Monica is one of those doulas that instantly put new parents at ease. Her presence in and of itself is calming and reassuring. She knows a lot, especially when it comes to multiples! Learn why MDDS clients fall in love with Monica and who she is here!
What is the story of your path to becoming a doula?
My Doula “path” has been a rewarding and interesting one. I’m a mother of 11 year old twin girls that were born at 32 weeks gestation. Taking care of premature babies was definitely not part of our plan; it was the most exhausting and challenging time of our lives. We couldn’t understand why people have more kids! We were so tired! However, we started relying on family, and it was the best decision we could have ever made. We were lucky and my mother could help us out, but it’s certainly not the case for every family, especially those living away from relatives. This is the main reason why I decided to become a Postpartum and Infant Care Doula; I wanted to help parents in the same way I was helped when my daughters were born.
That passion and commitment to serve parents also led me to the path towards becoming a Labor Doula. Since the birth of my daughters, I’ve been drawn to women’s health from nutrition, to pelvic floor strengthening, and birth. Therefore, my decision to become a Labor Doula in order to help birthing parents from the very beginning of their journey up to their transition into parenthood, was a natural one.
Organized, Compassionate, Committed
Tell us about your family.
My family is formed by my incredible husband that has supported every crazy decision I’ve taken, and who I love dearly. My two beautiful 11 year old twin daughters, Hanna, who loves animals, parkour and horseback riding, and Alexa, a very skillful ice skater that loves baking and hanging out with friends. Also my lovely 5 year old maltese mix dogs, Sunny and Blake. 🙂
What do you love about being a doula?
What I love the most about being a doula is empowering my clients. I love letting my birth clients know that they have the power to choose their birth experience. Certainly their bodies and baby will have the last word at the very moment, but they have the freedom to visualize their ideal experience, and work for it. For my postpartum clients, I love giving them the power to embrace their own parenting wisdom which has been tainted with so much information in the media and books. Seeing my postpartum clients having an “aha” moment when they follow their own instincts, is my biggest reward.
If we turned on the radio in your car, what would we hear?
The music you’ll hear if you ride with me is mostly 90’s pop songs, covers; I love acoustic covers to sing while I’m driving. I also like today’s pop songs when I’m driving with my daughters, and electronic music, mostly house or chill out, for when I come back from work or in the summer.
What are some positive comments made by others about you?
The nicest comments I’ve gotten from my clients is that they are thankful for my attention to every detail. If they need a snack or lunch or water, I got them covered! My clients are often thankful for my compassionate care too. They feel very comfortable knowing that I don’t expect them to be perfect parents with a perfect house; that I’m not checking and judging every move they make. I’m there for them, to remind them that they just need to listen to their intuition, and when I’m there I have their backs.
What are your favorite resources for expecting parents/new families?
Some of the best resources for expecting parents and new families are lactation consultants and pelvic floor therapists. Every birthing parent should have prenatal and postnatal pelvic floor therapy sessions as part of their birth insurance plan.
What is your philosophy supporting birthing folk and their partners through labor?
I don’t have a particular philosophy for birth. I think every type of birth is special, whether it be medicated, unmedicated, c-section; particularly if birthing parents are choosing it.
What is your philosophy for parenting & supporting families through their transition?
I don’t have a particular parenting philosophy. I attune to what families need, depending on their routine and their own parenting philosophy. Every parenting philosophy out there has positive points that can be mixed and matched.
What’s your favorite show/movie, vacation, food, hobby?
My favorite hobby is yoga and pilates. I love walking around cute little downtowns and parks. My favorite food is Mexican, Lebanese and Japanese!
Give us your best piece of advice to expecting parents/new families?
My best piece of advice is and it always will be that no matter how many different, new and old, parenting ideologies there are out there, there is no need to fit into any one of those. Parents may take what works from one ideology and mix it with another one. Trends and tags are confusing parents instead of informing them. Read and inform yourselves, but in the end you know what works for your family and your routine, always listen to your intuition.
Seriously do not delay! Call us today to have a Monica on your birth team or baby team!