About Paola, Your Doula
I like to see myself as a humble and down-to-earth Doula and birth-keeper who thrives on simplicity and sincerity. I have profound trust in womens physiology and her own innate power to birth her baby. I take pride in serving women and their families with modesty, humility, and gentleness.
I exude a vibrant and dynamic presence that brightens any room. My personality is marked by an infectious enthusiasm for life, and my interactions are often characterised by warmth, charm, and a natural ability to connect with others. I am an earthy and hearty woman, and my spirit is a tapestry woven with threads of energy, positivity, and genuine joy. I thrive on connections and relationships, finding it easy to strike up conversations and form bonds with people from all walks of life. Whether it’s a heartfelt chat with a friend or a chance encounter with a stranger, I cherish the connections that enrich my journey. Empathy and compassion define my interactions. I’m attuned to the emotions of those around me, offering a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on. My ability to bring comfort and light to others is a gift that I cherish and share freely. Above all, my sanguine nature is a celebration of life. I savor experiences, create lasting memories, and inspire those around me to embrace the beauty and wonder that exist in each passing moment. I am a sanguine woman, and my spirit dances with the rhythm of life itself.”
I had the privilege of experiencing two un-medicated vaginal births. My first was a beautiful waterbirth with my son at a birth centre in South Africa. My second birth was a wonderful hospital birth experience with my daughter, here in the Redlands, Australia.
After my youngest was born in 2018, I decided to walk away from my high-level environmental career and be present for my children and honour my parenting privilege. After carrying a science degree in human physiology and a master’s in public health, I decided to transition to a more rewarding passion of mine, whilst still making use of the wide scope of knowledge I have, in a different space. I have always been profoundly fascinated by the power of a woman during pregnancy, labour and birth and have always been drawn to serving these women. I truly feel my vocation in life is to enjoy the fulfilment of adding value to peoples’ lives by sharing my knowledge, skill and passion and changing the birth and postpartum space for the better, one family at a time.
When I look back at my own births and postpartum experience, the one thing I would have loved would have been to engage with a doula. I feel like I needed someone who trusted birth in the same way I did, there to guide me through the process, pre-, during and post-birth, as well as what the medical system would be throwing at me. Along with helping to record and capture the priceless moments of each of my unique birth experiences to be able to look back on and remember what my body accomplished and the beautiful moments when we met our children for the first time.
Having a postpartum Doula, especially after birthing as a new immigrant arriving in Australia would have given me the guidance, support and courage to be more confident in my decisions and help settle some concerns and insecurities. Every mother needs and deserves the non-medical support, love and guidance of a Doula, in order to honour her healing and have guidance for her, her baby, and the overall transition for the whole family. I suffered severe postpartum anxiety and depression, and feel if I had the support of a Doula, this would definitely not have been the case. Throughout both of my pregnancies, I was surrounded by birth stories filled with fear, intervention, traumatic outcomes and postpartum anxiety. None of this aligned with me and it really distracted me from what I knew or wanted, as I trust and believe our bodies are amazing, capable, strong, powerful and hold an ancient memory of what birth should be.
Women are physiologically built for pregnancy, labour and birth. What gets in the way of this happening organically, is losing trust in ourselves and our bodies by allowing fear, doubt and mis-information to get the better of us. By doing the research myself, and getting to know my body and baby better, I felt that I had to share this with other women, and educate, acknowledge, guide, love and empower them to have the birth experience they desire and deserve.
A Birth Keeper is someone who holds space for women to find the fullness of their power, to learn to truly trust, connect and listen to their bodies and to give birth in a way that makes you feel seen, heard, safe and respected. We respect and understand birth. We don’t empower women, we help them embrace the power within. Birth keepers encourage women to take control of their birth by knowing their rights and becoming educated about the birth process so they are empowered to make choices that are best for their families. Birth keepers support you in whatever capacity you need to achieve the birth experience you desire.
Doulas are strictly focussed on the mother, but also provide support to her partner and family.
“MY DREAM IS THAT EVERY WOMAN, EVERYWHERE, WILL KNOW THE JOY OF A TRULY SAFE, COMFORTABLE, AND SATISFYING BIRTHING FOR HERSELF AND HER BABY.
MARIE MONGAN
Why I became a doula?
As someone who grew up in an all-female family, supporting women has always been important to me. In 2007, when my gran passed away, I was there in her last moments of life and without realizing, I was in fact her death Doula, I just took on that role so easily.
When it came to pregnancy, birth and babies, I was always keenly fascinated by how amazing the female body is. I assisted family members in their birth experiences from a very young age. I have always found joy and fulfilment in “serving” women. I felt drawn towards wanting to know everything they were experiencing, and I wanted to be part of each step of their journeys. This desire has drawn me into finally honouring my vocation to becoming a doula.
In 2022 I became a certified birth and postpartum doula through The Australian Doula College. The ADC is Australia’s premier Doula training organisation. They have given me the foundation and re-affirmed my passion to do work that transpires into education, support and continuity of care for individuals and families through any one of life’s many transitions. My passion and focus at this stage of my Doula career is Birth and Postpartum work in the form of sharing my knowledge and educating women on what to expect from their bodies and their babies during pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond. I believe that the first and last breath are the biggest life transitions you make and that you and those around you deserve to understand your choices and feel supported, ensuring you and your family have the best experience possible.
I believe empowering women with this knowledge leads to better outcomes and the overall experience of Matrescence “becoming a mother”, as it eases her fears and worries and replaces them with reassurance, peace and trust in her body and ability to birth her baby with the strength and power she naturally has ingrained in her incredible body. This will assist in avoiding unnecessary interventions which lead to negative or even worse, traumatic birth experiences.
With personal experience of having my family overseas and no local family nearby, I am the very example of why I think every woman should have love, guidance and information during pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum support and care after giving birth whether vaginally and especially if you’ve had a caesarean.
Outside of doula work, you might see me baking, running, or exploring the outdoors with my family.
I am a true believer that “when you change the way you think about birth, the way you birth will change’ ~ Marie Mongan
Yours with love and care
Paola, your Doula
A doula does not replace anyone at the birth. She enhances the whole experience, holding the space with love and compassion.