Category: Uncategorised

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Uncategorised

A New Year. A Proclamation of Purpose.

2019 – Our Word of the Year – PURPOSE. 

In just under four years Doula Canada has accomplished a number of its development and organizational goals.  Our team is proud of its full-spectrum training opportunities, but we are even more proud of the passionate membership we have grown and retained.

Doula Canada.  You are amazing!

Although our goal-setting and development strategies are not set in motion by the dawning of a new fiscal year, we can’t help but get a caught up in the motivational elation a New Year brings forward.

2019.  You are going to bring new adventures!

So, what is Doula Canada going to achieve in 2019? 

Well, time will tell! 

But we begin our the new year with the launch of our Finding Your Centre: The Intentional Doula workshop, and as such are determined to live and teach in the present moment.  At this exact moment I am enjoying writing this resolution blog and enjoying some fine sips of Costa Rican coffee!  That being said, 2019 does have its defined focus.

What is our Call to Action for the year ahead? 

To confer to the world our PURPOSE.

Purpose is defined as:

noun – the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

“the purpose of the meeting is to develop our national alongside doula program”

or

verb – have as one’s intention or objective.

“My purpose as a doula is to positively effect the well-being of our countries future generations.”

The word “purpose” was intentionally chosen as a natural progression of our 2018 pathway “connection.”  2018 was all about building community, making connections, and beginning collaborations.  You can read more about that here at our 2018 Reflection Blog.

2019 will nurture connections and further develop the infrastructure and the programs that will expand our purpose as Canadian doulas and childbirth educators.  It will also be the year that we take our message about infant and maternal well-being outside of our great nation to develop our international voice.

We are Doula CANADA, but we have dedicated members in numerous countries! 

We will be making the space to hold difficult but important conversations with those who are working towards related support goals, and with those who make decisions about recognizing and heralding the work of our modern day support professionals.  We will be asking for more.  We will be asking for admission and appreciation.  We will be sharing our purpose and developing new ways to facilitate the exchange of discourse we hope 2019 will manifest. 

Purpose.  We will not be defining it.  That has been done.  We will be proclaiming it!

With our proclamation that Doula Canada is the Canadian voice for doulas and childbirth educators we will also be launching new programs, welcoming new positions on our team, and assisting in the development of our members goals and aspirations.

Here are some of the new and exciting things launching in 2019:

We will be showcasing our purpose and experience in places and partners in:

  • Federal and provincial ministries related to our professional goals
  • Programs and partnerships related to maternal and infant mental health
  • Fundraising and grant designating bodies who can assist with our Doula Fund
  • Infant and pregnancy loss conferences and affiliated community partnerships
  • Tanzania volunteer program, and other volunteer programs abroad 
  • Costa Rica retreat and alongside doula opportunities (Fall/ Winter 2019)
  • North American conferences (i.e. Evidence Based Birth in Fall 2019)

We encourage our members to contact us with conference opportunities and community partnerships you feel Doula Canada should take part in.

Purpose.  2019 you now have your Call to Action.  May be you be filled with vision, may you be progressive, and may you be always filled with badassery! 

Love, light and gratitude for the adventures of 2019 ahead. 

~ Shaunacy, and the amazing Doula Canada team

Categories
balance birth Business gratitude Postpartum Doula Uncategorised

Gratitude for Doula Work with Guest Blogger The Maternal Sidekick

 

Hey there folks, introducing an entrepreneurial spirit, a wife, mother to three children under the age of 6, a postpartum doula, personal trainer and an advocate for pelvic floor health, Erika Matkovich.  This day, I sit here writing this article, I am grateful. Full of gratitude for my family, friends, and for what I have done with my doula business, The Maternal Sidekick.

The Maternal Sidekick is a service-based business focusing on the postpartum family, offering in-home care and personal training services with a focus on pelvic floor health education and awareness.  This area of postpartum wellness is a crucial aspect of recovery after childbirth, with significant impact on a birthing person’s quality of life, which is often not given adequate attention during the postpartum period. My goal with every client is that the family is provided with a more positive postpartum experience as well as realistic expectations of their evolving realities.  Increasing the quality of a new family’s life in this way is an essential part of facilitating their wellbeing and will also serve to enhance the knowledge and awareness of their peers surrounding the value of postpartum support!

Back Story

When we finish high school we are funneled into some sort of post-secondary program and with a hope and a prayer from those paying for our education, that program pays off.  Not me, I did the college route, and then spent years jumping job to job never feeling satisfied or fulfilled. It was starting to wear on me, a late 20-something year old with no true aspiration and about to start a family.  Was a stay at home mother my true calling? Don’t get me wrong, I love my little nuggets but still had that career passion void.

