Today we’d like to introduce you to Nina Phelan.
Hi Nina, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My entry into birth work wasn’t very typical; I moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career… I worked in film, tv and commercials. There was a year where things were very slow, I just couldn’t seem to book a job or get an audition, so I decided to take a yoga teacher training (to broaden my interests). Little did I know that that would be the beginning of a whole new world for me!
After graduating, the yoga studio offered me a job and soon I was teaching prenatal yoga I learned as much as I could about pregnancy, labor and the early postpartum time so that I could share the info with all of the mamas. They wanted to learn more., they couldn’t get enough! Soon my yoga classes evolved into mini childbirth education classes, and women were asking me to be their doula – it still would be a few years before I felt like I was ready to be in such a sacred, intimate space.
Now I have been a doula for close to 11 years and have had the honor to teach thousands of couples Hypnobirthing over the past ten years!
My philosophy about birth really hasn’t changed over the years – birth is a sacred rite of passage, and when a birthing person is able to find their way and trust their experience they are forever changed.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have to say, thankfully it has been a smooth road. I unexpectedly found my calling and once I said yes, everything fell into place. Even the training I took early on, which may have seemed random – reiki, aromatherapy, sound healing — I learned all of these esoteric tools, not sure how or where I would use them in my life or career. Now I use all of these tools at birth in some form or another.
For me, it has been about listening to my yes. If something feels good, follow the thread! If it’s supposed to be, it will flow.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The Soulful Birth?
My business is called The Soulful Birth – a holistic, spiritual guide to pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. I am a birth doula, prenatal yoga teacher, certified Hypnotherapist and I specialize in Hypnobirthing.
I think my Hypnobirthing classes were what put me on the map. I teach my classes from a holistic perspective, with a focus on empowering people through education and connection. It’s definitely not your typical childbirth ed class – we go deep!
What am I most proud of? Oh my goodness – I am just so grateful to be able to do what I do! I am honored every time a client invites me into their sacred birth space. What a blessing – I am with people during the happiest times of their lives!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
In the beginning stages of the pandemic, doulas were not allowed in hospitals. In the VERY beginning, partners weren’t even allowed in. This left birthing women without advocacy and support. Birthing alone and afraid. It was a very challenging time to give birth in a hospital.
Many women switched gears and turned to midwifery care. Home births were on the rise during this time (and still are) What I noticed was that the women who normally wouldn’t have turned to the midwifery model realized that they didn’t want to give birth in a hospital, alone. So they educated themselves and prepared themselves in a way that was so beautiful and profound and focused – mind/body and spirit to birth their babies on their own terms.
Now as the covid veil has lifted, I see more and more women and couples choosing to educate and empower themselves – not necessarily for home birth but to advocate for themselves in the hospital setting.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thesoulfulbirth.com
- Instagram: @thesoulfulbirth
