As part of our 40 Weeks, 40 Women campaign, we present you a personal moment from our community every week about pregnancy, birth or the postpartum period. Real stories from you, for you.
First up is Stephanie Johne, also known on Instagram as @_warriorwoman . Stephanie is a doula in Vienna and has a wide range of holistic skills and training to support women during and after birth. In today's interview, she tells us more about herself, her job and her calling and also addresses her own postpartum experience.
YOUR DESCRIPTION READS WONDERFUL: CONFETTI-AYURVEDA COOK, NUTRITIONAL ADVICE, PRE- & POSTNATAL KUNDALINI YOGA, ESSENTIAL OILS, YONI STEAMING, BELLY BINDING, RETREATS. WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY LIFE LOOK LIKE? IS THERE ANY DAY THAT'S THE SAME?
“Yes and no – I do have set days when I only see clients, for example, or when I teach yoga, but basically every day is a bit of a surprise.”
HOW DID YOU FIRST COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE TERM DOULA?
“While I was pregnant with my son almost 5 years ago. I was looking for a holistic birth preparation course and came across an offer from a wonderful doula. The course was exactly what I had wanted.”
WHAT DID YOU DO FOR A PROFESSION BEFORE AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME A DOULA? WAS IT A KIND OF CALLING FOR YOU TOO?
“I'm actually an editor and PR consultant. I deliberately say 'am' because I still accept jobs in that field from time to time. I first heard the call to become a doula shortly after the birth of my son. It was a stroke of luck that 2.5 months later I came across the training course very close to us and there was exactly one last place left.”
WHAT DO YOU IMAGINE THE CARE OF A DOULA AS A PREGNANT WOMAN? ARE YOU ALREADY ACTIVE DURING THE PREGNANCY, ONLY DURING THE BIRTH OR, FOR SOME MOMS, ONLY DURING THE POSTPARTUM?
“Both. Most of the time, the mothers contact me very early in the pregnancy and I support them in making basic decisions, such as finding the right birthing location and team. Sometimes, however, I am only asked to be there for the birth at the last minute and it is not uncommon for mothers to only want to be accompanied during the postpartum period. I usually come to the families' homes every two days for 4 hours each and cook postpartum meals for them according to Ayurveda.”
"Basically, as women, we carry everything we need to give birth within us."
HOW EXACTLY WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR ROLE IN THE BIRTH?
"I am something like the mother-to-be's extended (emotional) power depot during birth. Basically, as women we carry everything we need to give birth within us. But especially as first-time mothers and in the hospital environment with all the unknown impressions, we quickly become unsettled and quickly look for security outside. I remind the mothers of their strength, breathe with them, guide them through relaxation techniques, massage them, hold space, create a relaxed atmosphere with the help of scents and sounds... In short: I am the plus during birth. Women can basically give birth without doulas, the question is how they remember this experience. I support the families during the birth and look after their needs - sometimes also those of the fathers-to-be or siblings if they are there, as is often the case with home births. During home births, I also relieve the midwife by helping her if she wants and we take turns with certain positions and relaxation techniques.”
DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUR WORK IF IT'S A HOSPITAL OR HOME BIRTH?
“Basically not, I always see myself in the same role. But the setting is of course different with a home birth, it is much more familial, if the midwife arrives at about the same time as me (often the doula is there first), the woman has double 1:1 care throughout, which is of course a relief for everyone involved if we can take turns. Often at home I also look after the siblings at the same time, prepare a good meal or tidy up and prepare the postnatal bed. In the hospital I usually have fewer or no breaks than with a home birth. Here I sometimes see myself in the role of mediator between the medical staff and the family, although I would like to make it very clear that I never question or contest medical decisions, but I do remind the family of their birth plan and what we discussed beforehand about individual interventions.” 
AND WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR TASKS IN THE AREA OF MOTHERBED CARE?
“I see myself primarily as a postpartum cook, but I am always willing to listen and provide support with belly binding and vaginal steaming or various household chores. But basically I am booked to cook for the family and thus make the healing process and the arrival easier.”
