Cleveland Local Business Spotlight – Nova Doula

I feel like everything in my life came together to move me in the direction of being a doula. I was always interested in women’s health issues, and in 2011 I decided to pursue a Master of Public Health with an emphasis on women’s sexual and reproductive health at Oregon State University. During the second year of my program, I had to find an internship and I connected with the fledgling Heart of the Valley Birth Center in Corvallis, Oregon. As an intern, my role was to organize birth and postpartum doula trainings for Spanish speaking women in the community in order to help create more support resources for the many immigrant families living in the area. I speak Spanish after living in Costa Rica for 4 years and marrying a Costa Rican man, so I was able to participate in the trainings, too. The week before the postpartum doula training, I found out I was pregnant with our daughter. And so began my own journey into motherhood, which conveniently coincided with my journey as a doula.The birth of my daughter was incredible and empowering, but my experience as a new mom was challenging, even with having an amazing, dedicated support system. Breastfeeding was the hardest part, and I ended up with abscesses in both breasts that were infected with MRSA. I needed three incisions to drain the infection, and the healing process was long and difficult. I continued to breastfeed, however, and I still nurse my 21-month-old daughter, but I now have three scars to show for it.Throughout it all, I kept thinking about those parents without family around, and without the support resources that I had. Even with my parents, siblings, husband, and friends physically and emotionally supporting me during the fourth trimester, I still did not seek out the medical help I needed until it was too late. I know that if I had had a postpartum doula checking up on me, she would have strongly urged me to see a lactation specialist early, which may have changed my whole experience of breastfeeding for the better.My experience and the experiences of other mothers I know really pushed me to begin working as a postpartum doula and to start Nova Doula & Lactation Services in order to provide support to families during the critical postpartum period.

A nova is “Any of a class of stars whose luminosity temporarily increases by several thousand up to a million times normal… To observers, such objects may appear to be new stars; hence their name (Latin for ‘new’).”To me, this was a perfect metaphor for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and really any major life change. During periods of transformation, things are more intense and raw and new. Human beings need support during transitions, and a doula is the perfect person to provide unconditional, nonjudgmental help.

I remember when I was pregnant I read a message from a mom on a Babycenter message board that basically said, “I don’t get why moms complain about needing help with a new baby. I mean, I didn’t have help and we all survived.”I immediately was taken aback. Should the postpartum period, that precious time with a new baby, be all about survival? In the vast majority of cultures throughout the world, there is a built-in source of support for mothers and newborns, but for some reason in the United States there is often more emphasis on supporting the pregnant woman then there is on helping a mother with a newborn.The fourth trimester is an important time for bonding between mother and baby, and quality time spent together during early months helps lay the foundation for the future mother-child relationship. All mothers should have help so that they and their baby can thrive, not just survive, during those first few months and beyond.

I started The 52 Weeks of Motherhood Project, which highlights the diverse experiences of pregnant and parenting people by featuring a new story each week of the year, corresponding to the week of pregnancy or postpartum. This week is week 13, which means we’re about to begin our second trimester 🙂
Check out my website to read the stories and to contribute YOUR story.

My dream is that all new parents are able to enjoy their newborn and feel peace knowing that they have support resources available whenever they need them. I am so lucky to be part of an amazing community of birth workers and breastfeeding support providers here in Cleveland. I hope to continue to collaborate with them to expand and improve the resources provided to all pregnant and parenting people in Northeast Ohio. Next year I plan to sit for the International Board Certified Lactation Consultant exam, which will allow me to reach more mothers and expand my scope of practice. I also am currently working on developing classes and retreats for pregnant and new mothers, which I’m excited to launch over the next few months. Stay tuned!

I heart Lake Erie, spring weather, kiteboarding, and visiting my family in Costa Rica whenever I get a chance. And of course my amazing husband and strong little girl