Hello!

My name is Shaadeh. I love being a parent, music and dancing, feeling connected to my people, and being outside in the garden, bush and beach. I have enjoyed unfurling into intentional and slow living with a little person and I've grown so much from listening to the teachings that come with this.

You may be surprised that I never used to be so interested in birth and postpartum. It wasn't till my second pregnancy and birthing my child, did I birth myself with a new profound admiration for matrescence. Not because I found it beautiful the whole time, but mostly astounded that we can juggle the messy and mundane. Oh and the emotional rollercoaster and the things you never thought you would be doing becoming a parent, like self healing. I am in constant awe of those who have walked before me, and for those journeying parenthood right now. My journey was like a current in the ocean, I didn’t know where it was going to take me, and it was turbulent in parts, and calm in others.

My husband and I had a beautiful week of rest and felt loved up. We could soak in those oxytocin-milky-golden-daze with our little one. We had my mum and sister travel interstate to clean and cook our ancestral healing postpartum Chinese food for the first week. Friends cooked meals so we didn't think about food for 3 months. The in-laws visited from the other side of the state to help. We were tracking pretty well for the first 3 months or so I thought. At 5 months postpartum the pandemic saw us isolated. At 8 months till 14 months I experienced postpartum depletion. Lack of support, felt isolated in my own home, low energy food habits crept back in and I was unsure how to communicate my boundaries. These were my ailments.

On reflection, we didn't set our village up to support me and my family in the ways we needed in the early days and years. We missed the step on educating our community about rest and minimal visitors and trips outside in the first 40 days to support the transition of learning and loving our newborn. Since then I've learnt how to identify my needs, how to communicate my boundaries and effectively ask for help.

I often reflect on my first pregnancy that I chose to end. My partner and I were both ill-equipped to cope with the grief process, and it took us 6 years to process this. I needed a guide to hold space for conflicting feelings to exist and be validated. I needed my people to feed me and remind me to shower while I couldn't look after myself. I was sick with grief. It is these moments I wish I had more understanding support even though it was my choice.

I grew a deep passion for reproductive health and postpartum journeys for all people. My inspiration is honouring intuition, the laying in period after birth and staying at home for as long as possible and the importance of rest, staying warm, and protecting the sacred window of early postpartum or pregnancy loss. I have cared for many families since February 2021 as a doula plus studies retraining in postpartum care, 10 plus years of hospitality and organising events, reading on motherhood endlessly, applying my Sociological lens of the postpartum experience, and being a mother myself. I apply high quality support for my clients ensuring a unique postpartum experience tailored to them. I want clients to feel they can tune into their wants and needs, feel empowered and be cheered along the way with a warm bowl of food and a laugh when things feel a bit crazy.

It is becoming more evident in research and anecdotally everyone benefits from meals cooked, house cleaned and non-judgmental support if they wish it. Hindsight is great, but preparing for postpartum is better. This is my why for creating Held and Wiser and I am grateful to share the journey with you.

Qualifications

Newborn Mothers Postpartum Doula Training March 2021

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

Project Managment Cert IV

Working with Children Card

First Aid Child Certificate 2022

Food Handling

Relevant Immunisation

Triple Vaccinated for Coronavirus

Whooping Cough

Pillars of Practice

At the heart of Held and Wiser the foundations are woman and birthing person centred. Warm and nourished parents are nourished families and communities. Weaving aligned teachings and traditions optimises the experience for a supported postpartum in modern life.

Drawing on my Chinese-Indonesian and Iranian ancestral postpartum traditions I weave knowledge and practices to nurture my clients. My practice is inspired by the 40 days of laying in, at the heart of it is to create a nest for long rests, learning, healing and growing into motherhood and parenthood in the early days with your village support.

  • Be Guided by Intuition or Instinct

  • Nutrient Dense Food and Plants to Nourish and Support

  • Keeping Warm and Staying Home

  • Tradition Meets Modern Life

  • Slow and Simple Living

  • Creating Intentions

  • Practicing Gratitude

  • Creating Ritual in the Small, Everyday and Mundane

  • Be Guided by Nature

  • Curiosity, Play and Experiment

  • All People Can Experience Birth and Postpartum

  • Closing the Gap in Continuity of Care

  • The Sociology of Motherhood/Parenthood

Partners can be Part of the Journey

Held and Wiser services are for mothers or birthing parents. Partners are welcome and encouraged to join sessions including planning and in-home support visits. Partners do not have to be involved.

