local birth doula · online sanctuary
Pregnant?
Breastfeeding?
Take a moment to inhale…
and exhale…
as you tune into your body
and your baby.
What is “The Mama Sanctum”?
Mama, you are the sacred space that holds new life and nurtures it. Your womb is the inner sanctum of life, aroha and grace.
In that sense, the mama sanctum is truly you.
I want what most defines my work as a birth doula to be providing for māmā the safety and peace that she already embodies for her growing pēpi. (For more info about the birth support I offer visit my services page.)
This website is also an extension of the concept of sanctuary. I write articles and share information and resources relevant to Kiwi mums who want more than the status quo birth education and are ready to work with the significance of birth as a rite of passage into motherhood.
The Mama Sanctum is a place for pregnant and postpartum women to:
find their centre
tune into wisdom
connect to key resources
be built up in faith, hope and love
The blog is run by me, Deborah Faith, a birth doula in the Manawatū region. I’m available for one-to-one birth support in Palmerston North and surrounds, but for those I cannot serve directly my blog is a way for you to share in my explorations of making meaning through birth and motherhood.
The Resources page is a catalogue of high-value services for whānau plus a range of international information and content creators that many mothers, midwives and doulas enjoy. This is a great way to kickstart your birth education if you’re newly pregnant. It will be added to over time.
My hope is that these offerings water the garden of life that is in every māmā. As you grow new life within you, you are growing yourself too. So…
Come in
Breathe deeply
Open up to the beauty of ‘becoming’
What is a birth doula?
Doula means servant and is a modern revitalisation of the ancient concept of women helping women to become mothers. My role is to help you get familiar with your options and to understand pregnancy and childbirth as a transformative process that builds you up to be an amazing mum. Women are a force of nature and we can do amazing things! Among them is bringing new life into the world.
A doula can help a woman to gain informed confidence about the journey ahead and can help her feel supported if challenges arise along the way. My role does not include clinical midwifery practices. I am one part of your birth team, here to provide meaningful and personally catered birth education as well as emotional, physical and spiritual support during the birth alongside your partner and/or other whānau.
One way to define the support doulas give is that of sharing of information without making decisions for you. YOU are the mama and you have what it takes to make sound choices for you and your pēpi when you have the information you need. At the same time, I commit to providing a caliber of support that goes beyond mere facts and stats.
We live in a time when you can Google anything and find so many opinions and research articles that send you in a million directions, yet a heart-centered birth doula will help you make meaning from the fog of information and equip you to prepare yourself for motherhood. I can accompany you in exploring the deeper questions you may have about what this pregnancy and birth might mean for you - whether your first baby or fifth!
I don’t promise any particular outcomes for my clients, rather I believe it is important to keep an open mind about the journey you and your baby will take together. My job is done when a birthing woman has stepped into hope and belief in herself and is ready to surrender to the process of childbirth however it comes to her.
I completed the comprehensive Indie Birth Doula Academy programme in February 2024 and I’m excited to meet with Manawatū mamas to share the joy of new life with you!
Quote of the month
I have no doubt that if you turn your understanding’s eye to look at yourself and realise that you are not,
you will discover with what blazing love your being has been given to you.
I tell you, your heart and affection will not be able to keep from exploding for love.
St Catherine of Siena - Letter to a Great Prelate