Deb Flashenberg on Becoming Alive: Being Seen, Heard, Understood & Supported During the Birthing Process
For all expectant women, for partners, friends, families and co-workers of expectant women, and for those who will be expecting in the future, you need to listen to Debra Flashenberg and Susan’s conversation on birthing. Debra founded and runs the Prenatal Yoga Center on the core belief that “we need to empower women to take an active role in their birth so they can emerge feeling heard, seen, understood and supported.” The common fears surrounding childbirth range from being out of control and vulnerable to - Is my baby going to be okay? Am I doing this birthing thing right? The antidote to allay the myriad fears surrounding childbirth is getting evidence based information from accredited hospitals and centers like Debra’s. With this information you now have a solid foundation and can begin to build the right team (your “birth posse”) for the birth you want - so when the time comes you can have a birth experience where you trust your own body and have confidence in your health care provider and birthing partners to give you the nurturing and support you need.
Meet This Episode's Guest
Deb Flashenberg
CD(DONA), LCCE, E-RYT 500, RPYT & Director of the Prenatal Yoga Center
Deb is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music with a degree in Musical Theater. She has spent most of her life performing and was introduced to yoga through a choreographer in 1997. After several years as a yoga student, she decided to continue her education and became certified as a Bikram Yoga instructor. In 2001 Deb headed out to Seattle to study with renowned prenatal yoga teacher Colette Crawford, R.N., at the Seattle Holistic Center. Deb has received certification for Vinyasa Yoga from Shiva Rea as well as completed the OM Yoga advanced teacher training with Cyndi Lee in 2004. Deb has also studied the Maternal Fitness Method with Julie Tupler. Deb currently studies with Cyndi Lee, Genevieve Kapular, and Carrie Owerko.
After being witness to several “typical” hospital births, Deb felt it was important to move beyond the yoga room and be present in the birthing room. In 2003, Debattended her first birth as a DONA certified labor support doula. In that short period of time, Deb has attended about 100 births. She is continuously in awe of the beauty and brilliance of birth.
In 2006, Deb received her certification as a Lamaze® Certified Childbirth Educator. In September of 2007, Deb completed a Midwife Assistant Program with Ina May Gaskin, Pamela Hunt and many of the other Farm Midwives at The Farm Midwifery Center in Tennessee.
Deb is a regular contributor to New York Family Magazine and Mommybites as Birth and Prenatal Yoga Expert and has been published in the book, Doulas (chapter 7!) Midwifery Today, Doula International, The Lamaze International Blog, Birthing With Confidence among many others. In April 2016, Deb had the honor of being a presenter at the Yoga Journal Live New York Conference.
Deb’s most recent undertaking is her podcast, Yoga| Birth | Babies. Deb has had the incredible pleasure speaking with and learning from some of the birth business’s most influential and respected speakers, Deborah Pascalli-Bonero, Dr Sarah Buckley and Farm Midwife, Deborah Flowers.
Drawing on her experience as a prenatal yoga teacher, labor support doula, childbirth educator and mother, Deb looks to establish a safe, effective and empowering class for pregnancy and beyond. Deb is the proud (and tired!) mother of her son Shay and daughter Sage.
