118: How to Mentally Prepare for Birth with Prenatal Yoga
Yoga creates not just flexibility in your body, but also flexibility and openness in your mind and heart. On the mat, you’ll practice being present and curious, rather than judgemental of yourself. You’ll learn to simply notice (for example your breath and sensations in your body) rather than labeling them as good or bad.
117: How to Physically Prepare for Birth with Prenatal Yoga
Pregnancy and birth places your pelvic floor muscles under enormous strain. Prior to pregnancy you’ve probably not given much thought to your pelvis or pelvic floor, then suddenly, you’re expected to know how to move your pelvis during labor, how to activate your pelvic floor muscles, relax them, and use them to push your baby out! Not only that, but a strong pelvic floor is the starting point for your postpartum healing.
116: Birth and Baby: One size doesn’t fit all
Most books will tell you one “right way” but we don’t believe there is only one way. We know that even within the same family, parents may have to shift parenting styles based on each child’s personality. We know that not everyone plans to breastfeed, and we know that not everyone wants to be an attachment parent.
115. I Wasn’t Expecting You: Living with Face Blindness – Expectations #4
When I tell people about my face blindness, I often get a three-pronged reaction. First, they think I'm either joking or lying. Once they realize I'm serious and not exaggerating, they start to wonder how this condition impacts my life.
114: Scrambled Eggspectations and my dairy aisle dad moment – Expectations #3
When labor began, I felt that nesting urge surge through me like an electric current. "Honey, I'll be right back," I said, "Just need to grab some wood for shelves at Home Depot!" My amazing wife brought me back to reality by grabbing my arm and giving me a look that could stop a freight train. I wasn't going anywhere.
113. The Birth of a Notion – Expectations #2
Being part of this show was more than just a fun side project. It ignited a renewed fire within me to advocate for realistic, empowering pregnancy, birth, postpartum and parenting experiences. Every story, whether it plays out on screen or in a delivery room, can inform, empower and inspire.
112. How to Count the Kicks (and why it’s important)
"As your pregnancy progresses, you will begin to feel your baby move more and more. What starts out as light flutters or “butterflies” in the second trimester will eventually become noticeable kicks, jabs, and rolls as you enter the third trimester of pregnancy. Around 24-28 weeks babies get into a noticeable pattern of movements. Kick counting is the practice of becoming familiar with your baby’s normal movement patterns."
111. Birth Announcement – Expectations #1
"Last year we birthed a new baby, the Informed Pregnancy+ streaming platform! Just like any proud parent, we're thrilled to watch this little one grow. Web based, but with apps on Apple, Android and Roku, Informed Pregnancy+ is our way of ensuring that entertaining and educational video content, including a growing library of the most popular documentaries, exercise programs, yoga, meditation, and a variety of courses and workshops, is both affordable and accessible to anyone with an internet connection."
110. 7 Tips To Have An Empowered Home Birth
"In the production world we create a call sheet for a shoot day, which is a document sent out to the cast and crew that outlines where they need to be for the following shoot day. It contains ALL the important information for the shoot like the contact details of everyone on set plus their job descriptions, the predicted weather, nearest hospital, filming location address, AND the scripts scheduled for that day of filming. So…I used the template of a film call sheet to create a home birth call sheet."
109. From Infertility to Adoption. One Mother’s Journey To Creating The Family Of Her Dreams
"I had developed tunnel vision thinking the only way I was going to create a family was through pregnancy, and it made me feel like a failure every month when I would get my cycle."
108. Cultivating Connection: Pregnant Partner Yoga
"These poses offer physical and emotional benefits for expectant partners while cultivating closeness with their significant other. A wise yoga teacher once told me “it’s yoga practice, not yoga perfect” and I encourage you to welcome the unexpected and the awkward as you dive into unfamiliar territory."
107. Indigenous Birth Practices: East Meets West in Pregnancy and Postpartum
"Indigenous postpartum practices are a vital part of the health of the mother and baby. In many cultures it is customary for families to move in with their maternal line or other family members in order to have extra care and support. It is also customary to allow the body to fully recover for at least 40 days before returning to any normal routines. Postpartum healing is centered around rest, body work and nutrition."