When physiotherapy is not enough
pregnancy, pediatric PT, postpartum doula
The first part FysioDoula was born in 2014 with my physiotherapy degree. I started my professional self-discovery while working with disabled adults and children, but constantly felt as if I was late - full development had already taken place and now I was just maintaining the level. Although I did like this part of the work too, I started to move towards a younger target group, until in 2018 I finally started working in the rehabilitation department of Fertilitas private hospital in Tallinn as a paediatric physiotherapist. At first it seemed like I had finally found my field, but with babies I discovered a completely unknown territory - new mothers.
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Work with children = work with parents
The smaller the child, the more they benefit from regular visits. This means that at least once a week two adults and a cute baby (sometimes two) sit together privately in a room for about half an hour. Since mothers spend so much time alone, every contact with another adult is really precious. Therefore, we are not only discussing the child's motor skills and muscle tension, but also talk about feeding the baby, supplementary food, sleep, pregnancy, childbirth, relationships. And while I don't have professional training or personal experience in most of these topics, I do have empathy, listening skills, and logical thinking, which I've noticed helps grow parents trust. I felt very privileged in this position, however my professional knowledge was lacking.
Becoming a Doula
Doula training lasts 9 months for a reason, because a doula also has to grow, develop and finally be born. At first, sitting in a room with 20 strangers and listening to their pregnancy/birth stories was a little intimidating, but I knew my advantage - I had already professionally worked with pregnant and postpartum women. Counselling, listening and reflecting are no strangers to me. And although during the course of my studies I sometimes feared that maybe I wouldn't be taken seriously if I didn't have children of my own, I constantly reminded myself - I am a physiotherapist who has not had any fractures or surgeries, yet, I can still succesfully treat my patients. In the end, being a doula comes down to the human aspects, and I have already been confirmed that there are people out there who find my presence comforting and reassuring. As both a physiotherapist and a doula I need to help shape the face of these professions and rely on my strengths.
And so FysioDoula was born - a specialist who can support women's bodies during and after pregnancy, advise on baby's development and movement, and be that extra support person who listens, normalises and helps to be present. If you have any questions or feel that I could be of assistance in any way, feel free to reach out through the contact form on the main page.
Your FysioDoula
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