2013, the birth of my first daughter, no complications, and pretty uneventful keeping this little bean alive. As the months dragged on I sunk into a funk that felt like I was losing pieces of my old self and had an identity crisis 6 months postpartum. I didn’t have a large support system and was the first of my friends to have a baby so I felt isolated. I didn’t have the information that I was experiencing postpartum depression, and I was too afraid to ask for help, because I didn’t want others to think I wasn’t a good mother for feeling this way.   Google became my friend trying to find something to heal this crisis I was in.

I joined a local fitness club specializing in postnatal exercise.  Over the next four years, I witnessed the real struggles, lack of postnatal knowledge, and lack of support faced by new moms outside of this group. In 2016, I pursued a fitness instructor certification and starting teaching postnatal classes and fell head over heels in love.  My newfound awareness and passion for women’s postnatal health and wellness and my own struggles birthed the idea of The Maternal Sidekick.

Continue reading “Gratitude for Doula Work with Guest Blogger The Maternal Sidekick”
Categories
Mentorship Uncategorised

Looking to Learn? How Knowing Your Learning Style Can Help You Succeed!

Looking to learn!?
Have you been out of school for a bit?
Well good news!
Knowing your learning style can make things a whole lot easier.

I’ve been immersed in the birth world now for over 6 years now, as an Educator, Doula and Mentor.   I remember working towards my doula and my educator certification and found myself spending countless hours staring at a page of words and not retain a thing.   When I found myself in a classroom I would find I only retained a small percentage of what I was being taught.  I was frustrated.  Here I was, mid thirties…FINALLY knowing what I wanted to do with my life and I was terrified!  Scared of “class work,” worried about failing tests, and not feeling I would able to get the accreditation to further my career.

Before beginning my journey I had been a stay at home mom of three, running a day care and working part time at a restaurant.  I didn’t leave a book smart career to become a doula… I left “mom” mode, meal prep and nursery rhymes…my brain was on overdrive most days!   My own self doubt nearly prevented me from moving forward!

But I’m so glad I did move forward.  Eventually I learned to walk the walk and not just talk the talk!

My recipe for success was having the right support alongside me and taking the time to learn what my learning style was.

Take a look at the learning style graphic above…did any of them grab your attention? How do you find out which one you are? Here’s a good reference:

https://www.thoughtco.com/three-different-learning-styles-3212040

and a bit more about different types: https://www.udutu.com/blog/what-are-adult-learning-styles-and-how-do-they-affect-elearning/

Many of us are a combination.

Let me share some tidbits that worked for me, and can maybe help you on your learning journey as well:

  1. Change up your work space:  Maybe on one day you will work best outside, in the basement, at an office desk, or in a library.  Once I even worked in my trailer while camping!  Key points: recognize that you need to avoid interruptions and it may take awhile to get into your groove.
  2. Doodle and/or listen to instrumental music: I needed to keep my hands busy or stimulate another sense to help me retain info.  Sound familiar?
  3. On that same note: I needed to handwrite my study notes. I got in a bad habit of typing everything on my computer or iPhone – it just wasn’t the same! There may be a a huge mental disconnect when you do that.
  4. Move: Stretch, get fresh air, work at a standing desk, sit on an exercise ball.
  5. Dedicated time and accountability: If I didn’t get work done first thing in morning or late at night, it wasn’t happening – I’m a squirrel – everything in the middle distracted me (hence needing different work spaces from time to time).  Schedule your work as an appointment and stick to it!  Buddy up with someone – there were times I would completely and mentally shut down because I would second guess an answer or project.  I needed a few different people on standby to walk me through something or be my “butt kicker.”  We have lots of buddies at Doula Canada!

So, in my examples above, which learning styles did you connect with?  A little bit of all of them right?!

Take a moment and identify what works for you.  See what learning style you think you might be.  Look back at the times you needed to learn something – what worked, what didn’t?

When you are struggling, buddy up!
You are not alone and simple tweaks to your daily habits can break bad habits and keep you moving closer to your goals!  We are here to help!

Jump into our closed Doula Canada Facebook group or our Learning Centre forums and ask a question, send us an email, call us on our toll free number, and…

Stay tuned for more information on a mentorship opportunity with Doula Canada (details coming in October)!

About the author:

Helena McMann has been a Certified Doula and Educator for over 6 years.
She is currently an an Admin Support Person and Student Mentor for Doula Canada.
To date Helena has supported over 200 families through her work as a doula and educator.
We’re a big fan of Helena and all the wonderful things she does for our community!