Blossoming Mothers

If a labouring woman doesn’t look like a Goddess,
then someone isn’t treating her right.

Ina May Gaskin

I’m Gaia Picciolini, the mother of Luna and Ravi and the partner of Arnoud. I’m Italian, Dutch for love.

Since 2014 I live in Amsterdam, where through my work as a yoga teacher (Birthlight certified), doula (JJ Doula certified- now BIA) and acupuncturist (Qing Bai certified. You can find me online on Acupuncturist Gaia), I support women during the wonderful and challenging months of their pregnancy and along their journey to motherhood.

The births of my children couldn’t have been more different. Both times I had chosen an independent midwife and I had planned a homebirth, but with Ravi in 2017 I had to transfer to the hospital after 24 hours without much progression, meconium and complete exhaustion. There I opted for an epidural, and my son was born after 10 more hours of labour and 2,5 hours of pushing… His birth left me feeling like I had failed, doubting my body and the birthing process. Nevertheless when I got pregnant with Luna I decided to give it another try – and what a great experience that turned out to be!
She was born peacefully at home, under the excited eyes of her brother, after the most loving and intimate 7 hours Arnoud and I ever shared and two mighty pushes.

Her birth taught me a few important lessons: first and foremost it showed me that my body did know what to do. Furthermore the easy arrival of Luna, made me realise how much more strength and courage it had taken me to bring Ravi earth-side through all the pain and doubt. The extra help I needed the first time wasn’t a failure nor a sign of weakness.

I also really learned what I now try to teach all of my clients: that it is not (or it should not be) about the birth you get. What matters is to go through it fully informed, standing in your power, feeling in charge of your story, respected and supported in every choice you make.

There aren’t many moments in life able to show us how strong and powerful we are: birth is one of them. It leads us deep within ourselves to re-emerge changed, renewed, and enriched with a new awareness of ourselves.

My job is to hold the space for you so that your experience can be just as magical.

If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use it.

John H. Kennell, MD

The word “Doula” comes from the Greek word doule, “a woman who serves.” That is precisely the role of a doula for a laboring woman: tending to and helping the mom and supporting the relationship of the laboring couple.

Doulas support laboring women by:

• Providing continuous emotional and physical support
• Helping find resources to make informed birth choices (before labor)
• Using comfort measures like massage, suggesting different positions and helping with relaxation breathing
• Accommodating the mother’s wishes for the birth environment (low light, soft music, etc) as far as allowed in the place of birth
• Encouraging the mother to communicate with her doctor about any procedures and interventions (a doula does NOT give medical advice or interfere with the doctor/mother relationship)
• Helping the birth partner by suggesting ways that he can support the laboring mom, feeling useful and helpful. (A doula never replaces the very important role of the birth partner!)

What Does a Doula NOT Do?

Doulas are not medical professionals and do not give medical advice.

A doula will not perform medical tasks like checking blood pressure, doing cervical exams or monitoring the baby’s heart rate.

It is never the place of a doula to judge, condemn or go against a mother’s wishes.

Doulas do not take over or come between the mother and her birth partner or doctor.

Unlike nurses and doctors, doulas also do not take shifts or leave during a labor.

Why a Doula?

A Cochrane review published in 2012 found that in labors with the continuous presence of a doula, laboring mothers experience:

• Reduced use of pitocin
• Decreased rate of interventions during labor
• Less need for pain medication and less requests for epidural
• Higher satisfaction with birth outcomes
• Lower c-section rate
• Higher chance of a spontaneous vaginal birth
• Shorter labors

I cannot promise you’ll have the birth of your dream, but I will definitely do my best to make your wish come true.

Maybe you have always known that you wanted a doula, maybe you feel like getting as much support as you can get, or maybe you just realised as the date approaches that you want one. Whatever your case is, reach out for a free intake to see if we are the right match.

1495 euro

What happens during a meeting?

I often hear that birthing is comparable to running a marathon – without having trained for it! I’m not sure that’s accurate, but definitely the best you can do is preparing yourself for it! But what does it mean and how can I help?

I can help you prepare mentally, giving you information about the physiology of birth, the different options available in Amsterdam and answering all of your questions. I can also help you writing your birthplan.

I can help you prepare emotionally through visualisation and breathing exercises, and helping you coming up with your own affirmations.

I can help you prepare physically through yoga to feel strong and in tune with your body; Spinning Babies to help your body and your baby to achieve optimal alignment; and acupuncture to make the transitions between the different birthing phases as soft as possible.

I can help you and your partner by teaching you natural methods to deal with contractions and feel like a team: acupressure points, massages, positions and movements, aromatherapy, rebozo.

Finally I can lend you books, rebozos, yoga mats, gym balls, TENS machine according to their availability.

Using these ideas as a base, your appointments will be customised according to your personal needs and style.

Are you just looking for a birth preparation workshop or would you like your partner, sister or friend to be your doula?

Book me then for a 3-hours workshop!

In the comfort of your home I’ll teach you and your partner the physiology and stages of birth. You’ll find out which movements and positions might help you the most in each phase, while your partner will learn different massages and doula’s “secrets”.

Feel empowered and prepared!

200 euro

Testimonials

It’s so important to choose the right doula! If you think we might be a match, feel free to call me or send me an email and we’ll organise an intake appointment free of charge:

0648228604

gaiapic@hotmail.it