There are so many decisions to consider when approaching birth. Where should you deliver? With whom should you put your trust to give you care? Which interventions do you feel comfortable with and which ones would you like to avoid? While sorting through all these options, it can be easy to be overwhelmed by the […]
Author: Prenatal Yoga Center
(Director of the Prenatal Yoga Center, Prenatal & Postnatal)
Debra is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a degree in Musical Theater. She has spent most of her life performing and was introduced to yoga through a choreographer in 1997. After several years as a yoga student, she decided to continue her education and became certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. In 2001 Debra headed out to Seattle to study with renowned prenatal yoga teacher Colette Crawford, R.N., at the Seattle Holistic Center. Debra has received certification for Vinyasa Yoga from Shiva Rea as well as completed the OM Yoga advanced teacher training with Cyndi Lee in 2004. Debra has also studied the Maternal Fitness Method with Julie Tupler. Debra currently studies with Cyndi Lee, Genevieve Kapular, and Carrie Owerko.
After being witness to several "typical" hospital births, Debra felt it was important to move beyond the yoga room and be present in the birthing room. In 2003, Debra attended her first birth as a DONA certified labor support doula. In that short period of time, Debra has attended about 100 births. She is continuously in awe of the beauty and brilliance of birth.
In 2006, Debra received her certification as a Lamaze® Certified Childbirth Educator. In September of 2007, Debra completed a Midwife Assistant Program with Ina May Gaskin, Pamela Hunt and many of the other Farm Midwives at The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee. Most recently, Debra had the incredible experience of helping one of her clients give birth on the bathroom floor. Luckily, the EMS arrived seconds before the baby did!
Drawing on her experience as a prenatal yoga teacher, labor support doula and childbirth educator, Debra looks to establish a safe and effective class for pregnancy and beyond.
Debra is the proud (and tired) mother of new baby boy, Shay.
Using the Birth Ball in Labor
Among the many pain management tools one can use for labor, the birth ball is definitely a must have! The ball is extremely versatile, inexpensive and effective! Benefits of the Ball Most women instinctively start to sway or rock when seated or leaning against the ball. This movement helps create a natural rhythm which encourages […]
Choose Your Care Provider Carefully and Early
For years I have had conversations with upset students about the care they are receiving from their providers. Usually this happens around 25 to 30 weeks into a pregnancy, when the student is seeing her care provider a little more often and starting to think more seriously about her upcoming birth. Certain topics begin to […]
Quieting the Pregnant Mind
Most people respond to life changing events with a mix of excitement, hesitation and anxiety. And let’s face it, having a baby is one of the biggest life changes one can face! Luckily, there are quiet restorative yoga poses and pranayamas (breathing exercises) that help quiet the mind, balance the breath and relax the body. […]
Labor and Delivery: Building Your Tool Kit
When I teach my Prenatal yoga classes, I like to stress the importance of creating what I like to call “the tool kit for labor and delivery.” This is a collection of reliable, proven pain management techniques the laboring mother can call upon to use as she needs. Not too long ago, I was explaining […]
Eating During Labor
In the movies and on TV, laboring women are often depicted as panting, sweaty and sucking on ice chips. Luckily, that image can finally change! After years of food and fluid intake being restricted for women in labor, there has been a closer scientific look at this practice and the ban has been (somewhat) lifted. […]
Consider Who’s Present During Your Labor
Who do you want with you during labor? Renowned midwife, Ina May Gaskin, describes a phenomena called the “Sphincter Law” in her book, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth. While it may sound funny, there is much truth to this theory, especially in relationship to birth. Here are some of the basics of her Sphincter Law: […]
3 Common Aches and Pains of Pregnancy and How to Address Them
Many women encounter some sort of discomfort during their pregnancy. Here are a few examples of common issues and how to find relief.