Parenting Collective

Newborn Mothers Need a Village: Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum Support

• Donna Moala

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Pregnancy, birth and postpartum can be some of the most transformative and vulnerable seasons of a mother’s life. But no mother was ever meant to do it all alone.

In this episode of the Parenting Collective Podcast, host Donna Moala sits down with Deyana Salib, Midwife, Owner & Director of Pregnancy Practice Perth, for a heartfelt conversation about why mothers need a village before, during and after birth.

Deyana shares her journey as a midwife and the inspiration behind Pregnancy Practice Perth , a community-focused model designed to support women from early pregnancy through birth and into postpartum.

Together, Donna and Deyana talk about:
• Why pregnancy support needs to begin from the moment you find out you’re pregnant
• The importance of continuous midwife-led care throughout pregnancy and birth
• Why postpartum support is just as important as pregnancy and birth preparation
• The mental load, anxiety and loneliness many new mothers experience
• Why mothers need practical help, emotional support and sometimes simply someone to give them a hug
• The importance of building a genuine “village” around mothers
• Birth support, breastfeeding, newborn sleep and the professionals who can help
• Supporting mothers who have experienced miscarriage, infertility or difficult births
• The impact of isolation and the growing need for connection in modern motherhood
• Deyana’s charity I’m With You, supporting vulnerable pregnant and postpartum women
• The role of spirituality, faith, hope and surrendering fear during motherhood

One of the biggest messages from this conversation is simple: you are not failing, you are not meant to do this alone.

Whether you are pregnant, preparing for birth, navigating those early newborn weeks, or supporting a new mum in your life, this episode is a reminder that mothers deserve to be cared for too.

If this episode resonates with you, subscribe to The Parenting Collective Podcast, share it with a mum who needs to hear it, and let us know in the comments: Who is in your village?

Follow Deyana Salib:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deyana-salib-b0a4ab24a/
Website: https://pregnancypracticeperth.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560860396055
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pregnancypracticeperth/

Book your FREE 15 minute consultation: https://pregnancypracticeperth.com.au/book-your-free-15-minute-consultation-below/

I would appreciate it greatly if you could please LIKE and FOLLOW this podcast and if you are not following me over on instagram, head over there for all of my top tips and advice around sleep and parenting @parentingcollective.au.  I also offer a free 15 minute phone chat to run through all your questions CLICK here to book your FREE 15 minute chat

Much Love 💞

Donna Moala 
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SPEAKER_03

Hello, hello, and welcome to this week's episode. This week I'm joined by someone who's not just a guest, who's a very good friend of mine, Dee, located here in Perth. We went to some beautiful studios here. And Dee's the founder of the Pregnancy Practice Perth. It's a beautiful women-centered practice that's led by endorsed midwives, lactation consultants, counsellors, obstetricians, women's health physios, pediatricians, a sleep consultant now. Basically, it's a team that you have a private experience, but it is Medicare rebate, it is you can go to a public hospital, but really you have a whole team that's an advocate for you. For the moment that you pee on the stick right through to you know pregnancy, birth, and beyond. And I am thrilled to be their new in-house sleep consultant. And the team there is just so beautiful. Really, it's really hard to encapture everything that Dee does. She is really an incredible woman, helping so many new mums out there. So we talked about so much about what is missing and what mothers really need in these first weeks of like when they find out they're pregnant, through the pregnancy, the birth, and after, and just really having a beautiful community to rest on. So we've had a wonderful conversation, and I can't wait for you to hear it, and I'd love to hear your feedback. And I can't wait for you to meet Dee. Today I'm joined with the beautiful Dee, a special friend to me. Um Dee, I met, I don't know many how many years ago it was when you were a bundle and me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And you were searching for a sleep specialist to come and do a group session, and lots of people inquired, and I was very grateful and blessed that you chose me. Yeah. And all of those years ago, and we followed each other having children and all of the developments in our businesses. But you're here today as a friend, but mostly, well, mostly a friend. But you are the founder of Pregnancy Practice here in Perth. And like I said, we met years ago in a professional setting, but where our friendship is growing. But I love the passion that you've always had around supporting mums, always, you know, right back then when you had a little bundle and me and all the amazing things you were doing there. So I really wanted to talk about from your mouth, about your team and what you've created there at pregnancy practice. Supporting parents, supporting parents that are expecting newborns, so pre- and post-pregnancy, and yeah, just really from your own words, how it was created, why it was created, and what it's all about here in Perth.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you for having me, Donna. I'd love to share our journey with pregnancy practice and what it means to the community. In terms of where we started, we I've been in business for many years now, from Bundle Lamin, our pregnancy practice, and it's just a passion of ours to support pregnant women from the moment they uh weigh on a stick. Yeah. I found I used to be in a big tertiary hospital for 10 years. And as a midwife. As a midwife, and did all labour, pregnancy, and I just felt a desire to do more in the community. It just happened out of nowhere. It was a hard journey to start things and set up from the beginning. Business, totally. And a mum? Exactly. And what I found the gap in the community was pregnant women didn't know where to go to as soon as they found out they're pregnant, and they're not getting long enough care, sometimes with their GP, their quick appointments. I found that we needed to support them from the moment they wear on a stick, find out they're pregnant, and be with them the whole journey until birth and beyond. So beyond, beyond for any things to happen. It's exciting. Absolutely. And that's when we started implementing other services like yours with sleep. Because once you have your baby, what about the postpartum journey? That's a huge journey.

