In this episode, Julia talks with a former midwife who moved from Germany to Australia. Damaris Lee shares the challenges of leaving midwifery behind and creating her practice, Mum’s Oasis, in Sydney. Together they discuss the differences in postpartum care systems between Germany and Australia, the transition from hands-on work to virtual support, and what it’s like to be a doula before becoming a mother herself.

I chat with Newborn Mothers graduate Katerina Koukaki from Mothering Days. Together we discuss the realities of working as a postpartum doula in Berlin, why so many of her clients use health insurance to access her services, and how to support parents with realistic expectations around sleep and feeding. At the core of this conversation, we explore the cultural shift needed to move from crisis-based support to proactive, universal postpartum care.

Ria Keller is a postpartum doula, chef, early years’ teacher and passionate cold-water swimmer. She is originally from Germany and now lives in Northern Ireland with her partner and her two sons. Ria works with mothers during the last stretch of their pregnancy, throughout postpartum and later stages of motherhood. She has a special interest in “Zwischen”, which is a German word for “in-between” and describes the time of a woman`s life where she is becoming a new self while simultaneously is being asked to let go of the old. Ria is offering mothers a deep holding, she is walking alongside them while they refine their sense of self and reconnect to their intuition and roots.

Podcast interview with Ruth Gray on German and Australian Postpartum Care.

Podcast interview with Layla O'Mara on German And Irish Postpartum Care.