An Interview with Pregnant Mom, Mary

I have to say, I was thrilled when I saw Mary walk into my Prenatal Yoga class a few months back. She was one of my students when she was pregnant with her daughter, 3 years ago. I am so honored that she sought out my classes for her current pregnancy.  ~Deena

Your Name: Mary

Partner’s Name: Jason

Estimated Due Date: 10/11/13

OB/Family Practice/Midwife: Midwife

Location: Birthcenter

1. What is your favorite thing about being pregnant?

When I found out I was pregnant, one of my first thoughts was, “Yes! Prenatal yoga!” I love having that time and space to focus on how my body is changing and to connect with the growing baby.

Also, I really love my pregnancy hair.

2. Tell us a bit about how you see your vision for your birth.

The birth of my first child, 3 years ago, was pretty amazing. I felt prepared going into it and empowered going through it. If there is one thing I would have done differently, it would have been to head home from the hospital earlier.

This time around, I’m hoping for the birth to be out of the hospital, at a birth center, with minimal intervention and emphasis on our whole family being able to bond with the new addition with minimal interruption.

3. What’s your top self-care tip to handle those no-so-fun moments of pregnancy?

I’m a believer in making time, to the point of scheduling it on the calendar, for self-care. Whatever self-care works for you, I think it’s incredibly important to get your partner on board to help make sure it happens. As I’ve gone through this pregnancy and recognized what I needed to stay healthy and sane, I have negotiated and renegotiated our family schedule to make room and get support from my partner. He ended up moving around his work schedule a bit to take care of our daughter while I attend prenatal yoga every week and he took off a few days so that I could attend a retreat – my solo “babymoon.”

For in-the-moment treatment of not-so-fun moments, I’ve found pranayama exercises and mantras (“I can do this.” “This too shall pass.”) to be helpful.

4. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

The ability to clone myself. And pregnancy hair all of the time.

5. Why did you choose Shining Light Prenatal Education for your classes?

I practiced prenatal yoga with Deena during my first pregnancy and it was the single most useful thing I did to prepare for my first natural childbirth. The combination of physical preparation, mental/emotional centering, and education was just right. I was so excited when Deena’s approach to birth preparation became Shining Light Prenatal Education.

This time around, the classes helped enormously with some aches and pains I developed during the first few years of motherhood and they have gone a long way to increase my toolbox of techniques to stay emotionally centered and mostly sane.

6. What’s the best part about coming to class here?

I always learn something new, I am nurtured by the camaraderie of the other women on their pregnancy journeys, and I leave feeling wonderful.

If you are pregnant or a new mom and  a current Shining Light student, we’d love to interview you too. Just contact us!