My Story

My name is Mandi Maher, and welcome to my indiegogo page!

This campaign is about helping me help others.

Pregnancy and childbirth are amazing changes in a familes life. Education is crucial for a successful birth plan, and bringing a new baby home. As a mother of 2,  a previous facilitator of prenatal classes for over 5 years, and a doula client. I know how special it is to have someone care for a mom during labor and the postpartum period. Providing support to moms, is by far, the most rewarding job in the world. Experiencing a child being born into this world, is incredible, emotional and empowering.

I am a DONA trained and experienced Birth Doula for the Miramichi and surrounding areas. I provide personalized prenatal information, birth planning and complete support to parents before, during and after their childbirth. We work together as a team, to promote positive thoughts and wishes, as well as preparing the parents for labor by putting together a plan, and working as hard as we can to put that plan into place when the big day arrives. The goal of my business is to be there for moms in any way that I can. There are no other businesses like mine around. So, i want to be able to provide the best possible service i can.

As a stay at home mom, with a new small business, I have ZERO funding to help me move ahead with my goals.  I have exhausted every avenue for funding and grants to help with educational funding, over the last year. But, with my unique services and the type of courses I need to take, I do not qualify for any help, other than with the CBDC small bi-weekly allowence.

After giving birth to our second daughter, we began to struggle with the idea of me returning to my previous job as a teachers assistant. Being diagnosed with anxiety, Postpartum Depression and having a very hard time doing my job,  with a new baby at home, took its toll. I was torn. I knew that being a birth coach was my passion, but only thought of it as a part time job. Once we discovered that day care and gas would basically take all income from me going back to work, i quickly told my husband that it was time for me to do what i love.

Time for a career change! A scary, but amazing endevor.

I NEEDED to be a full time birth coach. I needed to provide moms with love, care, passion and nurture them through their childbirth and beyond. I have been so lucky to have been a doula to over 14 families and counting. Having a mother thank you with tears in her eyes after her baby lays on her chest, seconds after birth, is phenomenal and reinterates why I have chosen this path.

But I need to do more! I need to help more! I need to provide more to my clients!

In order to provide more services, and move ahead to have a succesful birth service, I need to take courses and become certified in several areas.

Where your contribution is going

Education is key for someone who works so closely with others, and provides so much information on a subject as amazing as childbirth, and parenting.

I have fallen in love with a company called Childbirth international. They have everything I need, through online and distance courses, to help me become certified in the following areas: www.childbirthinternational.com

- Birth Doula (providing full birth support through labor and delivery, and beyond)

- Postpartum Doula (providing postpartum services to new families, helping with other children, help with feeding new baby, adjusting to their new life...etc)

- Breastfeeding cousellor (providing close support to moms who have chosen to breastfeed)

- Childbirth educator (providing positive prenatal, childbirth, parenting classes, as well as teen/family sex ed classes)

 

All 4 courses with Childbirth international together cost $1,700.

*The next course that I will be taking, will connect to the Childbirth educator course. I stongly believe in mind over matter, and meditation as a form of pain relief in labor. I will be teaching my classes with the outline from a new, and amazing company called B.A.N.I. They provide a hypnosis type class to moms and dads, and get them ready for the big day, with meditation and self hypnosis information that i fell in love with. This course is being taught to provide new instructors with all the information possible to teach their own B.A.N.I classes.

B.A.N.I (Birth as nature intended)- Distance (Skype, online, mail) course $600

My last course is also an addition to the previous. It is called CALM birth (Skype, online, mail) and is a completely natural, and meditation based instructor course for childbirth educators that helps with movement, positions and lamaze like classes. $300

*Once I am certified in all areas, I am then able to bring my information to all doctors offices, the hospital, schools, public health, as well as potential clients with confidence and professionalism. This will bring me many new clients, and help so many women acheive their goal and be supported fully through this transitioning time.

The impact of helping a birth business

Doulas can make a HUGE difference in the outcome of a womans birth and beyond. Every contribution will help another family along the path of parenthood, the most positive, and relaxing way they can.

 

Some women are alone, and have no one to support them in the most important time of their lives. I want to be that support. I want each and every parent to be, to have as much support as they can.

 

Also, I am extremely passionate about preventing teen pregnancy. The rate in our province is VERY high, and rising. There needs to be more education in the schools, from parents and from ME, A soon to be local certified childbirth educator. Help me provide as much education as I can, to empower young ladies and gents to respect themselves, their bodies, their peers and make the best decisions for their future.

Other Ways You Can Help

I totally understand how hard it is for people to contribute. But, if you can't, i would be more than happy to have you share my information and the importance of doulas, birth support, breastfeeding support and childbirth education.

Spread the word!

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