Rachel Yellin’s Blog
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Media Interviews | Childbirth Resources | Childbirth Preparation

Questions to Ask your Care Provider
Questions to Ask your Care Provider What is your philosophy on natural birth? What do you think of women who want to give birth without any intervention? What can you do/recommend to help me have as low...

Group B Strep Prevention Protocol
Steps to avoid GBS before your baby's birth* Written by Claire Dawn, Herbalist, Photographer, and Infant Potty Training Coach Message from Claire: It's good to work towards avoiding group b strep (GBS) right from the...

10 Ways to Restore Yourself After Giving Birth
Most women will say that giving birth and recovering from birth is "No Joke." What they are really saying is something to the affect of "I had no idea what a huge transition this was going to be, and I wasn't prepared to take care of myself or be cared for in a way...

Interview with Suzanne Arms of Birthing the Future
Rachel Yellin interviews Suzanne Arms, Birth Activist and Author of Immaculate Deception, about how to create healthy children who feel safe in the world If you don't know Suzanne Arms, you need to know her! I caught up with her at her home in Colorado and we have fun...

Interview with Andrea Ferretti of the YogaLand Podcast
So fun! Lately I’ve been on a roll chatting with inspirational bloggers and podcasters, and my interview with the amazing Andrea Ferretti was another awesome experience. Andrea is the host of the YogaLand Podcast. She and her guests share uplifting yoga stories, have...

10 ways to reduce pain in labor without drugs
AKA “less ow and more WOW!” You’ve likely spent your entire life hearing the word pain associated with childbirth. Just the word PAIN in and of itself, is part of what causes birth to be more painful. I can tell you that birth does NOT have to be excruciatingly...

The Human Attachment Project
Suzanne Arms created a free series of 6 Master Classes called The Human Attachment Project and it broadly address the issue of attachment, stress, the special vulnerability of boys and men, babies and their development, the human brain, how our body speak (if we will...

Interview with Hello Healing
I had a delightful time chatting with Stacey Weinstein of Hello Healing on her video series Meet the Healers. Stacey and I first met in San Francisco when she was pregnant. In the video on your site you can hear us chat about how the birth experience can be approached...

Interview with Doula Classroom
I had such a great time talking with Liz who runs an amazing website The Doula Classroom. The Doula Classroom is a site dedicated to teaching the art and craft of birth doula work. In this interview, I talk about how I came to this work, how the mind-body work...

Use a balloon and ping pong ball to show how the cervix thins and dilates during labor
This is one of the best demonstrations of how the uterus works during labor to birth your baby. Mind you… consider the ping-pong ball is just representing the baby’s head!

Interview with Britt Fohrman
Britt Fohrman interviewed by Rachel Yellin, talking about Britt's upcoming Deepening Doula Circle: A Mentorship for Doulas Seeking Balance, Depth and Community. In this video, Britt and Rachel discuss the inspiration and intention for this program, which begins in...
Rachel Yellin Helps People To Access Their Innate Peace During Pregnancy – By S. Mathur
Rachel Yellin has a purpose in life, and that is to bring joy to people giving birth in the Bay Area. She does this through childbirth classes, depth hypnosis therapy sessions and an audio relaxation program, all of which help women to feel a calmer and more able to...

Change Your Food, Change Your Life
When I was a kid, there was a commercial with a man in a blue-sequence martian suit, walking up to a model spaceship. In a funny space-man voice, he said: “Hi. I’m Robolar. I’m from Mars. And I eat all kinds of candy bars. (He walks over to the spaceship, and opens...

Why Not Home?
“Why Not Home?” is an excellent documentary that features hospital medical providers (OBs, Labor & Delivery Nurses, General Practitioners) who chose to give birth at home. My intention in sharing this is to further validate people who want to give birth at home,...