SPEAKER_03

One of the biggest, isn't it? It is. You get so consumed about pregnancy and the obstetrician. I've tried to reach out to obstetricians before about sleep, and they're all being lovely, but they're like, everyone's too stressed about giving birth and having a baby. They don't think about that. But the post, there is so much going on, isn't there? Like our bodies, our mental health, uh sleep.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Change in identity in your role. Most of us all work now.

SPEAKER_03

Totally.

SPEAKER_00

Now to stop working and now to care for a baby. And it's a big change. Yeah. And that's important, getting that postpartum support. So with our services, you can see us as many times postnatally, and it's covered by Medicare.

SPEAKER_03

So let's let's go through that a little bit, um, the the nuts and bolts of it. So the way that I uh explain it to people, because I tell everyone about you guys, um and of course we've got something very exciting in the future for myself to be um an in-house sleep specialist for newborn families. I'm so excited. So we'll start with group sessions. We don't know where that'll go, but it's super important. But what I sort of explain to people, and I could be wrong here, um, is that it's like a private experience with lots of love and support, but Medicare rebate. Huge Medicare rebate. So yeah. So tell me all about that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so when pregnant women see us, it's um a very affordable fee, and Medicare pays um say 75 back into their account. And what the best part is we have an on-call midwife, mostly myself or another midwife, where we're available Monday to Friday. So if a woman's worried about her pregnancy, she can call us rather than Googling. And it's covered by Medicare. Wow. So literally any questions they have or worries, they call us. Oh my gosh. They're crazy. Yeah, they're feeling nauseated, they want um a script for medication, they want their bloods done, we just sort it through the phone and then we see them once a month. It's uh very simple but niche, a beautiful journey. So women get that care right from the beginning.

SPEAKER_03

Full support. And like we're talking about, we talk about this a lot because for me, I'm in the sleep space, I'm in the parenting space, but I love newborn families. But um the worry, the worry and the mental health load, and or saying I'm going to visit a beautiful mum who I've been working with for a month, and she did really well, and she's doing really well, but her husband's a FIFO, so he's he just left. She's got no friends and family here in Perth, and I'm going there after. And not that this is you know an egotistical thing that I'm saying this, but I'm not charging. Yeah. But women need a hug. Women need someone to take the load off of it, and they're just they're really trying to do the best they can. But your what you have created is incredible, is that on steroid. Like that is like heaven on earth.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Can't even imagine it. Heaven on earth, heaven on earth. That's truly the plan. It truly is. To give women what they deserve now.

SPEAKER_03

They so deserved. That's what I say to them all the time. I was saying to this beautiful mum yesterday, it's not you're not failing. No. Yeah. You're not failing. Oh my gosh, this is so tough. You're by yourself. They're not hearing that. And then they feel like they're failing. And then, oh, it's just this ongoing cycle. But having support um at pregnancy practice is um incredible because tell me about the um different professions that you've got there for people.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, good question. So we have the midwives, we got a beautiful obstetrician, Dr. Stazz, and he goes through all our patients and any concerns they may have, he's available for them. Um we have um uh counselor, uh wellness, uh well, she does a well-being clinic for us and just manages women and if they need any support for mental health.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, mental health, life support too. Not life support. Well, that sounds really awful, but like coaching, like life coaching, I suppose. But more than that, but yeah.

SPEAKER_00

After birth, she's there. And she works on Fridays or anything in between, she's available also.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um then we've got you, lovely Donna, who does the sleep side. And this is a very exciting part where we're introducing where women will continue receiving care through us and support for um six weeks time on post and beyond. Whenever they need. Yeah, especially for sleep. There's so much uncertainty with sleep, there's so much information out there. Who do you trust? Oh my gosh. Who do you go to? And to be able to provide that service in pregnancy and prepare them will be huge. Totally.

