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! Anxious about packing for the hospital? Grab the FREE Hospital Bag Checklist created by a practicing L&D nurse and feel 10000% certain you’ve got everything you need on the big day! Have an even better birth! CLICK HERE to learn more about our online birth classes that will help you feel prepared and in control - no matter how you deliver. And be sure to follow @mommy.labornurse on Instagram to join our community of over half a million for education, tips, and solidarity on all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum! 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.