Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Papalii.
Hi Jessica, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was young, I always wanted to “deliver babies” when I grew up. I babysat throughout college and beyond. was even a nanny for a while.
Plans changed as I grew older and my undergraduate studies were in Kinesiology with the intention to become a pediatric physical therapist. I didn’t get into graduate school during my first round of applications so I started working in a corporate office. I got used to the paycheck and didn’t want to go back to being a full time student again. Although, it was always in me to obtain a higher degree, so I completed my Master’s degree in Business Administration. Little did I know, I would later end up using it to start my own business.
I met my now husband at my before mentioned corporate job and became a step mom to two littles, We got married and shortly thereafter, I had a beautiful, unmedicated birth at a birth center. I fell in love with all things birth and knew immediately that I wanted to be in the birth world.
My birth was everything I had imagined but the months after completely ROCKED me (hello, postpartum anxiety). I went back to work from my maternity leave for 2 days and quit my full time corporate job. I told my husband I would figure it out….
I went back to what I knew and took on a family to nanny for. I looked into midwifery school and quickly realized that wasn’t feasible with a brand new baby. I found a doula training course, trained through DONA and now here I am, still figuring it out!
I have had another beautiful birth since then and have added a few trainings to my resume; Bengkung belly binding, yoni steaming, placenta encapsulation, baby wearing specialist, and most recently a nationally certified child passenger safety technician (CPST).
I am passionate about helping new moms navigate being postpartum because I realized how difficult it is and how lonely it feels. Even with a supportive partner and a village around me to help, I couldn’t have imagined how difficult it would be and new moms deserve the loving support and knowledge from a postpartum doula.
Alright, 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?
No, it has not. Navigating my own motherhood while being the support for other moms has its challenges. Sometimes I realize I give such great advice to new moms about how to support themselves and their mental health, how nourish their bodies for healing, or how to ask for help and I never take that same advice for myself.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is truly another one of my babies. I never imagined I would own my own business one day but once I became a mom, I realized I can do anything.
As I was trying to think of a name for my business, I had to really think about what I wanted my business to look like. I asked myself why I was here, what is my goal, how do I want to support my clients. After birth, everyone checks in on the baby and the mother is often times forgotten about. I wanted to make sure with my business, I was mothering the mother, I wanted to Mother Her.
I am a firm believer that if you’re a doula by profession, you’ve been a doula your whole life. You’re the one taking care of hurt animals, or helping with an elderly family member. I am an empath and wear my heart on my sleeve and always have. It took me until my 30s to find a “job” that I could use those qualities for.
I adore every single one of my clients but the thing I am most proud of with my business is that it not only fills my cup to help others, but it allows me to be home with my kids. I’m a homeschool mama and I’m able to be with my clients during pockets of time while my kids have meet ups and classes, and then home with them.
It’s a balancing act and not always an easy one but I am so grateful that it works for our family. I love showing my kids daily that where there is a will, there’s a way!
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I am very passionate about car seat safety. As a person that struggled with postpartum anxiety, I realize now that my obsession with car seat safety was me trying to find a way to gain control. We can never fully control the safety of our children, we can definitely set our children up for the best possible outcome if they are ever involved in a car accident.
I am a nationally certified child passenger safety technician. I can do a car seat check for families that already have their car seat installed, or I can do a full install where I show the parents how to install the seat and the child in the seat from top to bottom. I am very passionate about car seat safety and love empowering my families so they feel confident using their car seats correctly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Motherherdoula.com
- Instagram: mother_her_
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/mother-her-long-beach
