intrapartum care

MamaSpace Yoga Helps You Ask Your OB the Right Questions for a Better Birth

Questions to Ask Obstetricians and Hospital-Based Midwives

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 We get lots of questions about pregnancy birth and postpartum care providers and hospitals. Our prenatal yoga students have so many choices to make – especially during the pandemic. In some hospitals laboring people can have only one support person. In others, they may have more than one. Some people are considering virtual doulas. In other situations they can be accompanied by an

Carol Gray Tells the Truth About Epidurals at MamaSpace Yoga

The Truth About Epidurals

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 The Truth About Birth First a word or two about birth physiology: Labor is almost universally painful for birthing parents and sometimes painful for babies. One of the ways we cope with pain is to produce beta-endorphin. Beta-endorphin is an opiate-like brain chemical – the same one responsible for the so-called runner’s high. It reduces pain. What Happens as Labor Progresses? In a

Learn How to Have a Better Cesarean Birth at MamaSpace Yoga

Cesareans! Emergencies! and Strategies!

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 The word “emergency” used to ONLY apply to childbirth. The baby emerges, get it? Two (Three) Kinds of Cesareans Lately, I have been hearing an emergent theme in the stories people have been sharing with me about their cesarean births. They divide them into two categories – planned and emergency. Often a parent will say to me that their cesarean birth was not

Culturally-Relevant Care by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Culturally-Relevant Care

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Black Women Again Turn to Midwives, Some Fearing Coronavirus in Hospitals. I was so happy to read this headline. I’m sad that fear of contracting COVID-19 in the hospital and  concern over no support people allowed to attend laboring people in the hospital is driving some of the change. Nonetheless, it’s change. We’re headed in the right direction. Sobering Statistics for Black Parents

Inanna's Journey by Carol Gray at MamaSpace Yoga

Inanna’s Journery

By Carol Gray, LMT, CST, RPYT, ERYT-200 Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth, was a goddess revered by the ancient Sumerians. I love her story of descent into and return from the Underworld. It’s a wonderful analog for the process of preparing for, moving through and returning from birth. Inanna undertook a perilous journey to the underworld – a place from which nobody had ever returned alive. She prepared, she

Lina’s Birth Story

Our pregnancy was very easeful and very healthy. We moved to Portland in February and his due date was April 20th. I felt so happy and blessed to have found MamaSpace Yoga, not only because I enjoyed the classes so much, but everyone was so caring, open to share and the sense of community was so wonderful. On our week 37th check up at our birthing center I was diagnosed

Caleb's Birth - MamaSpace Yoga Birt Stories

Caleb’s Birth

It all started with a bowl of spicy Baby A’s copycat Tortilla soup… There is an old wives’ tale that spicy food induces labor. Well, in this case it proved to be true. Your Daddy and Mommy had indulged in some spicy tortilla soup for dinner on the evening of September 17th. After dinner and a few of their favorite TV shows, it was bedtime. Your Daddy easily fell asleep

Nugget's Birth - a Birt Story at MamaSpace Yoga

Nugget’s Birth

Dearest Carol, Thank you for your blessings and teachings! Our nugget arrived 2 weeks early. 2 days before labor baby was positioned transverse! :/ Dr wanted to manually reposition baby but baby had other plans. Everyone told me not to worry because we still have time. However, we learned later we really don’t.  Thanks to you I applied the cat/cow pose during my contractions. Baby’s head dropped to the correct

Sarah's Birth - a Birth Story at MamaSpace Yoga

Sarah’s Birth

Throughout pregnancy, I often thought that my baby would be born early. During one appointment with my midwives, I told them that I had a feeling that my baby would come early, and they responded that many of their clients “had a feeling” that their baby would come early. Some babies do, most don’t. Statistically, first babies are born after their due date. On the evening of August 27, 2018,

Thalia's Birth Story at MamaSpace Yoga

Thalia’s Birth Story

Oliver Milo Read born Oct 14th, 2.47. 6lbs 10 oz I was hoping for a natural childbirth and I wanted to carry my baby at least to term, hoping he’d come out on his own, despite my OB advising me to induce at 39 weeks. (due to my age, I’m 43!) However at a routine check up on Oct 10th (39 weeks and 3 days,) it was discovered that the