SPEAKER_03

And that's what I was saying before. And I I just mentioned about ha giving preparing them before. So for me, 21 years ago, having undiagnosed anxiety, highly functioning, didn't know I had that. I I didn't realise my obsession with sleep was because I wanted to sleep well when the baby came. Wow. So I had a book. Uh can't even what it was called now, uh, Babywise, I think it was called. Yeah. Um, but you know what? It it really reduced my anxiety. And I didn't know that that's what anxiety was, but my big worries that I'd never talked about. And I just had a little bit of an idea of like wake times.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Healthy and we can feed, you can hold them to sleep. It's okay. This is normal. You know, and that really allowed me to be um very relaxed as a newborn mum. And that's what I want to uh, it's not a set routine that you've got to do. It's none, there's no rod for back. Absolutely not. Yeah, it is guidance, it's love, it's support, it's biological requirements, you know. And that's why obviously we've connected and it's gonna work so beautifully, and I'm so excited. Um, you've got lactation consultants too?

SPEAKER_00

Got lactation consultants for any breastfeeding issues. We also um have a photographer for newborn photo shoots you have to for maternity. Um the it's yeah, it's great. And we're also getting um classes in for group classes in pregnancy with um a specialist in um sports and exercise. Oh fantastic. Yeah, everything.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. Anything that we need as mothers and you know, and having that village. That's important. And and some people um are are are blessed and have that village, but what I'm finding working with so many families these days, people just can't because everyone has to work. Yeah, two parents have to work, cost of living is crazy. Um everyone's feeling so guilty and overwhelmed and don't have their village. Yeah, you know, they might have people around them, but not that cooking for you, hanging out, village. Everyone's so busy. Or just a break sometimes.

SPEAKER_00

A break from baby, going, going to the gym, going for, you know, doing it.

SPEAKER_03

So again, getting back to this beautiful mum that I'm going down to, I said, you know, this is why I'm going down, because I spoke to her yesterday and she's crying, and I'm like, I just want to fly down there, like click my fingers. Um I said, have you got friends? Have you got family? No, not nothing, because uh they're not from here, and um husbands um not from here either. And m th her mother lives in the country. Wow. So she's really alone, you know, and um she said then she got her mum to come up and it just didn't work either. So, you know, it's just like oh, everyone's you know, really struggling, and they just need a break. Yeah, a sleep and a break. Yeah, absolutely. Lots of exciting things ahead. But yes, being pregnant pre-pregnancy, being pregnant and post is what you've created. And you do have three practices in Perth. Absolutely, which is Dun Craig, Sterling, and Alan Brook. Correct. And I'm sure we expanded. And many more, yeah. You'll be expanding more because what you're doing's so beautiful. And I have met your team. I've had a they're all just as lovely and beautiful and really love what they do. And people just need to be loved, don't they? And the whole thing of it is is like it's got lost in time. The importance of the woman, yeah, uh meaning they need to rest, they need to be looked after. They've grown a baby majority, but been grown and um recovering, you know. Absolutely. Um and just having that extra support. The other thing that we um I didn't know about, but we I was telling you my story about visiting this beautiful mum. And you have also a charity that's called I Am With You. Correct. Oh my goodness. So, wow, it's a charity, but can you please describe what this charity is that is obviously um within pregnancy practice? Yeah. But it's a charity, I'm with you. Please tell me what that provides.

SPEAKER_00

So um, yeah, this charity is amazing. We've just started it and it's to support pregnant women that are vulnerable in the community, mental health. Yeah. If they um you know, anyone we've had women who are pregnant and living on the streets. Oh gosh. So nowhere to stay and worried there's someone's gonna the DCP are gonna take their baby. So these are the women we're here to help and um support.

SPEAKER_03

So like all that stuff that you've talked about in sort of like a safe environment being not on the streets. For an example like that, how do you help someone like that? Like obviously they can speak to you, but as a beautiful person that you are and um wanting to help people, how would you help someone like that?

SPEAKER_00

Letting them know basically that there's hope and they have a future. Yeah. And just speaking life into them. Okay, great. Because it's rare these days that they get noticed. Yeah. Totally. She's been homeless. They um they're not meant to be there. No. She has a purpose. Yeah. I believe God has a plan for her in terms of.

SPEAKER_02

Totally.

SPEAKER_00

Supporting her also in services, making sure her baby and herself are looked after.

SPEAKER_03

To guide and support. So someone who feel would feel very lonely, like my gosh, and they find you amazing. And um you can be that person to listen, but you have the direct them to the services as well.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. And even we got a great team on I'm with you charity. We had recently uh a 19-year-old who had her baby and she had nothing. Wow. And everyone in the community all contributed and did we did a baby shower for her. Oh my god. Yeah, and she received all these amazing gifts before her baby was born. That's so amazing, Dee. Yeah. It was really nice to see the amount of gifts and blessings she received. That is so amazing. That she's not alone. She's her baby's well looked after, and so is she.

