It has been my honour to work with MIELI Without Borders during an internship that was part of my studies of Social Services at Diak University of Applied Sciences. Thanks to the good cooperation and trusting relationship with my supervisor and team I got a lot of freedom in creating a project according to my own interest and passion.
I decided to organise a pregnancy support group for expecting mothers to make use of my skills in community work and group facilitation. At the same time, I could follow my passion of supporting and empowering women on their maternity journey and use my expertise as a birth and postpartum doula for the project.
A safe space for pregnant women
The “Wellbeing in pregnancy” group was set up to create a safe space for pregnant women where they can meet and get to know other expecting mothers as well as share their experiences in a supportive and nurturing atmosphere. It functioned as a peer-support group and as a platform for learning and sharing information. The number of registrations we received after a short time advertising the event on social media reassured us that there was a demand for such a format in the expat community, our primary target group in MIELI Without Borders.
The project kicked off in late October and met for 8 group meetings until end of February. On average we had attendance of 5-8 participants. Our first session started with several jolly icebreaker games to help everyone to get warm with each other and continued with a workshop that intended to create a schedule for the upcoming meetings in a participatory manner. In that way we ensured that the topics that were initially planned were finding the approval of the participants, and we collected additional ideas and wishes. In the following weeks and months, we covered diverse topics.
Strong partners for wellbeing
Thanks to my involvement with The Nest doulas, we got Danielle Bensky, a professional postpartum doula on board to facilitate a workshop on postpartum preparation. Learning about the five universal and basic postpartum needs and how to ask for support amongst our network was truly inspiring and helped us to understand how to make the transition into the new stage of life easier.
Furthermore, we had one session focussing on mental wellbeing where we meditated together and tried emotional regulation tools. My longstanding commitment as a volunteer meditation instructor with Sahaja Yoga was a useful asset there. We also booked a group session with the amazing Nicola Moberg from Purna Yoga to try prenatal yoga exercises.
New year, new meetings (and a workshop!)
In the new year we continued our meetings and had a workshop on birth preferences. It was designed to offer an opportunity to learn about our personal choices as birth givers in an hospital environment, possible interventions, risks, and best practices. The workshop helped the participants to create their own visual birth plan by using easily understandable icons. In another meeting we discussed our personal vision of motherhood and the perceived shift of identities during the sensitive phases of pregnancy and maternity. We used art to help us process our feelings and express our vision.
Next up was a workshop together with the partners where we discussed the role of different hormones for physiological birth, how to prepare for birth, labour at home and how to utilize pain coping strategies.
Saying goodbye and best wishes
Our last meeting included a fare well celebration and blessings ceremony where we expressed our gratitude and best wishes for all the others in the group. It was such a heart-warming experience to share with the group and the deep mutual regard and friendship between the group members was very tangible during the session. I will always keep this happy memory in my heart.
Analysing the feedback, we received from the participants of the group I am pleased to read that we successfully created a respectful, nurturing and supportive atmosphere – a safe space. The majority of respondents also perceived the group had a strong positive impact on their mental wellbeing. Another objective of the group was met by bringing together people who can go through changes and challenges of a new life situation together. Strong connections and even friendships were formed amongst the group’s participants and amongst their partners.
Do you have an idea for a project related to mental health, are on the search of a meaningful organisation for your study internship, or are looking for a great mission to contribute your time as a volunteer? Reach out to us and let’s have a chat!
About the author
Helene Klix is an experienced postpartum and birth doula, mother-of-two and Austrian expat living in Finland
She is researching on the long term psycho-social benefits of doula services for the wellbeing of families with children, and her mission is to support and empower women on their journey through pregnancy, birth and postpartum
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