"Parents who are held and nourished by their village are empowered to trust themselves and are wiser for it"

Shaadeh | Held and Wiser

Social Responsibility

I am a believer in making an impact where we can. As a pro social and environmental business Held and Wiser strive to take action with heart by:

  • Standing with First Nations People

  • Elevating Women's Health and All Reproductive Rights

  • Taking Climate Action

My current mission is:

1% of annual profits made are donated to Birthing on Country project by 
Molly Wardaguga Research Centre.

For Indigenous people to access traditional birthing knowledge and Indigenous led support in community.

Read more here at Birthing on Country

All packaging, labelling, and office supplies are compostable or recyclable where possible.

FAQ

  • Postpartum doulas are skilled and knowledgeable around recovery and adjustment for new mothers/parents, and infant care and development. I provide non-judgmental guidance on newborn care and feeding, and provide basic practical housekeeping support e.g. folding laundry, dishes and sweeping.

  • I do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment for mothers/parents or baby, nor provide heavy house cleaning e.g. cleaning windows, ovens, etc.

  • Yes! I provide basic breastfeeding knowledge with latching and bottle feeding for everyone purchasing any service from me. This is based on my own breastfeeding experience, training and research. When it is out of my scope I will refer you to your midwife or lactation consultant for more complex issues such a tongue ties, infection, etc

  • I underwent Postpartum Doula training with Newborn Mothers and completed my studies March 2021. I have officially been a Postpartum Doula working in community since March 2021 and I have supported 8 families in that time while raising my toddler and homesteading.

    Through professional development over time I will be expanding my knowledge in abortion, trauma based practice, increasing my breastfeeding knowledge and facilitating skills. I have studied at university majoring in Sociology and minor in Psychology. I have been passionate about mental wellbeing and facilitating for over 15 years and often am drawn to social justice and community building projects.

  • I am not a therapist but I may suggest tools or resources that therapists use and always suggest seeking professional support from a qualified therapist to ensure you are well supported using these tools and resources. I am not a couples therapist, and I can refer you to one if you need guidance specialising in this area. I have studied Sociology and Psychology at university but this does not mean I am a therapist, I just hold knowledge that can be used by your discretion. You are responsible for what you want to use as part of your journey and choose not to use if it doesn’t resonate with you.

  • Yes! They are cared for too. I will play games with them or make snacks while you look after baby. See below on more about this.

  • I am 100% first here to support you the mother/person-carrying-life transition into postpartum with your baby. As part of looking after you I may care for and play with older siblings from time to time. I encourage parents who need strong support from me and require extra rest to consider having older siblings taken out for a few hours by a friend, family or paid babysitter during our sessions together. This can be particularly useful for debriefing on birth or if moving through some tough times.

  • Ideally your partner is able to join planning sessions and in home visits (when not at work) as they may benefit from my support. I am particularly passionate about this as I’ve had previous clients say how invaluable it has been to have support for partners. It builds a couple into a team and approach postpartum on the same page. This can greatly impact what may unfold during that time. If for any reason they cannot attend then I encourage couples to share the information in their own time to build their vision together as a family.

  • I have completed First Aid for Mental Health in 2011, First Aid for Adults and Children in 2022, and a Working with Children Card, and Food Handling Certificate.

  • Yes, I cater to all dietary requirements.

  • Nutrient dense foods include wholefoods. Wholefoods are rich in macro and micro nutrients essential for postpartum and everyday. So think fresh veggies and fruits, beans and legumes, grass-fed animals living outside, seafood fresh from the ocean, fermented foods. This means eating foods made as close to nature as possible and replacing refined and processed foods. I have studied cooking with hormone cycles which focuses on gut healing foods, blood sugar levels, and understanding the relationship with hormones. This approach is old knowledge that is being reclaimed.

  • At this stage I am not able to provide the support I want to deliver in the full range I hope for. I need to do more training in this space around medical processes and your rights. I am open to working with people who want my support. I do have my own experiences and my doula skills including emotional support in person or online, and in-home support. If this is something you are seeking and you want to work with me send me an email or book a 15 min consult to see if I am the right person for you.

  • Yes! Please email me at hello@heldandwiser.com.au or via the Contact Form to find out about payments plans

  • Yes! I refer to birthing people as parents, and bodyfeeding (like breastfeeding) through my offerings and provide tailored support for you. I would love to get to know you and how you feel most comfortable with doula support from me.

  • Two weeks notice gives me time to organise m family life to be completely present with you.

  • Yes, I can cater to you whilst you are in hospital. The difference would be the meals freshly made in an external kitchen. Freshly made nourishing meal to be warmed up at hospital facilities. A time deduction of 15 mins per session in person to factor some of the cooking time. Up to 2 hours 45 mins in hospital session.