SPEAKER_03

The things that you are being able to do is amazing. And you're a mother of four. Yeah. Five. I was gonna say five. I think you want more children's wife or five. Maybe there's a little angel around here somewhere, still gonna be five, because popping in another baby in there you probably want to do. Because you are you're amazing. You are really quite incredible. Not at all. No, amazing. So I am with you, which we'll talk about a little bit more as well. Um I think obviously working within um pregnancy practice will be amazing. So I also have my platform that I'll try and spread the word as much as I can. Absolutely. Um so really getting back to then um you've got so many amazing um uh professionals there. If someone has here's this, or again, um they're they're pregnant or wing on the stick, walk walk me through what would happen. So they contact you, I'm pregnant, walk me through what would happen from then to actually giving birth.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, beautiful. Um so we would we would uh congratulate them. Yes, and because it's such an amazing time. You never get it's just so special. The moment you find out you're pregnant. Oh my gosh, nothing compared to it. Everything changes. Nothing compares. Nothing compares. It's such a beautiful moment. And it is what a privilege for us to receive that and be on the other end waiting for that call.

SPEAKER_02

Amazing.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so we will go through their history with them, their if they've got allergies, any any concerns. We'll send them a form to confirm their pregnancy, a blood form, do all their major bloods, and book them in for a follow-up phone call to go through the blood test with them. And we'll start seeing them in clinic, check up on them on baby and check up on mum and go through all the education side. Right. And that's within wives when they come to visiting. Yeah, and if there's any concerns, Stas will call them and yeah, we'll go through their whole journey with them. And from 30 weeks, 28 weeks, we share care with the hospital. And then postnatally we receive them back. We're also doing a service um to be there in labour with them.

SPEAKER_03

That's what that's what I I'd like to um what happens with that? So you're there all the way, but s within regards to the birth, like and they obviously choose a public hospital that they're close to.

SPEAKER_00

Public or private topics. Oh, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_03

And so then yeah, uh going into that journey, yeah. Does someone uh midwife go with them there or um yeah, um advocate? Like what happens with that?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, so we'll support them because we've been through their whole journey with pregnancy, whatever hospital they decide will be there, um will be there, but not as their primary, depending on the hospital. Yeah, okay. Because some women choose private or you know, and we don't have admitting rights in every hospital, only one. Okay.

SPEAKER_03

And then what happens with that then? So say they don't have a private obstetrician and they have gone through the journey with you, they go to hospital, you're not going to the hospital with them though. We go with them. Oh, you go with them.

SPEAKER_00

We get we help them on their in the labour and be there at their birth. Oh, fantastic. Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. So it's really exciting. It's just started and it's been we've had some women were comfortable birthing by themselves in the hospital, but they wanted us to come to their house before in early labour because they didn't know when to go to hospital. Wow. It took the load off the husbands or partners. That's amazing. Yeah, because they'd like, well, when do we go? When do we call? How many contractions we go there in early labour? In their pocket. Yeah. Like for any concerns.

SPEAKER_03

And then in regards to obstetricians and stuff like that, you said you had the one obstetrician. Yeah. Um he or she. He. He. Yeah. G they're giving birth all the time, or does it? They deliver at Jindalop hospital. Right. Yeah. So then, say for example, um a mum has gone through that whole process, go to Jindal up. Uh if he's there, um he'll deliver. Yeah. But there'll be a nurse one of you guys, sorry, one of the midwives, and possibly another obstetrician, though, if it's through uh public. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

So women can choose to have us anywhere they want. That's amazing. Any hospital.

SPEAKER_03

Oh. Yeah. Like having your bestie there. Yeah. It actually knows what's going on.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly. Especially because they've been there the whole journey with them in pregnancy.

SPEAKER_03

And a community.

SPEAKER_00

It will help empower women and encourage women and give them the confidence to birth.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

When they have the right support and people around them.

