On this episode of The Mommy Labor Nurse Podcast, Mae Yoshikawa joined me all the way from Japan to share her 2 epidural-free birth stories.
Her first was born in a birth center in South Japan, and was rather traumatic. Mae dealt with a long, intense labor with a significant amount of pain throughout. Eight years later, she used the wisdom that she’s learned from years of intense practice as a yoga and meditation teacher and applied it to her birth. She was able to have an all natural and almost pain-free water birth at her home with her husband and midwife by her side.
Mae’s story is a powerful reminder of the impact that your mindset can have on your birth experience. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did recording it!
A peek at the questions we cover:
- How did you find your way to yoga and meditation?
- Can you tell me about your first birth experience? How did that birth change your approach for your second birth?
- How did you achieve a pain-free birth by altering your mindset?
- How do fear, pain, and trust play a role in the birth experience?
- What are some pain management techniques you used to achieve a pain-free birth?
- How did Mae cope with grief and loss so shortly after giving birth?
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About Mae Yoshikawa
Mae is an author, yoga & meditation practitioner, teacher, and mother. In 2006, she became the first Japanese woman to be authorized by the founding school of Ashtanga Yoga in India. Since then, Mae has been a trailblazing force in the wellness field throughout the Asia-Pacific region as Japanese Yogini magazine featured her on 42 consecutive covers.
As the face of Adidas yoga, Mae was awarded the “Yoga People’s Award” in 2016 for her remarkable social impact in the wellness field. Her upcoming book, Kizuki: Life’s Tidal Waves + Epiphanies = Love Beyond Time and Death is a heart-wrenching and heart-arousing memoir that chronicles her experience of finding herself again through grief after the sudden loss of her husband in 2018.
Learn more about Mae and her upcoming book Kizuki at her Flagship Website or on Instagram.