An Overview of Birth Physiology
Michel Odent, MD, founded the Primal Health Research Centre in London and developed the maternity unit in Pithiviers, France, where birthing pools are used. He is the author of ten books published in twenty languages. Two of them—Birth Reborn and The Nature...
The Hormonal Blueprint of Labor
Giving birth in ecstasy: this is our birthright and our body's intent. Mother Nature, in her wisdom, prescribes birthing hormones that take us outside (ec) our usual state (stasis) so that we can be transformed on every level as we enter motherhood. This exquisite...

Holistic Stages of Labor
In every childbirth class that I teach, I search for the perfect way to help a woman and her partner understand what is actually happening in labor. I discuss the physical aspects of birthing. I attend to the emotional and psychological aspects of birthing. And I...

3D Animation of a Baby’s Birth
Check out this 90 second video to help you get a real visual of what's happening inside mama's body while she's birthing. Watch it over and over until you can see it happening in your own mind easily. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xath6kOf0NE This clip is similar...

Unbreaking Birth
In this 30 minute video, researcher, Ryan McAllister, PhD from Georgetown University, points to some of the ways that birth in hospitals is simply not working. He states clear evidence, statistics, and outcomes, and most importantly, points to what women actually need...

The importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy and postpartum
The importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy and postpartum seems fairly obvious, but I'm always amazed by the difference between what women KNOW to be healthy and what they ACTUALLY eat during pregnancy. Let's be logical for one minute... Your baby grows...

The Benefits of Having a Doula
Photo Credit Britt Fohrman Having been a doula (professional childbirth assistant) from 2002 - 2009, it seems so clear why having a doula with you before, during and after birth would not only be helpful, but necessary. I remember countless births where I knew in...
Practice for Birth
As women prepare for birth, they usually spend their time taking classes, reading books, watching videos and talking to other people about birth. While this can be helpful, another important, often neglected piece, is to PRACTICE for birth. With any important event in...

The Way Animals Do It
It used to be common for kids to find a litter of kittens somewhere, or to have a dog or other pet give birth. Some people grew up on farms and witnessed countless calves, foals and lambs come into the world. It is becoming less and less common to see animals giving...

The Amazing Breast Crawl! And another resource if you can’t breastfeed or need to supplement
Instinct tells us, along with oodles of evidence, that breastfeeding your baby is the way to go. But it's not just about getting the breast in the baby's mouth... it's about allowing the baby to initiate his/her own feeding. It's also about what's coming out of the...

Colonizing Your Baby’s Gut at Birth
The Human Microbiome: considerations for pregnancy, birth and early mothering. - Please click on the link and read the article. This is amazing and essential information about the benefits of your baby's gut being colonized at birth! After reading this, please make...

Creating a Conscious Birth Through Prenatal Yoga
Photo by Britt Fohrman When people ask me why they should take a prenatal class instead of a regular yoga class during pregnancy, my answer is layered and complex. Let's start with the basics: The physical benefits. Prenatal classes include poses that stretch areas of...

It’s time to stop dancing….
It's time we got the facts about cutting the foreskin off of baby boys. For a long time, I've danced around the topic, suggesting that circumcision is not in a baby's best interest. Well, this video is the proof. If you are considering circumcision, know someone who...

A Funny and Factual Video on Circumcision
The topic of circumcision often comes up during my birth classes, and I just encourage couples to think about and research if circumcision is best for their baby and family. I do also provide a handout from IntactAmerica.org. And then this video came my way. It made...
The business of being born and The Best Ecstatic Birth
Trailer Birth Video

To Kegel or Not to Kegel…
I'd love to address the confusion and concern about the safety and efficacy of "kegels" and pelvic floor exercise during pregnancy, so I am sharing the post below from Miracle Physical Therapy to explain how they practice and what the evidence says in terms of how to...
Acupressure to Support the Sensations of Birth
Debra Betts, expert acupuncturist, has created a pdf that outlines acupressure points that are easy to use, promote natural labor, and encourage partner participation. She also provides a quick guide summary sheet to using the points prior to a medical induction,...

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