SPEAKER_03

Because we just don't. Like I just think back when I had our girls and um I went to a very well-known, expensive older man, and I liked him. Yeah. Like he was nice enough, but on reflection, what? And then so Eloise had to be um Caesarean because she was Frank Breach, so really stuck, and that was okay, but wasn't happy about that, but that's fine. I definitely wanted a V-back for the next Molly.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And um which turned out to be fine. But the midwife did everything. He came in right at the end, which I wouldn't have minded if he had said it before. And I just remember him coming in and going, Oh, you're right with a student. And I went, okay, because just about to push. Yeah. I hear him in a corner going, push. Like not even hands on me, right? Yeah. And I just think, wow. Because me now would have gone, no way, actually. Yeah. You get down there, you tell me exactly when to push and not to push. Yeah. And so I went through that and it was okay. But then I had an amazing experience with um Dr. Nepi in um Glengarry. And he was just beautiful and caring. Yeah. I didn't tear. He he led me all the way. And I just the comparison is huge. Is ridiculous. Yeah. Right. So and that was a 15 years ago. So, you know, what you guys are um giving women is it's such a beautiful experience, as it should be. Yeah. Not scary, loved, supported. You're amazing because you're having a baby.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Not just another number of like you'll be right.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly. And it's such a vulnerable time for pregnancy and labour. It is. And getting that right support is so important. Oh, so important.

SPEAKER_03

100%. Absolutely. Like, oh my gosh, again, the things I see postpartum. Oh, yeah. And it's only one of me. So it's like I'm so excited to be able to join your team.

unknown

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Because, you know, you know, we can love in numbers, which is amazing. And sleep, we get back to the sleep thing, is it is such an unregulated, flooded industry. It's confusing to people, but really when you've got a healthy pub that hasn't got pain or discomfort or whatever, they can master this miracle of sleep with lots of love, nurturing, and cuddles. Yeah. You know, it's not training at all. It's supporting that mum to be able to go, oh, you can try that. Yeah. Give that a go. And then when your child is settled and sleeping well, whatever way that might look like you can rest.

SPEAKER_00

You are not, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You can just enjoy the time. Totally, totally. And getting back to this beautiful mum I'm visiting, honestly, if she was getting sleep, she would be fine. Yeah. Like 100%. Like I don't even think she's got, I haven't asked her. No, I did ask her. I couldn't see my prerequisite questionnaire. She didn't have ongoing anxiety before. Wow. So just this sleep deprivation and becoming a mother has created that. And that's what I say to her. Once we get this sorted, you'll feel back like yourself. Yeah, absolutely. And then there's always other professionals to help as well. But you know, yeah. Pregnancy post bottom and beyond, you know? Yeah, absolutely. And it's because it's not many years that you've been. How long has pregnancy practice been open? Two years.

SPEAKER_00

All stops. Yeah. And but I've done lots of learning. You've done lots of learning. Lots of like been in the wilderness, hard trials, as you know. Yes. And now like the birth of something beautiful.

SPEAKER_03

It really has. And that's why everything's aligning and all the amazing professionals that you've got with you are all just so lovely and caring and blessings. And more will come. Yeah. Um, because there's so many other beautiful women out there that want to help women. So um they will we will all gather.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

We'll all gather here in Perth and we will help our mothers. It's so beautiful. So, what would be some of the most common fears and pressures that you are seeing when mums come to you? Are they kind of fitting into a same sort of overwhelm of what they're worried about?

SPEAKER_00

Or Yeah. Uh pregnancy is such a vulnerable time. We do worry about our pregnancy and is everything okay? It's quite common. And a lot of women do have gone through hardships where they've had miscarriages. No, it's tough. So when they are falling pregnant, they are extra worried and need that more of that support and nurturing, um, which is quite common. And yeah. And they just some of them don't get it though.

SPEAKER_03

If people didn't know you existed, oh, the stories that I've heard.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I'm like, uh obstetrician said that to you? Yeah. You know, when they'd lost a baby before and you know, just get on with it kind of thing. I'm like, oh my gosh, that is just horrific.

SPEAKER_00

It's horrendous. Yes. And just going through something like that is so traumatic. Well it's life-changing.

SPEAKER_03

You never get over that. You heal and you grow in different ways, but you never fully heal. Um but being provided that love and support through that fear that it's normal.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, getting that right support is so important. And that's we just have so much of a passion for women who have had miscarriages or gone through um had a really hard pregnancy the last time or had trauma in their labour or hypermesis, that's a big one. That's nasty. Women can't keep anything down. We do iron infusions and well, we do infusions in general and iron infusions with anemia. Wow. So we do everything. Everything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um, the other really big thing that I have noticed, I'm sure you have too in the last 10 years, is the extreme increase of IVF, meaning just infertility or finding it difficult. Again, I'm just reflecting in 10 years in in this space and my friends and family. And um it is a lot more com not to make people fearful, but it's a lot more common now than it ever used to be. I don't know why, but it is. So then an IVF pregnancy is obviously people are very worried. Absolutely when they get it, they actually get pregnant and they've spent all that time and money and effort. So that's another big thing too, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, exactly. And you once you get discharged with the IVF clinic, it's like, where do I go now? Totally. So this is where they're welcome to come to our practice and yeah. We'll we'll help them from the beginning.

