Meet Michelle Ludwig of Modern Mama Doula

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Ludwig.

Michelle, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Coming up on seven years ago, I was inspired by the empowerment I received from my birth team the day gave birth to my first daughter. That day was so much bigger to me than I ever could have imagined. It changed the way I looked at myself on the outside and within. I never could have fathomed that the passion and empowerment I felt on that day would be the catalyst for becoming the woman I am today.

Shortly after my first daughter was born, I became a doula, and quickly became very busy. The fire I was able to bear witness to in a mother’s eyes the moment she meets her child is a true thing of beauty. To watch and help women dig deeply into their mindset and their physical strength lit the same fire in me. My sole doula practice became an agency a few years later, and we now have several birth doulas, postpartum doulas, childbirth education classes and much more. We grew the business of Modern Mama Doula together, with the goal of being able to help women throughout their entire motherhood journey. We want mothers to feel safe, empowered, informed, strong and smart. The day they give birth can help them achieve that feeling.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a doula is incredibly rewarding to me in many ways and has filled my heart and soul with so much joy that it has been a fairly smooth road. The true challenges have been the life-work balance. Busy birth doulas are a rare breed. We quite literally live on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for the most part. Our phones are glued to our bodies, we race out of our spouse’s birthday dinner -to a woman who needs us across the valley, at the drop of a hat. We struggle with having to block time off for our anniversaries or our children’s birthdays because we can’t stand the fact that we won’t be able to support a woman through her birth journey. Drawing boundaries and making sure I am taking care of my family and myself has been the biggest learning experience. I’ve been beyond blessed to have an amazing team for my business and my home life that helps me create that balance.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Modern Mama Doula – what should we know?
Modern Mama Doula Services is one of the only full-service agencies serving all of the Phoenix metro areas. We wanted our concept to be a one-stop shop for moms looking for empowerment and education throughout their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. Through evidence-based research and unbiased birth support, we hope to not only improve the mother’s overall experience but help improve maternal health care as well.

We strive for consistency within our certifications, our mission and our values in relation to our birth work. All the women involved with Modern Mama Doula, bring something very unique to the table and help round out the team atmosphere. We wanted to raise the bar in professionalism and certification was our first must have as a team. We all are DONA certified or pursuing certification. We value increasing our skill set to ensure our clientele is receiving the most accurate and relevant support. Part of carrying the title of DONA State Ambassador means I want to help other women see the value of certification. My goal is to help future doulas who are beginning their careers understand the importance of business in our career.

What were you like growing up?
I’ve always been a bit too tall, a bit too loud and a bit too driven. As awkward as these characteristics made me in my teen years, they are truly some of the characteristics that make me who I am today. It was learning to channel and embrace them. I was raised in a tiny reservation town, quite frankly in the middle of nowhere. I barrel raced horses, played college volleyball, entered every speech meet I could, and swore I would have a career in politics. I had my first “on the books” job when I was 15, graduated high school and moved out at 16, moved to Arizona at 19, and have been moving forward since. My life has definitely turned out very different than I ever could have envisioned it, but I feel like my very independent childhood definitely set me up for success for it. The one constant thing I have always known throughout my childhood, adolescence and adult life is that motherhood was definitely for me, and its been a very different journey than I ever dreamed, in the best way possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.modernmamadoula.com
• Email: info@modernmamadoula.com
• Instagram: @modernmamadoula
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/modernmamadoula/

Image Credit:
Modern Mama Doula, MSunshine Photography

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