HAS IT EVER HAPPENED THAT THE PEOPLE ENVIRONMENTALLY OF YOUR MOM (PARTNER/FAMILY/FRIENDS ETC.) FELT OUT BY YOU?
“ There are certainly concerns beforehand, but in fact they have always quickly disappeared. I think I have a pretty good sense of when I should not disturb the trusting relationship between the expectant mother and another accompanying person and am merely an extra. It is important to me that the women giving birth feel safe and undisturbed - sometimes this works best when they are alone. In the meantime, I withdraw and wait until I am needed again. If that is the case, I always show most of the relaxation exercises to the partner first.”
HOW DO YOU EXPERIENCE THE COOPERATION DURING BIRTH BETWEEN YOU AND THE MIDWIFE, DOCTORS OR NURSING STAFF IN THE HOSPITAL?
"Basically always positive. There are always initial reservations about doulas in the hospital, but I can usually put up with the staff quite well. I understand their attitude on many points, but I would still like us to approach each other more in the interests of the woman giving birth and seek a common discourse so that we can adapt to each other even better."
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) EXPRESSLY RECOMMENDS CONTINUOUS EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR PREGNANT WOMEN BY A DOULA – ARE THE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON THE BIRTH EXPERIENCE ALREADY SUFFICIENTLY SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN?
“There are actually a lot of studies on this now, and the number is increasing. You can find a large selection here , for example .”
THE CONFINEMENT PERIOD IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO YOU: YOU EVEN WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THE “FOURTH TRIMESTER”: MILK & MOTHER: WOULD YOU LIKE TO TELL US WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK AND WHAT READERS CAN TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR BOOK?
“Milk & Mother is the book that I would have liked to have had during my postpartum period. On the one hand, it serves as preparation for the postpartum period and, on the other hand, it is also a faithful companion during it. The book not only covers the immediate postpartum period, i.e. the 8 weeks after birth, but also the time beyond that. More information about what readers can expect can be found here ."
YOU ARE AN ABSOLUTE JACK OF ALL TRAITS: MOM, AUTHOR, DOULA, FOUNDER OF JONI JONI & THE AAVA COLLECTIVE: WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR YOU AS A FOUNDER AND TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOUR PROJECTS BUILD ON EACH OTHER?
“ The biggest challenges as a founder are balancing my private life - especially with family - and my career. I never feel like I can do justice to everyone, and that's okay. I set the pace, that's what I love about being self-employed. The balancing act is to take your foot off the gas when things are going too fast, especially with my own projects, which are all so much fun, that's not always easy. All of my projects are largely about being a woman. With Joni Joni, I offer products for people with breasts and vulvas, but also for sisterhood and transitional periods in women's lives. The Aava Collective is the physical space that I was missing to embed my 1:1 work with women in the right environment. During Corona, the desire for truly lived sisterhood and real physical togetherness again arose. Most of the time, my projects arise from my own needs.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO EXPECTANT MOMS WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONFINEMENT PERIOD?
“Take it easy, be patient with yourself and give yourself time. The baby has been growing inside you for nine months, and it can take at least that long to grow together into the new family structure and the new role as a mother. The key to making this work smoothly is to 'accept help' or even 'ask for help' if it is not offered. It is not for nothing that they say: 'It takes a village...!' Make sure you have at least a whole village for this time.
FROM A DOULA'S PERSPECTIVE: WHAT CAN THE ENVIRONMENT DO TO SUPPORT THE MOTHER DURING THE BIRTH AND THE POSTPARTUM (IF THE FAMILY CANNOT AFFORD A DOULA OR DOESN'T HAVE ONE NEARBY, FOR EXAMPLE)?
“ Be there, listen, encourage her in her role, applaud her, carry her on your hands, offer help, cook a warm meal and leave it outside the door, walk the dog, pick up siblings to play, give massage vouchers for postpartum massages at home instead of the umpteenth romper, bring flowers, never visit as a guest but make yourself (and your mum too) a cup of tea, always bring something good to eat, and and and....”
Thank you dear Stephanie for this great interview!
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