SPEAKER_03

We will. Nurture and love them.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Um is there anything else that you and there's so many things to to share here, obviously, but is there anything that comes to mind on your heart that you'd like to share today about what you're doing with the mums and the future even?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the future. We would love uh we're currently looking at doing more mothers' groups in pregnancy and supporting women from the beginning. That's a good idea. And just having a one-stop shop. That's our dream where women receive everything through a one-house in-house clinics.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, that's amazing. Because again, on reflection and uh of IG, which is a while ago, but also mums I work with now, you know, you go to a um child health care nurse and look totally fine, that's nothing wrong with that. But often they don't particularly get along with that child health care nurse for whatever reason. But then given um a mother's group that they just go there and it's not led by anyone, and often it's sometimes it's they win the jackpot and they're all besties forever. Um and other times it just they don't make that doesn't go at all. And so then um you trying to have in well not trying, you having in the future these sessions led by professional or not even professionals, but yeah, people that want other people to get along with each other but led, um, there's going to be a higher chance of a community being built for that person. You know, a village for them, you know.

SPEAKER_00

Especially going through in pregnancy, connecting in pregnancy with other mums is so special. It is. And then sharing that journey after birth. Yeah, and just not being by themselves. Yeah. And I we need to break that that loneliness. The loneliness. Because I feel women postnatally, they're in such a vulnerable time. Totally. Mentally too. Um I've been there myself. Absolutely. And just your those intrusive thoughts, you're not good enough, you're not doing enough. As a mum, you just want to protect your baby, do your best, and you just feel at times that can be taken away from you. And if you have the right support around you, you can deal with that, overcome that, and enjoy that postnatal period, which is so important. So important because it goes so quick, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_03

So quick, you know, and I think at times you think I think back and you know, I don't know, um us mothers haven't changed. We haven't changed. The world has changed, it's fast paced, the pressure is so much worse. Um, but we haven't changed. Our children haven't changed, we haven't changed, the world's changed. Um, and not in a good way for that. And everyone's like, AI all take over and whatever. And I'm like, I'm not even frightened of that because people still need people. Yeah. Oh, I'm not frightened of it anyway, but uh people need people. And what's happening, especially over the last five or six years, we can clearly see that social media and having all of it is making everyone lonelier and sadder. So what people like yourself and myself are trying to do, and there's many of us out there, um, uh bringing us back to being human. Yeah. And that love and support. And if we can support mums in in that vulnerable stage, and then the the children, you know, can then thrive as well as they start going to school rather than being anxious and worried and that cycle going on. So it's it's a seed, isn't it? It is so important. Which is amazing. So finally, and again, this is not finally, because we'll be doing this a lot more, I'd think. Um for women listening now and uh uh that are pregnant and feeling overwhelmed, uncertain, a little bit scared, what would you most want her to know? Uh firstly, obviously that they can reach out, phone call, you're only a phone call away. But is there something that you would a mum sitting here listening worried, what would you like her to mostly know?

SPEAKER_00

That she's definitely not alone. Yeah. That she's gonna have such a beautiful journey. If the fact that she's pregnant is just gonna be so special, and we're here to support her and reach out. Yeah. If she's feeling like that and she doesn't have the support, reach out to us. We'll we we'll listen, we'll help her, we'll connect her with the right people.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And um just because it's such a beautiful gift from above. It really is to be pregnant. Absolutely. And it's taken away a lot of the time from us with worry and anxiety. It has. And pregnancy is something we can't control. It's out of everyone's hands. And it's such a miracle. It's such a miracle, and it's important we enjoy it, and no matter what comes our way, we surrender it. Because I find fear takes a lot. Yeah, it does. It takes over a lot. It really does. And women are just anxious because you just care for this baby so much before you met it.

SPEAKER_03

And the world, and the thing is, you know, again, I was such a anxious person, I was undiagnosed, but I again I've talked about this quite a lot because friends that have listened to me that have known me since high school were like, no, you weren't. And I'm like, that is so interesting because I was so outwardly not. And it was I wasn't an anxious, um, shy person. I was quite loud or whatever, travelled the world and stuff, but my mind, my brain, so then when I and I was I I didn't have anxiety with new things, but when when I became a mum, it hit me. You know, and that's the thing, is like, wow, what is this? Yeah and I still was coping okay till I wasn't, yeah, and it all reflects back to fear, all of it. And there's so much going on in the world, meaning I could easily go down that path again, but I don't. You know, I've got teenage girls, I've got girls that are driving, you know, all of these things that could make us worse, but I don't. I just like I believe everything's gonna be okay, you know, believe God will look after us for whatever it's God's plan. Like I that's the biggest thing as I've got older. It's surrendering the fear. Surrendering the fear. I say that to everyone. And it doesn't have to be God related if people don't want to relate that to God, but it to take that away, it is surrendering to the fear. It's like it's gonna be okay.

SPEAKER_00

Yep. And having knowing knowing that you have control of those thoughts is huge. Massive. That's it's life-changing. It's life-changing that if they're just thoughts. They're just thoughts. And you have power over them. We do. But it's very hard. It's very hard, but it's a beautiful journey to learn because once you see it, you can't answer.

SPEAKER_03

I said heaven on earth. It's always I say this to people all the time. Because I also work in a conscious parenting space, a conscious relationship space, another amazing woman, Lauren, that people see on my Instagram. I work for her as a coach, so I've got my business. Amazing. I do conscious relationship parenting under with her business, and I'll be working with you for you. And uh but it's all the same. It's all the same beautiful people trying to help people live now and reduce fear. But what in that space, what people say to me is how?

SPEAKER_00

Like, how can you be like that? I'd love to tell you how. Yeah. Is that okay? So for me, what has worked for me is my spiritual side, which has been everything. And I've women who are wanting to receive that, they've had huge great outcomes. That's me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. It's been me. Yeah. And again, I like before we started talking today, you know, I haven't even talked about my spiritual side on my platform. And my spiritual side used to be what's called new age. And this could be a whole nother podcast. We won't go too far. I know, we won't go too far into this, but but I've always been very different and I've been a spiritual person, meaning I believe something bigger than myself.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And um, I didn't force it on anybody, and everyone thought I was probably a bit crazy. For my people that loved me knew I was into it. My husband, bless him, followed along. He's Catholic and um just loves my quirkiness. But what's happened reconnecting with you is I've redirected my spiritual belief in God. Yeah and life has just it mop blown me away. And it's only new, but and not something that, like we said, I want to force on people or anything like that, but it's just believing in something bigger than ourselves. And I've always done that before um reconnecting with you. And when I work with my families, and again, going to see this mum, I won't talk about all, I don't talk about spiritual stuff to people all the time, never did before, but I'll be guiding her on how to live now, controlling the thoughts in a really beautiful way. How can we connect to our baby now? How can we have a break? How can we just co-sleep safely? Because I can't recommend co-sleeping as a sleep specialist, just duty of care. Yeah, people do it. I just go, do it, Sid's regulation. What can we do like now to get you through tonight? You know, and and that's what it's belief in our thoughts. Absolutely. Controlling them and something bigger than us.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. And I've um I'll just quickly share, I've had women who have had multiple miscarriages and nothing has worked. We sent her to a specialist and she continued having miscarriages. So that's when I was I was really like, I'm I'm gonna introduce you to my spiritual side. Yeah. Um I know you or not, you don't forcing anything on anybody. And she was like, Yes, let me try this. Like, what have I got to lose? So, like um I showed her that Jesus can help her. Yeah, and he did, and now she's had a baby. Crazy. And she's like in amazement and I have so many stories like that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And again, I don't share them. And and um and that, and you know, sometimes I'll I this is a platform I'm going to, everyone's gonna hear this, and I'm not phased by it at all. Yeah, but um I have just shifted from believing in in angels and other other things, because I'm always believing in something bigger, to something very specific, and Bible and stuff like that has worked for me. But what I love about you mostly is you're such a beautiful person and so loving, but I do love how intelligent you are, and you're using Western world science first. You're not coming in going, God will save you, and what you're not, we're not doing that. Yeah, you are going through worldly stuff. Let's try this, let's go to the specialist. Not working. Hey, would you like to try this? Yeah. People can say no.

SPEAKER_00

And the things that will happen are like because that's what everyone's familiar with. Yes, that's right. And fear. It's fear-based, isn't it? And fear. What what is this that you're introducing me to? You know? And it's amazing. It's amazing. Because I know that that person's in my path for a reason. I believe that.

SPEAKER_03

I believed that before, you know. That I was always um yeah, I and I always sort of thought it might have been, you know, people that have passed or whatever. I just had a really big um desire to find out more.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

No one else in my life was like that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and see, you have to search. Yeah, yeah, I've been searching.

SPEAKER_03

I've been searching, but I didn't know what I was searching for. Yeah, yeah. Um, and my closest people don't even know that this has been happening as well. And that's fine. And it's not that they wouldn't love me anymore, I'm not saying that, but um it's early for me as well. But um, there's so many, so many things at play, and we've got such a small window of life, you know, it's like like it's such a small window. Yeah, and we've just got to try and be our best for ourselves and for our families.

