My name is Lyssa Zawalski, and I am a postpartum doula undergoing certification with DONA.
My path towards becoming a postpartum doula was a winding one, with stops along the way as a teacher, social worker, and product manager. While I have found a depth to each of these titles, becoming a postpartum doula has felt like so much more.
Quickly after giving birth to my daughter, I realized that I was underprepared and undereducated on what came next. Postpartum was filled with navigating solo parenting, PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders), and lack of a “village.”
Once enough time had passed and I could more objectively look back at my postpartum period, the most glaring observation was that I had desperately needed help. I needed support in understanding how to feed my baby, what infant sleep looked like, how to find ways to take care of myself (which felt impossible at times). Having a postpartum doula would have changed my postpartum experience as well as the early years of parenthood.
I cannot imagine a more tender time to support a family. I truly believe the care and support that we receive in our postpartum period determines so much of how we start our parenting journeys.
Thank you for being here, and thank you for trusting me with the most precious pieces of your heart.
Lyssa has been an ongoing guide to motherhood, since she had her daughter. Her unfiltered honesty in motherhood was very real, deep and a refreshing view compared to posed family photos. When I had my second baby, I thought it was going to be different, since I knew what to do this time around. In a sense, it was. However, when the lack of sleep crept in, I called upon Lyssa. She knew the anxiety, the deep seated feelings I felt, and had already lived the intrusive thoughts I had. She was present for the hardest parts, and I can NOT thank her enough for seeing me and understanding motherhood, by walking with me on this journey.
- Kathryn M.