Today we’d like to introduce you to M. Alex Cobian Alvarado
Hi M. Alex, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in the agricultural community of Ventura County and have called Los Angeles my home for over 19 years. This is a special place for me as this is where my husband and I grew our family while creating community.
After high school I moved to San Diego for college, and returned home to work with a community based organization who focused on advocacy and policy work. You may wonder how does this tie into my now career as a postpartum doula? Well it connects in the sense that I have worked in and with my community throughout my entire career. It all started when I was 14 and was taught about the importance of being part of the community one lives in by a Latino leadership organization who is close to my heart. Future Leaders of America came at a time where I needed it the most and was instrumental to the network that I now have as a professional.
My work transitioned from working with a beloved Member of Congress to a Law Office to another nonprofit organization. Although the type of work changed throughout my career, at the very core it never changed. I lived to help people by advocating and sharing information as best as I could. I am also the first to admit that if I don’t know something, I am very good at tracking down someone who does know.
Little by little my work continued to guide me towards working with immigrant families in every chapter of my career. I would spend time finding resources, connecting them to community members, and helping them get the services that they needed. I have always been the type of person who will share information if I know of something that can help another human being. Especially if they needed help with communication as I am a Native Spanish speaker.
I love babies and when anyone had questions I was always more than happy to share. This led me to a fun Postpartum Doula workshop. Little did I know that it would eventually be something I turned to years later. During the covid shut down parenting was difficult but little by little I saw where I wanted to take my work.
In 2021, I begun a new chapter as a stay at home mom and the following year I jumped into Postpartum Doula work. This is a path that I am drawn to and strongly feel that I am needed to be right now. One day my path will lead me back to advocacy. I know it and I can’t wait to use all of my skills to help more families.
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?
Life has not be a smooth road, it has been filled with challenges. As a Mexican American woman, I grew up thinking that challenges were a part of life and figuring out a way out was not always defined. I had to figure things out and make my own way out. Sometimes the challenges were physical, but more often I got in my own way. I have learned that it’s ok to ask for help and that it is not a sign of weakness. (Thank you therapy!!) I am a proud child of immigrants who came to this country for a better life. I am also part of a strong group of women who cared for their families throughout every chapter in our family’s trajectory.
I am part of my family’s first generation, the first to go to college and the first to obtain my master’s degree from my maternal side. It was rough at times, but I did it! I got through it with the help of my parents, husband, family, friends, my therapist, and by coming home to me. I realized that if my parents traveled to another country to start again that I had it in me to chase after what makes me happy unapologetically.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a Certified Bilingual Postpartum Care Provider or otherwise known as a Postpartum Doula. My practice changes as it depends on whom I am working with at the moment. I like to start conversations with questions like…
– Is this their first baby? Second? Third?
– What are their needs? (Before baby makes their grand entrance and after),
– Are there any cultural practices that they want to include in their 4th trimester/immediate postpartum?
– Allergies or preferences?
– What are their postpartum goals?
– Do they have a postpartum plan?
– Who is part of their postpartum team outside of parent(s) and baby?
If they decide to move forward, clients have access to me and to the community that I have created with Monarca Wellness. It is totally up to them! My services include things like helping with meal prep (I LOVE cooking for my clients), helping figure out baby gadgets, baby wearing support, organization of baby items, planning, newborn/baby care, provide breastfeeding/feeding support, provide resources, and emotional support to parent(s).
I sometimes have seen my clients start in a place of uncertainty to eventually start doing their thing! It always makes me so happy to work myself out of a job becase they have empowered themselves in their parenting adventure.
I happily bring to the table 14 years of parenting, training, culturally competent care and life experiences. I find that it benefits my clients and their babies. As I tell my clients, I am available to them from the point that they choose to work together and beyond. Once my doula babies, always my doula babies.
What does success mean to you?
I define success as knowing in my heart that I did as much as I could for a family.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @monarcawellness
- Other: https://hype.co/@monarcawellness
