What is a doula?

Hi there! My name is Natika (Teeks) and I am a certified Birth and Postnatal Doula. I live on the beautiful Capricorn Coast with my wonderful hubby and our two beautiful daughters. I Iove coffee dates, mexican food and watching birth vlogs. 

For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to support people, especially women. My background is events and wedding/formal fashion, so that was my focus for a very long time. I have always been obsessed with pregnancy (just ask my high school friends). Side note- I dressed up as a pregnant housewife for one of our 'what do you want to be when you're older?' parties. And yes, I stuffed a balloon in my dress. And yes, there is photo evidence.

After the arrival of our first little girl in 2018, I decided to look into pathways of how I could support women and their families (without the obvious solution of becoming a midwife). I came across the term “doula” and after doing my research and finding out what their main roles are, it just kept ticking all of the boxes for me. I discovered the Australian Doula College and I couldn’t have been more excited to start working towards my new passion/career. 

I am so passionate about ensuring women feel supported, and don't get me wrong I loveeeee babies, but my main focus is ensuring women and their partners feel supported during pregnancy, prepared for birth and know the importance of postpartum planning. 

My education/qualifications: 

- Birth and Postnatal Doula Training (Australian Doula College)- https://www.australiandoulacollege.com.au/post/natika-watts-birth-and-postpartum-doula

- Birth Diploma Diploma (Centre of Excellence) 

- Diploma of Small Business Management 

- Diploma of Community Services

- Various pregnancy, birth and postnatal workshops/webinars 

- Hypnobirthing short courses 

- Valid First Aid (regularly updated) 

- Valid Blue Card/Working with Children

I had two very different pregnancy experiences with my girls.  A la dee dah frolic around barefoot, carefree "textbook" pregnancy and one very nerve racking, exhausting and fearful one (but of course all worth it). However, the level of care and support I received during both of these fuelled my passions even more because I experienced the difference great support can make to your overall birth outcome. 

Mind reset, birth preparation, education, visualisation, breathing techniques and postnatal planning was so important to me, especially throughout my trickier pregnancy. It helped me achieve the best outcome possible for my circumstances. 

I am so grateful that I am now in a position where I can support other women and their families and help them work towards their desired birth experience, no matter how they choose to give birth.

Teeks xx