Episode description

Michelle Papa has been practicing yoga since 2004, she is a yoga teacher and birth educator. She has a ten year old daughter, Cassie. Michelle and her family reside in Sydney Australia.

Michelle has completed a Diploma of Childbirth Education and is the Co-Founder of Mindful Birth, a Pregnancy and Post natal yoga teacher training course, which aims to empower women and families as they navigate life from pregnancy, birthing and parenting.

In this episode Michelle shares her journey with fertility, it took some time for her to become pregnant. She discovered she had endometriosis, however despite considering IVF, she became pregnant without medical assistance.

During her pregnancy, Michelle educated herself on birth, and had a doula to support her for her birth. Michelle’s labour spanned three days, and meconium was found present when her water was broken. She was transferred from the birthing centre to the hospital, and although she had been experiencing strong contractions, her labour stalled. Despite her best intentions and birth preparation, Michelle had a caesarian birth.

Michelle shares how the experiences have provided richness in her teachings of prenatal and post natal yoga, and birth education.

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