'Nurturing the Nurturer'

​Saturday 1:30pm

Being a doula is so much more than being at a birth and supporting a woman through her labour. We invest so much into our clients on all levels – mentally, physically, emotionally, energetically, and spiritually.
A doula is a nurturer and while you are mothering the mother and her partner through the ebbs and flows of their journey, what are you doing to nurture the nurturer – when you too experience ebbs and flows as a doula and as an individual?
We too can get caught up in the stress experienced by our clients in the maternity system, and all the challenges, the negativity, the unexpected deviations, unplanned interventions and the unknown.
On top of that, not only are we doulas, but we also have other hats and responsibilities.
It is time for you to go back to basics for your own wellbeing.
This workshop will remind you to focus on your self-nurturing and boundaries.
My philosophy is the 4 R’s.
Find something that can help you RELAX if you feel stressed, frustrated, or anxious, so that you REFRESH all the cells of the body with positive energy, and that will REJUVENATE all your senses so that you can fully RESTORE yourself to wellness, clarity, and confidence.
Relax, Refresh, Rejuvenate and Restore.
There are so many that think you have to spend money on massages, retreats, counselling, and other therapies to relieve stress, negative thoughts, feelings, or lack of motivation or even burnout, and the common response I hear is “I don’t have the money to do that” so we are going to have a brain storming session of tools and techniques that you can adopt to promote health and wellness and manage stress levels THAT ARE FREE.
Your homework will be to create your own Wellness Board (either a poster or digital) that will remind you of your commitment to nurture and care for you, so that you are feeling happy, calm, motivated, strong, and confident to work effectively with your clients.
As a side note I will mention in the workshop that those who submit a photo or digital copy of their Wellness Board to Doula Training Academy will go into the draw to win a beautiful colourful copy of You Can Heal Your Life book by Louise L Hay.

Vicki Hobbs

Multi-award-winning practitioner Vicki Hobbs started her business in 2004 and has been working with pregnant women and complementary therapies since that time. She is one in a long line of wise and experienced Maga’s who bring calm and clarity to the birth space, so women feel safe, supported, and listened to. She is well known for sharing her commitment in educating and advocating for women and their rights and choices in pregnancy, birth and during the postpartum period.
She offers an extensive range of services including Back to Basics Birthing Childbirth Educator, Hypnobirthing Australia™ practitioner, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Remedial Massage Therapist specialising in Pregnancy Massage and Placenta Encapsulator along with many other services to focus on women’s mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. She is well known for sharing her commitment in educating and advocating for women and their rights and choices in pregnancy, birth and during the postpartum period.
She is also the founder and one of the trainers at the Doula Training Academy, providing comprehensive doula training focussing on collaboration, not competition while embracing the collective knowledge gained from evidence-based training, tradition and experience that is passed down to women from generation to generation. She is dedicated to training and encouraging women who want to become a part of the growing doula industry and provide them an ongoing learning hub and village of support.
“My Vision is to provide a safe, community focused learning hub to those who wish to become a doula and have continuity of care around their learning, their experiences and also the challenges that are faced while working as a doula. I have spent many years advocating for women to have a positive birth experience, but now I also want to offer my knowledge and experience to doulas who also want to have positive experiences in the role they have chosen and to feel at ease being a part of the sisterhood of doulas."

Sponsored by:

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Catherine Bell is the author of The Birth Map: boldly going where no birth plan has gone before, creator of The Game of Birth and inventor of Birth Cartography®. Her website, birthmap.life, serves as a hub of research, support and opportunity with free Member Access to digital versions of The Game of Birth and The Birth Map. The book is available in print and as a download, along with a tabletop version of the game. Birth Cartographer Training is provided to birth workers online, in person and via zoom. Catherine's concept is currently being evaluated as part of her PhD.

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~~ Ebb & Flow ~~
Doula work in the tides of birth ​