Can you introduce yourself in a few words?
My name is Liza. I'm 35 years old. I'm a doula and the happy mother of Simone. Today, I take care of my daughter a lot and I'm a fertility doula and in training to follow the pregnancies, births and postpartum of the women and couples I support.
You are currently a doula, tell us about this incredible adventure:
I discovered my infertility in 2016 and became pregnant with my Simone in 2018. At the time, I felt an insurmountable wave wash over me and a feeling of immense and inexplicable loneliness. I had to undergo IVF and therefore medically assisted procreation (MAP). A world, a mountain, the black hole.
I did a lot of research and my journey took up all the space in my life, my guts and put my career on hold (as an actress and singer). It was therefore impossible for me to continue to be in the spotlight with the treatments and the gaze of others. I only had one desire: to hide and I did it.
I then discovered the world of doulas and came across an online training course from two doulas to become a Fertility Doula. Since the beginning of my journey, I have thought about women and all those who feel so alone. It was obvious to me, I wanted to share what had pierced me during all these years of struggle until motherhood.
Today, I continue my training to support my warriors in their pregnancy, birth and postpartum.
What message would you like to give to those who are having difficulty getting pregnant?
Take the time to choose your center carefully, listen to yourself if you feel unwell with the follow-up and don't hesitate to change it.
Live and enjoy yourself, but also call on a fertility doula if necessary, for moral support and to feel less alone.
Remember that even with medical help, life is a miracle. It will always remain magical, even with medical help.
Don't hesitate to seek help from a psychologist or do couples therapy to talk about your journey; your partner is often forgotten.
How did you experience your first few months as a mother? Were you adequately prepared for this upheaval?
Simone was born a month early, by cesarean section, and she was very small. I wasn't prepared enough even though I had read a lot of books and was very interested in everything. I would have liked to have a doula for moral support and to have the keys. Especially when you don't have family there, this early loneliness is really hard.
Becoming a mother, what did it reveal about you?
Unimaginable patience, tolerance, a lot of respect for the little being who grows every day by my side.
A very great strength, already through my PMA journey and today I feel in my place, I deeply love being a mother, it is the role of my life. I would not change my journey for anything in the world. It taught me that life is precious, miraculous and mystical!
I love helping others, I bring them my experience and my energy. All this transformation happened the day I was told I would have to go through IVF to have a child. My change happened that day. It's very powerful to fight against it. I didn't think I would be so strong. This fight turned my life and also my path upside down. Today, I can say that my motherhood has put me to the test, there are days easier than others, but the love you feel is incredible. It's really worth the fight.