Understanding Preterm Birth: Risk, Prevention, and What We’re Learning with Dr. Laura Jelliffe-Pawlowski

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.