Yoga Birth Babies

Becoming a mother changes so much about your life, including how you see yourself, your priorities, and sometimes even your career. But what happens when the job you spent years building no longer feels like the right fit? Returning to work after maternity leave can bring unexpected questions about identity, purpose, and what you truly want from your professional and personal life.

In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, Deb Flaschenberg welcomes Leah Smart, personal development editor, podcast host, and certified coach, to explore why motherhood can spark a career identity crisis. Together, they discuss the emotional complexities of returning to work after having a baby, the pressure to balance career and family, and how to navigate career decisions during the postpartum period without feeling rushed to have everything figured out.

They also explore the practical realities of career transitions, including childcare, finances, relationships, and the importance of reconnecting with yourself beyond your identity as a parent. Whether you're preparing to return to work, considering a career change after having a baby, or simply wondering how motherhood fits into the life you've built, this conversation offers a compassionate perspective on navigating change with clarity and intention.

This episode is brought to you by beYogi offering professional liability insurance designed specifically for yoga teachers and wellness professionals. Whether you’re already teaching or just beginning your teacher training, beYogi helps protect you so you can focus on supporting your students. Yoga Birth Babies listeners receive $20 off an exclusive professional insurance membership. Visit beYogi.com/yogabirthbabies (⁠https://beyogi.com/yogabirthbabies⁠) to claim your discount.

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, Tik Tok, & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Prenatal Yoga Center
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to have a “perfect birth,” and how do our expectations shape the way we experience childbirth? In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, we welcome writer, editor, and storyteller Avital Norman Nathman to explore the cultural narratives surrounding birth, motherhood, and the pressure to get it all right. Drawing from her upcoming book, The Perfect Birth Myth: Pushing Back Against a Broken Industry, Avital unpacks how social media, birth preparation, healthcare providers, and our broader culture can reinforce the idea that if we make all the right choices, we can guarantee a particular birth outcome. We explore when thoughtful preparation becomes perfectionism, why an unexpected birth experience can feel like personal failure, and how the pursuit of an ideal birth can leave parents feeling disappointed or unprepared for the realities of childbirth.

We also discuss the relationship between the “perfect birth” myth and the “perfect mother” myth, including how unrealistic expectations can follow parents from pregnancy into postpartum life. Avital shares insights into the U.S. maternity care system, the pressure to advocate for yourself during labor, and the ways the movement toward physiologic birth can sometimes create its own set of expectations. Together, we consider how to prepare for birth with intention while remaining open to the unexpected, approach birth plans with flexibility, and recognize that a meaningful birth experience is not defined by whether everything goes according to plan.

This episode is brought to you by beYogi offering professional liability insurance designed specifically for yoga teachers and wellness professionals. Whether you’re already teaching or just beginning your teacher training, beYogi helps protect you so you can focus on supporting your students. Yoga Birth Babies listeners receive $20 off an exclusive professional insurance membership. Visit beYogi.com/yogabirthbabies (https://beyogi.com/yogabirthbabies) to claim your discount.

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, Tik Tok, & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Prenatal Yoga Center
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when pregnancy and birth become an opportunity to lean into strength, trust, and community? In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, we hear Rosario Del Valle’s deeply personal birth story, from preparing for labor during pregnancy to navigating the unexpected challenges of birth and the emotional experience of meeting her baby for the first time.

Rosario shares how her mindset around physical preparation evolved throughout pregnancy, including a surprising shift in how she approached challenging yoga poses. She also reflects on the power of community during pregnancy, the support she received from her medical team, and the ways she worked through uncertainty during labor. Together, we explore birth preparation, trusting your body, building a supportive birth team, and the realities of postpartum recovery.

This episode is brought to you by beYogi offering professional liability insurance designed specifically for yoga teachers and wellness professionals. Whether you’re already teaching or just beginning your teacher training, beYogi helps protect you so you can focus on supporting your students. Yoga Birth Babies listeners receive $20 off an exclusive professional insurance membership. Visit beYogi.com/yogabirthbabies (https://beyogi.com/yogabirthbabies) to claim your discount.

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, Tik Tok, & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Prenatal Yoga Center
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Diastasis recti and pelvic floor health are two topics that come up frequently during pregnancy and postpartum, but there is often confusion about how they are connected and what it actually takes to heal. In this re-release, we revisit our conversation with women’s health and fitness specialist Dr. Sarah Duvall to break down the relationship between the abdominal wall, core strength, posture, and pelvic floor function.

Sarah explains what diastasis recti is, what can contribute to or worsen abdominal separation, and how genetics, posture, and the way we use our bodies can influence recovery. We also explore how diastasis can affect pelvic floor function and how someone experiencing pelvic floor tightness can work on core activation without creating additional tension.

This episode is brought to you by beYogi offering professional liability insurance designed specifically for yoga teachers and wellness professionals. Whether you’re already teaching or just beginning your teacher training, beYogi helps protect you so you can focus on supporting your students. Yoga Birth Babies listeners receive $20 off an exclusive professional insurance membership. Visit beYogi.com/yogabirthbabies (https://beyogi.com/yogabirthbabies) to claim your discount.

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, Tik Tok, & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠Prenatal Yoga Center
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can you do to support a physiologic birth when you’re planning to give birth in a hospital? In this episode of Yoga | Birth | Babies, we’re joined by Dr. Melanie Jackson, also known as Melanie the Midwife, to explore the preparation, environment, movement, support, and mindset that can help create the conditions for labor to unfold as physiologically as possible.

Melanie and Deb talk about the nervous system and hormonal blueprint of labor, knowing when to head to the hospital, creating a calmer birth environment, and how partners and doulas can help protect “labor land.” They also discuss movement and positioning during labor—including when someone has an epidural or continuous monitoring—as well as the importance of rest and conserving energy during a long labor. We also unpack the cascade of interventions, how common hospital routines can influence labor, and questions parents can ask so they feel informed and involved in their care.

Throughout the conversation, Melanie and Deb return to an important idea: birth is not something we can completely control. Supporting physiologic birth is not about guaranteeing a particular outcome, but about creating supportive conditions while remaining flexible when circumstances change. They also discuss how to hold space for medical intervention or cesarean birth when it is the safest option, and what can help parents feel positive and supported in their birth experience regardless of how it unfolds.

This episode is brought to you by beYogi offering professional liability insurance designed specifically for yoga teachers and wellness professionals. Whether you’re already teaching or just beginning your teacher training, beYogi helps protect you so you can focus on supporting your students. Yoga Birth Babies listeners receive $20 off an exclusive professional insurance membership. Visit beYogi.com/yogabirthbabies (https://beyogi.com/yogabirthbabies) to claim your discount.

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, Tik Tok, & Facebook: @prenatalyogacenter

Youtube: ⁠⁠Prenatal Yoga Center
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices