When my eldest daughter Zoe was born in 2017, I instantly fell in love with motherhood. I have always been a nurturer, so mothering came easily to me – but I wasn’t very good at looking after and honouring myself.
I ended up feeling quite alone and isolated in my Matrescence (yes, that’s a real word!), though I didn’t realise just how isolated I was until years later.
You see, I grew up in a typical Greek family in the Eastern Suburbs in the 90’s, where grandmothers and aunties were very hands on in my upbringing.
Our weeks consisted of midweek family dinners at Yiayia’s (grandma’s), being cared for by them while parents were working, or when we were sick (so parents could keep working!) and hanging out with our cousins almost every Friday night and on weekends.
So, when I was due to become a Mum, I assumed my experience would be the same, that another older, wiser woman would help me become a mother and show me “the ropes.” But times are different now, grandparents work well into their 60s and 70s, and our generation often have to move further away to be able to afford a comfortable life.
After complications with PCOS since puberty and an early cervical cancer removed when I was 21, it was honestly a dream come true when I learned I was pregnant for the first time. I remember crying, staring at that pregnancy test, relieved and excited.
A couple of years passed, and the Covid-19 pandemic was upon us – now amplifying our isolation and relying on Zoom and Facetime to keep our families connected with grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends.
Where was my “Village”?
I found myself with a lot of time on my hands and decided to immerse myself in what felt like an old flame, one of my first true loves – Yoga.
In 2021, I completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and also my 30-Hour Kids Yoga Certificate, as well as my specialist Prenatal & Postnatal training.
Having served women in the region for over a year now, facilitating yoga classes and Women’s Circles, I have seen a gap in what the mainstream medical system provides, compared to what women need throughout pregnancy, birth and even beyond the fourth trimester, to be fulfilled in their Matrescence.
The care once provided by midwives during birth, and by mothers and grandmothers postnatally wasn’t there anymore – at least not in the same capacity it once was!
It was a natural progression for me to seek out further coursework to become a doula to help bridge the gap between what’s on offer and what women need of support.
My name is Maria Alexandratos, and I am an emerging doula who is training at the Doula Training Academy. I am proud and excited to begin offering these services to women in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and Metro, as well as Southwest Sydney and Macarthur Regions.
If you would like more information about my doula services, please contact me:
Business Name:
Mana with Maria
Mobile:
0481 574 442
Website:
www.manawomen.com.au
Email:
[email protected]