During the past fifteen years of owning and running the Bella Mama Pregnancy Spa and Wellness Centre I have noticed a pattern emerging. Pregnant mothers doing everything right with regards to caring for themselves during their pregnancies and planning every meticulous detail of their births yet left shocked, overwhelmed and exhausted by the first few weeks postpartum with their new babies.
In my own experience I was totally blind-sided by the arrival of my beautiful son nineteen years ago. After a long protracted labour I felt completely unprepared to care for this little person who depended on me for his every need. Although I had support around me I thought that I was meant to do it all myself and wondered why I wasn’t enjoying those first few weeks of motherhood as much as everyone told me I should be. “You have a beautiful baby, you must be so happy!” Instead I often felt exhausted, inept and overwhelmed.
After establishing the Bella Mama Spa & Wellness Centre I decided to extend my training to qualify as a postpartum doula so that I could do the very important work of caring for my Bella Mamas’ not just throughout their pregnancies but into the ‘Sacred Window’ of the postpartum weeks so that they would receive just as much loving care and attention as they were giving their newborn babes.
Are you worried that you don’t have enough support in the weeks and months following the birth of your baby? Are you concerned about sleep deprivation, exhaustion, breastfeeding or family dynamics? If so, I would love to support you.
My role as a postpartum doula is to ‘mother the mother’ nurturing and supporting you with a range nourishing traditions including
- Pregnancy massage and birth plan advice & support
- Postpartum massage treatments with aromatic oils.
- Nourishing home cooked food & nutritional advice
- Postpartum belly binding and advice on rehabilitation of the core and pelvic floor.
- Postpartum yoga, meditation and deep relaxation exercises
- Breastfeeding & bottle feeding support.
- Helping to create your ‘village’ & negotiating family dynamics.
- Practical and emotional support including light housework, pet care & help with older children.
- Mother Honouring Ceremonies.
Email us for more information
To find out more I invite you and your partner to book a complimentary one hour clarity session to discuss your postpartum goals and challenges and set a plan to ensure that the first few weeks following your birth are a time of peace, joy and comfort.
At 25 weeks pregnant, I was recommended Bella Mama as a good place for some pre baby R & R. Upon browsing their website I discovered they offered a Postpartum workshop …… oh gosh I hadn’t even thought that far ahead! After successfully convincing hubby to come along. We instantly had our eyes opened to all that lies ahead….. up to that point we had only concentrated on the labour and birth! We are and will be eternally grateful for attending this workshop. Jojo Hogan who hosted the workshop is the Bella of Mamas, You could see her passion for this topic flowing as she spoke and her enthusiasm and excitement for each person attending and made us think of our own unique journey and building our “village”. From here, we looked more and more into what we wanted the first few weeks with our new baby to look like ….. and we very eagerly asked Jojo to be part of it and hired her as our Postpartum Doula. We are now 8 weeks in and having Jojo as a part of it with us is an absolute delight. She has made us feel so special, pampered, loved and nourished (literally…. she is such a great chef)… filling our house with smiles, our bodies with tender massages and encouraging us every step of the way. Do not hesitate to work with Jojo, it is a step you will be ever so grateful for.
To the women I know and to the mothers I will meet, it is with elation and gratitude I welcome you to the work I love so much – Auckland’s own, Bella Mama Pregnancy Spa & Wellness Centre.
Fueled entirely by the fire in my belly, I built this business in 2005 so that I could satiate the deep calling I felt to care for mothers doing the ever important work of nurturing & loving their children. Very early in life I recognized how much women did for the people around them but how little they did for themselves. Over the past thirteen years we have cared over over ten thousand mothers and babies, providing a sacred sanctuary where they can be honored, supported and celebrated.
It is truly my belief that mothers and babies who are born into a place of peace, love, joy and respect will go on to thrive and positively contribute to the world around them. With the intention of filling their cup with abundant bliss, my desire to inspire better health in each wonderful mother of this world, transformed into the establishment you see before you today.
Looking most forward to serving you,
JoJo Hogan
Founder of Bella Mama, Postpartum Doula, Yoga Teacher, Massage Therapist, Birth Educator