play a role in birth, and their ability to enhance what a partner can offer.  I was a labor and support doula for over ten years and know first-hand the benefits of using a doula. Doulas support every family and every type of birth, not just unmedicated births.  It’s not necessary to have one type of birth in mind to receive the assistance of a doula.  During this podcast we will talk about the hard evidence that points to the benefits of having a doula in labor.  This data may help you feel more confident about your choices moving forward.  As a bonus, we also go over questions you may use when you are interviewing a doula.   To go deeper into this conversation on Yoga| Birth| Babies, we have Jeanna McNeil. She is a birth doula, birth photographer, & maternal mental health advocate. Her passion is serving women and families locally in Alabama and virtually all over the world.  Jeanna would like to share

Have you thought about how your relationship with your partner may be affected during the postpartum period?  Today’s podcast topic came from my students.  I noticed a heated conversation happening before my postnatal yoga class one day.  Several students had gathered together and were talking about how they felt anger and resentment towards their partners.  They felt like so much of the burden of being a new parent fell on their shoulders.  I observed rage, tears and deep emotions during this discussion.  After this conversation, I was inspired to create a podcast about relationships during the postpartum period. I found a speaker, Lauren Tetenbaum, to speak on the subject and why it’s so common to experience anger in the postnatal phase.  Lauren talks about practical ways to work with your partner to lessen the resentment.  She also discusses how to set boundaries and prioritize self-care.   On this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, we welcome Lauren A. Tetenbaum LMSW, JD, PMH-C. She is an advocate and therapis

Have you considered why you should have a vaginal exam during pregnancy and labor?  I often say your cervix is not a crystal ball, it’s not going to tell you when labor is going to start.  It’s something I see time and time again, students will come into class excited because they are a little dilated or discouraged because they are not.  My guest today is going to talk about the information we get from vaginal exams and how that will help you make decisions in pregnancy and labor.  She poses the question, are they even necessary before the onset of labor?   On this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, we welcome Kara Ffrench, certified nurse midwife. Kara has been a registered nurse since 2006 and became a midwife in 2014. She spent her midwifery career working in a private practice as well as in a large hospital system. Kara is currently in a private practice attending home and hospital births, including seeing patients for complete gynecological care.   Kara reminds parents that they are in control and make the d

 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  If you love what you’ve been listening to, please leave a rating and review! Yoga| Birth|Babies (Apple) or on Spotify! To connect with Deb and the PYC Community:  Instagram & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter Youtube: Prenatal Yoga Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you struggle with how to handle postpartum visitors and setting boundaries? Setting boundaries isn’t the easiest thing to do for some either. Personally, I was never good at this. After stumbling upon an article written by our guest, I instantly knew more folks needed to think about this ahead of time! We’ll touch upon when to have visitors meet your newborn, vaccinations, how to communicate to folks that you are or aren’t ready for guests, is the new parent the host (NO!), and even ways to politely ask folks to leave after overstaying their welcome.  To dive deep into this conversation on Yoga| Birth| Babies, we have Ruth Gordon-Martin. She’s the founder of CODDLE, an online community that supports and empowers new and expectant parents. Ruth reminds us not only to prepare for postpartum, but having this conversation with your team ahead of time is a part of the preparation too! I’ve heard many stories from our PYC community of those who didn’t set clear boundaries and were put in awkward positions to nav

Have you considered the different choices there are when feeding your baby?  Offering choices and education is something we value here at PYC.  Our job is to support your choices for birth, however you choose to birth.  When it comes to feeding baby, nevertheless, not all parents feel this support.  Many parents sense judgement from others when they opt for formula feeding or bottle feeding.  In this conversation, Jayne Freeman talks about the need to normalize formula feeding. She shares how the current breastfeeding narrative may contribute to anxiety, lack of confidence and postpartum depression.  Jayne gives some practical information on how to choose formula if that’s the path you opt to take.   On this episode of Yoga|Birth|Babies, we welcome Jayne Freeman to have this discussion.  Jayne Freeman is a CEA/MNY certified childbirth educator, breastfeeding counselor and postpartum doula specializing in mood disorder prevention. After the birth of her two daughters, Jayne started a public access show about b

Have you ever thought about what’s needed to prepare and recover from a cesarean birth? Whether you’re planning, have a scheduled cesarean or curious to know more, this information is valuable. We’ll discuss what to expect during a cesarean and how to create a cesarean birth plan. How to prepare the night before, what to wear to the hospital, what to do when you arrive and recovery on the other side of cesarean.  On this episode of Yoga| Birth| Babies, we welcome Amy Morrison to have this conversation. She is the founder of Pregnant Chicken, a popular online resource for expectant and new parents. Amy struggled to find reliable information during her own pregnancies. She wanted to offer advice that’s straight forward to other parents. Some things we desire may not go as planned, but the main focus is about having an open conversation of expectations with your care provider. Vaginal birth or cesarean, this conversion is equally important to have with your care provider to create a family centered birth. Prepar

Does this scenario sound familiar to you? You have your baby and everything is going great the first few days or weeks. Suddenly your baby starts to cry and cry and cry. You try all different swaddles, ways to bounce your baby, wear your baby or soothe their tummy. During your visit to your pediatrician they tell you, “you have a colicky baby.” What does it mean to have a colicky baby? What are the misconceptions- gas, reflux, colic? Could it be affected by gut health? For those who have gone through this or currently experiencing this, what kind of emotional physiological support did you need from having a colicky baby? It can really impact you and your whole family. To dive deeper into this topic, today on Yoga| Birth| Babies we have Megan Dishman. She is an emergency room nurse in Utah. Megan was shocked in 2021 by her own postpartum experience with a colicky baby. This is such an important topic. Something I learned during this conversation is 20% of babies fit the criteria of colic. This information brin

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