SPEAKER_00

And you want to just do what you're here for. Yes. And it's so much more than being a mother. Totally. That's one aspect. Yes because when I was a mum, I knew I still had a calling on my life.

SPEAKER_03

Me too.

SPEAKER_00

But I just didn't know how to reach there. Me too. And I never gave up. Never gave up. Even in the hardest times. When everything around us is telling us to stop. 100%. And only God is saying, keep walking, where you like all you're doing is just trusting.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, totally. And that when we talk about that is, you know, I I've shared this before um with my daughter Eloise before re-meeting with you. And that time, and we can share this because Eloise has shared it, um, with her suicidal ideation, how horrific that was. Yeah. And when it all sort of crumbled and I was taken to the hospital, all I was saying is, and this is incredible that I was saying this, not knowing that it was God or I was focused on something, yeah. In that horrific time, I just kept saying this is happening for a reason. That's what I said for hours. This is happening for a reason. I didn't look at my phone, I didn't do anything, I just was, she was on my lap and I was rubbing her head. And I had this real belief that this is happening for a reason, everything's gonna be okay. So if I could be in the depths of the worst time of my life, and thankfully, God willing, she's still here, because a lot of people sadly lose their children, and I can't couldn't, I can't even absolutely my mind can't even go there. That would be another whole level thing. But that whole horrific time, that's my sentence. I was like, something for a reason. I believe everything's gonna be okay. Now I know that that is the belief in God, but um I didn't specifically know, but I was already sort of believing. I was truly believing, I was very different than a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00

And yeah, yeah, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it is amazing.

SPEAKER_00

And it's knowing that no matter what our ladies are going through, yeah, whether it's postpartum depression, whether it's anxiety, whether it's just fear, that they're not alone, that they will get through this. Yes. And they will always have someone near them that can help them. Yeah. It's just reaching out.

SPEAKER_03

And finding us.

SPEAKER_00

And finding us.

SPEAKER_03

Finding us. I call I call people like yourself like angels on earth. I feel like I know that's a bit dramatic, isn't it? And I sort of secretly call myself that. But I don't don't that's a joke. But what I mean by that is I I'm living my life for help, to help people with love, with the biggest love and heart. And not everyone likes me, not everyone loves me back. I've been hurt a lot, it's okay. Yeah, I understand, but I live this life really fiercely now and with no fear.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

And it um but I want to give back. That's amazing. You know, and uh that's I know how you feel as well. And so if we can do that one by one or in group sessions, yeah, you know, we're still young.

SPEAKER_00

Empowering speaking life and hope into people's lives is so powerful.

SPEAKER_03

It's so beautiful, isn't it? I've again I know we say the word blessed. I'm so blessed that I am able to do this, that I have the confidence, the life skill, and being blessed enough to be honoured to support women and mums, and you know, and men are very important. We're not disregarding dads, but you know, men are typically the hunter-gatherers, you know, like that's not typical of same-sex relationships. I'm not talking about that, but you know, biblically, like just men and women, women and nurturing, men typically are the ones that gather and how you know, like just that's not wanting to upset anybody because my daughter's gay in a in a same-sex relationship. Um, so I'm not being judgmental there, but I'm just saying um generally, yeah, um, women are the nurturers that needed to be they need to be nurtured.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

They need to be looked after as well, you know. We need to intended to, but you know, we're women.

SPEAKER_00

So I love that.

SPEAKER_03

We could help some men as well. I don't know. Um but you look, this is only the beginning with us. Absolutely. Absolutely, no doubt that this is only the beginning. So thank you so much for joining me today. Oh, thank you for having me. And you know, I can't wait to see what we can do. Oh my gosh, to support parents and mums and families. You know, I'd love to I'd love to support dads. I don't know how, um whatever that might be, but you know, men are trying really hard to, and they're um sadly feeling like they're failing because their wives are struggling. Yeah. So, you know, but we can only do it at the moment. But yeah, it's been such a joy.

SPEAKER_00

Endless, endless opportunities.

SPEAKER_03

Endless opportunities to help people out there for sure. So, and again, you know, we'll do the best we can. Absolutely. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

Thank you for having me, Donna. Lots of love. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03

So if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave me a rating and review. I love reading all of your messages. So shoot me a DM over on Instagram. It is parentingcollective.au. I also offer a free 15 minute, no obligation, phone chat. If you'd like to book one, head over to my website, www.parentingcollective.com.au, and request one there. So try to remember to be kind to yourself and always know you're doing the best you can every day, no matter what your day is looking like. Until next time, much love.

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Donna Moala

Host